Letter to the Editor: Concerns about The Tartan's October Poll about LGBT Students / Marijuana
from James Kastelein, '24
Read to the end for a response from the Editor.
In response to the January article recently published in the Tartan, I would like to request clarity and discuss a few topics within the ongoing conversation of social issues at Gordon College.
In terms of research, not even half of the student body participated in this survey concerning the moral acceptance of same-sex relationships and non-medical marijuana use at Gordon. The 430 completed surveys are not a large enough sample to project a statistically significant result across the entire Gordon College student population. Additionally, without knowing the specifics in how the research was administered, it is impossible to determine to what extent sampling bias may have impacted the results.
Furthermore, the statement above that "56% of Gordon students say it is moral for Christians to be in same-sex relationships" is a potentially false statement. It is not fair to project these results across the ~1,100 students that did not, either by choice or by exclusion, participate in the survey. To communicate your research findings as a conclusive projection of what the entire student body believes seems both unsubstantiated and, potentially, a gross overstatement. Although it may be true that more than half of the student body finds same-sex relationships morally acceptable, there has yet to be a survey completed using viable methods of gathering data to conclude one way or another. My guess is that the majority of the participants were likely individuals who are passionate about the LGBTQ movement and, thus, took the time and energy to fill out the survey.
Beyond the need for clarification on your methodology and the way the research conclusions were communicated, it seems to me that there is confusion regarding Biblical authority versus “popular opinion” in setting policies and standards for student conduct at Gordon College. Additionally, there seems to be confusion regarding the Biblical commandment to love one another. What does God's desire for us to love one another look like when there are so many differences in opinions these days? We are commanded to love one another no matter what others believe or how others choose to live. However, loving people does not always mean agreeing on their beliefs or supporting their lifestyles. In some ways, loving others means standing up for what is right. Loving often means confronting others and having hard conversations.
Would it be "kind" to encourage our friend who is a drug addict to continue to hurt himself and make poor decisions that will have a lasting effect on him and everyone around him? Wouldn't it be more "kind" to confront his habit and show support through getting him the help he needs? "Love the sinner but hate the sin." If we are following Biblical commandments to love one another, why are we ignoring Biblical commandments that strictly prohibit homosexual relationships? 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Although this verse may seem harsh, it is God's word. Love is a part of God's character, and every commandment He gives us is out of His love for us. We all (me included) must repent of our sins and seek to follow God's law.
Gordon College was founded on a Biblical and theological perspective grounded in traditional orthodox views of Scripture. Gordon's beliefs and values are clearly stated on their website, around their campus, and in their student life and conduct statement. Their convictions should not be a surprise to anyone in affiliation with the school. The students of Gordon College were not forced to attend Gordon. In fact, we were given the opportunity to choose between thousands of other schools, including schools that were not founded on a Biblical and theological perspective grounded in traditional orthodox views of Scripture. Given this fact, why should Gordon College consider changing their core principles and values that their school was built on?
Lastly, it seems foolish to promote the use of non-medical marijuana use on campus. If a similar survey was conducted concerning the underage consumption of alcohol on a college campus, the majority of teenagers participating in this survey would likely support it. The use of marijuana for pure enjoyment is a ludicrous proposition. Biblical truth transcends both culture and time. Therefore, the argument that Gordon should follow popular opinion and go against Biblical authority concerning its position on matters of same-sex relationships and drug use -- practices that are clearly prohibited in Scripture -- would be to abandon the College’s foundational belief.
Best regards,
James Kastelein
—-
Hey James,
There’s a lot to unpack here! First, I want to say that we fully disclosed the methodology of our polling in the original article. It was an email sent out to the entire student body; people were required to put their Gordon email so we can make sure there are no duplicates. We wanted to use student ID numbers, but we were told by the administration that was a serious security issue.
Second, polls are almost never answered by the entire target group. For a poll to be accurate, there needs to be a large sample size, and our sample size was more than a third of the student body, which gave us a confidence rate of over 95%. There are ways that this can be calculated, so look up how confidence rate works if you want to know more. I’m fairly certain that the poll was accurate; the demographics of each class, as well as the statistics about ethnicity and gender matched up exactly with Gordon’s official numbers. If the poll were inaccurate, we would expect the demographics to differ from Gordon’s official statistics. For example, the gender split was exactly in line with Gordon’s numbers, as were the ratios of classes who responded.
Also, I want to point to a recent New York Times poll about the percentage of young people who identify as LGBT; the numbers line up pretty closely with what our poll found. As for your concern that the LGBT community was over-sampled, there was sizable portion of the LGBT community at Gordon who did not feel comfortable answering the poll for fear that they would be outed against their will, or that the survey was a trap set up by the administration.
It is just a reality that there are more people who identify as LGBT in our generation than ever before. Here’s that New York Times article, for reference, that shows that one in six adult-aged persons from Gen Z identify as LGBT. The poll is from Gallup, one of the most trusted polling groups in the world.
To your concern about marijuana usage, we aren’t making value statements on the Marijuana issue; we asked a question and the student body answered. It seems disingenuous to insinuate that we are “promoting” marijuana use, as you claim.
Best,
Collin Hall, Tartan’s Editor in Chief
My calculation of the students who were surveyed was 28% of the total Gordon Students which is less than 1/3. I am using the figures in the article "430 students, out of a total undergraduate population of 1,507 "is 28%.
and include these issues (mostly LGBTQ)