Archival Series: May the "Northland Heart" Perpetuate

 After a while, one runs out of adjectives to describe the tragedy of Northland. This recent news of SBTS's decision NOT to bring the school under its wings after all is yet another embarrassing blow to the ministry.* I was not expecting the Southern Baptist support to be an improvement anyway, but their rejection of accepting the school as a gift seems to affirm the hopelessness of bringing the college into financial and ministry solvency. 

One grief is added to another for those of us who felt a deep loyalty to what the school stood for in its best years. Was the school ever perfect? None of us believed that. But the overall direction, humility, and sincere attempt to be Biblical were consistent qualities over most of its existence.

The rapid ruin of the school brings to mind images of the Hindenburg. The fact that the disaster might have been prevented or at least delayed had there been honesty and a willingness at the top level 4-5 years ago (cf. Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:8) to hear counsel from scores of pastors, alumni, and staff brings to mind images of the Titanic.

I hope no one will respond by saying “well, fundamentalist/conservative Baptist ministries are failing everywhere because they have become irrelevant, old-fashioned, or legalistic.” Northland and most of its supporting churches had much life and refreshing ministry as evidence of its heart and faithfulness to the Scriptures. I saw this first hand for over 12 years and continue to see this in Northland alumni in our own local church and school ministry.

These images may seem overinflated to those watching Northland Baptist Bible College’s demise from the outside. However, Northland had a lot of wonderful ministry for most of its years as an independent Baptist college. Thousands of people who have been trained, inspired, and encouraged by the school’s ministry are now seemingly watching the last faint pulses of the “Northland Heart.”

Hopefully, alumni and former faculty and staff who have transplanted the “Northland Heart” into themselves, and into their ministries and will perpetuate that kind of Biblical attitude till the Lord returns.

“Lord, in your mercy please bless and protect other schools and their leadership, which are doing your work with integrity and a right heart!” 

No doubt there will be last-gasp attempts to salvage the ministry, but unless the LORD by some miracle sends wholesale revival, R.I.P. Northland Baptist Bible College.

Dr. Dana F. Everson

Epilogue (October 2023): There was no saving Northland from the ruinous decisions made for the school by Matt Olson and his administration. They attempted to transform the once fine fundamental Baptist college into a non-separatist, compromising evangelical institution. The base gradually abandoned the school as Olson made it clear he would not reverse course.

Originally appeared: April 27, 2015 with commentary.

*NIU a Gift? Thanks, but No Thanks!

Here's a Video of Northland's Campus taken in 2021. This will be a bittersweet moment for those who remember Northland at its best. The campus grounds remain beautiful, but the classrooms and dorms are empty shells.

Previous articles by Dr. Everson, on the tragedy that has become NIU:

Questions Answered on the Changes at NIU: An Insider's Report, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

For Dr. Everson’s philosophy of music please see Sound Roots, his dissertation in book form.

Related Reading

Is NIU "Unchanged...?"

NIU: Plunging Headlong Into a Liberal Entertainment Approach to Ministry

The Real "Unchanged" NIU Comes Forward

NIU Students Perform "Jesus Loves Me" and It's Blasphemy

Archival Series: May the “Northland Heart” Perpetuate

Introduction (March 2020): Bob Jones University (BJU) has been set on much the same course that ultimately ruined the former Northland Baptist Bible College. BJU alumni look on with sadness as Steve Pettit and Sam Horn have converted the university into something almost unrecognizable. It is difficult to gather how the current BJU administration believes they can succeed with essentially the same changes that brought down Northland. Near the time Northland closed its doors former faculty member Dr. Dana Everson wrote what amounted to Northland’s obituary. We believe his thoughts are applicable to what is fast becoming the “tragedy” of BJU.

After a while, one runs out of adjectives to describe the tragedy of Northland. This recent news of SBTS’s decision NOT to bring the school under its wings after all is yet another embarrassing blow to the ministry.* I was not expecting the Southern Baptist support to be an improvement anyway, but their rejection of accepting the school as a gift seems to affirm the hopelessness of bringing the college into financial and ministry solvency.

One grief is added to another for those of us who felt a deep loyalty to what the school stood for in its best years. Was the school ever perfect? None of us believed that. But the overall direction, humility, and sincere attempt to be Biblical were consistent qualities over most of its existence.

The rapid ruin of the school brings to mind images of the Hindenburg. The fact that the disaster might have been prevented or at least delayed had there been honesty and a willingness at the top level 4-5 years ago (cf. Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:8) to hear counsel from scores of pastors, alumni, and staff brings to mind images of the Titanic.

I hope no one will respond by saying “well, fundamentalist/conservative Baptist ministries are failing everywhere because they have become irrelevant, old-fashioned, or legalistic.” Northland and most of its supporting churches had much life and refreshing ministry as evidence of its heart and faithfulness to the Scriptures. I saw this first hand for over 12 years and continue to see this in Northland alumni in our own local church and school ministry.

