For Those Who Defend The Actions Of Southern

Do you shop at Wal-Mart?

Check that, do you buy your clothes from any store?

Then you are doing business with those that celebrate/promote the homosexual lifestyle.

Don't jump up on your high-horse, Marty...it ain't that high!

 

BTW, have you looked at what other organizations/seminaries/colleges use Sodexho or similar companies?

 

Martin

WHEW! This is a painful happening ... I won't quote scripture. . . . But, I hope it will be agreed with ...

 

Hey, I shop at Wal-Mart, and am even a share holder. Do not drag them into this mess.

 

Personally, i wish this whole discussion would end, seeing how people are getting attacked personally for their point of view.

Southern made their decision, just like every other decision made over recent years that were for the "betterment of theological education", we can pray for God's will to be done...and that's it.

I'm still thankful for my education there, even though i don't like a lot of decisions that have been made by the administration, and i plan to make this my last post on this topic.

 

We all know something is going to be said about this in Nashville in June. Is anyone planning to go?

 

Gentlemen:

This is - or should be - a non-issue. Why you ask... please stay with me.

1) If outsourcing of functions is a bad thing -- then all the SBC seminaries have to kick LifeWay off of their campuses -- since their bookstores are outsourced to LifeWay. In fact, in recent magazine of higher education over 65% of all higher education institutions oursource 2 or more of their funtions (maintenance, housekeeping, bookstore, cafeteria, security, etc..)

2) If an SBC institution cannot do business with a firm that has a diversity policy -- then what you are saying is that the SBC institution cannot do business with a national company at all because many states makes "diversity" something that the company is legally obligated to. Following this logic, it would be tough to even by toilet paper or cleaning supplies (remember Proctor and Gamble?)

3) To criticize the company of choice is hypocritical. The Walmart statement was a good point -- because Walmart has the same policy. But did you know that Sodexho owns Marriott? Have you ever stayed in a Courtyard or Farfield Inn..etc.... see what I mean - the "non-Christian" argument is ridiculous.

4) Another reason that it is ridiculous is that all the 'hourly' workers at seminaries are not Christian. By law, they cannot be asked that question -- the seminaries have some positions (usually director level and up) in which the government allows discrimination on the grounds that the seminary is a 'church' in the government's eyes.

5) If this had not been Southern, the issue would have passed by unoticed. Why? Because Sodexho already does maintenance for Samford and does dining services for Liberty University. In Kentucky, Aramark (Sodexho's leading national competitor) does the maintenance at Cumberland college -- yet another Baptist state college.

6) The false information going around is unbelievable. All the students working part-time were offered opportunities to contnue working. The motive for the the change was not financially motivated -- it was to get expertise. If you needed heart surgery -- I bet you'd go the best hospital, and not worry about the hospital's diversity poicy.

There is plenty more that could be said to those who evidently have never lived in the 'real world'....... but the bottom line is that this is a non-issue and will not be given a second thought by anyone in the SBC who knows anything about anything...

 

All good arguments in favor of dropping the discussion.

What just doesn't sit well with me personally is that this is exactly the type of corporate partnership that, were it this a "moderate" school, would have more than likley found itself the subject of a lengthy article on Dr. Mohler's blog. Regardless of the types of reasonable arguments that many of you make.

 

RandR...

We agree about dropping the discussion ....

We disagree that Mohler would have made this an issue -- precisely because if he had wanted to do that -- there have been too many oppotunities for him to have done so (two of opportunites mentioned - Samford and Cumberland -- the Proctor and Gamble debate,etc...) -----> PLUS

(and here's a biggie) -- did anyone mention that BAYLOR outsources all of its facilities management to Aramark, which is a national firm with a similar diversity policy...

Plain and simple -- many, many schools do this sort of thing in order to use their resources more wisely....

 

Everyone ....

We do need to take note that Marty has gotten quiet on this issue......since I mentioned Liberty......

Marty forgot to mention in his ranting of a post that that Sodexho does the dining services at Liberty....(the school where Marty happens to be a student)

 

Sorry. Forgive me.

 

Not only that, but in the letter sent out by Dr. Mohler, he mentions that other similar institutions have used the services of Sodexho and are pleased with them.

 

Well, I think the Shogun has put an end to this debate.

 

Grayhound,

Just for the sake of beating a dead horse. The Shogun's "everybody else does it" argument is really not all that strong. And incidentally, not likely an argument that Al Mohler would ever use himself. (And I'll be curious to know what he'll think of such an argument when he has teenagers.)

Now...My personal opinion is that I don't personally care WHO SBTS--or Liberty, or Cumberland, or Baylor--uses to do its maintenance. Or that they outsource it.

I still have a great deal of respect for Al Mohler. I think he is one of the smarter (and most articulate by a mile) or our agency heads. The Shogun is right that Al hasn't opined about other colleges. I stand partially corrected. But I will submit to you that until this week, he had no idea what school used which company and what any of their policies are. I'd also bet good money that I don't posses that he didn't have a clue about Sodexho's gay-inclusive policies until the stupid BCE story.

But I will continue to insist that there is a note of irony in the situation, and in the lack of any "official" response to the outing (pun intended) of their new maintenance company.

 

Why is an official statement necessary?

They are using a company to provide a service. Are we only to use Christian companies for services??
Do we need to hire Christian electricians when we CONTRACT with them to fix the power?
Do we need to find a Christian water company when we CONTRACT with them to provide water to the campus?

There is no need to provide a response because it is only blown out of proportion by people on here who have nothing better to do than complain about what other people are doing.

Marty, I agree that homosexuality is condemned by Scripture. I bet everyone at SBTS does as well. But, it also does not say that we are to not do any business with non-Christians and that we cannot outsource to non-Christian companies.
I think your heart is in the right place, but your mind does not see all the inconsistencies of what you are saying.