"All of us firmly believe when questions of faith arise we should always, as one friend put it, 'err on the side of love'."

Dear Dr Taylor,

I am writing to express my disappointment with Samford’s recent decision to exclude churches from the campus because they support people from the LGBTQ+ community.

I am a 1998 graduate of Samford, and recently had a reunion with a group of fellow graduates in Birmingham. During that weekend we walked the campus, noting the changes and upgrades and reminiscing on our favorite memories. We also had an opportunity to affirm our support for our gay friend. You see, his biological family disowned him for a time, but we as his Samford family were able to let him know that we accept him just as he is. I believe this is a direct result of our time at Samford. You see, when we were there, we were taught to love all people. We spent our Spring Breaks in places like inner city Houston, TX on mission trips, we were active members of Student Ministries organizations, even serving on the council. Some of us even became ministers, and all of us firmly believe when questions of faith arise we should always, as one friend put it, “err on the side of love.”

So I was extremely disappointed when merely days later, the leadership at Samford chose to go in a different direction. I kept going back to the question of why Samford seems to be moving in a direction that is less inclusive and loving. I thought about how my son, who is a student at UAB now, would not even consider Samford due to its lack of diversity, and how this decision to exclude certain churches moves Samford even deeper into a place of homogenization. I don’t pretend to understand these decisions because I can come up with no good reason for them. So I ask you to please reconsider and once again establish Samford as a place of love and inclusion for all.

Sincerely,
Holly McKinney
Class of 1998