I was delighted to see a headline this evening announcing that President Bush has nominated Dr James Holsinger to become the next surgeon general of the United States. I’m not much of a Bush fan admittedly, but there are a handful of things I’m really with him on. This is one of those things.
Dr Holsinger is a devoted Christian and a United Methodist. He was chair of Asbury Theological Seminary‘s board of trustees during my two terms as student body president at Asbury (and therefore, student representative on the board). His resume is impressive to say the least and he’s got a brilliant mind. But he’s also simply an exceptional disciple of Jesus. One of his daughters is a friend of mine from seminary days, and I remember meeting him in an Introduction to the New Testament class during my first semester. I had to be told he was chair of the board of trustees. One year, I was around Wilmore over Thanksgiving holiday. The Holsingers invited me and a few other seminary folks in a similar situation over for Thanksgiving dinner. You’d think we’d been around for years from the easy hospitality and generous presence they offered.
Dr Holsinger is a remarkable leader and I will be praying for his swift confirmation.
Guy M Williams 
With all due respect, I believe you when you say this man is a nice guy …
but it does not seem like sound public health policy to serve as the nation’s top doctor and hope you can cure gay people by “praying the gay away.”
See http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/06/02/pray-the-gay-away/
Seriously there are millions of fellow gay and lesbian Americans just trying to live our lives. For Bush to even consider promoting someone who believes in ex-gay reparative therapy is astounding. I thought it was a bad joke when I first read about it on-line.
Nominating someone like Holsinger would be like turning the clock back to November 1973 when homosexuality was still considered a disease by the American Psychiatric Association.
I’m not trying to be anti-religion but gay and lesbian Americans are just as concerned about public health issues like smoking, drug use, cancer and obesity as straight Americans are. We just are not looking to be abused and demeaned by our nation’s top doctor.
Hi, blue-xela,
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate the tone of comment inasmuch as you have clarified your stance as not being “anti-religion” and by citing clear common ground concerning public health issues in the US these days. You’ve stated your concern in a way that helps me feel as though I hear what you are trying to get across.
Disagreement over homosexual identity and whether or not homosexual practice is a moral issue is a reality today. I think it is less important to make sure someone like the US Surgeon General holds one or another view on this morality question, since it is far from settled in American society at large, not to mention within many Christian denominations. What does seem settled and what may be reasonably expected, I think, is graciousness and sensitivity regarding how we relate with one another.