The true Christian has always and must always look to God's inspired and inerrant Word as the standard for all morality.

Another school year is quickly drawing to a close. Even if they won't publicly admit it, students, whether in preschool or graduate school, learned many things this year. I know I did.

Last fall following its national convention, a Lutheran church body announced its decision to permit practicing gay/lesbian clergy to remain in or prepare for the public ministry. A stipulation is that they must be in a committed relationship. And while the topic of homosexuality is not new to college campuses, that announcement has sparked discussions on many new fronts—especially among our members as they rub elbows with others in the world. For this reason both our campus ministry and congregation incorporated the topics of tolerance and homosexuality into our Bible curriculum during the past six months. 

Preparing for those classes opened my eyes to a whole new language. Acronymns such as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) were no longer just groups of letters to me. Doing even surface research on these groups schooled me in the subtle and even blatant ways these organizations operate. They promote and push their agendas not just in the entertainment industry but also within the field of education, especially in the public sector. But my horizons would be expanded even more.

In February, our local paper announced a guest presenter at the university. The public was invited to attend. The topic was "The Toxic Closet: Being Gay in the Bible Belt." I attended. The presenter, herself a professing lesbian for nearly 20 years, is an associate professor of sociology and women's studies in the South.

The local paper had quoted her saying, "Living in the Bible Belt forces many gay men and lesbians to hide a key aspect of who they are." She continued, "Doing so causes a variety of destructive psychosocial consequences, including poor relationships with families, compromised intimacy with others, feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and, most significantly, the perception of being a second-class citizen to heterosexuals." Her presentation and stories certainly underscored that viewpoint.

There were many things I learned. Within the gay/lesbian community, some breakdown a person's sexual identity or orientation as follows:
• About 10 percent of people are born knowing they are homosexual.
• About 30 percent of people know they are heterosexual.
• The remaining 60 percent could go either way.