Letter to the Editor
Andrew Bargh
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Opinion
There's been a lot of talk around campus in the last few weeks about Messiah's policy and practice regarding homosexuality. I just have one thing to say to all parties involved in this conversation: stop talking about it! That means you, Tim Mackie. This is one conversation Messiah College simply cannot afford to have. We've all lived together in a more or less peaceful homeostasis as long as I've been here, so please, let's not mess this up now.
The best course of action for the homosexuality debate? Push it back under the rug. Keep the rule on the books, but never enforce it, or - God forbid - talk about it. It's a win-win-win situation! Gay students can keep sliding through under the radar, Conservative donors will keep forking over the green, and best of all, we can retain our homo-nervous (phobic?) base of incoming freshmen (or at least appease their parents). This last one is my personal favorite because it endows our college with the unique honor and privilege of "curing" many of these new students' world views with a grueling four year program of liberal theology and legitimization of secular art and thought. We're like a rehab clinic for conservatism, but shhhh, don't tell anyone or they'll catch on.
The other reason this must be stopped immediately is that the debate itself could be "subject to discipline" under the community covenant, which actually prohibits factiousness. And rightfully so. How dare we compromise the integrity of Messiah's image to outsiders with our petty quarreling? Did Jesus not commission us to be like a city on the hill? How dare we publish an article acknowledging our ongoing identity crisis with the full knowledge that campus would be flooded with prospective students and outsiders several days later. I trust that all Messiah students of good faith hid their copies of The Swinging Bridge that day (and, depending on their orientation, refrained from holding hands).
We need to remember that Messiah is a institution of higher learning, but it's also a day-care center. This is an image we should hold on to, and to do that we must realize that unbridled discourse like this can affect the quality of our applicants. What type of student are we trying to appeal to anyway? Ones that value an atmosphere conducive to free expression and challenging of the status quo? We need to put a cap on this fast. We need to stop this conversation and prop up an appearance of solidarity before we draw in too many more progressives, and eventually fall the way of Harvard and all those other once-great Universities.
The best course of action for the homosexuality debate? Push it back under the rug. Keep the rule on the books, but never enforce it, or - God forbid - talk about it. It's a win-win-win situation! Gay students can keep sliding through under the radar, Conservative donors will keep forking over the green, and best of all, we can retain our homo-nervous (phobic?) base of incoming freshmen (or at least appease their parents). This last one is my personal favorite because it endows our college with the unique honor and privilege of "curing" many of these new students' world views with a grueling four year program of liberal theology and legitimization of secular art and thought. We're like a rehab clinic for conservatism, but shhhh, don't tell anyone or they'll catch on.
The other reason this must be stopped immediately is that the debate itself could be "subject to discipline" under the community covenant, which actually prohibits factiousness. And rightfully so. How dare we compromise the integrity of Messiah's image to outsiders with our petty quarreling? Did Jesus not commission us to be like a city on the hill? How dare we publish an article acknowledging our ongoing identity crisis with the full knowledge that campus would be flooded with prospective students and outsiders several days later. I trust that all Messiah students of good faith hid their copies of The Swinging Bridge that day (and, depending on their orientation, refrained from holding hands).
We need to remember that Messiah is a institution of higher learning, but it's also a day-care center. This is an image we should hold on to, and to do that we must realize that unbridled discourse like this can affect the quality of our applicants. What type of student are we trying to appeal to anyway? Ones that value an atmosphere conducive to free expression and challenging of the status quo? We need to put a cap on this fast. We need to stop this conversation and prop up an appearance of solidarity before we draw in too many more progressives, and eventually fall the way of Harvard and all those other once-great Universities.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Matt S
posted 11/25/08 @ 8:51 PM EST
Wait wait wait.... so what you're saying is, forget tolerance, justice, civil dialogue, etc., because it tough to talk about? Are you kidding me? Let me take a moment to pray that you are joking. (Continued…)
Andrew Bargh
posted 11/26/08 @ 5:50 PM EST
Well Matt, your prayers have been answered! You asked if I was kidding, and the answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY. I had hoped to make it clear in the article that I was satirizing what has become a standard view at our school, but maybe I should have included a disclaimer. (Continued…)
Matt S
posted 11/27/08 @ 11:16 AM EST
I had a hunch.... thank God, though! I'm currently studying abroad in England, and thus slightly more in tune with real worldviews, and at first thought that. (Continued…)
Christopher Cronce
posted 12/01/08 @ 2:41 AM EST
No disclaimer neccessary Andrew, most people got it and thanks for the laugh.
Now, I'm getting pretty bored with how high you hold yourself above the 'typical' Messiah student Matt. (Continued…)
Christopher Cronce
posted 12/01/08 @ 2:51 AM EST
Yeah so holy crap, that was a huge rant and it's 2:45am. That was clearly a lot of pent up aggression and was wrong of me to lay that all out on you as an individual! I don't know if you've ever done this before, but sometimes I hit a submit button and then feel like an idiot. (Continued…)
Brian Behm
posted 12/11/08 @ 2:20 AM EST
Andrew, I laughed the whole way through that article, but I think knowing you is what made it so much funnier, because I could picture you saying all of that. (Continued…)
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