Cedarville Righting Its Ship

[Jerome]

University president Dr. Thomas White reengages with Fundamentalist Baptists, upsets faculty with standards campaign:

John Greening, national representative of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches:

"you will notice two new advertisers in this issue of the Baptist Bulletin: Cedarville University and Bob Jones University....both Cedarville University and Bob Jones University unhesitatingly agree with the GARBC’s doctrinal and mission statements....as historic theological fundamentalists and hermeneutical premillennialists, we stand together for the proclamation of the Word of God and faith in Jesus Christ."

"I have a sincere respect for Dr. Thomas White, president of Cedarville University. Over a period of three years, he has been kind to visit extensively with me, the Council of Eighteen policy committee, and the full Council. He has humbly stated, 'You can ask me anything you want.' His answers have always been straightforward. The stand he has taken and the decisions he has made in his leadership role deserve commendation and support. He has positioned the school again on its heritage and values. We are pleased to renew a friendship with this institution."

Christianity Today - Faculty push back against stricter standards keeping curse words, R-rated movies, and sexual content out of their curricula

"Cedarville President Thomas White launched a campaign last year....The new policy’s instructions for faculty assigning reading material: 'Passages that are clearly pornographic, erotic, obscene, or graphic must be avoided. While it may be important to expose students to various genres of writing, examples need to be selected to avoid inappropriate material.' For films: 'As a general rule, 'R' rated movies will not be shown. PG-13, PG, and unrated movies should be evaluated based on language, sexual content, graphic violence, and nudity.'"

The move has "prompted several professors in multiple departments to begin looking for jobs elsewhere. Some have started going to counseling to address anxiety over their future."

"At Cedarville, professors were frustrated that the university did not seek their approval before enacting the policy change. 'The lack of insight and the message of distrust to the faculty is insulting and demoralizing,' one said."

""Faculty in various department meetings were absolutely furious—even faculty who tend to be in favor of the administration’s policies,' said one of the dozens of concerned professors who showed up at the town hall meetings held by administrators in March."

 

[Salty]

Should it be noted that Cedarville is still approved by the (Southern) Baptist Convention In Ohio

 

[LorenB]

It is always very difficult to get the toothpaste back into the tube.

 

[Pastor Tim S]

Praise God for school administration more interested in pleasing God than pleasing men.

Satan fights every work of God, from its inception until it closes its doors or serves him. Jude warns us,
"For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:4 NKJV)

It sounds like Cedarville had a number of those so marked on their staff.

"Cedarville President Thomas White launched a campaign last year....The new policy’s instructions for faculty assigning reading material: 'Passages that are clearly pornographic, erotic, obscene, or graphic must be avoided. While it may be important to expose students to various genres of writing, examples need to be selected to avoid inappropriate material.' For films: 'As a general rule, 'R' rated movies will not be shown. PG-13, PG, and unrated movies should be evaluated based on language, sexual content, graphic violence, and nudity.'"
​

It amazes me how school administration could ever allow things to deteriorate to this degree. It would be better to let a school die a natural death if lack of students willing to adhere to Biblical standards don't want to come. If they have these kinds of students, it would be an extremely serious offense to give them wolves as their teachers.

It is hard to believe that Harvard University initially was intended to train people to preach the Gospel. Now they train them to oppose it. Woe to those administrators who allowed this to happen. Praise God for a Cedarville president trying to drive the wolves away.

The move has "prompted several professors in multiple departments to begin looking for jobs elsewhere. Some have started going to counseling to address anxiety over their future."
​

How did such men ever get on the staff? Did they not have a conscience towards God? Was it their goal to destroy a close walk with the Holy Spirit in the students under their care? They need counseling to address their anxiety because of this? It appears they should have more anxiety over a potentially pending appointment at The Great White Throne than over their next job.

"At Cedarville, professors were frustrated that the university did not seek their approval before enacting the policy change. 'The lack of insight and the message of distrust to the faculty is insulting and demoralizing,' one said."
​

Excuse me! Who is in charge? In the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, each church has an "angel," i,e. a "messenger" to who God hold accountable for everything that takes place in a church. Although a school is not a church, the top administration is still accountable to God for setting and enforcing policy. "Distrust to the faculty is insulting and demoralizing????" Faculty does not set policy. It sounds like theses professors had assumed more authority than they had any right to. In a Christian School, the teachers do not vote on morality. Administration sets policy, hopefully in accordance with Biblical standards. Faculty do not raise funds. They do not recruit students. They do not set policy. What is their problem?

May God honor President White's decision to honor Him and help him clean house. May there be more schools to follow Cedarville's example.

 

[Jerome]

GARBC Annual Conference this month includes as featured speakers Cedarville and Bob Jones presidents::

2018 GARBC Conference

...
Steve Pettit, President of Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina
Thomas White, President of Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio
...

 

[Tennessee Gal]

Cedarville was an excellent Christian college when I attended in the late sixties. Godly professors, reasonable standards and a wonderful experience for their students.
Many Southern Baptists started sending their students to Cederville because it was more conservative than many of their institutions.
I am glad to see the G.A.R.B.C endorsing Cedarville again.

 

[Calypsis4]

Hmm:

'As a general rule, 'R' rated movies will not be shown. PG-13, PG, and unrated movies should be evaluated based on language, sexual content, graphic violence, and nudity.' ..... 'The move has "prompted several professors in multiple departments to begin looking for jobs elsewhere. Some have started going to counseling to address anxiety over their future.'

To those who are so disturbed and considering looking elsewhere for employment; What thou doest do quickly. John 13:26

 

[John of Japan]

What I get from this is that Cedarville has some profs that are profane wimps. I mean really?? At a Christian college (never mind fundamentalism), they are arguing in favor of nudity, profanity, and graphic violence? And some of them need counseling for this being opposed???? Absolutely ridiculous. There is currently a surplus of young would-be profs out there with top drawer Ph.D.'s who would love to have those positions. Let the wimps teach at a secular school, or maybe Liberty.

The admin there is brilliant. The opposing faculty members have been forced to argue against Scripture, Phil. 4:8. As for the students, those there for a genuinely Christian education, who want to learn how to serve God, won't care.

Where I teach, the standards are very high. But in the name of my school is the name "ministry." Students here are very serious about learning to serve God. They don't have time for the nonsense that profs at Cedarville want to teach. When someone questions the standards, I simply say that it is a college for learning ministry, and those not interested in that have many other options. (Liberty, the Christian "party school," maybe ).

Oh and by the way, Young people at ages 18-22 are still considered to be adolescents by psychologists. They are vulnerable, easily influenced, and still finding their way in life. While they are trying to get a Christian education, they don't need the distractions of such violations of the Word of God.

P.S. We are very serious at our school about obeying the Great Commission. Our missions pastor/missions dept. head is taking two young men to Muslim lands this summer. Both want to be missionaries in those countries. I suppose the Cedarville profs seeking counseling would rather hide under a bed than go on a trip like that.

 

[John of Japan]

Praise God for school administration more interested in pleasing God than pleasing men.

... Faculty does not set policy. It sounds like theses professors had assumed more authority than they had any right to. In a Christian School, the teachers do not vote on morality. Administration sets policy, hopefully in accordance with Biblical standards. Faculty do not raise funds. They do not recruit students. They do not set policy. What is their problem?

May God honor President White's decision to honor Him and help him clean house. May there be more schools to follow Cedarville's example.

My son and I (we teach together) often say about policies and decisions, "That's above our pay grade." We're just delighted to have the privilege of teaching young people to serve Christ.