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Letters
The moral code needs to be followed God has given us the Bible to teach us how to live so that we may find joy in knowng and serving him. It is sad when people don’t accept the moral code God has given us to guide our lives. Last week’s edition of Chimes provided two examples. Mr. Blauwkamp’s letter claimed that we should “enjoy life as much as we can,” even if our “enjoyment” harms our bodies and causes us to form addictive habits. However, the Bible tells us that true joy comes from loving others through a relationship with Jesus (John 15:9-15). Mr. Blauwkamp’s opinion flatly contradicts the Bible and can’t be taken seriously by any Christian community. Ms. Speyer’s article claimed that homosexual relationships allow poeple “to glorify God.” To support her opinions, she disregards the clear evidence in the Bible (in Romans and elsewhere) that contradicts her view. Her arguments are illogical and can be used to support a wide variety of improper sexual relationships; thus, they cannot be accepted. We should pray that our fellow Calvin students, especially those struggling with powerful addictions, will find joy in knowing Christ and obeying the rules he has given us to follow.
Sensitivity requested in sports reporting I wish to take issue with Nathan Bierma over several comments that appeared in last week’s article covering the MIAA Swimming Championships. Bierma stated that the women’s swim team second place finish is something to be extremely proud of, yet he went on to call Liz Alsover’s third place finish in the 200 Butterfly a surrender? It amazes me that Bierma presumes to say that, particularly since he was not even at the meet himself. To be third in the entire MIAA in anything as a freshman is an amazing achievement, especially in one of the most difficult races. Liz Alsover’s swim was gutsy and something to be proud of. We, as her teammates resent the direct implication that she almost lost the meet for us. Bierma was also incorrect in reporting that the meet came down to the final relay; we would have beet Kalamazoo even if they would have beat us in the 400 Freestyle relay. In addition, what was written about Kieth Ritsema and the rest of the men’s swim team was equally insulting. It is difficult to train as hard as we do for four and a half months and then watch your season end in disappointment. Show some sensitivity instead of rubbing it in.
Engaged couples at Calvin defended My, oh my, what a pessimistic editorial regarding marriage from Ms. Potter [and the editorial board] last week. What irks us so, that marriage has become the devil's tool, the bane of existence, the stench of all things un-hip? Have we forgotten, in this new Post-postmodern age of identity politics, and independent, strong individuals, and of working for the best that we can be, no matter the consequence--have we forgotten the fact that underneath it all--that we are human, and that God has given us each other to "pick up the pieces" of a scattered, and sometimes, unbearable world? [The editoral board] asks us to forget the fact that, for some, after a long day of forging identity, of pushing the limits of self-appropriation, of being "all that we can be," we may need the embrace of another person to settle us--not because we are weak, but because we need it. My wife and I met at Calvin, got married after I graduated. Are we in the same boat of those of whom Chimes and others want to mock? I love my wife for reasons that don't seem to match Chimes’ descriptions -- yet the editorial’s words of failed humor last week not only insult engaged couples at Calvin now, but of years past as well.When we forget that we are all different people, that we all handle struggle and stress differently, and instead use those differences to make ourselves feel better--well, is Christ being mirrored? I don't think so; but hey, I married my Calvin girlfriend, what do I know?
Editor’s note: The purpose of the editorial was not to mock those (no doubt lucky) souls who find true luv during their tenure at Calvin. It was intended, rather, to remind embattled Calvin singles of their validity before God. Apparently Mr. Smit would rather we sit in our bedrooms, convulsed with self-loathing and listening to the Cure, than celebrate a lifestyle that isn’t his. We find his defensiveness curious and his references to “hipness” patronizing. -- The Editorial Board
Jealous editor’s MRS degree on the way In response to last week’s editorial written by Sarah Potter (and the esteemed editorial board), we, as her roommates would like to make a clarification. When she states “Singleness is a blessing. Freakin’ rejoice.”, she really means “Where the heck is my diamond?” This editorial should be taken as her cry for help. Having only her best interests in mind, we have taken it upon ourselves to prep her for the senior scramble next year. Her MRS degree is one the way... Amen to that!
Homosexuals need our understanding What does it mean to “love the sinner, hate the sin?” Many of us throw that phrase around as if it is easy to make a distinction. I believe that it is difficult to put this maxim into practice when dealing with our homosexual brothers and sisters because, as Lewis Smedes says, sexuality is “woven into the whole character of the person.” Some argue that we must call the homosexual to repentance out of love. Others argue that we must accept the homosexual orientation out of love. Is there any room in the middle? While I do not have any answers for this difficult problem, I will try to shed some light on what a more edifying response to the homosexual would look like. Too often, I fear, when people tell the homosexual person to change, they put distance between themselves and the person. If our sexuality is part of our “need for communion,” as Smedes also says, then a response must also be sensitive to this need. Two gay Christians that I talked with said that they felt incredibly lonely and rejected as they tried to understand their sexuality and their Christianity. A call for repentance should not be the first response by a Christian because many times they are lonely and struggling. Rather than taking the easy road of picking out the much quoted (and yet not totally understood) verses about homosexuality and calling the person to repentance, we as Christians need to commune with that person. In building this relationship, we must do all that we can to remind himor her that (s)he is loved and has worth in God’s eyes. Smedes says that the only way we can do this is to show the person that the only way we can do this is to show the person that (s)he has worth in our community. Part of building this relationship is being willing to help the friend talk through and wrestle with his or her sexuality. We must do what we can to provide a safe place for them to question and explore their sexuality. Last year I met with two homosexual men for a semester. One man told me that when he realized that he was homosexual, he did not feel that he could talk to anyone because he feared that people would be disgusted and refuse to talk about the issues with him. We need to help by acting as sounding boards even when we are uncomfortable. It also doesn’t help them to be buddy-buddy and pretend that the tension does not exist. I agree with Ann Speyer that sexuality is “deeply installed in us by our Creator, and ... cannot be completely ignored or supressed.” One of the men told me that when he was finally able to talk to his family about his sexuality, a great weight was lifted. When we do not listen to their wearisome struggles and engage in dialogue, we add to their weight by making them feel even more alone and misunderstood. We need to be a community that chooses to commune with and build up our homosexual brothers and sisters. We must listen to them, support and challenge them, and, above all, treat them with the love and respect they deserve as children of God. This communion and initial restraint from calling them to repentance does not necessarily mean that we condone the homosexual acts. However, if we are not willing to walk with our homosexual brothers or sisters, then we are not in any position to call them to repentance.
Homosexuality is a black and white issue Ann Speyer wrote an interesting column in the Feb. 19 issue of Chimes which contained the question, “Is it then a sin to respond to these deep desires and longings?” Ann, the answer is yes. Romans 1:24, 26 - 27 (NIV) says, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another ... Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and recieved in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” With all the moral relativism running around our nation today, I don’t know how you would read that passage but, to me, it’s pretty clearly against gay relationships. Alcoholism is also a genetic predisposition in some people, but does that make it a good thing? To answer my own question, no, alcoholism is not a good thing. In the same way, just because a sinful impulse is part of the nature of a sinful, fallen person does not mean that the person should act on that impulse. We as Calvin students live in a time when moral relativism is taking over, where nothing is black and nothing is white, everything is a shade of confusing gray. We as Christians need to stand up and say, “some things are black, and some things are white, some things are evil and some things are holy. I know it is unpopular in our current culture, but we need to be lights to the world and stand up for our beliefs. I believe that Romans 1 makes it clear that homosexual relationships are a sin and I am standing up and saying, “This is black, this is not gray. This is sin, this is not okay.”
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