Coming Out Ministries: ‘Coming Out’ is Coming In

Lexie Dunham

On November 13, Coming Out Ministries (COM) announced that they would be purchasing a permanent residence right across the street from Andrews University. Coming Out Ministries is a Seventh-day Adventist “ministry” mainly targeted at individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. As stated in an article last week by Erin Beers (as well as on the Coming Out Ministries’ website), Coming Out Ministries seeks to release individuals from the “chains of homosexuality.” With this statement alone, let us reflect on how the presence of this “ministry” could harm our campus community. 

First, I am putting “ministry” in quotes because I do not believe we should be calling anything harmful to many people a ministry. One Biblical definition of the term “ministry” is “a sense of being duty-bound to work under God’s authority as His loyal servant.” I do not believe anyone should boast that they feel a duty to attempt to forcibly change people into something they are not. I say this because Coming Out Ministries has been accused of that. This is something we would call conversion therapy, which can be incredibly emotionally and physically damaging. COM has denied these allegations many times, but why would language such as “gay/homosexual deceptions” and “addressing the many issues of the LGBT+ ideology and agenda” (all from their website) inspire confidence that they do not seek to change individuals and judge them while doing so? While COM has denied these allegations, they cannot say that they have not promoted their “ministry” as a way to “fix” or be the ultimate medicine for the “LGBTQ+ lifestyle.” 

The presence of this building in such close proximity to Andrews sends the message that the university condones the quotes mentioned above. This is a fatal blow to the principles this university formerly stood on. With the presence of Haven, the confidential LGBTQ+ organization on this campus, I was always under the impression that this campus was a welcoming and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. I, along with many others, were thrilled to see that. However, because COM wants to collaborate with and be accessible to the “faculty, staff, students and visitors” of Andrews University on a “daily basis.”

Furthermore, it is essential to note that, according to the student handbook, Andrews University can disclose information such as names, University addresses, gender, and other identifying information without our written consent (page 68). Some students have worried that COM would seek identifying information of Haven members from the university’s database. In the town hall meeting held this past week, VP Faehner assured students that the university would not release this information. That is good to know, but still, the potential is concerning. 

The fact that I am writing this article speaks to the amount of individuals on this campus who are scared by this new development. Many LGBTQ+ individuals do not get the support they need at home, and they were promised at least an ounce of solace here. As per the handbook, Andrews University promised to “create a safe and caring climate where such diverse groups [LGBTQ+ individuals] are treated with dignity and respect.” The handbook also states that reorientation efforts can be harmful. But now, we are unsure if Andrews University still believes those statements. Students may be unable to find the peace and rest they need because of the overwhelming presence that COM states they would like to have on this university. 

Some hope was offered at the town hall, where President Taylor revealed that no communication had been made between him and COM. Whether future communications will ensue is unclear.

I cry as I write this article because I think of so many friends and relatives who have been affected by these so-called ministries. My uncle, who was gay and has since passed away, was kicked out of the church for who he loved, and I have heard a myriad of stories of people who had the same experience. Is that the kind of thing we should be promoting? Should we be saying that LGBTQ+ individuals can’t be who they are and love God at the same time? I say no, we should not. To do so would put us in the position of judging other people’s relationships with God, which is not our job! We should never try to make someone leave the church for simply existing, or attempt to harm those who are being who they are. 

I just want to publicly say that I do not support communication and “everyday contact” with COM, and I know many other students also feel this way.

Bella Hamann

Last week, an article was published in the Student Movement that addressed something that I believe to be a cause for major concern: a conversion therapy group that is headed for Andrews.

The article (written by Erin Beers) delved into the fine logistics of what that group, Coming Out Ministries, plans to achieve within the next few months. It highlights the organization’s intent, ideologies, and potential implications if successful. I could add to that article with a slew of information, but I want to highlight something more qualitative and personal with this piece.

Coming Out Ministries came to my high school in 2017. I am not sure if they were explicitly told why they had been invited to speak for a weekend, but it was not to educate the school as a whole. You see, I had a classmate who was openly gay. When the school administration discovered this, instead of a. ignoring it because he was, in all honesty, simply existing or b. talk to him about it privately, they instead reserved an entire weekend, booked Coming Out Ministries, and had them present to the entire student body at the boarding academy I attended. All to target one student, under the guise of a Weekend of Spiritual Emphasis.

