Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor and Community Members,
Though I no longer live in Lake Mills, I have had the opportunity to read up on a recent issue that has made itself apparent in the town—the issue of gay marriage in a Lutheran church.
Let me be the first to tell you, I adored most every aspect of growing up in a tight-knit community like Lake Mills. It provided me with endless amounts of support, love, and friendship from many of its members. I still value this support today. However, as I ventured off to college and opened myself up to new experiences, I realized there is an inherent small-mindedness that did (and still does) circulate throughout a selection of the populace. Quite frankly, Lake Mills is not particularly diverse. It’s a place where people feel comfortable, and a place where anger tends to fester and boil over as soon as that comfort is disrupted in any way.
As I read through the prior letters to the editor, I saw this anger manifest itself and I sat back, baffled, by the lack of love in the place I once called home. I am especially blown away by individuals who choose to use the word of God in order to defend their decisions of prejudice. The God I was raised to believe in, is one that accepts all for who they are and does not judge. The churches I went to understood, or at least I thought they understood, that the world is an ever-changing, ever-developing place. When the world changes, we must change with it. We must adapt. And we certainly should not place all value on words that were created centuries ago, because we could never have anticipated what was to come.
A clear example to me is found in 1 Timothy 2:11-13—“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” If I am to interpret this text as it stands, does that mean I should not speak up? Does that mean I should wait for a man to tell me my place? Should I never hold a job position above a man? We must learn to identify the truths of the Bible and do away with what no longer serves us or our society. The world today would not function as efficiently had scores of women not protested words such as these, if they had not taken to the streets in disagreement over those antiquated statements.
The Constitution of the United States is highly regarded in its words, yet we have made amendments that better serve the world in which we now live.
Because there are still insular and narrow thoughts being spoken and acted upon in Lake Mills, I simply can’t consider a return to live in my hometown. While I know there are plenty of good, forward-thinking individuals staking their claim among the 2,000 there, I can’t consciously subject myself or other important people in my life to an area that won’t welcome all.
It’s my sincere hope that true change can come in this community I so treasure.
Sincerely yours,
Ivy Christianson
Des Moines