“We Could Have Been Naked” Seminar Teaches Students About Healthy Relationships
Hope Nelson
Sower Staff
Concordia professors, students, and staff shared personal stories and some laughs while diving deep into what it means to have a healthy relationship during the “We Could Have Been Naked: Healthy Relationships and Where It Went Wrong” seminar on campus.
It began with “the shoe game,” in which several professors and their spouses tested their knowledge about each other, answering questions by raising their or their spouse’s shoe in the air.
Dr. Thaddeus Warren, head of CUNE’s Human and Social Sciences department, took the stage next, with a devotion on man, woman, and the image of God in the book of Genesis.
Amy Hubach, an assistant professor of education, shared her own story about an unhealthy relationship in her past. “Abuse isn’t beautiful, but redemption is,” she said, adding that “God uses bad things” to bring about good in our lives.
After a brief intermission to award door prizes, attendees split off into three small groups that focused on identity, boundaries and pornography. Another small group session allowed students to ask confidential questions about relationship topics among other men or women.
Kim Boyce, a professor of psychology, said the night’s topics were of great importance.
“This speaks clearly to a God-given universal need,” he said, “and anytime that we touch upon our needs and we have a safe community to be able to do that it lends itself for people to want to be engaged.”
Warren said college students are exploring their identity. “It’s really about ‘who am I,’ and ‘who am I in a relationship,’ and ‘who am I in a relationship with God,'” he said.
Student experiences supported the professors’ ideas about the importance of discussing relationship topics. “I did continue the conversation with one of my good friends,” said freshman Grace Donnelly. “We discussed… our own experiences.”
