We haven’t heard this much campus chatter about Chapel in a long time. Well, at least not this much positive chatter. Last week, Pepperdine hosted a Wednesday morning convocation speaker who was not only a student, senior A.J. Hawks, but one who openly shared his homosexuality and the struggle which precluded that admission for some time.
Now pause for a moment and consider this: Just 15 short years ago, Pepperdine hosted a convocation speaker who proposed that homosexuality could be healed. According to a news article in the Sept. 25, 1997 issue of the Graphic, clinical psychologist Joseph Nicolosi advocated reparative therapy to diminish unwanted homosexuality as a part of the Moral Compass special lecture series.
To be perfectly clear, the University did not bring Dr. Nicolosi to campus in 1997 to promote his viewpoint, but rather to “promote inquiry and discussion into a controversial moral and social issue,” according to the Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Development Mark Davis. In 1997, Nicolosi said homosexuals are basically “heterosexuals with a homosexual problem,” the result of “a defective gene” — a linguistic choice that made 2012 psychology majors in our newsroom cringe.
Naturally, his message was received with a few raised eyebrows. Some students saw it as just another viewpoint in the discussion. Some said that regardless of contention of his beliefs, he was trying to offer his help to those who are unhappy, a goal that is not itself nefarious. Others said they were outraged at his generalizations, ignorance and dismissive demeanor.
Just 15 years later, last week’s speaker, Hawks, used his story to advocate a radical authenticity with one another that the Christian community and the Pepperdine community lack. This certainly does not begin or end with homosexuality; it’s any issue which isolates a student who fears its revelation will trade secrecy and shame for rejection and judgment — cutting, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, shattered families, depression. Instead of risking vulnerability, the average Pepperdine student turns to purpose-service-leadership abuse. We build fortresses of perfect grades, endless volunteering and crippling humility, surrounding our protective parapets with moats of physical attractiveness just for good measure. Inside, we’re breaking. The message, in short: ask, tell.
To be clear, again, our argument here does not pertain to LGBT issues, nor is it that you should stop complaining about Wednesday morning convo. We write this to show you that the ethos of Pepperdine is changing, and its core values need not be abandoned for that to occur. Pepperdine remains a place of Christian values and biblical mission, and last week’s Chapel is but one example of how the discourse which defines our Pepperdine culture has evolved within that context.
And so it follows that Hawks’ message, though drastically different from anything preached from the Firestone Fieldhouse stage before, was rooted in Scripture. Regardless of the zeitgeist, we think Pepperdine would say that song remains the same.
What a difference 15 years can make in the discourses taking place. And the campus chatter after Chapel last Wednesday proves that people noticed. We’ve rarely seen so many students stop playing Words with Friends and earnestly discuss the points raised in a Wednesday morning Chapel. On a very, very general level, Nicolosi and Hawks spoke from some common ground — there are people among us who quietly hurt, and we need to do a better job of helping. Their approaches are as polarizing as the very existence of Lana Del Rey, yet in both cases, people are talking and they enjoy the freedom to hold opposing views if they so choose. Pepperdine proved that it’s willing to walk the walk regarding the discussion of salient social issues at a private institution.
It’s also exceedingly easy to get wrapped up in administrative policy regarding such issues. The reality is that life continues regardless. While we respect the decisions of our administration, we know that what really defines the climate of our institution is the way we use our minds and the way that we treat one another, and this is something of which we are in complete control.
Hawks’ message and the context from which he spoke is a testament to the influence we all have as freethinking individuals. The ethos of Pepperdine can only extend as far as the collection of individuals that make up this wonderful place, so the ability to reflect, to change and to grow is ultimately on the way we think and the things we do.