We cannot stand idly by

I am furious. I do not mean to infuriate others, but things must be said and said bluntly. I would call it bad Karma, but I might lose too much of the close-minded conservatives by using other religion's terminology. So instead I will speak using their own language and call a spade a spade.

Sin! It is sin what this university has been doing and continues to do to men and women who were created with a different sexual orientation. As long as the university leaders continue to enforce this Jim Crow ideal of separation then this blatant bigotry paints real blood on all of our hands. We all pay their wage, or take money from those that write their checks and their spineless actions.

We cannot stand idly by and say our disagreement to administrative actions vindicates us from any consequences of that sin. There is no love in the continuation of these apartheid decisions to segregate our brothers and sisters in Christ created differently, yes, but by the same Lord. Where love is absent, only hate remains.

To believe and follow any religion is to believe that that religion is the most correct path and embodies a way of life for all to follow. So if being Mennonite means firing a person for being gay, and all the world followed Mennonite teachings (which as believers we consequently hope for), then gay women and gay men would be fired everywhere. What kind of a Christian calls for the mass starvation of a whole group of people?

I fully understand that it is a very "Christian" thing to hate what is not "Christian." Watch Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson for a while (http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/14/Falwell.apology/) and within minutes you will see them espouse hate towards someone. On the other hand, read Jesus Christ for a lifetime and you will see him hate no one.

So the question is what type of church do you want the Mennonite church to be, "Christian" or Christian? I would choose for the Mennonite church to follow Christ as Christ acted, not how some of his "Christian" followers wish he would have. It seems simple enough to me. So, how do we do it? How do we live justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God? Well, we can start by stopping our bigotry-based discrimination.

Universities have long been leaders, pushing forward new, progressive, more knowledgeable thought. We need leadership, not just people with leadership titles. People need to risk jobs and reputation to stand for Jesus. People need someone to follow, a catalyst for Truth to take its rightful place.

In the 1930's Harrisonburg's Emmanuel Mennonite Church reached out to the segregated community and let everyone in. That was thirty years before secular law was able to do the same action. Massachusetts has already taken the lead by legalizing gay marriage; the church is already behind in the race to be the leader for Truth. I call upon the Mennonite church as a whole to sanction marriages for any person who loves Jesus, follows Jesus, and loves their partner.

We are probably more than thirty years from there, but let us stop taking the bread from the mouths of our Christian siblings.