The Daily Tar Heel
URL: http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/08/4e5c6c791822c
Current Date: Thu, 24 May 2012 07:11:55 -0400
UNC Christian a cappella group ousts gay member
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The Christian a cappella group Psalm 100 voted unanimously Sunday night to remove one of its members, senior Will Thomason, because of his views on homosexuality, members said.
Thomason, who is gay, said the group’s decision was based on a disagreement between him and members of the group about the organization’s constitution.
Psalm 100’s constitution mandates that members of the group act in accordance with ideology laid out in the Bible, said Blake Templeton, general director of the group.
Templeton stressed that Thomason was not removed because of his sexual orientation.
“It’s really easy in this situation for the focus to be on this one thing — the homosexuality,” he said. “It wasn’t about that.
“It was really about a disagreement with something that was clearly written in Scripture and in the Bible and we just have to base all of our decisions, constitutionally … on the Bible.”
Thomason said that although he is upset by his removal, he will still maintain a friendship with members of the group.
The decision, along with the group’s status as a student organization, highlights a gray area in the University’s non-discrimination policy. The policy gives student groups the right to limit membership to those who share a certain set of ideas, as long as no student is excluded on the basis of personal characteristics — including sexual orientation.
Between Feb. 17 and June 30, Psalm 100 received $152.20 in student fees.
Templeton said the issue surfaced after a member of the group became aware of Thomason’s view on homosexuality through a conversation with him.
“For Will, (his view) was not just a talking point for the group to discuss,” Templeton said. “It was a decision he had made.”
The group’s constitution empowers its members to vote to remove members behaving in a manner contrary to the teachings of the Bible, an option the group has utilized before, Templeton said. He added that Thomason still has the option to return to the group if his views become aligned with the group’s.
Thomason said his views became an issue for the group after he came to believe that homosexuality does not conflict with Christianity.
“Now, while realizing God can do anything, I also think God can use me, a non-heterosexual individual, to glorify His name.”
Two members of Psalm 100 left the group following the vote to remove Thomason, Templeton said, adding that members were very upset Sunday night.
Jared Simmons, chairman of the finance committee of Student Congress, said student organizations can lose funding if their University recognition is revoked, an action that could be exercised if they are found to have violated the anti-discrimination policy.
Simmons also said any uncertainty surrounding the group’s student organization status could give him authority to apply further scrutiny to their requests.
Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.
Please note, Will Thomason and the writer of this piece, Andy Thomason, are of no relation.
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45 comments
I am a student at UNC, and I am frankly appalled at this group’s decision. I pride myself on going to a school that accepts different ideologies and viewpoints. This is a disgusting display of intolerance. I applaud student government for taking action, and I hope Psalm 100 doesn’t get another cent of funding.
I’m not sure I understand how Thomason’s sexuality was not the explicit reason for the expulsion. Blake Templeton “stressed that Thomason was not removed because of his sexual orientation” but then says “Psalm 100’s constitution mandates that members of the group act in accordance with ideology laid out in the Bible.”
Thus, it sounds like Thomason’s homosexuality, judged by the group to be in discordance with the Bible, was the reason for his expulsion. Perhaps I am not seeing the full picture, but I can’t see how Psalm 100 can argue that he was kicked out for something other than actually being gay.
And, if that is the case, I do take issue with the University sponsoring a group that discriminates on the basis of sexuality.
I am a student at UNC, and I am frankly appalled at this group’s decision. I pride myself on going to a school that accepts different ideologies and viewpoints. This is a disgusting display of intolerance. I applaud student government for taking action, and I hope Psalm 100 doesn’t get another cent of funding.
Paul vs. Jesus
embarrassing..
As a fan once said to the Dixie Chicks: “Shut up and sing!”
And as usual, the only ingredient needed to make otherwise moral and rationally minded people to nasty and amoral things: Religion.
As a Christian on campus, I want to offer a few thoughts early on in the game, namely a response to a comment posted earlier tonight, “Further Explanation Needed.” I realize that this is a really touchy issue, and there is a lot of room for miscommunication, but I feel that it’s important to try. (Note: I am not a member of Psalm, but I am a member of a Christian community on campus.)
The issue is this: that Thomason’s BELIEFS were not in accordance with scripture. The problem (and result) would have been the same if Thomason was straight but believed and expressed that homosexuality was acceptable. The problem and result would have been the same if Thomason had believed and expressed ANYTHING not in accordance with the Bible. It is simply because sexuality is such a hot topic that this is going to be a public issue.
