Don’t judge by the actions of a fewTwo off-campus groups visited Lawrence Monday: Missionaries to the Preborn, a pro-life group, and Wisconsin Christians United, an anti-homosexuality group. Neither was supported by Lawrence Christian Fellowship. However, I want to say a bit on where they stand in relation to LCF and what LCF stands for.
One thing LCF stands for is loving relationships. Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor.
The two groups’ actions contrast with this principle. MP distributed pamphlets containing pictures of mangled fetuses and carried inflammatory posters. These attempts at persuasion are offensive and insulting to Lawrence students’ intellect. WCU posted materials on students’ doors containing inflammatory, insulting, and hurtful phrases. They did this in violation of Lawrence policy and Wisconsin law. These are not relational approaches. They are hurtful, turn people away from Christianity, and do not model loving relationships. LCF does not support such approaches.
In one insert to their pamphlets, MP does a good job of presenting religion as relational. The insert reads, “God [desires] a personal relationship with man…God has given each of us the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.” MP would be better off focusing on this relational aspect of religion instead of on confrontational strategies.
LCF also stands for Truth. Christians proclaim there is Truth, this Truth is knowable, the Bible shows us Truth, and the existence of God and His incarnation as a man in Jesus are part of this Truth. Christians also believe in moral truth.
There are many in LCF who believe abortion is wrong and/or that homosexuality is a sin. These opinions are not reiterations of conservative dogma but rather the result of careful, reasoned pursuit for moral truth. There are also members of LCF who disagree with these opinions.
Whether you agree or disagree with these opinions, I encourage you to enter relational dialogue with LCF members. Even if we disagree, we will treat you with love and respect, and we ask you do the same for us.
—David Scott,
LCF President
Lawrentians use their own heads
On Monday, April 22, a group of anti-gay, anti-choice radicals visited our campus. They illegally entered dorms and slipped brochures under students’ doors, advocating discrimination against gays in housing (because Jeffrey Dahmer was gay) and compared homosexuality to bestiality, among other accusations.
Outside, the group distributed anti-choice brochures, which made an emotional appeal to students by using 100-year-old Margaret Sanger quotes to justify denying women the right to choose. These were inflammatory, emotional appeals to a population they deemed susceptible to persuasion. Congratulations to the students who took a stand by debating with the protesters and not being afraid to speak their minds.
Lawrence students don’t want to be told what to think. We want to get the facts and make up our own minds. Here’s a fact: a person can be both anti-abortion and pro-choice. Here’s another: Jeffrey Dahmer was gay, but so was Abraham Lincoln. Would these protesters have denied Lincoln the White House because of his sexuality?
Ultimately, we make up our own minds based on the information available to us. We can question those who offer radical perspectives, and we can tell trespassers who enter our residence halls and selectively distribute anti-gay propaganda that they must follow the laws designed to protect us.
If you are wondering about any of the “facts” cited on the brochures, ask questions. The brochures look professional, but just because it’s printed doesn’t mean it must be true. Groups like those rely on people not asking questions.
—Erin Knapp,
member of PRIDE and DFC
Facts cited in this letter are as presented by the author.
—ed.