Eric Langborgh

    When James B. Duke deeded a "towering Christian church" on the campus he dedicated "in the name of Jesus Christ," he never imagined practices abominable to the traditional teachings of Christianity would be endorsed there.

    In a controversial move by Duke University President Nan Keohane, the hallowed grounds of Duke's historic Chapel have been opened to "same-sex unions." Critics are shocked at what they see as an infringement of the religious freedoms of Christians on campus and the desecration of a sacred space, and suggest that Dean of the Chapel Will Willimon may have been "strong-armed" into accepting the change in policy.

    In a December 5 letter, Keohane and Willimon wrote to the Board of Trustees and the Duke community stating that the decision was consistent with the University's non-discrimination policy. They also cited the school's "wonderful tradition of rich religious diversity."

    The policy change came on the heels of a special committee's unanimous recommendation that the Chapel be compelled to allow religious ceremonies, specifically same-sex unions, that fall out of bounds of the traditional Christianity the Chapel has always honored.

    Yet objections abound that the process was hastily concluded, failed to involve the student body and alumni in the discussion, and was blatantly biased.

    Graduate student Eric Adler suspected that Willimon might have felt compelled--even "strong-armed" into signing onto the policy change. Adler pointed out that five years ago Willimon stated his objections to same-sex unions being performed in the Chapel, and only two months previous to the decision had been quoted in The Chronicle, Duke's student-run paper, as saying the Chapel's policy to exclude same-sex unions was not a matter of discrimination. In that article, Willimon pointed to other activities, such as sorority ceremonies, which were prohibited from the Chapel.

    Adler, an active member in the Duke Conservative Union (DCU), further views the committee appointed by Keohane and the decision-making procedure to be "A shamble of a democratic process." "Five out of nine committee members had either publicly supported same-sex unions before they were chosen to be on this panel or they were strongly leaning in that direction from their political outlook," charged Adler. "We found no public statements from any committee member who opposed same-sex unions, or who had any conservative leanings whatsoever."

    In full-page ads taken out in The Chronicle and in letters sent to the Duke administration, student body, and alumni, the DCU provided actual statements, backed up with verifiable documentation of quotes stated in the recent past by members of the committee. Keohane has not responded to the charges laid out against her, nor to the calls from many members of Duke's student body and faculty for a more protracted and inclusive discussion.

    Prominent dissenting voices were also excluded from the committee, even after repeated requests that they be included. Neither Dr. Geoffrey Wainwright, the leading theologian in Duke's Divinity School, or Richard Hays, an internationally reputed scholar of the New Testament at the Divinity School, were invited or included in the talks. "The composition of the 'advisory committee' is widely viewed as a sham," declared Wainwright.

    Wainwright told Campus Report that he thinks Dean Willimon, who he characterized as a "good friend," signed off on same-sex unions in the Chapel "reluctantly."

    Wainwright views the policy change as an affront to the Christian population on campus as well as to the historic Christian identity of the Chapel. It was the wish of the University's founder, James B. Duke, to create a university in the name of "Jesus Christ, the Son of God" with a "towering church" in the center of campus, as expressed in his deed.

    "The Chapel is used very much in University publicity here, in fundraising campaigns and so on," said Wainwright. "Even the logo of Duke University is a stylized version of the Chapel tower.

    "The people who have been agitating to allow these ceremonies to take place are very well aware of the significance--the powerful symbolic significance--of the Chapel. For them, it's an entry into that space, so they can now claim full association with the University and its policies, and in some sense a kind of endorsement for their views," Wainwright contended.

    Indeed, critics speculate that a low "tolerance" rating for the school in regards to homosexuals, coupled with Keohane's left-wing political views, may have contributed to her eagerness to push through the Chapel policy change. "She was really attempting to hammer home her own agenda, which we believe is related to the Princeton Review survey of the supposedly 'homophobic' campuses," opined Adler.

    The Princeton Review releases an annual survey of the 100 top schools in a variety of categories. Duke came in forth place in the category, "Alternate lifestyles not an alternative."

    In addition, Wainwright hypothesized that Duke, like many schools, measures itself by competing schools and tries to remain at the forefront of university trends. The trendy thing in academia lately has been greater endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle, as evidenced by Wake Forest University's move to allow same-sex unions on campus following their severing of ties with the Southern Baptist Convention earlier this year. Yale University, too, is a campus that has performed "holy union" ceremonies for homosexuals in its Battell Chapel, while Harvard University employs a gay chaplain.

    Keohane and others contend their decision was in the interest of "religious diversity." Gay and lesbian faculty, staff, students and alumni "have always been and remain important participants in the life of the chapel and its many affiliated religious life organizations," the committee report said. "This same spirit of hospitality should be extended to any eligible same-sex couple wishing to deliberate with God's blessing a covenantal relationship of holy union."

    The committee made clear that the Chapel is not run by the United Methodist Church, which is loosely affiliated with Duke and has recently reaffirmed its historic opposition to same-sex unions. Adler concedes this point: "It's not a legal matter; it is just unfortunate the way she chose to handle it."

    Many in the Christian community feel their rights have been trampled upon. "In a University awash in sentiments championing 'diversity,' it is appalling that some care so little about the rights of others," exclaimed Martin Green, DCU's president. "Is there no place--no 'safe spaces'--for those who follow the precepts of the Bible to worship freely on campus?"

    Keohane's decision to allow same-sex unions in the Chapel is "a desecration of the space, in that it purports to 'bless' behavior that is characteristically rejected by communities that gather together for Christian worship in such consecrated places," proclaimed Wainwright.

    "Generations of usage has consecrated the Chapel as a Christian church."

    Groups in the secular Left have their "safe" places on campus--places like the campus' Women's Center (it even is subdivided into an area named the "Safe Haven"). And, same-sex unions are already permitted and have taken place in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Earlier in the Fall Semester, the Freeman Center for Jewish Life authorized same-sex union ceremonies, even though two out of three major branches of Judaism oppose such ceremonies.

    Despite this preponderance of places on campus for same-sex unions to take place, Jillian Johnson, co-president of the campus Gothic Queers, insists on the right of homosexuals to use the Chapel for "holy unions." "There are a lot of Jewish and Christian denominations that are fine with homosexuality," she stated. "If you say those denominations don't have the right to practice their beliefs because other denominations should have the right to practice their beliefs, you get this paradox."

    But Wainwright dissents: "You can't just take at its face value every claim to support that says 'some churches allow these things.'"

    "It is being put forth as though this were somehow a tolerable position within Christian teaching to conduct these ceremonies," he explained, "but homosexual practices have been rejected by the Christian church on the basis of scripture and throughout its tradition."