If the goal of this organization was to simply introduce a redemptive approach to LGBTQ+ matters, why were they then utilized in a way that appeared to be a retaliation? It does not matter whether COM was aware of this or not; the point remains that their influence was used in that way. I saw what impact their presentation had on many of the people I went to school with. I saw identities get called a misconception, I watched COM’s documentary where it alluded to a disproven opinion that the only way you can possibly be gay is if you were sexually abused as a child. I watched the presenters compare their previously provocative lifestyles to the sexualities of my friends and deemed them to be the same, which they were not.

Much like where I was introduced to them, Coming Out Ministries gives presentations wherever they are welcome. This makes them ideal for many conservative-leaning SDA locations, such as other Adventist Academies, GYC Conferences, and more recently, Village SDA Church, this past September. Still, they do not consider themselves a conversion therapy group, and are quite insistent on this point. However, I believe this to be a flat-out lie.

Coming Out Ministries is undoubtedly a covert conversion therapy group, whether they believe so or not. One could argue that they can’t be considered one because, unlike many notorious groups, they don’t force-feed compulsory heterosexuality to their targeted audience, nor do they fully deny one’s sexual orientation. Despite this, COM relies on a different approach: utilizing subtlety rather than blatancy to formulate their desired outcomes. They subconsciously endorse their ideas in minute ways rather than accusations and belittlement, which, like last week’s article mentioned, there exists an “act of persuasion involved in every conversation.”

A problematic rebuttal to Erin’s article was released on December 3. Although it is true that I have strong opinions in favor of the LGBTQ+ community, I also recognize that because Andrews is a flagship SDA institution, there cannot be any statements affirming the demographic because of the current stance of the church. That in no way means, however, that addressing this topic from the church’s official stance gives anyone the right to demean and belittle someone of a differing view. This conversation is an issue of religiosity or biblical accuracy, which will always deal with differing views. It is one that reflects on rhetoric that can be harmful to an already marginalized population group within the Adventist sector, and could harm existing rapport built on foundations of trust and care. The core of true Christianity is to simply love, and while some may be convicted to call out what they deem sin, it is worrisome that, while in the process of doing so, it causes people to hurt instead of heal.

Along with damaging rhetoric voiced by other outlets, COM’s end goals have a high likelihood of bringing about serious mental health implications for the LGBTQ+ community on campus. The LGBTQ+ community as a whole is already at a high risk for mental illness, and individuals who are a part of that demographic at Andrews —especially those who do have mental health issues present— will receive exposure to a group riddled with misleading concepts. All that said, COM placing their physical location right across the road shouldn’t cause any major upending to the campus dynamic, especially since there is a cabinet-level employee in place that specifically addresses these types of issues in a tactful way. At least, that’s what should be the case.

Many students and faculty are already aware that an email was sent out over Thanksgiving break, addressing a concern that many employees and boards had previously raised, which was that of the status of the vacant cabinet level position of the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, a position previously held by Michael Nixon, Esq. Currently, Dr. Danielle Pilgrim serves as an interim for the role; she is considered a cabinet member, but her time as interim ends in December, as per her letter of resignation. According to the email, the search for a permanent replacement for this position has not occurred, and instead, a search for a job entitled “Assistant to the President for University Mission and Culture” has replaced it. This email has already raised significant discussion, as seen by an article written by Lily Burke (senior, anthropology, English, and Spanish) and a widespread petition addressing the matter.

After looking at both job descriptions for the former and the latter, they appear to be similar, save for two factors: first, the former stresses equity while the latter emphasizes the phrase ‘biblical principles;’ and two, the entire section for ‘Interpersonal interactions’ was cut. This, along with President Taylor publicly sharing his perspective on human sexuality on the AU website raises questions regarding the future of true, unbiased diversity initiatives. If a position’s intention is to promote diversity, then personal beliefs should not be an obstruction to doing so. Even after reasons given at the Town Hall event which occurred on December 6, there is still the question of why there was even a need to change the position in the first place. Was the previous position so limited in its scope that it could not focus on multiple sectors? Was there a need to create an entirely new board of individuals to look for somebody specific? The answer to those questions still remains unclear.

It is indisputable that a topic of this nature is controversial; especially in a university like Andrews. However, as neutral as I have always tried to be on paper, the future plans of Coming Out Ministries coupled with the replacement of a cabinet-level diversity position raises serious concerns, and could lead the school into becoming an institution that does not care for its diverse student body and instead portrays a façade that looks accepting but does the opposite. For being a school that wants to change the world for the better, it seems as if AU is taking steps backward and is embodying a harmful narrative that could destroy what previous leaders worked towards. 

I refuse to say nothing. I hope many of you will do the same.