Inspire, Summer 2005

Inspire 33 Taking A Tough Stand Nobody ever said it would be easy, and Cedarville alumni are not exempt from the sting that often comes from standing up on tough issues. David Gibbs, a non-grad from the Class of 1990, and Warren Throckmorton ’79 can certainly tell you it’s true. Fighting for Terri Schiavo David Gibbs, a non-grad from the Class of 1990, was part of the Gibbs Law Firm team representing Terri Schiavo’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, in the final two years of Terri’s life. In the years that David worked on Terri’s case, he felt the public spotlight in ways he had never imagined. He fielded a barrage of questions in countless media interviews and was pressed by the foreign media about how America could hold itself out as a moral authority in Iraq while letting a woman starve to death. Members of the Schiavo family threw personal barbs at him. Faxes, e-mails, and phone calls from around the world poured in by the thousands; some offering support, others advice, others criticism, and some touting death threats. Through all of this, David’s response was to display integrity and a godly attitude. “You have to take the right stand, the right way, with the right spirit,” David emphasized. He and his Seminole, Florida law firm tried to have a good testimony by handling the emotionally charged case as professionally and reasonably as possible. David is a man forever changed and impassioned by the experiences of the past two years. “There are images in my mind that will never go away,” he remarked, recalling the horror of watching Terri die slowly and painfully by starvation and dehydration. “It’s barbaric to starve someone to death. If Terri had been an animal or a mass murderer, she would have been protected by the law. … This case is a heart check for America and for the Christian community.” David actively encourages America, and believers in particular, to stand up for life. “We are at a moral crisis point,” David said. “Terri brought us here. [As a nation], we can either be defenders of life or go in an ungodly direction, letting mere men decide [whose] life is worth living.” “I believe Terri was someone who mattered to God,” David concluded. “We’re watching as people are now viewed as disposable as everything else in our society. Where is our heart for the ‘least of these?’” Taking a Stand for Change It was a shock, yet it wasn’t. Warren Throckmorton ’79 recalls the Valentine’s Day 2005 phone call he received from Magellan Health Services, Inc., telling him he was being expelled from their National Professional Advisory Council. Warren, an associate professor of psychology and director of college counseling services at Grove City College (Pennsylvania), had served on the council since 1999. He was a liaison between the multibillion-dollar managed-care health company and its mental health care providers. In the dismissal call to Warren, Magellan’s representative said Warren had “inappropriately blended mental health and religious views,” likely referring to Warren’s belief that some homosexuals have changed and all have the right to pursue a therapy that will help them do so. Warren read in The Washington Times that Magellan’s decision was brought on by pressure from gay activist groups who were angry at him for, in particular, his “I Do Exist” video, which tells the story of gays who successfully changed their orientation. This Times article seemed confirmed when, shortly after Warren’s dismissal, the Rainbow Alliance celebrated by attempting to mount a “Thank Magellan” campaign. In addition, they wrote to Warren’s employer, Grove City College, in an effort to discredit him. After these blows, Warren’s situation took an unexpected turn. On April 20, 2005, Magellan offered him his spot back on the council. After much careful thought, he accepted the offer. Since then, Magellan has publicly stated that it agrees with Warren’s stance that people have the right to choose the kind of therapy they want, including therapy that promotes sexual orientation change. But Warren’s fight to stand for change has not become smooth sailing by any means. “I get e-mail every day from people who are hateful: hateful, vitriolic speech; namecalling; criticisms, etc. Some of it is pretty vicious,”Warren admitted. He handles this hurtful behavior by responding on a person-to-person basis. “The ones that are not signed and are obviously just ‘venting their spleen’ I don’t answer,” he said. “Proverbs talks about not answering a fool. Others have substantive questions, so I respond to those. The important thing is not to return evil for evil.” “I always think of something I heard Cal Thomas say — you can do the most amazing things for God if you don’t care what other people think of you,” he noted. “That stuck with me. It was a turning point for me professionally. Being grounded in your worldview is key because then you see the big picture. Having a view that these smaller issues are smaller pieces of the big picture revealed in Scripture is very encouraging.” For extensive information about Warren’s work and ministry, visit www.drthrockmorton.com .