Seminary's sad turn to opportunism

AS AN Episcopal priest and a 1980 graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary I was sad to see that the school had decided to be ``opportunistic" by offering programs to attract anti homosexuality, anti liberal Episcopal students (``Conservative path offered on Episcopal training," Page A1, July 7).

I got an excellent education at Gordon-Conwell with wonderful courses on scriptural interpretation. Professors and students openly discussed controversial issues such as women's ordination, abortion, and homosexuality. At that time women's ordination was the hot button issue among evangelicals, and we women students had to point out that founder A.J. Gordon had championed the right of women to preach and teach -- a highly controversial and ``liberal" stand in the 1800 s when the school was founded.

There was no official school position on other controversial topics, and I recall professors encouraging students to think critically using the hermeneutic tools we were learning. There was a range of student opinion on many theological and social topics as befit an interdenominational seminary. Dialogue was encouraged across denominational and political lines.

My time as a student at Gordon-Conwell also included friendships with students from conservative evangelical backgrounds just like mine who were struggling with their sexual orientation. I learned from their struggle also.

Merriam-Webster defines opportunistic as ``exploiting opportunities with little regard to principle or consequences." Indeed. How sad that a Christian institution would encourage schism and admit that it was doing so opportunistically. Perhaps in their ``orthodox view of the Bible" they missed Jesus' prayer in the Gospel of John that his disciples would be one and would be known to the world by their service to and love for one another.

REV. JOYCE SCHERER-HOOCK
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Peabody