What

Wouldnt Jesus Do Brett Michael Carmouch One year ago, the Glimmerglass, Olivet Nazarene Universitys student newspaper, posited a question; the question that I refer to was this, Gay: What would Jesus do? It is, indeed, a perfectly viable and important question, especially if you matriculate at Olivet. Olivet is, after all, an institution in which Lesbian, gay, Bisexual, or

Transgender (LGBT) individuals face extreme difficulty. They are denied counselling services and referred to others who are deemed to be better suited to handle the issues of a known homosexual who refuses to recant his or her orientation. It is a place, perhaps more so than normal, in which those who identify as LGBT receive more persecution than would be expectedespecially given the universitys Christian nature and identity. It is a place where LGBT individuals can lose their preferred housing choices, be left without a sense of friendship, and be made to endure a community which offers no real sense of security, compassion, or acceptance for the entirety of their tenure within the university, and thats just the

abbreviated list. I know this because I, like countless others before me, those currently at Olivet, and those who will come to arrive within its walls in the future, have and will be made to endure this. Now, I must confess, as an alumnus, I am myself, no longer directly affected by the actions taken by my Alma Mater. I am now free to love another man. But above all, I am now free to comfortably and securely proclaim who it is I amwithout reservation or fear. That aside though, my being an alumnus carries with it, a certain sense of responsibility to those who now follow in my footsteps, and not only those who I personally know or remember, but for everyone who comes to be enshrined within the broader community which I and countless others have come to forge. As such, when I hear about the continuity of injustice, disdain, and overall apathy that engulfs the campus still, I become worried, for not only the students, but also the institution as a whole. Just yesterday, I was informed about a petition that was on offer to students as they entered the Ludwig student centre. A giant white placard was placed along the wall that read: We Need YOUR Signatures! Signatures are being collected for the Illinois Defence of Marriage Initiative, a drive to put an amendment on the Illinois State Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. You only have to be an Illinois registered voter to sign! This petition, for me, summons the spirit of the very question posited just one year ago in the Glimmerglass article referenced earlier. However, rather than asking what would Jesus do, the question would be better if it read, what wouldnt Jesus do? Indeed, this should have been the question in the first place. Jesus wouldnt concern himself in such an explicitly political issue (or any political matter), and after all, we are a country founded on the very notion of the separation of church and state. And secondly, Jesus wouldnt legitimise and/or authorise an institution to allow such a divisive and inflammatory issue and campaign on its grounds, especially one that alleges to teach his teachings and ways. I wonder if the

administration has taken the time to truly ponder as to how similar its actions are to the actual teachings of Christ. I wonder if the institution wonders about how an LGBT individual, student or otherwise, might feel upon walking in to eat lunch, and then seeing a placard and petition that goes so very much against a crucial part of their individual identity and experience. I wonder if the institution has stopped and asked itself, what is it were actually teaching our students? What tools are we giving them, and what is it they will take away from this place? I wonder if the institution ponders whether they are bringing people closer to God or driving them further away from him. I wonder, in the aftermath of an article published one year ago, if those within the positions of power at Olivet have realised that the question really must be, what is it Jesus wouldnt do? Im inclined to say that they havent realised this, and unfortunately, Im of the opinion that it may be quite some time before they do. This opinion is only further substantiated with campaigns like the aforementioned one being permitted on campus, and chapel speakers who speak to students about the problems and dangers of same sex attractionwhich ironically enough will be the topic of discussion during chapel services at Olivet this coming Thursday. As an alumnus, and one of many who have, currently, and will endure the plight of complacency and apathy rendered by Olivet through its policies and actions, I speak now directly to those students currently affected. I comprehend wellwhat it is you are enduring. I want you to know that you are perfectly fine the way you are. Remember, Jesus spent time with the lowliest of the low, the outcasts, those who were different. Those who identify as LGBT individuals; you are upright and forthcoming citizens, strong in your faith. You are sometimes fooled by a rhetoric embraced by those within seats of authority, family, and sometimes even your friends. This rhetoric asserts that you will go to hell because of your sexual orientation and identity, that youre sick, that youre diseased, and that you need help. This is wrong. This rhetoric fails to touch on one crucial aspect. God is much larger than any hell you or anyone else can conceive of. God loves you exactly as you

are, and he is, and always will be, much larger than any box or space we attempt to restrain him to in our feeble attempts to conceive of the very notion of God itself. And finally, let me say this: True change does not come as the result of an article, protests, campaigns, or in some cases, even martyrdom. Rather, true change comes through steadfast commitment to that which is noble and true. This steadfast commitment is one of heart and mind, and carries with it at all times, the passion to bring justice to the forefront. When an unjust law or policy exists, it must be broken so that justice might prevail. Such has been, is, and must be, the inevitable trend of history. Do not succumb to hatred, but rather love. Be willingalways, to listen before you speak. Embrace those who may themselves not be so willing to embrace you. Respect them, so that you too may gain respect, and even in the darkest of hours, you must remember that you have the powerand it is a real powerto change not just unjust policies or lawsbut the world. Olivet is but the first step in the journey. And next time, when someone asks you, what would Jesus do, go ahead, answer the question, but be sure to ask, what wouldnt Jesus do?