These images may seem overinflated to those watching Northland Baptist Bible College’s demise from the outside. However, Northland had a lot of wonderful ministry for most of its years as an independent Baptist college. Thousands of people who have been trained, inspired, and encouraged by the school’s ministry are now seemingly watching the last faint pulses of the “Northland Heart.”

Hopefully, alumni and former faculty and staff who have transplanted the “Northland Heart” into themselves, and into their ministries and will perpetuate that kind of Biblical attitude till the Lord returns.

“Lord, in your mercy please bless and protect other schools and their leadership, which are doing your work with integrity and a right heart!” 

No doubt there will be last-gasp attempts to salvage the ministry, but unless the LORD by some miracle sends wholesale revival, R.I.P. Northland Baptist Bible College.

Dr. Dana F. Everson
Originally publish April, 2015.

*NIU a Gift? Thanks, but No Thanks!

Previous articles by Dr. Everson, on the tragedy that has become NIU:

Questions Answered on the Changes at NIU: An Insider's Report, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4


For Dr. Everson’s philosophy of music please see Sound Roots, his dissertation in book form.

Current Reading on the Changing of BJU

BJU Lurches Further Into Evangelicalism
“This is Not Your Father’s BJU,”and Neither is BJU

Far Better Than the Words “Cultural Whatever-ism”

In a previous article by Dr. Chuck Phelps1 we heard from Dr. Dana Everson a former NIU faculty member whose final semester was Spring 2011. An anonymous guest posted the following in the thread.

With all of the discussion of late, what I am left wondering is: 

Those who are using the term “cultural fundamentalism” to rename “historic fundamentalism,” what do they do with all of the verses on worldliness, being separate, etc.? Do they have any boundaries at all? What are they? If they do have boundaries of some sort, then why deride others who with their soul liberty and conscience choose tighter boundaries? 

 And then, they also seem to think we are focused on minor issues and negating the gospel, why is it hard to understand that we believe that all aspects of a Christian’s life should REFLECT the gospel and the Lord? We do have a larger purpose in mind.

Dr. Everson answered those questions as follows.

Anonymous...some very good questions! 



Eventually, they will settle into their “new normal standards” and do just what they accuse more conservative folks of doing: They will build their OWN “cultural fundamentalism” (their own levels of separation, really). They do this because they usually see culture as generally neutral. 


Many seem to think the gospel should be attractive, luxurious, or perhaps entertaining to the world. But even more so, they believe that the Christian’s lifestyle should be neutral in these “minor issues.” Yet, they will spin around and say a Christian’s life should be a “whole-life-worship” model. Well, doesn’t whole life imply- whole life? 


Some even call these areas of Godly living “minutiae.” Since when is worship of God minutiae? Since when does God overlook HOW He is approached in worship? Wasn’t it Jehovah Who laid out the minute plans for the temple and temple worship? Does the worship of God “in spirit and in truth” allow for any-old-style of worship? Does the worship of God “in spirit and in truth” mean ONLY heart attitude? 


In one particular ministry setting, our faculty and staff were urged and taught to think in and teach “critical thinking.” Yet, when I attempted to apply critical thinking to the area of worship/music style [at Northland], I was told that I needed to “raise the bar of the discussion” instead of arguing about minutiae. If worship styles are all neutral to the Lord, then we have large chunks of the Old Testament that will need to be edited.

Of COURSE it matters what attitude and turn of heart one has. Genuine fundamentalism has always stood for that. (And yes, I know there are examples of imbalanced ministries.) But our God is also a consuming fire because of His holiness. Where is the discernment and today of erring on the side of wisdom instead of constantly pushing the envelopes of separation or “cultural fundamentalism?” They seem to believe that since there is always someone or some ministry more liberal than they, that their new tolerance levels are quite safe (and they ARE safe by comparison to those other extremes, but not necessarily safe compared to God’s principles).

And, Anonymous, one more thing they tend to do: They redefine worldliness. Whether they do it intentionally or not, they tend to redefine many terms and unwary, good-willed Christians gradually get caught in this kind of word-transformation, thinking that because so-and-so has a doctorate, surely he knows the latest previously undiscovered Bible truths.

A genuine fundamentalist, what I call a “heart-fundamentalist,”

(1) STANDS STILL and STRONG with compassion for souls on both the stated truths of Scripture and the principles of Scripture,
(2) STEPS BACK by constantly returning to and reviewing basic truths, and
(3) STEPS FORWARD by carefully sifting through “new teachings and new techniques” (often involving minutiae) and earnestly compares them with Scripture lest he too quickly embrace a faulty doctrine OR practice. 


Be a Christian gentleman/or Christian lady, but may I say kindly, listen to what people say, but know that in the long run, people (including me) will DO what they truly believe. Eventually, the words will catch up with what their hearts believe as well. God sees and evaluates our thoughts, intents, attitudes, words, and works. It seems to me that “separation” or “Godliness” expresses these truths far better than the words “cultural whatever-ism.”

I trust you have appreciated Dr. Everson’s response as much as many who have said so already.

LM

1) It’s Not About “Cultural Fundamentalism” It’s About Personal Separation

Related Reading from Dr. Everson:

Q&A with Dana Everson on the Changes at NIU