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KIM RAFF/THE NEWS & ADVANCE
Liberty University students challenge Soulforce members on their beliefs in the courtyard at the school on Wednesday. Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activist group rallied at Liberty as the first stop of this year’s “Equality Ride.“
The dialogue began slowly.
Five members of the gay activist group Soulforce held hands Wednesday afternoon and stood to face about 50 Liberty University students behind the school’s DeMoss Hall in Lynchburg.
They had just returned from donating five gay-affirming Christian books to the school’s library, and Caitlin MacIntyre invited onlookers to join them in singing “Amazing Grace.”
“No thanks,” one student said.
Across the sidewalk, students paged through Bibles as the hymn’s familiar first verse filled the air.
Liberty student Lawanda Sowell said she was searching for passages to describe her belief that homosexuality is a sin.
“They believe in what they believe because they are blind,” she said.
The song ended, and the two groups stood opposite each other with two different opinions on how to interpret the role of homosexuality and the definition of marriage in the Bible.
Liberty was the first of 15 planned stops at faith-based institutions on Soulforce’s annual Equality Ride, a national bus tour meant to encourage an inviting environment for any on-campus gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender students.
“Nowhere in the Bible does it say, ‘homosexuality is sin,’” said Soulforce member Nicholas Rocco DeFinis.
Liberty student Steven Mosley disagreed.
“This is never affirmed in the Bible, ever,” he countered. “You should not be living like this.”
Soulforce member Danielle Cooper said many things have changed since the days of Jesus.
“Marriage, in terms of how we see it, has come a long, long way,” she said.
Although they disagreed, dialogue was exactly what Soulforce had hoped for, said Jarrett Lucas.
“It has to be open and it has to be honest,” he said. “Ideally, we come together and understand each other before the end of the day — or however long it takes.”
Earlier this week, Liberty officials had said they would not allow the group on campus. When Soulforce members came to the school in 2006, more than 20 were arrested on charges of trespassing after walking onto school property.
“It wasn’t our intention to tell them ahead of time to come on campus,” Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said Wednesday. “In fact, we told them they couldn’t. But they didn’t cause any incidents, so we didn’t arrest anybody.”
“Most students believe, like my father did, that you should love the sinner, hate the sin, show compassion and try to be a good witness. So that’s what I think our students did today.”
Capt. Al Thomas with the Lynchburg Police Department monitored the assembly from off campus and said the day was incident-free.
In the past couple of weeks, he has facilitated conversations between Soulforce and Liberty as the activist group planned for the event.
“They assured us that this would be a peaceful, nonviolent assembly, and I think that has gone according to plan,” he said Wednesday afternoon.
Liberty junior Erika Green said she was happy to have the chance to speak with the group.
“We’re supposed to love everyone, so it would be wrong to turn them away,” she said.
Katie Higgins, co-director of the Equality Ride, said the group had been in contact with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at Liberty who felt that the school community promoted discrimination against them.
Falwell said the school’s code of conduct does not prohibit homosexuality, but it does forbid sexual activity outside of marriage.
“And in order for there to be a marriage in Virginia, it has to be between a man and a woman,” he said earlier this week.
As for the donated books, he said, “Somebody brought them up to my office today, and we have a committee that will decide whether to make them a part of the collection or not.”
After more than an hour of discussion, Soulforce members walked back to their bus and a dozen other Equality Riders who rallied from just outside of campus. Many students joined them. The group is in town until Sunday, and plans a discussion on the role of homosexuality in Christianity today at 11 a.m. at the Starbucks on Wards Road.
Wednesday’s dialogue had begun slowly, but continued as clusters formed here and there along University Boulevard.
Bill Carpenter, director of national actions for Soulforce, looked on with interest.
“We’re just beginning the adventure for this year,” he said.
Reader Reactions
cleocat,
you mention God in your post as well as reference a scripture verse. If you understand there is a God, a creator, then you must recognize him as the ultimate athority, the absolute truth. One can obviously recognize that ssm is unnatural just by the equipment necessary to reproduce. Furthermore, I am not the one that stated it was unnatural. The absolute authority (truth) God did in His Word,
Romans 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
For the record God does not hate gay people. He hates the sin that we all commit against Him. He hates the sin but loves the sinner so much He sent His son to die for them and us. I am sorry Cleocat, you can’t accept some of God’s Word when it fits comfortably to your view point and reject other parts of it when it doesn’t.
scrivsand,
You mentioned freedom. Well God ordained laws, just like our national laws are in place to protect and provide for its people. The freedom that you speak of (same sex marriage) would seriously infringe not only on my rights but on a whole lot of other peoples rights. Freedom of religion would be in jeapordy. Not to mention it is in direct violation to God’s Laws.
Here is an piece from Shaunti Feldhahn, “Where SSM has been legalized there have been dozens of gay-marriage opponents prosecuted, jailed, fired or put out of business, for simply standing up for their beliefs. For example, after Canada legalized SSM, several teachers and pastors were fired for writing critical letters to the editor. Clergy in Ontario who refused to perform same-sex marriages lost their licenses and their income — to perform any marriages. A Catholic printer in Toronto who declined to print homosexual material, and referred the customer elsewhere, was sued and ordered to pay crippling fines.
And now, religious liberties are affected in the first U.S. state to legalize gay marriage. Catholic Charities of Boston is revered in the adoption world for placing challenging kids. But since its adoption arm cannot, on religious grounds, place kids with gay couples, it cannot comply with Massachusetts new (court-imposed) laws and has been forced to shut down.
