Do 'Safe Spaces' in the Church Oppose Christian Values?

More and more college campuses are adopting the idea of safe spaces including a Utah university, which recently built a crying closet to help students cope with the emotional stress of college exams. However, there is now a push for churches to create safe spaces for their congregants. 

A "safe space" is defined as a place where students can escape language and ideas that are deemed emotionally harmful. 

Rachel Gibson with The Gospel Coalition wrote an article suggesting ways in which churches could begin to adopt safe spaces for those with same-sex attractions. 

"The church often hasn't been safe for those who experience same-sex attraction. Ugly assumptions are made and spoken; misunderstanding and suspicion abounds. Therefore, many stay hidden in fear,"  Rachel Gibson of The Gospel Coalition wrote. 

She suggests that church leaders should not make assumptions about congregants, create a safe space for conversation, and be ready for whatever will be disclosed. 

"In his power, let's be quick to listen and slow to speak as we embark on the long road of discipleship," she suggests.

However, author Tim Dukeman, a writer for Eagle Rising, argues that having a safe place in the church is a contradictory concept.

"Any space where Christ is present is not safe," he wrote. "You can ask the money changers in the temple. Or ask the Apostle John, who saw the revelation of Christ as the Conquering King who slaughters his enemies so that blood runs through the streets."

"Jesus isn't safe–for anyone. He calls us to come and die," Dukeman added. 

Ryan Duncan, writing for Relevant Magazine in 2016,  said churches have always had a "safe space", but that the context within the church setting has an entirely different meaning.

In the article, he reflects on his own experience as a teenager and admits that his "safe space" was his discipleship group. 

"Sure, we read Scripture and discussed our faith, but it was also a place where we could talk about their problems, vent about overprotective parents, ask awkward questions without embarrassment and just be ourselves," he wrote.

Duncan adds that his discipleship group taught him "confidence, grace, perseverance and seeking God with a contrite heart."

"It didn't shield me from my troubles but it sure helped me find the strength to face them," he wrote.

"What Christians need to understand is that safe spaces aren't going to be found in the real world where little is actually safe from uncertainty or malady," Duncan explained. "However, we should have safe spaces to retreat to when life gets hard, places to join in community and talk about the intricacies of the real world openly."