For the first time ever our bus pulled up to a group of cheering and waving students and administration. Our mouths stood agape; could this be? We had gotten used to the underlying fear and dread that our presence seemed to bring at so many schools before us. As we stepped of the bus each rider was greeted by a student host who had a nametag, schedule, folder, smile, handshake, and hug awaiting them. My host, Jeremiah Woods, was a handsome Ben Harper singing, Will Smith movie-watching, Resident Advisor student who deeply cared about who I was as a person and what my life and perspective on Christianity looked like.
It started raining and so our hosts showed us into a catered breakfast where we were presented with exotic fruits, muffins, quiche, and the whole nine yards. After our stomachs and spirits were full of sustenance, expectations for common ground were shared, and an opening prayer blessed our time together, we were lead into a 4000 person Easter chapel service. It was only 1 hour later, but we faced yet another opportunity for our mouths to drop open; we have been to many school chapel services over the past 5 weeks. At best we have been allowed to blend in with the student population; at worst we have been ignored or preached against. Here at Azusa we were acknowledged and welcomed from on stage; students yelled and cheered our presence. The service was beautiful and we enjoyed worshiping with our brothers and sisters.
After service our group met with the administration for a catered lunch, complete with table clothes, cloth napkins, and name cards at every seat. It was the Wednesday before our 2nd and final day off as the Soulforce Equality Ride and my girlfriend was going to be flying into L.A. to visit; (we had been apart now for 5 weeks.) I wasn’t going to be able to stay the entire time at Azusa because I needed to meet her as she arrived from the airport (and L.A. traffic meant I would need to leave WAY earlier than I wanted) so Jeremiah and I stayed outside and took advantage of our remaining time together to hear each other’s lives and viewpoints. I truly felt listened to, appreciated, and taken seriously by my host. As well he shared with me his life and family experiences, his understanding of his faith and the Bible, and his desire to live a life of love. It was one time along this ride where I felt most able to be as open as possible, and this was due to Jeremiah’s open spirit and ability to hear a viewpoint different than his own.
After our conversation, I found my name card at one of several lunch tables; I was lucky enough to be seated next to Dr. Terry Franson, Senior Vice President for Student Life. In the short amount of time that was left for lunch, he sincerely asked me about the nature of “open and affirming” churches, what Christians who do not affirm homosexuality as a part of God’s design for people’s life can do to honestly and deeply be open and loving to LGBT people, and his life experience as being a straight male who has repeatedly been a safe place and person for which gay men have been able to confide in. I am truly starting to see the struggle which many Christians on the other side of this issue must face; I am convinced that there is no room for “love the sinner, hate the sin” within my faith because a love that involves hate is truly a shallow love, but I do realize that there are serious followers of Christ at these schools who want to know what love looks like when it is given to people, who from their perspective embrace the “sin” which defines a part of their identity. I am still working on this thought, but so far I have come up with a temporary rule of thumb.
Many ask us, “When did you begin to feel same-sex attraction, where do you think it came from, how am I to love homosexuals? Jeremiah and I found much more in common with each other than difference; Gay and lesbian people are ordinary people who shop for groceries at the same place that straight people do, who their beds like as straight people do, and who watch the same television shows as straight people do. Therefore, these questions, I believe, can be answered as one would answer them for a heterosexual person. “When did you begin to feel opposite-sex attraction, where do you think it came from, and how are you to love heterosexuals?” Azusa Pacific’s mission statement includes the following: they wish to “show love toward God (holiness of heart) and a love toward each other (holiness of life) that are expressed in worship, self-denial, and a special concern for the oppressed, and which encourage us to abandon those distinctions that divide us.” What an honor it was for us to spend a day at a school which strives and often succeeds at living up to it’s highest of standards.