The director of the Canada Family Action Coalition, Brian Rushfeldt, observes,Once same-sex marriage is passed, there will be systemic legal ramifications. It affects every part of society: education, job benefits, church teachings, editorials Judges will have to change dozens of other laws because of it. The only way to avoid that is to enshrine traditional marriage in your constitution.“ ajc.com
Perhaps this excites you or other proponents of SSM, but I warn you a nation that heads down that road is in direct violation of God’s law and is in serious jeapordy to reap the consequences of God’s Judgement. All of the great societies in history have had rampant homosexuality before their decline.
Thank goodness my God does not hate gay people and does not mind if they get married. And so I don’t have to spend my time worrying about it or trying to prevent people from living their own lives. And I don’t have to go around preaching to them about how if they only would be something other than what they are they would be happy and God would love them. I do not need to be spewing homophobia all the time.
Thank goodness my God made me content with my own life…so I do not have to go around living other peoples for them!
I am so blessed.
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?“ Matthew 7:3
Just because it feels good or you think it doesn’t harm anyone does not make it right. If you are interested in some real life reasons of why gay marriage is harmful to a society, then check out nogaymarriage dot com.
Zig I understand that God loves each and everyone of us flawed as some of us are. I have my flaws you have yours and so on and so on. But I know same sex couples that have been together 15+ years and their love for their partner is just as true as mine is for my husband and yours is for your wife, so why not let them enjoy the benefits of marriage since their bond is just as strong?
In today’s society, divorce is a fast way out of an unpleasant situation. In the United States, roughly half of all marriages now end in divorce. This statistic is almost as high in the church as it is the world. What are we to make of this flood of broken covenants that wash across our land? Many are drowning in its tide, beaten by their own broken words and failure. Some are dying under a flood of guilt, while others sail merrily along, unaware that their boat is rotting and will soon sink under the waves. Is there a cure for this marital epidemic of broken promises, blame, guilt, unforgiveness, discontent and wounded children?
Although God hates divorce, He loves the divorcee and will help all who call upon Him. He wants to teach us how to love the way He loves. The definition of true love is “God is Love.“ Unless God is brought into a marriage they will never experience true love. People can experience an emotional feeling we call “love”, however this is only one aspect of love in a marriage. The kind of love that is needed for any marriage to be successful is the the God kind of love because this love is not a selfish love. God’s kind of love, loves even when that love is not reciprocated. One attribute of love is faithfulness and loyalty. A Christian marriage is based on trust in God and each other.
Another thing we must understand about love is that it is a choice. True love is not something we trip into and out of easily. God’s love for us endures all things and does not change, even when we do. He doesn’t love us for measuring up to a certain standard. He loves us because He is love Himself. There is not one thing He does that is not motivated by love. When we fail, He does not reject us, but in compassion reaches out to restore us. Though He sees the hardness, blindness and hypocrisy in our hearts, He still loves us. He loves us enough to not overlook these things, because He knows they will destroy us. He loves us with a consuming, passionate, holy, jealous and gentle love. He loves us so much that he continually offers us forgiveness, comfort, encouragement, peace and joy. Finally, Jesus showed that He loves us more than His own life w
Zig I get what you are saying but we are not talking about rewriting the Bible we are talking about rewriting the law. The bible says that divorce is wrong and forbids divorced people to remarry but it is legal.
Homosexuality,Divorce,Murder,etc.I SHOULD SAY All SIN, can be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ!Repent AND DONT DO IT AGAIN!
I’m not here to bash anyone,I get bashed all the time(I’m use to it ) because I believe in God and what the word of God says.I didnt write the Bible but I’ve lived my life from what I’ve learned in the Bible.(WHAT A DIFFERENCE I MIGHT ADD)
I have a big heart for all and to see someones soul in need of rescue, I’ll speak up..I’m not going to sit on my hands and shut my mouth!I’m not in fear to speak about our Lord!
We live in a lost and dieing world that is getting worser every second of the day!
The subject about AIDS youve taken my posts and made them what you want them to be.Read it real close before you comment!
Regardless what you might think, you are not born gay,and no I dont think gay couples should have the same rights as a Man and Woman when it comes to being married , I’m sorry but never ever will you hear this man(nor most of the world) say it’s ok for rights for same sex marriages!
I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU,MAY GOD BLESS YOU!
ZIG
Liberty4all you should change your screen name it is in direct contradiction to your beliefs. The definition of liberty is the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases b: freedom from physical restraint c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d: the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e: the power of choice. Definition provided by: http://aolsvc.merriam-webster.aol.com/dictionary/liberty
To say that homosexuality is unnatural is to infer that it does not occur in nature. Which it does.
“No species has been found in which homosexual behaviour has not been shown to exist, with the exception of species that never have sex at all, such as sea urchins and aphis.“
Peter Bockman
I know that years ago I read that something like 10% of all sea gulls displayed lesbian behavior. Now to you that probably means nothing. But to me that meant that it may be a naturally occuring phenomenon in a small percentage of animals. Therefore for a small percentage of the human population to be gay would make sense…or at least not seem that “unnatural”. And this behavior is now found occuring in most if not all animals capable of sexual activity. Most of this research being done in the 90’s. Apparently this behavior was often dissmissed due to bias and missgivings on publishing findings due to a homophobic public.
Now this would a be a normal discussion of a scientific fact or theory…if I was not dealing with a person that is already prone to “magical” thinking. But my guess is you may dissmiss all of this because….we are not animals?
I rest my case.
To think that society is being “dumbed” by the left as you say is rather silly when one stops and thinks about what the “right” has done to science and research over the past 8 years.
“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.“ Voltaire
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