Prayers for SoulForce Visit

I know this post is kind of long, but I liked Larry James words at the end even though they are at the end. So if you know the details at the first, skip down to the end where I ask for prayers and share Larry's words which were actually about the poor but I applied them to this situation.
For those of you who do not know, SoulForce is a gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) activist group consisting of 33 young adults that is on an Equality Ride tour to 19 different religious and military colleges and universities that have policies banning enrollment of GLBT students. Their purpose is to engage in dialogue about the religious-based discrimination that this group endures. Their website is http://www.equalityride.com/. Abilene Christian University is the 7th stop on the tour. According to information from the Optimist (the ACU newspaper), so far the group has been banned from setting foot on four of the campuses already visited including Liberty, Regent, Union, and Oral Roberts which led to almost 40 arrests when group members set foot on campus. Lee and Oklahoma Baptist universities allowed the group on campus and to talk to students but did not schedule forums or activities with the group.

On Monday, March 27th, Soulforce will be making its stop at ACU. ACU has cooperated with the group by setting up forums, informal dialogue oppotunities with refreshments provided, coffee-house conversations, letting them attend selected classes, eating lunch with the SoulForce riders, and providing housing for the riders. Some of these are by invitation only but there are three forums for a total period of 4 hrs and 45 min. that all students, faculty, and staff are welcome to come and hear and participate in dialogue with the group. ACU is trying to model a Christ-like approach by being compassionate, loving, and kind while still holding firm to their beliefs about what is right.

According to the Optimist, the co-director of Equality Ride, Haven Herrin said, "Our main goal is to achieve nationwide dedication to discussion about the suffering of GLBT people in an open and honest format." Herrin said the group is looking forward to the visit to ACU. She said, "I think we'll have heartfelt discussion about the discrimination students feel on campus, in the churches and in society because of their lifestyle. We are going to look at Jesus' teachings and how he loved everyone." She went on to say about ACU, "They have really rolled out the welcome mat for us. Our visit at aCU will be an important step for America."

So take time this weekend to pray for this visit. Please pray that as SoulForce visits campus, everyone in the university will be able to show a Christ-like attitude and actions toward them. I agree that the way the Church has treated homosexual people has not been loving most of the time. Too often we condemn and speak harsh words of people who are different from us. Pray that this visit will open up people's hearts to reflect on this issue. Pray that discussions will open people's eyes to a different viewpoint and the effects of our treatment of people. Pray that we can be in step with the Spirit.

I closing, here is some statements that Larry James made earlier this week on his blog. Click here for the full post. The comments are good too. These words are about treatment of the poor but I think they can be applied to the treatment of this group of people as well.

Is faith about imposing one's point of view about the Bible on others?

Is faith all about convincing people that you actually have discovered "absolute truth"?

Does faith mean that because I am part of the majority class and culture that I should angle for establishing my faith as the singular expression of truth for everyone else?

Or, could it be that faith is really more about humility in the face of life's more than perplexing reality?

Is it possible that the nature of the teachings of this strange guy named Jesus is more about service than imposition? Could it be that what he had in mind was a selfless lifestyle so radical that even in its quietness it could not be ignored?

Is the Christian faith about law suits and arguments that promote one worldview over all others?

Or, could it be that following Jesus actually has more to do with how we treat the chronically, ever-present poor?

Is faith about school-based Bible studies? Or, is it about justice for the poor?

Where should the weight of our influence and energy fall?

Believe me, I don't have anything against kids studying the Bible. But if the agenda is to establish the superiority of one view against another, I have to wonder if it is really modeling the behavior of the founder of the religion being promoted.

Jesus said more about the poor than he did about claiming superiority over others as religious people. As a matter of fact, he said nothing about superiority, unless you count what he said about avoiding it!

If memory serves me correctly, he reserved his harshest criticism for religious folks who claimed to hold title to all truth.

I doubt he would have joined this lawsuit as a co-plaintiff.

Funny how life works out in an eerie parallel to life in the news.

Our most anxious opposition about our housing efforts always seems to involve some religious people who are more concerned about their own rights than they are about reaching out to the urban poor.

Could it be that faith is all about our response to the pain of the world?

Could it be that faith will concern us so much with the injustice and oppression of the weak and vulnerable that we just won't have time to impose any of our theories on our neighbors or classmates?

Is it possible that faith seen in action is more powerful than faith claimed in words or imposed on others as an expression of our rights?

What would the world be like if we and our children sued on behalf of the neglected poor rather than on behalf of their own rights and agendas?

Who knows? God might smile on us all.