Braking for Bloggers | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2008 > February (Web-only)

Christianity Today, February (Web-only), 2008 |

Braking for Bloggers

Cedarville's decision to cancel Shane Claiborne lecture highlights turmoil over the school's doctrinal identity.

Katelyn Beaty | posted 2/11/2008 01:32PM

2 of 2

Apex Community Church, a nondenominational church in nearby Kettering, decided last week to host Claiborne tonight after the university appearance was canceled. The lecture is open to the public.

Cedarville, a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and home to some 3,000 students, describes itself as a "Christ-centered learning community … marked by excellence and grounded in biblical truth."

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today's earlier articles on Cedarville include, "Two Degrees of Separation | GARBC distances itself from college after Southern Baptist endorsement." (Sept. 2006)

Claiborne wrote about the cancellation at the God's Politics group blog.

Claiborne was on the cover of the September 2005 issue of Christianity Today for our article on "The New Monasticism."

first page |

2 of 2

share this page

February (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 52

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 44 comments.

See all comments

Gus	Posted: February 21, 2008 9:19 AM

I've read Mr. Claiborne's book, and while I don't agree with certain points of it, I found it both informative and a challenge to we who think we are followers of Christ. In the opening paragraph of this article, the school in question is referred to as a Christian school. I would suggest that its board or whomever is in a responsible position, take a a look at its policies, mission statement or whatever documents serve as a governing piece. Feel free to classify yourself as a "conservative" institution, but please to do not use this label as an excuse to bow down to whatever entities in your community feel threatened by the revelations of some "outsider" who may cause your student body to "think" about their place and servant role in God's kingdom. And just as a side thought, are not the students attending this school paying their costs, theieby having more of a say in what should go on their than those in the community? Jesus also came with a message to challenge us.

Philip R.

Posted: February 18, 2008 3:45 PM

The administration of Cedarville (College) in 1970, when I was a student there, took a stand against Billy Graham because he had Catholics and leaders from other denominations participate in his crusades; and students were not to attend a nearby BG crusade. I was saddened and frustrated then that the students were denied an opportunity to learn about and experience the larger Christian community. In light of the recent decision, I'm saddened that the current CU students were denied an opportunity to learn about and engage with the larger Christian community.

J Sabo

Posted: February 18, 2008 3:24 PM


Having watched several videos featuring Mr. Claiborn I feel Cewdarville is doing a disservice to its students. Myself being a Christian and an older man (64) Shane hits the nail on the head. While I do not subscribe to all of his teachings he is doing as Jesus commanded. God will not ask us if we read the bible, he will ask us if we did the bible.

The allotted time for commenting has ended.