Northland Joins Southern Seminary: Culmination of a Modern Day Tragedy
Not
that today’s joint NIU, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) announcement should come as any surprise, but NIU made
it official, and has come under the umbrella of the SBTS. Is it, however, simply a “strategic partnership,” or
has something deeper transpired here?
Daniel Patz, president of Northland since 2013, attended the meeting and told trustees “This is a gift from Northland to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. But really, I feel almost, even more so, it is gift to us in order for this legacy and this mission to continue....”
The NIU website carries
the same announcement and quote from Daniel Patz. The Southern News headline, “Southern
Seminary Trustees Accept Gift of Wisconsin University Campus.”
From those joint statements one might reasonably conclude that NIU has been sold to or otherwise turned over to the Southern Baptist Convention.
NIU has become the property of the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary!
In the same Southern News release the irony of this
note should not be lost, “Trustees also
celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Billy Graham School of
Missions, Evangelism and Ministry.” Billy Graham, the high priest of New
Evangelicalism, honored by SBTS. Today, the
former Northland Baptist Bible College (NBBC) is now in formal partnership with
Graham’s legacy of betraying the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.For the many fine former NBBC faculty, staff and graduates this is indeed a tragic and closing chapter for their alma mater. Northland once was unique and unwavering in its fidelity to the whole counsel of God. Under Matt Olson’s tenure as president the school was steadily lead into compromise and ultimately ruined for the cause of Christ.
The slide that Matt Olson initiated finally landed Northland in the mire. One need look no further than Daniel Patz warmly shaking hands with Al Mohler to understand that NIU has aligned itself with a modern day leader of New Evangelical like compromise.
So ends the once fine
ministry of Northland Baptist Bible College. We have been witness to a modern day tragedy
for the New Testament church.
LM
Links to the Announcements:
Northland Joins SouthernSeminary
Southern Seminary Trustees Accept Gift of Wisconsin University Campus
Related
Reading from NIU:
A Woman Preaches in Northland’s Chapel
A tragic end to a once fine institution. My heart goes out to those alumni who are standing firm who see this happening to their alma mater.
ReplyDeleteThe NBBC alumni and faculty/staff who were either run off by Matt Olson or resigned because their consciences had been violated by what Northland was being turned into by Matt Olson were the first on my mind when I saw this announcement earlier today.
DeleteSeems like this is so contrary to what I believed (mistakenly?) were the intentions of the founder and his family. Seems like this philosophical and now real life direction came unusually quickly and (in my opinion) surreptitiously. Even some of the seasoned staff members were unaware of the subsurface "changes that are now unchangeable" which I, at the time, referred to as "changing the rules in the middle of the game."
DeleteMany parents, students, alumni, pastors, and especially outside onlookers will unfortunately never have any idea how the core of NIU transformed imperceptibly (at first), because most staff members simply trusted their leadership (as we normally should) and endeavored to keep positive attitudes.
4-5 years ago, several voices were heard, from the music dept. among other areas, asking questions and giving cautions about how some of the leadership's thinking seemed to conflict with the stated purposes of the school. Some could see the attitudes and detect some of the intentions of leadership, but were not able to express their concerns adequately. Some of those voices were misunderstood (and still are). I rest in the fact that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will ultimately correct all wrongs (including my own) for His own glory.
A school's board and admin. have the right to steer their organization where they choose, but they must be open and timely about what they are doing. I don't agree with the direction, some of the methods, or some of the theology of the school (or the SBC), and do not recommend it to prospective students. However, I am glad they seem to be honest about their intentions. I also believe there is a remnant of some diligent, humble servants there that love the Lord. May they do right in HIs eyes.
For those who are privileged to know something of the golden years of Northland Baptist Bible College, even if they were a staff member or a student for a few years, the current NIU is not what is was when under the direct leadership of Les Ollila. The first several years of the M. Olson regime still had much of the L. Ollila touch and heart. But hold fast to your memories, alumni; treasure those times before the "Northland Heart" was transfigured.
This day is a "doloroso day" to me, which finally seals off the school from the direction I am going musically, educationally, and in several major ways, theologically. Thank you Lord for your word, your Son, and the hope of HIs return when all of our confusion, hurt, and wrongs will eventually be set right. Thank you for the Bema seat, and for your promises of peace. May we meanwhile be about Your business of winning and discipling lost people, and encouraging the local church before it is too late. Surely He is coming soon.
Today, at the pseudo-fundamentalist Sharper Iron they ran the NIU/SBTS story. In the thread “Jay” posted one of the most colossal crown jewels of either genuine ignorance of the facts and/or willful blind bias that I've ever read from him. A “MMartin” answered him well on the financial ruin of NIU under Matt Olson. It is a known fact that Matt Olson did blow through the entire Patz foundation of over $10 million. I, furthermore, documented at my blog (Jan. 2013), from public records of how in one year NIU lost $2.7million. See, What’s The Cost of Change? $2.7 Million Dollars!
ReplyDeleteBob Jones will be the next institution to fall away from what the founder intended. It started with Stephen Jones and now is in the hands of former Northland staff Steve Pettit and Sam Horn. The BJU board of directors seem to have little discernment when it comes to leadership. I'm praying that BJU doesn't fall to New Evangelical hypocrisies. New Calvinist students are starting to populate fundamental colleges with the goal of reforming these campuses to their false theology.