As Christians we believe that the Bible is clear about homosexuality. (The book of Romans is a good place to look if you want to read more.) This doesn’t mean that we hate homosexuals or are unwilling or even uninterested in associating with them. God calls us to LOVE everyone, regardless of sin. Christians sin all the time. And by all the time I mean ALL THE TIME. We are flawed human beings. What makes us different is that we have accepted Jesus’ offer to take our place.
It boils down to this: anyone of any race, culture, ethnicity, sexuality or other characteristics are more than welcome to come check out Christian communities on campus. We would love it. We would love to get to know you and tell you what we’re all about. But because Psalm 100 as a group is a representative of Christ on campus, it is important that members beliefs line up with scripture. This doesn’t mean Psalm members won’t make mistakes or give into temptations.
It isn’t about what they do, it’s about what they believe. We believe that giving into homosexual desires is a sin just like any other. We believe that the Bible clearly says that homosexuality is, put bluntly, not OK with God. That is why Thomason is welcome and loved as a friend, but shouldn’t be a member (and therefore representative).
This isn’t, “He’s gay, so he can’t be in our group.” It’s, “He doesn’t believe what we claim to be true about the Bible, and one of the requirements for being in this group is that our members’ beliefs need to match up with scripture.”
It isn’t about sexuality, it’s about beliefs. The problem is that he isn’t acknowledging that homosexuality goes against Biblical teaching.
I would also like to request that other students and community members treat this with the seriousness it deserves. I’m really bothered by the immature mockery of Blake Templeton. I think almost anyone on facebook could identify a picture of themselves and say, “Yeah, to a stranger who didn’t know me or get the joke, this would look really weird.”
He could have taken the easy way out and declined to talk to the press about such a sensitive subject, but he didn’t. He tried to be open about it and explain the group’s reasoning. Be respectful.
In reading the article and several comments to make sense of the logic being espoused by Psalm 100, the crucial assumption that both this group and its supporters make is that homosexuality is a choice. With regard to the legitimacy of this claim, I think the University has a responsibility to make this matter black-and-white with none of this supposed “gray” area behind which this group seeks to hide. If the University and its leaders agree that homosexuality is as much an inherent trait as race or gender, then they must both stand behind their policy and disband this group, at least so far as eliminating their funding and affiliation. If our school and its officials agree that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice as much as being good at sport or enjoying a particular subject, then it must make their argument clear. However, if I may draw upon recent precedent, our nation’s military has even made itself clear that a person may serve in its ranks, regardless of sexuality, by repealing DADT, showing that our country has in some way decided that sexuality is not a choice, but a thing of similar substance as heterosexuality . In this way though, I do see compromise. Much as our government amended our laws to repeal the policy of DADT, I think this group could find redemption in re-writing its constitution, a constitution that should not have been approved by any of our funding committees so long as it had the tools with which to discriminate against those on the basis of their inherent traits.
Btw, to stem the cries that I’m hypocritical, just realize, that .while it may not have been the most diplomatic choice of words, I love all those people that I just called idiots. If I hated y’all, I wouldn’t ask you to use your brain once in a while.
“The group’s constitution empowers its members to vote to remove members behaving in a manner contrary to the teachings of the Bible” Yeah, so Paul basically said, in Romans, that homosexuality is a “vile affection,” a sin, among his list of like two dozen things people should never ever do. It is clear from Paul’s explanation that he hadn’t been able to peruse the recent research and millions of anecdotal accounts that make a good case that homosexuality is never really a decision. His mortal death may have something to do with that stance, as would all stances written over 2000 years ago. But, you know. it’s the infallible word of God, so let’s assume that homosexuality is a choice and not ordained by the biology that, ostensibly, God gave us. Homosexuality is then a sin, as Paul says. And SO WHAT? What are YOU supposed to do about it? NOTHING. Paul also very clearly states, in the very same Romans, in his list of things for a right Christian NOT to do- somewhere underneath don’t be a homosexual- “those believers whose faith is strong and who have a good grasp on their death to the Law SHOULD NOT BE JUDGMENTAL on weaker brothers” (14:1–15:13). So if you are a righteous Christian that knows homosexuality is so bad, why do you feel like you have to tell homosexuals about it, or limit their participation in student groups that they and all students pay for? Sounds pretty judgmental to me. If you want to be a pompous ass, fine, but judgement of sin is the purview of the divine, not for you to even comment the way I read it. Maintenance of civil rights are within your purview as a human being. The “Christians” that choose to judge Will Thomason, who is simply another human being, proselytize to him, or even excommunicate him, are not right with Christ at all. But I won’t judge them for it. I just hope the University does the right thing and doesn’t cower to cries for “protection of religion.” Separation of Church and State is currently a farce in this country. Politicians are mobilizing the dumbest people in our nation to stay in power. I hope a public institution of higher learning can do the right thing and stem the tide of discrimination in the name of religion.
