This letter is a response to the editorial cartoon that ran in the September 9, 2015 issue.
Wow! If all-caps is emphasis in a text message then I'm thinking the Shenemen cartoon in the Wednesday issue of The Daily Gamecock is a screamer, based upon the column inches allocated to it.
First, I do not disagree with the opinion expressed, as I am one of those "religious folks" who not only eats bacon, but has spent my adult life and ministry affirming and promoting the rights of others in the LGBTQ communities.
I am part of a Christian denomination that has grappled with this issue and come out the other side as an affirming church that welcomes all. As a matter of fact, while many of the most popular religious organizations on campus are filled with folks who do not affirm what they call "alternative" or non-biblical lifestyles, we do have represented on campus several that are affirming and welcoming.
Second, I wish we could have a more open and honest conversation about the connection between human sexuality and religious or spiritual practice or wellness. In my role as a religious worker on campus, there are lots of conversations where the convergence of these two concepts seem contradictory, yet when it is engaged, folks find more common ground than they believed possible.
Ultimately, the cartoon is more true than untrue when it comes to what some religious people express about gay rights — yet I want to lift up those churches, and the folks in them, that have studied the word of God and have turned from judgement to inclusion.
- Reverend Frank W. Anderson is pastor of Lutheran Campus Ministry at USC