HU Queer Press

"The religious have an unhealthy but completely understandable obsession with the more exciting sex lives of homosexuals."  -HU Queer Press

This post is definitely late in coming, but a couple of folks have asked for my thoughts on the HU Queer Press. So here's a couple of observations.

First, it should be no surprise that Harding's administration blocked the website as soon as they heard about it. Harding's administration wants many things, but the free exchange of ideas is certainly not one of them. I've said before - and I'm not alone - that Harding more closely resembles a church camp than a university, and this is the perfect example. That the administration is so afraid of conversation that it needs to block websites demonstrates how far Harding has drifted from its basic purpose. A university should be a place of academic study that welcomes free exchange of ideas. A Christian university should be a place of academic study within some sort of Christian framework. Harding's primary purpose isn't to save souls. It is to educate.

Second, if you haven't watched Dr. Burks's chapel address, you should. I give Dr. Burks credit for noting that bullying is unacceptable, regardless of your opinion of a person. That is something, I'd wager, that has never been said in chapel at Harding before, and it deserves respect. But I think the video is important for another reason: Dr. Burks basically lays out the way Churches of Christ and Harding view queer people:

1. Dr. Burks can't bring himself to say the name of the website, because apparently the word 'queer' is offensive to him. This represents a complete lack of understanding of what 'queer' means, which is understandable if you've only ever heard a word as a slur. If, on the other hand, you are familiar with Queer Nation, queer theory, queer studies, queer theology, or the last 20 years of LGBT history (or if you occasionally read a newspaper), you'd know that the word 'queer' has been reclaimed. It is a blanket term for those who don't fit in a traditional heterosexual framework. This includes gay folks, of course, but it also can include straight folks who don't adhere to established gender norms. And 'queer,' frankly, is just easier than LGBTQIA.
2. But even if he knew all this, Dr. Burks wouldn't talk about queer folks, because of his belief that queer isn't something that you are, it's something you do. Dr. Burks and Harding don't recognize gays as a type of person oriented differently than straight people. We are, instead, just regular old folks who engage in sinful behavior. This is a more subtle argument than is often given credit: by saying that gays are just sinners like everyone else, one can sound sympathetic and egalitarian while simultaneously condemning a whole class of people. One can say, for example, that gays aren't specifically targeted, because all sexual relations outside of marriage are condemned. Never mind that gays can't actually get married. Dr. Burks only discusses 'homosexual behavior' because that's all that exists in his world. There is only sexual behavior, not sexual orientation.
3. Dr. Burks also makes clear that it is what you believe that is important. This is an important CofC fallacy: you must believe the right thing or you are condemned. In the Church of Christ, for example, we believe in the Bible (what does that even mean?). Churches of Christ consistently conflate belief and faith, and consistently limit 'belief' to its narrowest possible definition. Mature faith is something deeper than the correct understanding of and belief in a set of doctrines. Mature faith is the steadfast assent of God as Lord, and a willingness to follow where God leads.  Belief in the Bible is less important than faithfulness to God.
4. Dr. Burks makes clear that what is acceptable to God is determined by the Bible, not by societal norms. Morality isn't up for democratic debate, it seems. Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6 make it clear that homosexual behavior is sinful, so no matter what society says, the Church must remain steadfast. I would argue, on the other hand, that it is the duty of the Church to read the Bible acknowledging that the men who wrote it were in fact...well...men. And nothing more. We have a duty to read the Bible in light of the full depth of human experience and history. Yes, scripture is God-breathed. But so are we.

Anyway, Dr. Burks's chapel announcement is interesting for what it reveals about Harding and about the traditional Church of Christ approach to queer folks, but I don't want to spend too much time talking about him (after all, Star Trek is about to come on).

I am astounded by the courage of the folks who published the HU Queer press, and I wish I'd had the balls to do something like this when I was in school. I've written before about my time at Harding: it wasn't terribly pleasant, and it was hella isolating. I was unsure of myself and my theology, and I was terrified of getting caught and outed. 

But these kids are so...positive. They are sure of themselves. They are funny, honest, and endearing. They aren't bitter or spiteful. And, because they know that they are loved by God, they are loving and gracious.  It's really impressive, and it's theologically sound. Furthermore, they give an accurate picture of the state of the gay at Harding: it is not a safe place. 

HU Queer Press: you rock.  Harding: get it together, for the (queer) love of God.