Christianity Today

Josh, this is my point: What IS the point in attending a Christian university or college if its leadership doesn't uphold the authority of God's Word? Doesn't it make sense that, otherwise, students may as well attend a secular university or college? And didn't Christ Jesus Himself say that no man can serve two masters? He says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Again: Is it possible to be a Christian and deny the Word of God -- even to support things which God says are abominations in His sight? If anyone genuinely loves the Lord, has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb who makes all things new, why would he want to do this?

Sarah, I did not intend to be patronizing. Sorry. I know you have a graduate degree, you have told me several times, forcing me to say, foolishly, so do I. Again I ask, what is a Christian University? Is it a Nazarene University? Is it a Catholic University? Is it a Pentecostal University. Is it a black Church of God University like Mason Bible College? A theologically conservative university? A Theologically liberal university like Union Theological Seminary? So it has to have doctrinal statement. Cedarville has one. http://www.cedarville.edu/About/Doctrinal-Statement.aspx. They believe in a 6 literal day creation (point 4) which counts me out. The believe the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit are completed and are not applicable to the work of the Holy Spirit today (6). Counts me out again. They are fundamentalists. They are theologically conservative and told you up front. The professors complained they were let go because they were too theologically liberal. No word of Liberal politics

UPDATE: Former CU Trustee Chris Williamson has the following to say on his FB page: "To all of the students, faculty, parents, and alumni of Cedarville University who shared your concerns with me over the school's recent and egregious decisions, I want you to know that your voice is being heard. Although I am no longer a board member, please accept my sincerest apologies for how things have been mishandled. I join with you in unjust suffering because yesterday the chairman of the board notified me that I could no longer give the commencement address because of my resignation. Technically, Mr. Scharnberg does not have the authority to deny me this privilege since that responsibility belongs to Dr. William E Brown. As I speak with various media outlets in the days to come about the vacuum of leadership on the board level, please add my cause to your growing list of petitions. Together we can make a difference! with Carl Ruby, Josh Steele, and Zak Weston."

Rick, I feel like this is the intellectual equivalent of running headfirst in to a brick wall, but I'm going to give this one last try: I expected a Christian university. As in, a doctrinal statement. I did not expect this to be conflated with political conservativism--because it shouldn't be. And it's extraordinarily patronizing for you to refer to me as 'your dear.' You do not know me. I'm an adult with a graduate degree. So enough of the attitude.

Sarah, did you possibly think that you would find a Christian institution that would be free of a point of view? Neither a Catholic institution, nor a Lutheran institution, nor Pentecostal institution, nor a Baptist institution, nor a Unitarian institution? What did you think you would find? My dear, there is no such thing as a Christian college. Really. I assure you. You are an idealist. I am a Pentecostal and an intellectual. I believe that all the gifts of the spirit are active today, speaking in tongues, prophecy, miracles. Life Bible College, the Foursquare Bible college in Los angeles, and the Assembly of God colleges reflect my point of view. If you believe that there even exists the possibility of true truth, you will look for an institution that does not discriminate against that point of view. I do not expect Cedarville to endorse my theological point of view. Your college had a unified point of view.

Rick, it's a religious institution. Not necessarily a conservative institution. I wanted to attend a Christian college. I didn't want a dose of political conservativism with my faith-based education, and it's frankly appalling that you seem to believe that I should accept the latter as a natural consequence of the former.

Audrey, unless you're trying to make a point regarding Cedarville University and the article above, then I fail to see how your questions make any sense here. Sorry, but what's your point?

Josh, I didn't try to "prove" anything. I asked sincere questions to which you gave no answers. You made a huge leap regarding my first question, for I did not mention (or think of) any particular college or university -- it was a general question regarding general principle. What IS the point in attending a Christian university or college if its leadership doesn't uphold the authority of God's Word? Doesn't it make sense that, otherwise, students may as well attend a secular university or college? And didn't Christ Jesus Himself say that no man can serve two masters? He says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Again: Is it possible to be a Christian and deny the Word of God -- even to support things which God says are abominations in His sight? If anyone genuinely loves the Lord, has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb who makes all things new, why would he want to do this?