ReplyDeleteFwiw, for nearly two years I have been hearing a good deal of the very kind of genuine concern you have expressed in regard to BJU. I have forwarded these concerns to some men I have confidence in who are well connected to and/or have some influence with BJU. I am hopeful that BJU will not go the way of Pillsbury, Northland, Central Seminary and Calvary (Lansdale).
DeleteOne additional thought occurred to me. While we do not want to read too much into the BJU hiring of Steve Pettit and Sam Horn, and that we should give benefit of the doubt, I did just recall a BJU action involving Matt Olson and by extension NIU. This is from May 2011.
DeleteMatt Olson UnInvited from BJU Baccalaureate
This is the #5 most read article at my blog to date, with nearly 6,000 reads.
LM
To All:
ReplyDeleteThought I’d offer some for the record items.
1) Beginning in October 2010 through this week I published (50+/-) articles, including some that were submitted by contributors, on or about the former Northland Baptist Bible College.
In virtually every one of the 50+/- articles I reported, with verifying written and/or pictorial documentation of the NIU “is unchanged” changes. These things I reported and exposed were either widely known at the time, not widely known or being kept from the general Christian community view by the NIU leadership.
My sources have always been and remain from within and/or very close to the NIU campus. Other sources, which were plain to see, were social sites such as FaceBook.
2) In 2010 I did contact Matt Olson directly and privately prior to the very first major article I prepared about NIU. I gave Matt an advance copy of the article. I asked that he review the article and let me know his reaction. Matt replied that he felt there were some inaccuracies. I replied asking Matt to show me what the inaccuracies are, and provide documentation to either refute the inaccuracies and/or clear up any confusion. I promised Matt that I would edit or eliminate any areas he could demonstrate were inaccurate. Matt never replied so I, therefore, published that article. I never heard directly from Matt again.
3) Some folks with a “kill the messenger” mentality have, among other charges, suggested I have never been to Northland. That is inaccurate. I was on Northland’s campus twice in official capacity just prior to Matt Olson’s presidency, and once I was on campus in (I believe) January 2011. On that third visit I recall looking around the campus and praying for its recovery from the trajectory it had been set upon by Matt Olson.
Brothers & Sisters in Christ: It was Matt Olson at the helm charting NIU’s fall into the New Evangelical orb. The once fine Northland Baptist Bible College’s (NBBC) decent was rapid, and is a genuine tragedy for the NT church. Those who are discerning recognize what was done to and has become of NBBC. They are filled with sorrow over it.
LM
For any who would like to peruse the articles at IDTOG on or about NIU you can see the many examples of documenting what was/is going on at NIU. You will see evidentiary photographs, videos, transcriptions from and links to official NIU publications and public statements from Matt Olson.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to read every article, or any of them for that matter. They begin with the most recent to the earliest. Simply scroll through the articles and you'll see the examples I refer to above.
Go to 50 Articles on NIU
LM
The efforts of some at SI to deflect blame off of Matt Olson is just ridiculous. Sure there is the board of trustees, but what exactly was the information given to them by Matt Olson? Some have noted that Matt was deceptive concerning the changing/unchanging going on at NIU, so how much of that deception was directed at the board? No one has answered that question, just how much did the board know of Olson's plowing through the Patz family millions or of those changes taking place? We cannot say that the board of trustees is just as culpable as Matt Olson for the demise of NIU because we don't know what they knew and when they knew it. Are they culpable? Maybe, but we can't be sure until more cloudiness is removed.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, NIU is about to cease to exist which is truly a good thing, for those who knew NBBC in its good days can still cling to those precious memories and know that they shall not be tainted with the compromise that brought down NIU.
Hi Brian:
Delete"The efforts of some at SI to deflect blame off of Matt Olson is just ridiculous." Predictable, nothing new there- tolerate, ignore, censor, excuse, run interference for.... Same mo SI has always been known for. That said, I sure do like how MMartin is addrssing Jay and Joel. Facts are a inconvenient for Jay and Joel. MMartin has brought incontrovertible facts to the table.
You wrote, "...for those who knew NBBC in its good days," NBBC has ceased to exist, imho.
Lou
I just watch a video on Vemeo of Patz and Mohler saying more about the merger. The title is Southern at Northland. If I could add a subtitle it would be - The Biggest Betrayal in my Lifetime. How Patz can see this as a continuation of Northland's past is beyond me. A sad legacy for MO.
ReplyDeleteDan:
DeleteMany would agree with you. It's called "political spin."
Lou
In various forms I have seen the following type of comment from those who are trying to put a positive spin, on the modern day tragedy, which is ruin of the former Northland Baptist Bible College. “Their goal is to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
ReplyDeleteLet me remind readers that the interpretation of the gospel that has been prompted by the likes of Al Mohler, the T4G (DeYoung, Piper, Duncan, Platt, Chandler, et. al.) is the false gospel commonly known as “Lordship Salvation.”
As Dan said above that Northern being gifted to the SBC is the biggest betrayal in his lifetime, so to Lordship Salvation is the biggest betrayal of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in contemporary times, from within the New Testament church.
It is the works, based, man-centered, non-saving message of Lordship Salvation that the former Northland and it’s new owner Al Mohler (by name) that is being propagated. Make no mistake about it: LS corrupts the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3) and frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21).
LM