New approaches

I opened the July issue of Sojourners this evening and came across an excellent column by Cathleen Falsani. She wrote about the recent formation of One Wheaton, which she describes as "an organization dedicated to showing solidarity and love for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students" at Falsani's alma mater, a traditional evangelical college. Wheaton College, in other words, is one of the last places one would expect to find such an organization.

On more than a few occasions, I have been reminded by other Christians that we have a responsibility to tell people when they're behaving wrongly. The metaphor I commonly hear is the burning house; perhaps you've heard it, too. It goes something like this: If your neighbor's house is on fire, you're not being very loving if you don't try to wake your neighbor up and let him know that his house is on fire.

At some point, Christians have to figure out that this method of "converting sinners" just ain't working.

In her column, Falsani recounts the story of another Wheaton student who stepped in front of a train due to the conflicting feelings he felt regarding his sexuality and the way he would be received on campus if he came out. Being told his house was on fire didn't help him very much, did it?

If the Christian community continues to vilify the LGBT community, and if the LGBT community continues to fail to respond in the way the Christian community would like, and the Christian community responds by vilifying the LGBT community even more loudly, the game has changed entirely. All of a sudden, the object isn't really to change anything about anyone; it's simply to prove how right you are. A sincere desire to change someone would lead to a completely different approach.

One of the greatest examples I have heard of finding a new approach comes from Southland Christian Church in Lexington. The church has a ministry in which a group of women take food to strip clubs and serve the dancers. No yelling; no picketing; no assurances of coming judgment. Just a home-cooked meal for some women who are often treated as something less than human beings.

For far too long, Christians have chosen an approach that alienates the world around them. An approach that reaffirms a person's status as sub-human. An approach that occasionally pushes someone in front of a train.

Time to stop worrying about being right. Time to start loving people.

This is why I'm encouraged by One Wheaton. I pray others will follow suit.

Imagine it: A group of LGBT supporters springing up on the campus of Liberty University or Regent University or any of the other hotbeds of evangelicalism.

Now, that would be something.