Safe Zone Stickers Part 3

This is my last post examining the issue of “LGBTQIA+++ safe zone” stickers on the office doors of faculty and staff at evangelical or conservative Catholic colleges and universities, that have historically maintained the clear teaching of Scripture and the Church that all sex is to be in marriage between one man and woman, that God created humankind male and female, and that He has called each man or woman to embrace this God-given identity and distinction. Here I address the second group that I referenced in my last two posts. That is, faculty and staff who affirm these seminal truths, but hope that designating their offices as “safe zones” will open up avenues for ministry to students and others who have embraced and/or are struggling with things like transgender, same-sex attraction, “non-binary” sexual and gender identity options, and so on.

Starting out let me say this. Assuming that–with compassion, kindness, and grace but also clarity–you really will present Biblical teaching and exhortation to those who come to you for guidance and support, let me commend you for being willing to speak the truth in love. This is the very essence of the Gospel.

These days, merely stating that LGBTQIA++ lifestyles and identities are sinful, and that true Christian repentance and faith involves somehow turning from and resisting these desires and temptations, is extraordinarily difficult. Especially in this age of social media, this means risking being publicly charged with being called hateful and bigoted. Those who preach the Gospel faithfully to LGBTQIA++ persons are even routinely accused of causing them to take their own lives or suffer horrible mental trauma by simply sharing with them, however gently, that they are wrong, and that God does not accept these things. (I have been told myself, directly and harshly, that LGBTQIA++ folk should “fear for their safety” around people like me who “tell them they’re wrong.” Ironically, those who complained so loudly for years about being forced into “closets” now want everyone who disagrees with them to put themselves in closets—or perhaps even worse things might befall them.) Not only many LGBTQIA++ people, but sometimes their families and allies, are even willing to heap abuse on ex-gays and gender de-transitioners who buck the “rainbow party line” on these matters. There are many exceptions to this of course—LGBTQIA+++ folk who treat thoughtful dissenters with respect and understand that free speech and expression is for everyone—but they are certainly not the norm at American college and university campuses these days.

Of course, rejection of those who preach truth isn’t exactly new. We are told many places in Scripture to expect it (cf. Matthew 5:11-12; John 15:18-25; 1 Peter 4:4). That same kind of reaction by folk in the straight community against biblical Christianity has certainly been there and in increasingly measure since at least the 1970’s, by those who object to being told that any sex outside marriage, living out of wedlock, and so on is wrong. But here it is reaching new intensities right up to and including civil action, loss of employment, and even physical assault and death threats. And there is increasingly aggressive campus cancel mobs. And it is not likely to get easier for faithful Christians speaking out on these issues. Many are being cowed into silence, and it is not hard to understand why.

What has historically been standard, non-controversial Christian teaching on homosexuality and male and female identity is increasingly viewed as “hate speech,” and those who hold to the Biblical sexual ethic to be the moral equivalent of neo-Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan. We are called to both love and honesty regardless, but I know it is not easy. Being in a Christian college does not insulate you from those kinds of pressures. So again, I commend your willingness to risk all this to teach what is right and holy and good to those who may have very few believers in their lives, whom they trust, talking to them about these truths with both kindness and honesty.

Now to some of the potential problems, and at least salient issues, that I would at least ask you to prayerfully consider before putting “LGBTQIA+++ safe zone” symbols on your office door. You may have already thought through each and every point I raise. But maybe not, so please do me the honor of indulging me.

First, the symbols used for “safe zones” are generally recognized as “gay” or “LGBTQIA+++ pride” insignias. That is, they are viewed, with good reason, as symbols affirming, celebrating, taking pride in something that God clearly identifies as sinful. Many if not most people looking at that sticker on your door will assume that you are affirming these lifestyles, even though you are not. It is not unreasonable for them to have this interpretation. This is what many campus visitors, many students, colleagues who don’t know you well, alumni, and so on will think. And if they Google these stickers, they will be informed that these are a symbol of LGBTQIA+++ acceptance and pride, that this is their purpose.

Moreover, the “rainbow” features on them are especially problematic in that they appropriate a symbol explicitly given by God, in the Book of Genesis, to serve as a perpetual sign of a solemn covenant between God and “every living creature” that He will no longer use water to “destroy all flesh” (Genesis 9: 12-17). To appropriate such an intimate and beautiful sign of God’s goodness, forbearance, and mercy in order to celebrate or encourage pride in sin is, in my opinion, troublesome to say the least. Again, that is not your intent. But by putting up that sticker you are participating in that sin, like it or not.

