What "Philosophy of Ministry" Can Get a Man Invited to be a BJU Conference Speaker?
"Dr. Alan Benson1 emphasizes in a BJUtoday article that 'Our speakers were chosen from sister institutions who share our biblical philosophy of ministry and passion for the gospel'." That provides a glimpse into the "share[d]...philosophy of ministry" Benson and the Executive Cabinet desire in potential conference speakers and faculty.
In 2022 BJU rehired Richard Stratton. For the recent CoRE Conference Tim Jordan was invited to speak. And, of course, BJU has invited Dave Doran to the current Bible Conference platform. What do these men share in a select application of "philosophy of ministry?" Stratton, Jordan and Doran each directly and/or by extension contributed to the demise of one time Fundamental separatist (Baptistic) colleges.
Stratton was president of Clearwater Christian College (2002-2011) he instituted changes that destroyed the school's legacy and reputation among the base. Clearwater could not recover from Stratton's presidency and consequently closed June 2015.
The Closure of Clearwater Christian College
This Pastor's Perspective of Clearwaters Closure 2
Tim Jordan at Calvary Baptist Seminary (alongside Sam Harbin) destroyed the seminary through a doctrinal shift and entangling the school with new evangelicals.
Closure of Calvary Baptist Seminary: Predictable and Repeatable
Jordan is Accountable for Calvary's Failure and Won't Own Up to It
Doran supported Matt Olson's radical shift at Northland International University. Earlier, alongside Kevin Bauder, they supported Tim Jordan's embrace of non-separatist evangelicals and rank new evangelicals.
Northland Closes: The Pattern of Demise Continues
It appears repudiation of Fundamentalism and/or contributing to the demise of any one time fundamental, separatist college is an important consideration for BJU when evaluating potential speakers to appear on campus. We can look back over several years to recognize this pattern. For example BJU hosted Andy Naselli to present lectures at the 2019 Stewart Custer Lecture Series.3
This Bible Conference provides new compelling evidence that the current BJU Board and Executive Cabinet are determined to continue and accelerate Steve Pettit’s erasure of BJU's fundamentalist, separatist moorings.
"Sister Institutions?"
An Advocacy for the Advancement of Reformed Theology
BJU Foundations Conference: An Intrusion of Calvinism, Reformed/Covenant Theology, New Calvinism & Lordship Salvation
Candidates for BJU Presidency
Prospective candidates should be mindful that should they be called to interview for the position they will be stepping toward and into the university's transformational agenda into non-separatist evangelicalism.
LM
Footnotes:
1) Alan Benson’s Hidden History
2) "Although all of the above no doubt contribute to the demise of [Clearwater] CCC; I suggest from my vantage point that the leadership of the college over the past 10 years steered the college away from its founder’s purpose, philosophy and vision. Rather than an institution dedicated to educating, challenging and equipping young people to be “soldiers of Christ”, CCC evolved to a pragmatic philosophy of accommodation lowering her standards, adopting CCM music in her chapels and athletic events and most recently featuring an activity night of rap and rock music." The Pastor's Perspective
3) Excerpt from Dr. David Beale's- FACTS, An Enlarged Discussion
“Dr. Andy Naselli, in his 2006 BJU dissertation, scorns independent, Fundamental Baptists for giving invitations to 'surrender oneself to God.' Naselli criticizes the practice and calls it a 'second blessing.' Naselli unsuccessfully tried to identify the Fundamentalist... He now serves on the faculty of John Piper’s College and Seminary, which are Reformed Charismatic schools urging every Christian to seek all NT gifts, including tongues and healing.... Naselli is a pastor of Piper’s Bethlehem Baptist Church.”
“Naselli seeks to transform Fundamentalists into Evangelicalism. In 2019, Dr. Pettit brought Naselli back to BJU to present the lectures for the annual Steward Custer Lecture Series. Naselli’s books were promoted. The late Dr. Custer all his life had been a stalwart Fundamentalist. Naselli represents Broad Evangelicalism. The bond between BJU and Evangelicalism has been clear since the beginning of Pettit’s administration.”
I've been following along for some time. There has been a definite change in the last 20 years. and in the last 10 years it seems photos of campus look increasingly empty, especially during chapel. I would be very curious about the conversations in the board room and the president's office. The student body is shrinking. Revenue is shrinking. Only so much can be cut. At the same time they undoubtedly heard from vocal students and alumni who had negative experiences. I imagine they wanted to correct deficiencies, and also wanted to improve their image. In doing so, they seem to have left the very things that made them distinct. That's not new, we've been saying it for years. I truly do assign much of the blame on Dr. Bob III. He chose the wrong fights to fight, and seemed to always lose them. He sat, and still sits, at the head of the board. He presided over the turmoil and doctrinal drift. At any moment he could have stepped forward publicly, in chapel, and said "no more." He didn't. He could have, and still could, step up and say "we are going this way, follow me or don't, your choice." The last 20 years is a story of missed chances to arrest the fall. His window is nearly closed, and I see no reason to think he will grow a set of nerves at this late hour. Could another good man step up on the board and take a stand? Perhaps, but unlikely. The soft times have made soft men, and the soft men are making hard times. The school is becoming another neutered, indistinct, vaguely Christian school like North Greenville University.
ReplyDeleteThe push toward Evangelicalism does not seem to be countered with an effort to return to the university's separatist, Fundamentalist position. It is most interesting that those who disparage that position and have pushed for this change think that by doing so that crowds will flock to the university in hoards. Which has not happened, the university remains a shrunken image of its former self. Reality shows that when the university was unashamedly a separatist, Fundamentalist institution, it was at its largest in numbers (the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, early 1990's). Those days are long gone and will not return, sadly. So many of us who were taught in the school's heyday are grieved with the departure of our alma mater from where we still stand today, as separatist, Fundamentalists.
ReplyDeleteBrian:
DeleteThanks for sharing those thoughts. Just an expression, maybe impression I heard some time ago, BJU was once thought to be the big fish in the (little) Fundamentalist pond. By erasing the fundamentalist legacy for non-separartist evangelicalism and disenfranchising the faithful conservative base, the Pettit, Executive Cabinet and Deans turned BJU into the little fish in the large evangelical pond.
LM