Sarah, its a private institution. Get that? Private. If Muslims in Iowa want to open their own college they are free to do so. If the Amish wish to open a college they are free to do so. This is not State college, not a secular institution, it is decidedly religous. Call off the thought police. I wish I understood pluralism, but alas, even with a BS and graduate work, I guess I am not an academic.

@Rick, so pluralism is...isolating yourself from other opinions? As an academic sort who's actually studied pluralism, I'm going to go ahead and say that you have no idea what that word actually means. Cedarville is not a person. It is, allegedly, an institution of higher education, and it is not educational to insulate students from perspectives different from their own. Moreover: what Cedarville has done is highly unethical. Go back and read the article again; a member of the Board of Trustees blatantly lied about Dr. Ruby's fall hearing. That's not a conservativism, it's corruption, and if you have any ethics at all, you'd demand an explanation.

"What's the point in attending a Christian university or college if its leadership doesn't uphold the authority of God's Word? Otherwise, students may as well attend a secular university or college." Q1: Where is your justification for thinking that people at Cedarville, including Carl Ruby, aren't upholding the authority of God's Word? "In my mind, there is nothing political about God's Word at all." Q2: Why do you then attempt to "prove" that a Christian cannot be a faithful Christian and still be a Democrat? Even conservative types should be bothered by some of the recent decisions at Cedarville. I don't know about you all, but I'd at least like to see ethical, forthright, and honest behavior during a "conservative shift." Haven't seen much of that recently, though.

Sarah, my question is this: What's the point in attending a Christian university or college if its leadership doesn't uphold the authority of God's Word? Otherwise, students may as well attend a secular university or college. I don't know what that juxtaposition of "Christian" and "Republican" means to you. I know that, in my mind, there is nothing political about God's Word at all, although I see a LOT of juxtaposition of "Christian" and "Democrat" these days. Is it possible to be a Christian and also deny the Word of God on any issue -- even to support things which God says are abominations in His sight? If anyone genuinely loves the Lord, has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb who makes all things new, why would he want to do this? Politically speaking, Dems made their position crystal clear at the DNC this year when they booed God. The planks of their platform are in direct opposition to His Word.

Sarah, I would hazard a guess that 95% of your professors at your college were liberal in politics and most likely registered as as Democrats (or Green party or Independents). That is fine. You knew what you wanted, you paid your money and you got the worldview that suited you. Please allow Cedarville to have a different worldview from yours. That is what a pluralistic society is all about. You can be a Unitarian, a Southern Baptist, a Pentecostal and no one is forcing a point of view on you. You choose the church or the school that matches your paradigm. I attended a liberal state college, I knew their point of view which was different from mine. I appreciated my education and reasoned my way through classes. It was a wonderful experience and challenged my belief system every day. I came out stronger in my faith. Either find a college that fits your worldview, or consider it a challenge as I did. But please support pluralism and the right of private colleges to govern themselves.

If it's possible to be a Christian and a Democrat, then why do you want the perspectives of your Democratic brothers and sisters in Christ banned from Cedarville university? And Rick, if you actually think Cedarville's diverse, you've never set foot on that campus. In fact, Dr. Ruby's one of the only members of staff who actively strove to diversify that place and I'm grateful to him for it.

I find it very difficult to believe that anyone who enrolls in a university that is to the right of the Southern Baptist Convention would be genuinely surprised that the students and faculty at Cedarville are virtually all Republican and are going to have a bias toward conservative principles. I graduated in 2007 with a degree in Business Management, and I am grateful that I studied under professors who only taught a conservative view of economics. If I had wanted a mix of liberal and conservative economic philosophies, I would have attended Ohio State. My education at Cedarville made me into the Christian professional that I am today. That is why I am concerned about any indication that my alma mater might be experimenting with liberal politics. I was greatly disappointed when I heard that Cedarville invited a speaker from Sojourners to speak last fall. I understand that it is possible to be a Christian and a Democrat. But that is simply not our heritage at Cedarville University.