Next, it is very difficult to avoid the implication that the offices of those who are not displaying these stickers are not safe! “You are safe here, but not with my non-stickered colleagues.” This is not your intention (I sure hope it is not) but it is hard for thoughtful observers, including your “non-stickered” colleagues, to escape that inference. My guess is there are plenty of compassionate people on your campus, many with perhaps more experience and training than yourself in counseling in such situations, who choose not to display these “safe zone” stickers. Are they “unsafe”? I am pretty sure you don’t think so. But it is perfectly natural that others in your organization who work with such students may think, or say, something like this: “What does this mean? That they are “safe,” and I am not? That I discriminate against homosexual students, but they don’t?”

That brings me to the next point, namely, that though not intentional in most cases, these types of “safe zone” designations have the potential to divide. Whether it is “I affirm gay pride they don’t” (the first group I posted about) or “I am safe they are not”–intentional or unintentional, there is great potential in all this to create enmity and division within Christian colleges and universities. This is a potentially very serious problem, similar to a Baptist faculty member at a Baptist college declaring his or her office to be a “safe zone” for Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, or Anglicans.

Having said all this, it may be, all things considered, that you have good reasons to believe that, risks and “down-sides” non-withstanding, putting an “LGBTQIA++ safe zone” sticker or sign on your office door is something you should do. It may be that you are concerned that without that, students struggling with LGBTQIA++ issues may not open up to you. You may even have good reason to believe that, without it, they will instead go to a colleague who will actually encourage them to pursue the homosexual life, have a sex-change (now, “gender affirmation surgery”) operation, and so on. I am laying out considerations here, not some kind of black and white rule that somehow “proves” that Christian college faculty or staff who hold to Biblical teachings on sexuality, sexual identity, heterosexual marriage and the like are not faithful Christians. I disagree with your decision, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you.

If you go in this direction, however, I hope that the following will be true.

First, I hope that you have informed and discussed this with wise spiritual counsel, your supervisors and, where necessary, other peers. I also hope that you have really listened to their concerns and made your own aims and beliefs very clear to them. Did you talk to your pastor or priest?  How about an honest discussion with your Chair or Dean? This is not only wise, but professional. Anyone in this situation who had a discussion like that with me back when I was a dean would have had my respect, regardless of whether or not they ultimately made the same choice that I would have made.

Second, having extended this invitation to talk to students and others facing very thorny issues of enormous importance and consequence, I hope that you have given yourself the preparation and support that you need in order to counsel these students with competence, and to determine when you need to pass on this responsibility to someone else. This requires wisdom and humility. It means establishing relationships with others willing and able to provide direction and advice as need be, such as folk experienced and trained to do pastoral and psychological counseling with LGBTQIA++ people. It means doing a lot of reading and interviewing and continuing to do so over time. There are lots of fine people and organizations and works that address this, including believers who were formerly homosexual or transgender.

Third, I would expect that you have assured yourself that, in your package of overall commitments, you have time to do all of that. Those of us teaching college courses, serving on committees, conducting labs, doing academic advising, staying active in our professional networks and scholarship, and in areas not directly related to counseling, LGBTQIA++, sexuality, and so on, need to be careful in taking on these sensitive and extremely consequential commitments. If God provides those opportunities and relationships to minister to struggling students we should take them, but not more than what we can handle with skill, knowing the great consequences our counsel may have on those students and others who come to us. And again, that means knowing what to hand off to others and when.

I am sure there are lots of things I have neglected here. Never-the-less, I hope this has been of some help and encouragement. I hope that if you choose not to accept that invitation to place that “safe zone” sticker on your door (which honestly is, I think, the correct decision), you can do so with a clear conscience, still communicating your sincere desire to help and serve the hurting and confused (or those who are confident in their sin and need to reconsider their path). And I hope that, if upon intelligent and prayerful consideration of all I have said here and perhaps what you have heard from others you choose to go ahead and post that “safe zone” sticker or sign (assuming you have the institutional freedom to do so), that God will enable you to stay on a Biblical path in your own views and counsel, that He will provide you opportunity to be understood by questioning colleagues, parents and others (and you the grace to speak to the same about these things clearly and without defensiveness), and that He will bless your relationship with and ministry to these precious people He has placed in your life. I mean that sincerely, even though, all things considered, I think that putting up such stickers is not a good idea, and that there are better ways to communicate your love and concern for these dear people.