April 4, 2024

Bob Jones University: A Return to the Founding Principles & Purpose?

In recent days the Bob Jones University (BJU) Board of Trustees met. Among other topics it is believed narrowing the choice for the next president was on the agenda. Reaction to the person who will be named and speculation of what direction his coming might indicate for the university is sure to follow quickly.

The future direction, even viability of BJU remains uncertain. Possibilities include,
  • Status quo- continuation of Steve Pettit's transition toward non-separatist evangelicalism and proliferation of Reformed theology
  • Return to a reasonable semblance of what the best of BJU was prior to Pettit’s arrival
  • Restructure and consolidate across campus
  • Guide the school into a graceful closure
What of the Disenfranchised Base?
Most have moved on, formed or firmed up alliances with other educational institutions to support and send their young people to for Christian education. In March 2017 an opportunity to retain the "conservative" base was lost. See, Steve Pettit's Break With the Conservative Base  Whether or not they can be recovered is uncertain. 

Following that 2017 meeting conditions that raised alarms worsened. For example, but not limited to:
Staff Shake Up
 It's widely known that BJU is not renewing the contract of Dean of Fine Arts, Darren Lawson. Lawson and his department are responsible for several presentations that had more in common with Broadway, Hollywood and Disney entertainment standards than conservative Christian principles. Additional persons who are aligned with Lawson's production values may be leaving campus. Budget considerations might lead to a structured downsizing including additional staff layoffs across campus.

Approved Places of Worship
There's been some discussion suggesting Presbyterian (PCA) churches may become off-limits. If the Board moves to add or return churches to a "prohibited" list it will be on a church by church basis. BJU has the right to set and enforce university policy and insist its employees agree to and abide by policies as a condition of employment. The same can be said of the student body. Believers have the right and soul liberty to attend whatever place of worship they choose. Should an employee or student decide to attend a church that does not align with BJU''s guidelines, that individual should leave the university voluntarily or expect to be removed.

A Better Direction
A little over 20 years ago Pillsbury could not recover from an agenda similar to what has taken place at BJU. Northland, Clearwater, TTU and Calvary Seminary (Lansdale) all suffered the same fate. Even though insolvency is a possibility BJU possesses a level of resiliency that the closed schools did not. 

In August 2023 we said the search for a new president presents A Choice Between "Respect for" and Returning to the "vision of Its Founder" or the Status Quo. 

Is a new, better future ahead for BJU? Instillation of a new president will be the crossroads. We tend to believe the Board has recognized the necessity of steering the school in a better direction.

If the ministry of BJU is to be saved it will ultimately be through the Lord's intervention. Pray for God to grant the wisdom needed among the decision makers. Pray for the Board to find a pathway to restoration of the very best founding principles and purposes of Bob Jones University. 


LM

Related Reading

“After being the premier fundamentalist academic institution for eighty-seven years, BJU elected Dr. Steve Pettit in 2014, as the president who steered the University out of separatist Fundamentalism into the inclusive, Broad Evangelical movement,” David Beale, Christian Fundamentalism in America (Maitland, FL: Xulon, 2021), 179, 530.







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