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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories City may aid homeless program Stalking the elusive fisher 'Big Data Revolution' discussed at Tap House Talks 10 things to know for Tuesday Since You Asked: Styrofoam ban raises questions Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services, Feb. 17 Emergency services, Feb. 16 Medford porch fire appears intentional, investigators say Emergency services, Feb. 15 Emergency services, Feb. 14 Politics and Elections Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Successor Kate Brown must run for election in 2016 Community leaders saddened by governor's departure Read Gov. 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Four companies will be pitching their plan to you Agriculture 1-800-Flowers dumps Harry & David execs Nine companies pitch investment opportunities in Medford Darigold to shutter Medford plant, putting 29 out of work Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Feb. 17 Our View: Independent Party of Oregon faces obstacles Michael Gerson: A call for 'patient pluralism' Landgren cartoon: Snow trouble Landgren cartoon: 50 shades of white Editorials Our View: Independent Party of Oregon faces obstacles Our View: A sad end to a historic career Our View: Time to end the vaccine exemption Our View: Hemp hemp, hooray — old crop is new again Our View: Maintaining a major community asset Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Feb. 17 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 16 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 15 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 13 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 12 Columns Michael Gerson: A call for 'patient pluralism' Kathleen Parker: No excuse for juicing the story Dana Milbank: Remembering the remarkable Kayla Mueller George Will: Curb your pessimism about terrorism Charles Krauthammer: Crusaders and appeasers Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Weed killers should not be sprayed on streams, homes Guest Opinion: Understanding Wes Cooley Guest Opinion: Smokers: Quit before this happens to you Guest Opinion: Our public school system is a stew pot of clashing ingredients Guest Opinion: How long will we look the other way? Lifestyle Latest stories Carol Link: Prime time for pruning blueberries approaches In Good Faith: Lent Madness 2015: Who will win the Golden Halo? Community blog: It's time to lavish love on heart-healthy lentils 9 new cookbooks prove Southern cooking never goes out of style Food for Thought: Say yes to soy Food Community blog: It's time to lavish love on heart-healthy lentils 9 new cookbooks prove Southern cooking never goes out of style Food for Thought: Say yes to soy Prudence Hilburn: Warm up for winter with soup, chili Kitchen Call: Let winter citrus brighten your meals Home and Garden Carol Link: Prime time for pruning blueberries approaches Home Help: DIY home upkeep projects for every season Now’s a good time to plant a tree Repair or replace your garage door panel? Dear Monty: Hot markets change agent behavior Health Community blog: Your Brain on Love Health Watch: The rise of wearable fitness tech Community blog: Are You Losing or Gaining on Your Investment in Health? Community blog: Simple Solutions Health Watch: Simple swaps for a healthy lifestyle Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 13 RELIGION BRIEFS, Feb. 6 Religion News: Church of England consecrates first female bishop Religion briefs Religion briefs, Jan. 23 Milestones and Achievements New arrivals: Sunday, Feb. 8 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Blues Jam at The Little Brown Jug Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra 'Broadway's Next Hit Musical' SOU presents 'The Glass Menagerie' Soo Rah Korean Cuisine Theater SOU presents 'The Glass Menagerie' Le Cirque presents 'City Walk' 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' 'Dames at Sea' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre Camelot presents Playwright Richard Manley's 'A Question of Words' Music Blues Jam at The Little Brown Jug Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra 'Broadway's Next Hit Musical' Live Music in Local Clubs Roy Zimmerman's 'The Faucet's on Fire" Community Events Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jacksonville celebrates Chinese New Year Comedian Susan Westenhoefer pulls no punches Paula Poundstone performs at the Craterian Dining The zwickels shall flow Soo Rah Korean Cuisine Stylish shareables are the feature at Brickroom Sandwiches and burgers are hits at The Rogue Chef The Vine offers a taste of Italy Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW City may aid homeless program ... Get Up & Go: Tuesday, Feb. 17 ... Our View: Independent Party of Oregon faces obstacles ... City may aid homeless program ... Get Up & Go: Tuesday, Feb. 17 ... Our View: Independent Party of Oregon faces obstacles ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: A call for 'patient pluralism' Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 17, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Feb. 17, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News The rapidity of progress by the gay rights movement — from Stonewall to likely Supreme Court vindication of gay marriage in a historical blink — is causing a series of social and legal tensions. It has left some recently evolved politicians looking cynical (see David Axelrod's account of President Obama's convenient malleability on marriage). It has left some conservative politicians appearing fidgety and anxious to change the subject. It has turned the taking of wedding photos and the baking of wedding cakes into unexpected cultural controversies. Is there a constitutional right to the baker of your choice? The adjustments have been particularly rocky in higher education, among institutions called to serious ethical reflection and capable of serious moral preening. Some universities have begun denying recognition to student groups that use conservative religious beliefs on sexuality (and other issues) as a criterion in choosing officers. A prominent evangelical institution of higher learning, Gordon College, has received pressure from its accrediting institution, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, over Gordon's student behavior code that proscribes "homosexual practice" (along with all premarital sex). The stigmatization of evangelical colleges that hold traditional views on sexuality involves a painful psychological adjustment on the part of the stigmatized. The school I attended, Wheaton College, was founded in 1860 by a rambunctiously eccentric abolitionist dedicated to educating African-Americans and women at a time when that caused controversy. Many evangelical institutions with strong traditions of social justice are understandably offended when others portray them as benighted. The unfolding victory for gay rights has set up a national debate about the meaning of pluralism. In some forms of modern liberalism, only the individual and the state are, in any meaningful sense, real — and one of the primary purposes of the public authority is to enforce the rights of individuals against oppressive social institutions. But there is an opposing view: that religious freedom is not merely the individual right to believe but also the right to associate with fellow believers. A community, in this view, is enriched by a proliferation of communities offering differing views of the good life (within the broad boundaries of public health and safety). And this requires the protection of institutional religious freedom. One of the nation's most influential educators, David Coleman, the president of the College Board, has engaged this debate in a manner designed to transcend it. In 2013, Coleman went on a scholarly project to Wheaton's Wade Center, which houses C.S. Lewis' papers. His encounter with Wheaton staff and professors set off a series of public reflections, in speeches and articles, on the distinctive contributions of religious colleges. The point, he told me, is not "merely their right to exist." It is their "animating values that are precious to higher education, and inescapably so." The first he describes as "productive solitude," which is both characteristic of the spiritual life and "important for academic growth." The second he calls the "reverent reading" of shared texts, which allows "different minds to act on the same problems." Many modern academic settings, in his view, "now don't share a single text" studied across disciplines. And this is a problem, because learning "relates to powerful, haunting language held in common." The third comparative advantage of religious education, according to Coleman, is the determination to be a "safe haven for body and spirit." Modern student life often involves "abuse of alcohol" and "premature, reckless sexual encounters." Noting Dartmouth's recent campus ban on hard liquor, Coleman offered: "Maybe it is time to construct stronger norms." None of this settles the difficult issues surrounding individual and institutional religious rights. And Coleman is careful to avoid weighing in on specific debates. But he is determined to point out the virtues of institutional diversity in higher education — finding contributions where others find only controversy. This was once known as being liberal-minded. In the midst of social change on gay rights — what he describes as a "10-year deliberative process" — Coleman argues for a "patient pluralism." "You may disagree with members of the community for a while," he told me. But you "do not banish them from the community." And such patience, he said, is an expression of "confidence in your own values." This deliberation is taking place even within evangelicalism, as some moral traditionalists wrestle with the genetic component of same-sex attraction and see the virtues of committed gay relationships. But such reflection is inhibited by intimidation. A genuine dialogue requires a principled pluralism. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. 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