So you went to a different university. Problem solved. Isn't diversity nice?

@Rick: I went to Cedarville because I wanted to attend a Christian university. I didn't realize that meant I would be attending a Republican university instead.

Sarah, the point is that you chose a university that fit you. We don't all have to have the same point of view. The conservative baptists are allowed to have a Bible school that represents their world view as do Orthodox Jews and Muslims.

@Eric: as a liberal at Cedarville I was subjected to years of harassment and abuse by classmates. I've since earned an MA at one of the most left-leaning universities in the UK. So left-leaning, in fact, that I look like a moderate compared to most of my classmates and lecturers. Despite that: no harassment. No abuse. No hate mail, no slander. There was simply no comparison to my time at CU. There is something toxic in the culture at Cedarville University and that toxicity thrives on the insular environment that the school prides itself on providing to students. It's higher education. You do have to learn alternative perspectives. You should interact with those perspectives. And if your faith really needs to be protected that carefully, then how strong is it, really?

There seem to be two conflicting views of education/learning here. Do we learn by honestly asking difficult questions and hearing the best arguments against our views? Or do we learn by being told why our current views are correct? I lament for the state of biblical and theological education at Cedarville if this trend continues. It will just a be a cookie-cutter school to which overprotective conservative parents will send their children. I'm rather theologically conservative myself, but I don't want to be conservative just because I'm too afraid to hear from liberals, much less to hear from moderates!

I'm a 2000 Cedarville alumnus. I was there when Dr. Dixon was president. For the record, I am thrilled that CU seems to be heading back to its conservative roots. I respect the viewpoints that say Jesus was a liberal or that there are many paths to God. However, those are not my views, and during my time at Cedarville, those views would not have been taught anywhere on the campus. The question that no seems to be able to answer is: what's wrong with providing a reliable and conservative school like Cedarville where conservative Baptist families can send their sons and daughters? I went to law school at UC Berkeley. I went there knowing that it was a liberal place. I accepted it and didn't get frustrated by the constant stream of liberal politics and liberal ideology. Likewise, I knew a few students at Cedarville who held liberal views, but they never tried to push their views on anyone else. Hopefully, the administration will respect the conservative elements that once made CU special.

Well, this comment thread is devolving nicely. With any luck, it can match the vitriol of the reaction against Dr. Mills and Dr. Graves for daring to question the Republican party line in the Cedarville student newspaper!

Esau Yakub, when and where did Jesus ever teach His people to use government taxation to take from EVERY one who worked (rich and not rich) and give to people who would not work? He said, "If a man will not work, neither shall he eat." When and where did He ever teach His people to look to anyone or anything except God for their daily needs? (Matthew 6:33-34) He commanded His people to care for poor believers who were unable to care for themselves, namely widows and orphans. He also upheld God's Word concerning marriage. There was no concept of "baby daddy" or "baby mama". What was taught was faithfulness to God, spouse, and children. What does the Word of God say? The cancer in the Body of Christ is rebellion against God, disobedience to Him, licentious living. Yet Obama champions all of these things. He even blaphemes God's Word in doing so. Did you hear the Dems boo God at the DNC this year? "Conservative" does not equal Christian. Neither does "liberal" or "progressive".

Jesus was a liberal progressive! Read Matthew 25:31-46 and think about that next time you hear a Tea Party candidate talking about cutting programs for the poor. Conservatism is a cancer in the Body of Christ that needs to be purged. It is the dead church that Jesus regards with so much disdain in gospel. It is the way of the Pharisees, it is the stumbling block put before todays generation. The scripture is not black and white. A deeper interpretation of the Bible will bring you to the conclusion that Jesus beliefs were more progressive than conservative. He was not an advocate of trickle down economics, he would side with 47% of the country Republicans regard as takers before aligning himself with the "job creators". If the body of christ wants to hold on to this conservative platform, you will do so at your own peril. A progressive revival in the body is about to emerge. Time to get on board, and leave that dead doctrine alone.

