By Erika Norton | Echo
Keynote speakers Jay and Heather Stringer shed new light on the topics of sexuality and the body this week at Taylor's annual Sex and the Cornfields event.
The Stringers are therapists with unique backgrounds and expertise, which provided students with a multi-faceted approach to sexuality.Jay Stringer's soon-to-be ordination as a Christian Reformed Church pastor and Heather Stringer's work as an artist brought two distinct perspectives to the conversation and covered both ends of the spectrum.
Sara Hightower, director of Residence Life programs (ResLife), said the couple's tone and ability to have a personal conversation with students excited campus leadership for the couple's talks throughout the week.
"They're a great mix . . . Jay's pastoral tone and Heather's unique artist piece of it felt like a different way of talking about it," Hightower said.
Jay came to Taylor last spring to discuss sexual addictions. Typically Residence Life likes to bring someone who's completely unknown on campus to speak, but this year they thought it might be easier for the student body to engage with him more quickly, Hightower said.
The overall theme was a sequence of the words "within," "between" and "among." The word "within" comes from how one perceives one's own personality, according to Heather Stringer.
"We have to do our own personal work in order to be better at engaging others," Heather said.
The word "between" deals with how Christians engage one another with their bodies and with their sexuality, according to Heather. Finally, how sexuality translates into the grander scheme of things, such as vocation, marriage and calling, is what falls under the "among" category, Heather explained.
Heather hopes students take away the idea that the body is good but but the world is broken.
"I would love for people to look at their own narrative and . . . notice where your body and sexuality are so good and worth celebrating and where is the harm that's been done and how have you harmed your own body and sexuality," Heather said.
She hopes students can create a safe environment where stories and struggles are shared.
"We've all been through various kinds of hell with our bodies," Heather said. "It would be really great to create a context where there is not condemnation and there is kindness for these stories."
The first session was held at Monday's chapel and discussed how the body is a central part of the salvation that God intends to accomplish in our lives.
"The Lord is for the body and the body is for the Lord," Heather said.
Jay encouraged students not to shy away from their stories related to their body but to move toward them to find freedom.
"What I hope . . . is that we would not see these stories as something to ashamed of, but far more, these are stories that deserve the kindness of our grief and for us to begin to receive something of the grief of God on our behalf," Jay said.
With multiple sessions and events to choose from, students had many opportunities to hear and engage in conversations surrounding sexuality.
One highlight was the addition of an art show held in the Breuninger Hall lobby, which displayed students' art, both visual and written.
Another event, held Wednesday, Oct. 7, was a dinner hosted by Choros, a campus organization geared toward engaging in discussions surrounding gender and sexuality.
"It's just become a very safe space where people can ask questions," said senior Jeffry Neuhouser, president of Choros. "We don't have answers, but we can all ask those questions together."
At the dinner, Jay and Heather held a question-and-answer session, where students could ask anything regarding sexuality, gender and the role the church plays in these topics.
Jay and Heather explored the topic of vocation as it relates to sex and the body at the last session on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
"Our body is the vehicle for our calling to be lived out," Heather said. "Our calling is not just a calling of our talents, but a bodily calling."
Jay concluded by explaining how vocation allows connection to a world that is very disconnected.
"Every good connection that brings wonder, that brings gratitude and awe to the world, is something to be blessed," Jay said.