I’m not sure why this is such a big deal. He didn’t agree with the rules of group, so he couldn’t remain a member. It would be like if a ravenous meat eater joined a vegetarian club. They just aren’t compatible.
Ha. I’m not surprised. Narrow-minded fanatics who are insecure about their own sexuality can’t stand to be near those that are true to themselves. When will people learn? I’m sure Jesus would be totally for this and love all of these ‘wonderful’ followers of his. Religion makes me sick.
Further Explanation Needed may have been coming from a place of best intentions, but I think that the individual in question did make a mistake by asserting “As Chrisitians we believe…”
Full disclosure, I am an atheist, but I have many friends that are devout Christians. And some, not many, of those friends do strictly adhere to scripture and believe that homosexuality is wrong. The vast majority have their own interpretations of the Bible and the word of God, and do not have a problem with homosexuality.
So it is important to keep in mind that although religion may have had a role to play in this decision, we as bystanders and witnesses cannot use a broad brush to portray all Christians as hateful as ignorant. In the same we that we as witnesses should not paint all Muslims as extremists.
I think that one thing that has gotten overlooked in the comments section thus far is that two members of Psalm 100 left the group following the vote to remove Mr. Thomason. I personally respect them for standing up for their own beliefs and supporting Mr. Thomason.
Thank you, “Don’t Be a Hypocrite”, for saying exactly what I was thinking. Sad that people who accuse others of being discriminatory don’t see how blind they themselves are:
“Accusing Mr. Templeton of being gay and “in the closet” as a form of insult is portraying homosexuality as a legitimate reason to hurt someone…thus, perpetuating inequality based on sexual orientation. Isn’t that what we are trying NOT to do?”
Psalm 100 should change its name to Deuteronomy 23 and kick everyone out of the group.
I am all for freedom of religion and allowing people to believe what they want, but it becomes a slippery slope when trying to pull line-for-line proof from the bible about specific topics. There are a couple of problems with it: a) it might work if there was only one specific wording of the Bible, but I don’t even want to imagine the vast numbers of translations and versions, b) if you legitimately want a sound argument you would have to take all that the Bible says; I’m all for the message of love and peace that the Bible provides, but some things in it that were clearly not written directly for these current times.
I also agree with Mystic. Trust me, being gay is not something I woke up in the morning and decided to try out. I cannot speak for all and will not try to, but many modern Christians take an interpretive view of the Bible (again, kinda bewildered as to how a literal one would work). To me this means taking in the values and knowledge of the current times to make the best decisions in accordance with the spirit of the Bible. Correct me if I’m wrong but that would be love, acceptance, and sacrifice.
In these situations it’s all too easy to get riled up and turn to negative comments, but I think the best thing we can do is use this as an opportunity to grow.
Funny how nearly all posters remove their names.
Hey, Further Explanation Offered, you shouldn’t speak on behalf of all Christians. Many individual Christians — and in fact whole denominations — do not interpret the Bible in the same way. They realize that the Bible, in fact, is not nearly as cut and dry in its “condemnation” of homosexuality and have chosen to focus on the “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” aspects of Christ’s teaching. They welcome anyone into their congregations and into their lives, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The members of Psalm 100 would do themselves a favor to really examine some biblical literature — including the excellent documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So” about just what the Bible does or does not say about homosexuality.
funny how nearly all posters remove their last names
Wow, as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, an ordained member of the clergy, a life long Student of the Bible with a Master of Divinity degree, knowledgeable and experienced in area such as Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics, I have several issues with what I am reading here.
1. The mere statement, “As Christians, we believe…” suggests a limited understanding of your own very broad faith and an arrogant view of your own narrow beliefs (seeing yourself as infallible), which has untold DISagreements on what Christians believe. If you follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, then we have that in common with all other Christians. Beyond that, one cannot portray “As Christians WE believe” without by inference judging other believers as not “REAL” Christians simply because they disagree with you.
