An Open Letter from President Kim S. Phipps to the Messiah College Community
re: Equality Ride's Visit to Messiah College

February 16, 2007

Messiah College was recently notified by a national organization named Equality Ride that it plans to visit Messiah’s Grantham campus on Friday, April 13. Equality Ride is an organized bus tour of activists, typically college-age, who schedule unsolicited visits to private and religious colleges, universities, and academies that they consider to have policies that create a disparity between treatment of heterosexual and homosexual students. Last year, Equality Riders visited approximately 25 campuses. In March and April of 2007, Equality Ride will visit nearly 40 institutions, including, in addition to Messiah, other schools in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) such as Gordon College and Calvin College.

The Equality Ride initiative is sponsored by Soulforce, a national advocacy organization which according to its mission statement seeks “freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.” In Messiah’s case, Equality Ride is protesting the College’s inclusion of homosexual behavior, among other behaviors, as a “sinful practice” in its Community Covenant and student handbook.

It is important for the campus community to understand that Messiah College affirms its institutional stance on homosexual behavior, and that we did not invite Equality Ride to visit our campus. Equality Ride did not seek our permission to visit Messiah, and based on the organization’s past practice and their communication with us, we know that they are planning to come to campus whether we grant them permission or not. As a Christian institution of higher education, however, we must be willing to address difficult issues through civil debate and discussion. The College is committed to preparing students to think critically about human sexuality from a biblical perspective. For instance, during the past several months, the Division of Student Affairs, in partnership with other campus departments, has been planning a week of educational programming in March which will provide students with a breadth of learning experiences related to a biblical perspective of sexual identity.

Accordingly, the College has decided to respond to Equality Ride’s visit as an opportunity to model gracious Christianity and hospitality to those who express different viewpoints, to encourage meaningful campus conversation about a complex social issue, and to equip students to better understand human sexuality from a biblical perspective. This response, which will take place within a caring Christian educational community, is consistent with Messiah’s ethos and heritage, and with our mission to prepare students for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in the Church and society.

In preparation for Equality Ride's visit, I have asked Kris Hansen-Kieffer, vice provost/dean of students, and Carla Gross, director of public relations/special assistant to the president for communication, to co-chair a campus committee of students, faculty, and administrators to coordinate the visit and develop opportunities for educational dialogue. College leadership has already been in conversation with Equality Ride organizers regarding the details of their visit. In order to ensure careful planning, students and employees are asked to forward any requests from Equality Riders to Kris Hansen-Kieffer or Carla Gross.

I will continue to keep the Messiah College community informed about the planning for Equality Ride’s visit. It is my hope that during Equality Ride’s visit all members of the campus community will exhibit maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith. By modeling gracious and compassionate conversation, Messiah has an opportunity to distinguish itself as an authentically Christian college in the face of challenging circumstances. Obviously, this issue is an extremely difficult and important one, not only for Messiah, but for many educational and church communities. As we prepare for Equality Ride’s visit, I invite you to join me in praying for God’s wisdom and guidance.