The opinions expressed in The Lawrentian are those of the students, faculty and community members who wrote them. The Lawrentian does not endorse any opinions piece except for the staff editorial, which represents a majority of the editorial board. The Lawrentian welcomes everyone to submit their own opinions. For the full editorial policy and parameters for submitting articles, please refer to the About section.
Agape, a noun meaning “the highest form of love” or “the love of Christ for humankind,” is the name of Lawrence University’s newest religiously-affiliated student organization. According to their Instagram, Agape self-identifies as “an affirming Christian community” that practices “radical acceptance” of all people, especially queer people. Created by three first-year students, Agape is exactly what Lawrence needs more of: a place where everyone of any denomination and varying levels of belief can be accepted with open arms.
I went to the first Agape meeting to support my friends — Bella Stahl, Lydia Warfel and Ave Van Til — the club’s founders. I was not expecting to feel so incredibly at home in a place discussing religion. Growing up in Oklahoma, where 71% of adults identify as Christian, largely of the Southern Baptist variety, I was an outlier because I didn’t grow up religious. I was never in a space where I could safely discuss my inklings of spirituality without being told I had to accept Jesus Christ as my savior or else I’d go to hell. Because I was never able to before, when I got to Lawrence, I wanted to explore my spirituality, and I wanted to do it in a safe space. Agape is that safe space.
In the United States, 5.3 million LGBTQ+ adults identify as religious. That’s 52% of all LGBTQ+ adults in the country. There are millions of queer adults who personally know what it’s like to live in a world where religious hate is often disguised as love, yet there’s not more of a push for communities like Agape to operate on a larger scale. That’s what’s so special about Agape. There are no boxes to fit into, no denominations to commit to, no pressure to call your belief system Christianity. There have been very few places on campus where I have felt as accepted as I do when I’m at an Agape meeting, surrounded by friends who are beautifully like-minded. In Agape, discussions range from the infamous anti-gay mistranslation in the Bible to how to approach reading the Bible. All my questions are answered like they’re important, and my perspective is nothing short of respected.
When I asked Stahl, Warfel and Van Til why they wanted to start Agape, I could see how deeply important it was to all three of them. Van Til told me that they believe that, “in today’s political climate, students need a Christian space on campus that is affirming of all identities and all types of religious journeys.” Stahl and Warfel shared the same sentiment, with Stahl telling me that her desire for a place where everyone could “come as they are” was something that had been on her mind for a long time. The amount of passion these three have for religion and creating a community at Lawrence that’s deeply accepting of all spiritual journeys is so important when it comes to creating a stronger sense of belonging on campus.
Queer people deserve the radically accepting religious experience that heterosexual and cisgender people take for granted. Agape recognizes that and is working to deconstruct notions that a religious environment cannot be open to all. Personally, I think they’re doing an amazing job. Agape is a lovely community full of people working against a system that upholds hateful ideologies. This community is a testament to the power of what authentic Christian love should be: non-judgmental, unconditional and safe.