2. The mere statement, “The Bible is clear…” when discussing such a topic and, in fact, most topics in the Bible—suggests that one is not familiar with the process by which we have come to our current many translations or the inherent problems with deriving theology and doctrine from a surface reading of Scripture. Many read and pray, filled with the Holy Spirit, yet they arrive at differing views on issues such as consumption of Alcohol, birth control, homosexuality, women in leadership positions, what day should we actually observe the sabboth, do we observe it at all, can we get tattoos, etc, etc. To pick on only ONE disagreement and suggest that differing in this area is grounds for dismissal from the group-and apparently from the Kingdom of God-while the others are not sufficient to keep anyone out is to scream homophobia. Examine your motives.
3. Those judging all Christians the same and “condemning” them based on this one groups actions are acting just as narrow minded as the group is.
4. and from someone calling himself “Read the Bible:” “…But does anyone else find it funny that a gay guy identifies himself as a christian and must think he has a chance to get into heaven?”
no, I find it sad that you think it’s ok to condemn others to hell, no—NOT that that you think it’s ok, but that you think it’s FUNNY.
Anyway, it is we Christians that are our own worst enemy. We should spend as much time trying to show others the love of Jesus as we do trying to weed out homosexuals and others as “Not Real Christians.” If we spent as much time trying to get people INTO the kingdom as do trying to keep some OUT—imagine the benefits to our faith.
/rant
I just want to say that not ALL Christians belief that homosexuality is sinful. Some of us think that it is only God’s place to judge because we don’t know everything.
I just want to say that not all Christians believe that homosexuality is wrong. Some of us realize that only God should be judging others.
“Psalm 100 should change its name to Deuteronomy 23 and kick everyone out of the group.” —- YES! Exactly! An intrepid reporter should hound various members about their beliefs regarding Levitical laws and if they disagree with things like the sinfulness of wearing clothing made of two different kinds of material — vote them out! It will be the easiest way to disband the group.
One of the only reasons anyone cares about this situation is that homosexuals have become adamant about being “unfairly” treated. People are “unfairly” treated for weight (which is a choice as well), height, gender, age, mistakes etc. People will always try to demean others to build themselves up; however, we must realize that in this situation, Psalm 100 was not demeaning the person—but standing on the bylaws of their group. If Psalm 100 were to lose their witnessing by having a disunited group, then of course they would take action to make sure Christ is the center of focus.
The other reason anyone cares is because the world continues to find reasons to prosecute Christianity, to find reasons to hate Christians, and to try and disband a group of united people (Christians) who are trying to stand for what they feel is right. If you “religious-people” haters would read the Bible, you would learn that the Bible clearly states that people who do not understand the Bible will try to bring down your faith and your ministry. This is no old trick and certainly will not be the last time that because Christians have definitive morals to stand on that they are prosecuted.
Taking a step away from the homosexuality, if someone in the group believed that murder was acceptable, which goes against the Bible as well, this group would have still reacted in the same manner and probably would not have the bad publicity that it is getting.
As a Christian, I love many people who are homosexual, we are called to love everyone. However, there is a difference in things you must do to maintain Christ’s honor (such as remaining firm in the foundation of the Bible and associating your ministry with those with the same foundation) in a specified Christian group and things that you do to show God’s love for others (love everyone, serve others, etc.).
On another note, separating myself from the Bible, I still do not understand homosexuality. If you are so smart, how can you not look at an anatomy book and realize that only a man and a woman can “fit” together.
We should all be thankful that our parents weren’t naturally “gay” when we were concieved. If homosexuality was natural, then none of us would be having this discussion, because we could not have been born. Step away from being “offended” because “the gay person is being picked on” and realize that this article and the majority of people’s attitudes “offend” Christians. It is a part of life that has been around for as long as this Earth has been populated with humans—people fighting against others who love God.
I hate that I have to be so abrasive about this subject, but as my great-grandmother used to say, “The truth is good enough fer yah.”
Although the group was being harsh by ousting a member for such a reason, there is no denying that it was within their rights; the group’s constitution clearly stated that members were expected to have views that coincided with those in the bible, and therefore if a member was to brake this or any other rule set out in their constitution, then the group is entitled to vote out that member.
That being said, Thomason’s quote about being able to glorify God despite his sexuality is certainly not false, but does that mean that he can glorify God just as well choosing to have unnatural and perverted views about human relationships? No, it does not. His homo-sexuality creates a barrier between himself and God that will hinder him in his spiritual growth until he ceases to embrace his misconceived notions about his feelings; God creates all emotions, including love, he would not create love between two members of the same gender, and therefore those who call themselves “gay” are just confused and deluded rather than actually in love with another member of their sex.
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