Say a Prayer for the Gays in Your School

Schools are typically evaluated using numbers like enrollment, standardized scores, and finances. Churches are usually judged by the number of their converts or by the correctness of their theology. But Jesus made it very clear that He will judge the effectiveness of our work for Him by how kindly and consistently we seek to relieve the suffering of the outcasts and the despised (Matthew 25:31-46).

There is probably no minority that feels more despised and persecuted in Adventist schools than gay, lesbian, or transgender students or those perceived to lean in that direction. It’s not that we intend to persecute these individuals. It’s just that too often we don’t understand their uniqueness. And while children tend to avoid, ridicule, or bully those they don’t understand, even teachers too often let their frustration or contempt toward misunderstood pupils show. Or they may just not know how to deal with them.

Part of the misunderstanding is the idea that these students should just “shape up,” quit thinking those “sinful” thoughts, and start acting “normal.” Yet virtually all current scientific evidence points to the concept that sexual orientation is already firmly in place by the time a child begins school. Like right- or left-handedness, our romantic or sexual attraction to same- or opposite-sex peers is just who we are. You probably don’t recall making that choice yourself, and neither do they.

“ Claude E. Steen III retired from more than 40 years of active pastoral ministry in June 2010. His work was mostly in the Southern and Columbia unions with 5 years in Ethiopia and a short stay in the Southwestern Union. With his wife Donna (Chalmers) their family consists of 2 married sons, 2 married daughters, a gay son, and 11 grandchildren. He lives happily with Donna in a restored 1827 farm house at the end of the road near Roxboro, NC.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Confronting Bullying in Adventist Schools

By George Babcock, Ed.D.

Every year millions of young people are emotionally or physically injured as a result of bullying or cyberbullying. Many are left with lifelong scars. Some are hospitalized for depression. Others even commit suicide. Unfortunately, all of these things have happened in Seventh-day Adventist schools. It takes considerable courage to talk honestly about bullying—especially when it takes place in a church-operated school system where the curriculum and teaching is Christ-centered.

We must be careful not to be too judgmental because many youth who attend Adventist schools do not come from homes which could be classified as truly Christ-centered. In other words, some of the students, parents, and teachers may not be as dedicated to Jesus as they should be. As unbelievable as it seems in 2012, there are some Adventist church school principals and teachers who think that bullying couldn’t be a problem in their schools. Further, some think that LGBT students do not exist in our God-appointed schools (shades of Ahmadinejad who said that there are no gays in Iran).

Research tells us that bullying is most common in grades 6 to 10, but it can happen at nearly any age and among both sexes. Among boys, physical bullying seems to be the typical method of attack. Pushing, tripping, and hitting are widespread and well-known examples of this type of behavior. Girls seem to prefer social or relational bullying. They use peer pressure and manipulation to isolate and hurt other students’ feelings. They sometimes convince a group of students to ignore, shun, or avoid a particular student, which causes the attacked student to feel trapped in an invisible cage with no friends, no one to talk to, and no way to escape.

The most common form of bullying is verbal bullying. Students are teased, mocked, threatened, insulted, and taunted. These verbal attacks usually focus on things outside their target’s control, such as physical appearance, sexuality, race, family or parents’ income. The most rapidly growing form of bullying is what is called cyberbullying. Using cell phones, instant messages, social sites, chat rooms, and online videos, bullying may be intensified in ways that were not possible a few years ago.

~~