(David) One of the joys of internet correspondence is developing friendships with those you wouldn't otherwise encounter. Tim and I have known Kamilla Ludwig since the late 90s when we considered her a worthy opponent on the CBMW email list (which I moderated for several years before turning over to Bill Rivilian). It was thus a delight for Tim and me to renew our acquaintance with Kamilla on this blog several years ago. Her wise additions to this blog routinely brighten our days. As an example of her wisdom, consider this letter recently sent to the directors of the Evangelical Theological and Philosophical Societies:
I am not currently a member of ETS, though I will likely renew my membership next year, I won't be doing so this year. I am not a philosophy professor and my primary reason for joining is to attend the annual meeting - which depends upon my interest in the conference theme and seeing the host city.
Though I was looking forward to the San Diego meeting later this year, I will not be attending. My reason for not attending this year is that I have recently become aware of what seems to be a growing movement around the country. It is something I hadn't really considered before, nor would I be surprised if your meeting planners had never considered it either. The issue is simply one of making pornographic movies easily available to (primarily) men who are usually traveling alone, without their families. Some hotels and chains do not provide in-room pay-per-view "adult" movies. The Town and Country in Sand Diego is not one of them.
I realize there are many considerations when planning a joint meeting the size of your annual meeting with ETS. However, this seems such a simple and profitable matter to consider for your members's benefit. What kind of witness is it to the hotel staff when they see these items on the bill of a Christian philosopher or theologian? National chains such as the Omni Hotels and the website www.cleanhotels.com provide porn-free lodging which might assist in planning future meeetings.
I thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Those of us who plan meetings and conferences must bear this issue in mind. In the meantime, we can arrange our personal travel to reward firms that have turned their backs on the sale of pornography while denying our custom to chains engaged in the sale of such idolatry.
