rumor control

[Douglas <dougwils@moscow.com>]

Dear visionaries,

Bill London asked if we could clear up some rumors. I hope I can do so
without starting others.

The old cable building, now called Anselm House, was purchased by Christ
Church, and not by the college. The college is institutionally separate
from the church, and has rented space from the church at Anselm House
this last year. But because the college needs to grow, they are currently
looking for their own space to move into -- but it would be inappropriate
to talk about any negotiations until everything is settled and the ink is
dry. This is particularly important because rumors and misunderstandings
about what we are trying to do might provoke unnecessary distrust and
concern. Tolerant liberal communities are often thrown into a panic at
the first sign of genuine diversity or differences of opinion. At the
same time, when NSA's future home is settled, we are happy to make it
public knowledge.

Your second question about our "abhorrence for the public school
system for its pluralism and inclusiveness and all the rest" reveals
again our need for continued discussion on the points we have been trying
to make in this forum. We do not want to play at the game of
pseudo-inclusiveness. We are not trying to take over anything. We
believe your institutions are adrift and rudderless, and that they have
lost a vision for the basis of true loveliness that makes life
worthwhile. Without Christ, nothing coheres, nothing tastes. We
are therefore engaged in building alternatives. So, to take your example
of the public library, the logic of our position is not to try to ban any
books from your library. The logic of our position requires us (in time)
to build a different kind of library, one that exhibits genuine cultural
richness. I am not trying to be rude here, but the goal would be to build
the kind of library that you all would want to use far more than I
currently want to use your library now.

The third question  regards what our goals are regarding the
"presence of the gay community." Having been put on the spot,
please take this answer at face value. My first and primary goal for the
local gay population is for them to see the depth of forgiveness for all
their sin in Jesus Christ, the cultural richness of the Christian faith,
and the gracious invitation that God extends to all of us to live lives
to His glory, enjoying Him forever, as the catechism puts it. In short, I
want to baptize as many gays as I can. If they are already baptized, I
want to exhort them to abandon fruitlessness in order to become faithful
to their baptisms. And I do not want gays to read about these things in
mere words, but rather I want them to see it lived out in our public
worship, our loving families, our thriving schools, our busy restaurants,
our rich libraries, our colleges, and so on.

Anyway, there it is.