As alumni of 83 I find it interesting our society finds it difficult to understand the authority and responsibility of the controlling boards of any organization. Within the local church it is the responsibility of the elder/deacon/trustee boards to be the gatekeepers of the institution’s doctrine and constitution and ensure these documents stay in-line with a proper biblical position. If a pastor changes his position on these type issues, then it is the responsibility of the elder boards to correct the issues or resignations should be required. Christian educational institutions should work the same way. Sometimes conservative fundamentalism misses the mark on God’s attitude of love toward others, thus the real issue – the approaches to doctrine and implementation. Fundamentalism sometimes seems cold and hard, while evangelicalism is seen as loving and accepting. In the end both sides need to find a balance of staying true to the Scriptures while displaying the attitude of God’s love.

Lets pray this is the beginning of Cedarville turning the ship. As a pastor if someone asked me if Cedarville was theologically sound, as it stands I would have to say no. But they are no worse off than SBTS was before Mohler got there. It is not to late for them to regain their evangelical identity.

Joel, I don't care that guest speakers like Shane wear dreadlocks and hemp clothing. Cool! Nor do I care that Cedarville offers a philosophy degree, I enjoy Francis Schaeffer, William Lane Craig and many other biblically based philosophers. Christian campuses need more arts and creative expression as well. Hippies led the Jesus People movement in the 1970s and millions of us now are in the kingdom and responsible parents. However, what I DO care about deeply is allowing the ungodly theological heresies of Brian McClaren and the extreme left wing liberation theology and radical politics of Shane Claiborne and Jim Wallis and the gay advocacy of Brian McClaren to be propagated on a Christian campus.

HURRAH for the board of trustees ! Their primary job is to keep their university true to the principles of the founders. Any one can go along to get along. Taking kind and firm decisive action, after seeing your school swing toward the left in inviting law breaking, ultra liberal personages, to corrupt young impressionable minds, is a very good thing.

I attend a church in Ohio where there are a lot of Cedarville connections. At the heart of this matter is one major issue. Parents send their teenagers to rural Cedarville in order to receive a conservative Baptist college education. Yes, I said conservative and Baptist because that is how Cedarville is advertised. That is what the school tells the parents when they ask for the huge tuition checks. However, these parents are tired of Cedarville doing things like cancelling Shane Claiborne, only to quietly sneak him back onto campus a couple of years later in a way that didn't catch the attention of most parents and churches. The school has also hosted liberals like Jim Wallis and Beth Maynard. Parents don't want their college kids to grow dreadlocks and wear hemp clothing like Claiborne. They want their kids to admire successful business and ministry leaders, not become hippies who protest with silly online petitions. Seriously, what kind of job will they get with a philosophy degree?

I've heard arguments for and against both sides of these issues, being close to people who are involved. Truthfully, I don't understand the workings of administration, but what troubles me is that Jesus stated in his final prayer in the Garden before his crufixion, is that the way the world would know that God sent Jesus to this earth was by how we displayed our love for one another. I don't see the love, I don't hear the love. I'm concerned about the future of Cedarville University.

There are plenty of formerly Christian and now secularlized universities to choose from. Why add another to the luke warm mix?

Dr. Ruby saved my life and my faith. Cedarville University made a huge mistake forcing him to resign. If CU has any sense, it will reinstate him promptly. CU Admin/Trustees: do the right thing. Don't be bullied by those who would have you do otherwise. We're all praying this. God Bless. MS

I would disinvite Shane Claiborne too. Without constant vigilance Christian Universities devolve into secular institutions like Harvard. "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people." Jude 3

Your subtitle is misleading. The school didn't say stop connecting the dots. It said the dots aren't connectable. There is quite a difference. Otherwise, not a bad article.

The trustee meeting is scheduled for Thursday and Friday (24th and 25th). Here is the link to the academic calender on the CU site: www.cedarville.edu/eventcalendar/month/