Davidsonian editor Brett Willis explaining why the paper chose to run Michael Spangler's commentary. (Bill Giduz photo)

Hundreds gather for discussion of homosexuality and Christianity

By ALEX GREGOR
DavidsonNews.net

On Monday night, hundreds of members of the Davidson College community filled both levels of the C. Shaw Smith 900 Room in the student Union for a discussion hosted by Chaplain Rob Spach about homosexuality, Christianity, and Davidson’s historical connection to the reformed Christian tradition.

The event was a response to a pair of editorials about homosexuality that were published in the Nov. 4 issue of The Davidsonian, the student newspaper, and to an ongoing dialogue about these editorials that continues to permeate Davidson’s campus.

Rev. Spach began by asking the mostly-student crowd to follow a set of guidelines for respectful dialogue. He then said definitely, “The Chaplain’s Office and I myself are very supportive of GLBTQ people.” (GLBTQ refers to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning.) He explained the college’s heritage in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and noted that while many of the college’s founders probably viewed homosexuality as sinful, intellectual debate is an integral part of the Reformed Tradition.

“Clearly faithful Christians differ about the question of whether it [homosexuality] is sinful or not,” Rev. Spach said. “I fall into the camp that says it’s not. But I understand that other Christians disagree in ways that are thoughtful. It’s not that one side has it completely right and one has it completely wrong on this issue. Part of our tradition is disagreement.”
Rev. Spach grounded his remarks by commenting on several pieces of scripture and noting that “within this [the Reformed] tradition, you need to always put the text in a broader context.” Merely quoting Bible verses does not speak to some self-evident truth. Rather, commentators need to ask, “on what basis do you select passages and apply them” to reach thoughtful interpretations of the Bible.

“My life isn’t normative for your life, or your life, or your life,” Rev. Spach said. “I think we’re called to respect that difference because we’re called to live as a diverse community together. Diversity is hard. Diversity means there are going to be some real differences between us. Part of living in community is figuring out a way to interact with each other and honor those differences.”

The Presbyterian Church USA and the Reformed Tradition from which it springs believe that understandings of divine truth are always provisional.

“While we may believe there’s truth, we’re never the possessors of that truth,” Rev. Spach said. Cultural heritage, personal history, and, if one takes a Christian perspective, fallenness, all mean that individual perceptions of truth are inherently subjective and partial. “It’s OK to believe something and that it’s the truth — just not that it’s the whole truth” offered Rev. Spach.

The Davidson College Statement of purpose observes that

The Christian tradition to which Davidson remains committed recognizes God as the source of all truth, and believes that Jesus Christ is the revelation of that God, a God bound by no church or creed. The loyalty of the college thus extends beyond the Christian community to the whole of humanity… At Davidson, faith and reason work together in mutual respect and benefit toward growth in learning, understanding, and wisdom…As a college that welcomes students, faculty, and staff from a variety of nationalities, ethnic groups, and traditions, Davidson values diversity, recognizing the dignity and worth of every person.

Davidson chaplain Rob Spach speaks to the audience Monday night. (Bill Giduz photo)

After Rev. Spach concluded his remarks, an hour-long conversation among audience members followed. Erica Ashley ’10 asked why, when the College’s Code of Responsibility includes provisions against hate speech, The Davidsonian published the editorial written by one student, Michael Spangler ’10, that stated, “I believe that God hates the sin of homosexuality.”

In response, Rev. Spach noted that freedom of expression is of paramount importance to intellectual discourse on Davidson’s campus and always has been within the Reformed Tradition. Brett Willis ‘10, Editor-in-Chief of The Davidsonian, noted that the after working with the authors of both editorials through several rounds of revision, the paper decided to publish Mr. Spangler’s editorial because of its “cultural relevance.” Mr. Willis noted that in the small town where he grew up, viewpoints in Mr. Spangler’s piece would constitute the majority view — not an outlying opinion — and are worth discussing with the entire Davidson community.

Student opinions about publication of the article were clearly mixed. While some viewed Mr. Spangler’s editorial as a clear example of hate speech that might force GLBTQ community members into the closet, others praised The Davidsonian for stimulating conversation about an important issue on campus. “I think a lot of good has come out of it. Now we’re gathered together discussing these perspectives,” one student offered. But another student countered, “I just want to know why a bunch of straight people are getting involved in an issue in which they have no experience. I’m bisexual and share the views in [Mr. Spangler’s] article.”

When Tatenda Musapatike ’10 asked why the college administration had not yet made any official statement in response to the editorials or subsequent dialogue, President Tom Ross took the microphone and addressed the audience.

“I’m really proud to be here tonight and see all of this taking place,” he said. President Ross recalled that when he was a student, Davidson held similar debates about whether or not women should be members of the Davidson community.

Responding to questions about The Davidsonian’s decision to publish Mr. Spangler’s commentary, President Ross said, “I suppose we could have censored the article. But if that [censorship] didn’t make headlines in The Davidsonian, it probably would have in other papers with larger circulation. We’re better off having a discussion and a debate.”

President Ross continued: “Issues of diversity are hard. Hard on a lot of people. Hard to talk about. But if you don’t talk about them, it’s worse. This needs to be a community of diversity where we embrace difference. What happened was an intellectual discussion of a hard issue.”

Monday night’s event showed that members of the Davidson community are far from unified in their opinions about the editorials, Christianity, and Davidson’s Presbyterian heritage—and that the conversation on campus is far from over. Still, the prevailing sense on campus seems to be that discussion hasn’t marginalized GLTBQ members of the community as much as it has brought the campus community together for a necessary discussion.

RELATED COVERAGE

Nov. 9, 2009, “Audio: At midday, a shout for tolerance.”

Nov. 9, 2009, “Article about gays stirs controversy on campus.”