- Feb 5, 2002
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The recent closure of The Dwelling at Biola University — a support group for students identifying as LGBT or experiencing same-sex attraction — marks the end of a chapter in a difficult struggle to reconcile biblical orthodoxy with contemporary campus culture.
As someone who walked away from a lesbian identity after encountering the full Gospel, I am sympathetic to the administration's challenges and deeply concerned about the implications of its approach. President Barry Corey deserves credit for seeking to provide a safe environment for struggling students. His vision of "grace and truth" resonated with many: upholding biblical sexual ethics while treating LGBT students with compassion and dignity. The problem, however, wasn't the vision — it was the execution.
Over more than a decade, Biola cultivated what has become known as a "Side B" campus culture. This approach, championed by figures like Wesley Hill and Preston Sprinkle, affirms fixed sexual orientation while maintaining that same-sex behavior is sinful. Students were encouraged to identify as "gay Christians" committed to celibacy — a position that sounds compassionate but carries profound theological and pastoral implications. The Side B model differs fundamentally from what I experienced in my own journey. Jesus didn't invite me to manage my lesbian identity through celibacy. He called me to repentance and transformative surrender. The difference is not semantic — it's the difference between a relativistic compromise and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
As someone who walked away from a lesbian identity after encountering the full Gospel, I am sympathetic to the administration's challenges and deeply concerned about the implications of its approach. President Barry Corey deserves credit for seeking to provide a safe environment for struggling students. His vision of "grace and truth" resonated with many: upholding biblical sexual ethics while treating LGBT students with compassion and dignity. The problem, however, wasn't the vision — it was the execution.
Over more than a decade, Biola cultivated what has become known as a "Side B" campus culture. This approach, championed by figures like Wesley Hill and Preston Sprinkle, affirms fixed sexual orientation while maintaining that same-sex behavior is sinful. Students were encouraged to identify as "gay Christians" committed to celibacy — a position that sounds compassionate but carries profound theological and pastoral implications. The Side B model differs fundamentally from what I experienced in my own journey. Jesus didn't invite me to manage my lesbian identity through celibacy. He called me to repentance and transformative surrender. The difference is not semantic — it's the difference between a relativistic compromise and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Continued below.
From an ex-lesbian: Why Biola University's Side B culture needs to change
But I might have missed this joy if well-meaning Christians had offered me only a Side B compromise
www.christianpost.com
