Roman Catholicism Isn’t the Only Thing Come to Bob Jones University

Earlier we considered the appearance of Roman Catholic prolife advocate Abby Johnson speaking at Bob Jones University. We referenced and linked to the article addressing the event from the Musings of a Fundamentalist blog.1 Today we are going to expand on that discussion.

The Piedmont Women’s Center (PWC) and Abby Johnson event was hosted by Bob Jones University (BJU). The event was promoted through the university’s website. Some may have interpreted the event as having been sponsored by BJU.  That, however, is not the primary concern.

The university did not need to host the event, and should not have exactly because Abby Johnson was a keynote speaker. Abby uses the prolife platform to propagate Roman Catholicism. Knowing Abby Johnson’s journey into the RCC and the university’s separatist legacy wouldn’t better judgment have dictated that the university not be opened to PWC? Was there no other venue in Greenville capable of hosting PWC?

Roman Catholic Abby Johnson

A prolife event might be consider just another political event. There have been times a politician was welcomed to the university who, perhaps loosely Christian, spoke mainly about political issues. Most never had a problem with BJU inviting a variety of politicians or other speakers for political purposes. Abby Johnson, however, changed the dynamic because she presented a Bible message. (See the photo at left) Because Abby brought a Bible message the prolife event crossed the line into ministry cooperation.

Herb McCarthy

Not even a month prior to Abby Johnson BJU held its annual Bible conference. At the time we asked: What was the rationale for directing the Bible Conference offering to Save the Storks? Save the Storks is an ecumenical organization headed by Herb McCarthy, a new evangelical former VP of crusades for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Was there no worthy alternative, no missionary enterprise reaching the lost to receive the offering?

“We see the BJU Bible Conference offering to Save the Storks as a mark of social activism and financially supporting ecumenical compromisers. We can’t imagine such a thing happening, prior to the coming of Steve Pettit and Sam Horn, when Dr. Bob Sr., Jr. or III occupied the president’s office.”2

Over a mere two weeks BJU gave its Bible Conference offering to an ecumenical organization headed by a new evangelical, and rented the university for a Roman Catholic to take the platform. Looking at Save the Storks and Abby Johnson, as well as similar BJU sponsored events or affiliations (Tim Tebow, Ken Ham, Billy Kim, Cantus, BJGrass, the SBC the Presbyterian Church of America and Andy Naselli…3) a conclusion can be fairly drawn. Evidence from on campus shows that

The University is Turning Ecumenical.

Apparently Pettit and Horn believed they can bring similar kinds of change to BJU that ruined Northland, Clearwater, Pillsbury, Tennessee Temple, Calvary Seminary (Lansdale) and not ruin the university. Pettit and Horn began remaking BJU with a larger student base and cash on hand than the others. By continuing on this trajectory toward non-separatist evangelicalism they will eventually, like the other schools, burn through both.

The university is being transformed into something the founder never intended it to be. A BJU alum and pastor who has seen his alma mater being transformed wrote the following, “Unless the trustees insist Steve return back to a Biblical position on separation, or force him out, then the school is gone, a lost cause.” That sentiment is widely shared.


LM
Original article:
Roman Catholicism Comes to BJU

Footnotes:

1) Musings of a Fundamentalist: BJU Then & Now…Abby Johnson

2) Save the Storks: Is BJU Moving Closer to “Pseudo-Fundamentalism?”

3) This is Not Your Father’s Bob Jones University