At the end of March, World Vision announced it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages. Whitworth University’s Political Science Professor Julia Stronks rejoiced, though her feelings turned to disappointment two days later when World Vision reversed its decision.
She realized many of her academic colleagues across the country shared in her angst, so decided to launch a campaign — One-Jesus.org — calling for Christian institutions to hire openly gay Christians.
Since April 9 the online petition has collected more than 850 signatures, including nearly 300 Whitworth students and alumni. Faith leaders Amy Plantinga Pauw and Brian McLaren have also added their name to the list, as well as philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff.
Stronks said she hopes more people will sign the letter and that it will help reframe the conversation around Christian organizations hiring homosexuals.
“My hope is that Christian institutions will start to think more carefully about this issue, about who they hire and why they hire them,” she said. “Christian people of faith should be hired by Christians institutions when those missions and worldviews match, so this is a step in that direction.”
Kathy Lee, professor of political science at Whitworth, helped launch the One-Jesus.org website. She said she didn’t hesitate to get behind the idea. Her inspiration, she said, stems from a gay student she had in the late 1980s when she first taught at Whitworth.
“She was one of the brightest students I ever had… We’ve kept in contact, she’s a tenured professor now, and she should be teaching here now, pure and simple. But because of the fact that she has a partner, it prohibits her from being here and I think that’s unjust,” Lee said.
Though Whitworth’s employment policy doesn’t state that openly gay individuals aren’t hirable, sexual orientation is excluded from the school’s non-discrimination policy.
“It’s kind of like a don’t ask, don’t tell policy, which in some ways asks people to lie, or to cover, or to act as straight, or all three,” Lee said.
Jonathan Shuffield, co-host of OutSpoken on KYRS, said he was surprised to learn Whitworth faculty members launched the One-Jesus campaign, since Whitworth has deep religious roots.
“Assumptions are made based on experience, and the LGBT community does not really have a great track record when it comes to the opinions of large and loud religious groups.” he said. “I might be cautiously watching Whitworth now from a different angle and willing to admit that times are changing and we in the LGBT community cannot always assume that we have no outspoken allies within our religious institutions.”
Stronks, who has been advocating as a Whitworth professor for LGBT equality for about two decades, said she’s privileged to work for a Christian institution where faith is taken seriously and Christians with different perspectives can work together even when they don’t agree.
“What’s been most moving to me is the many students who have wept with gratitude that someone in an authority position has taken this step,” Stronks said. “In some ways that’s a good thing. In some ways it breaks my heart to know there’s so much pain on this issue and it makes me wish I did this 20 years ago.”
Stronks hopes to see the One-Jesus campaign expand, and hopes it will urge organizations like World Vision to know many Christian institutions back the hiring of gay Christians.
