Thanks for the first-hand insights. I think in the bigger picture, the "evangelical bubble" is cracking, and people are scared. In the heyday of growth for modern white evangelicalism, the flow of information to one's children could be tightly controlled. Now we have the Internet, and there's a flood of writers on the edges who are questioning the ideas they were raised with. Christian colleges, which always got away with shining a bit of light into young minds, are now under closer scrutiny. "I raised my kids to be good Christians, then sent them to what I thought was a good Christian college, but now they want nothing to do with the faith. I have to blame someone."
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” This Upton Sinclair quote came to mind, reading your description of the dilemma of Christian College presidents. And then there's the classic definition of appeasement: feeding the alligator in hopes that he will eat you last. It's a rare leader who can recognize today's opportunities to side with freedom, truth, goodness, beauty though they be dressed in different garb than in the past.
Very well stated, Kristin! The rise of the business oriented college president (or worse, the ministry oriented one) means that too many presidents don’t know how to make the nuanced response your president gave and are inclined not to give it at all. I agree that this is a collective action problem. Maybe we need an AAUP for Christian College Professors!
The insidious push to purge critical voices for the sake of “purity,” religiously, politically, and academically, is nothing new, but wow is it ugly when you or those you love experience it.
I strongly agree with you that there needs to be a coordinated effort to counter the groups that are raising money from their constituents by spreading fear and anger. They live off of the publicity that they generate. The internet and the media and the direct mail tools that have been developed have accelerated the ability of people to spread their messages and fundraise. I have seen some if the Turning Point mailings and if ever there was a case for breaking the commandment against false witness, they are breaking it.
I fantasize about being in a public meeting of those highly concerned about the contents of school or public libraries, intent on the purging of "unacceptable" books. I would "timidly" rise to say "I am 83 (true) and have no clue as to electronic devices, how they work, contain or access, but I do have a question: 'What are my grandkids looking at with their electronic devices that they are glued to hours daily?' " If my implication is not clear, I should continue to elaborate that "I worry that those kids are accessing on line everything, and more, that you want to purge from libraries."
I taught music at a Bible College in the late 70s. The salaries were terribly low but moonlighting was forbidden and we had to be on campus all summer despite the fact that there weren’t any classes to teach. So…..I went to the dean and asked for a pay raise. Word evidently spread, and there was a faculty salary revolt. There were long meetings with administrators, along with resignations of fund raisers. I don’t know for sure,of course, but I think that they decided to fire me and distribute my salary to the rest of the faculty as a pay increase. Then, to save more money, they refused to pay me for the final month of my salary. Today, I’m grateful to be rid of that place. I didn’t realize it at the time, but they did me a favor.
“The CCCU has spent a lot of time advocating for religious liberty on national level”. True if you think fighting to exclude LGBTQ student groups or informal meetings constitutes religious liberty. Shirley Hoogstra ended the deeply impactful American Studies Program and instead uses CCCU funding to file amicus briefs to exclude gay students. Goshen, EMU, and Bluffton all left the CCCU over this ant-gay bigotry. Universities should be places of freedom of thought, discussion, diversity, and intellectual exploration. So if you’re hoping CCCU schools will band together to defending academic freedom and genuine intellectual inquiry, you won’t find this under Hoogstra’s version of the CCCU.
Thanks for the first-hand insights. I think in the bigger picture, the "evangelical bubble" is cracking, and people are scared. In the heyday of growth for modern white evangelicalism, the flow of information to one's children could be tightly controlled. Now we have the Internet, and there's a flood of writers on the edges who are questioning the ideas they were raised with. Christian colleges, which always got away with shining a bit of light into young minds, are now under closer scrutiny. "I raised my kids to be good Christians, then sent them to what I thought was a good Christian college, but now they want nothing to do with the faith. I have to blame someone."
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” This Upton Sinclair quote came to mind, reading your description of the dilemma of Christian College presidents. And then there's the classic definition of appeasement: feeding the alligator in hopes that he will eat you last. It's a rare leader who can recognize today's opportunities to side with freedom, truth, goodness, beauty though they be dressed in different garb than in the past.
Very well stated, Kristin! The rise of the business oriented college president (or worse, the ministry oriented one) means that too many presidents don’t know how to make the nuanced response your president gave and are inclined not to give it at all. I agree that this is a collective action problem. Maybe we need an AAUP for Christian College Professors!
I think we do need something of that sort. You seem like the perfect guy to lead something like this!
The insidious push to purge critical voices for the sake of “purity,” religiously, politically, and academically, is nothing new, but wow is it ugly when you or those you love experience it.
I strongly agree with you that there needs to be a coordinated effort to counter the groups that are raising money from their constituents by spreading fear and anger. They live off of the publicity that they generate. The internet and the media and the direct mail tools that have been developed have accelerated the ability of people to spread their messages and fundraise. I have seen some if the Turning Point mailings and if ever there was a case for breaking the commandment against false witness, they are breaking it.
Nuanced. Pointed. Integrated. Challenging. Fearless. Measured. Reflective. Gracious. Persistent.
In no particular order.
And as most often true - Well written. Well said.
Thank you.
SO well said Kenneth !
I fantasize about being in a public meeting of those highly concerned about the contents of school or public libraries, intent on the purging of "unacceptable" books. I would "timidly" rise to say "I am 83 (true) and have no clue as to electronic devices, how they work, contain or access, but I do have a question: 'What are my grandkids looking at with their electronic devices that they are glued to hours daily?' " If my implication is not clear, I should continue to elaborate that "I worry that those kids are accessing on line everything, and more, that you want to purge from libraries."
Thank you for explaining this from an insider's perspective. I appreciate your suggestions for colleges to stand up against this.
You’re doing such important work. 🔥
I taught music at a Bible College in the late 70s. The salaries were terribly low but moonlighting was forbidden and we had to be on campus all summer despite the fact that there weren’t any classes to teach. So…..I went to the dean and asked for a pay raise. Word evidently spread, and there was a faculty salary revolt. There were long meetings with administrators, along with resignations of fund raisers. I don’t know for sure,of course, but I think that they decided to fire me and distribute my salary to the rest of the faculty as a pay increase. Then, to save more money, they refused to pay me for the final month of my salary. Today, I’m grateful to be rid of that place. I didn’t realize it at the time, but they did me a favor.
“The CCCU has spent a lot of time advocating for religious liberty on national level”. True if you think fighting to exclude LGBTQ student groups or informal meetings constitutes religious liberty. Shirley Hoogstra ended the deeply impactful American Studies Program and instead uses CCCU funding to file amicus briefs to exclude gay students. Goshen, EMU, and Bluffton all left the CCCU over this ant-gay bigotry. Universities should be places of freedom of thought, discussion, diversity, and intellectual exploration. So if you’re hoping CCCU schools will band together to defending academic freedom and genuine intellectual inquiry, you won’t find this under Hoogstra’s version of the CCCU.
Your scholarship is unimpeachable. I hope the discussion about the legitimacy of your scholarship does not take away from the scholarship. Glen P