The president of the Southern Baptist Convention sat for an interview with an openly gay journalist and told him on national TV Oct. 9 that he could not be a good Christian and Southern Baptist. On the CBS program “60…
Samford loves all people but won’t advance ‘other expressions of sexuality,’ president tells students in video
“Each person will be loved unconditionally” but Samford University “will continue to stand on God’s word” and will not “celebrate and advocate for other expressions of sexuality than those historically supported” by the Baptist school, President Beck Taylor told students…
Now add a wedding photographer to the list of those successfully objecting to same-sex weddings
First there was the wedding cake baker in Colorado who refused to serve a same-sex couple and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Then there was the wedding website designer in Colorado who refused to…
The cause of a scene: Why gay Christians are afraid to come out to their pastors
In his song “Cause of a Scene,” Jake Wesley Rogers laments the struggle between wanting to come out to his community and fearing the social consequences of being publicly gay. He sings: “I wish I could be like a baby…
Four years ago, a Samford study group recommended more conversation on sexuality — and got ignored
A Samford University administrator’s claim that nothing has changed in the university’s approach to excluding churches and ministries that affirm same-sex marriage is infuriating to an alumnus and former staff member who spent a year working on plans for greater…
It’s time to stop using the Bible as a sacred weapon to oppress LGBTQ people
For the last 76 years, evangelicals have been using the Bible as a sacred weapon to oppress LGBTQ people. While many people are under the impression that the word “homosexuality” has “always been in the Bible,” the reality is that…
Samford students organize silent protest over LGBTQ discrimination
About 140 students, alumni and local clergy protested silently during the weekly convocation at Samford University Tuesday, Sept. 20. The group stood outside the university’s Wright Center — some bearing posters — to protest the administration’s recent decision to exclude…
I’m now banned from ministering at a place I love
In September 2007, as a freshman at Samford University, I wrote these words: “Dr. Matthew Kerlin, minister to the university, stood near the front of the chapel and invited us to take part in the Eucharist. … Over seven hundred…
Is it possible for a Baptist school to maintain top-tier recognition and still discriminate against gay students?
Although this time it’s Samford University in the news for discrimination against the LGBTQ community, walking the line between religious heritage and academic aspirations is nothing new for faith-based schools. Last year, it was Baylor University making headlines as it…