Blasphemy of a Different Kind

Educate Truth shares the following article from Inside Higher Ed as a service to readers.

June 15, 2011
By Steve Kolowich

Things have gone from bad to weird at La Sierra University.

The university, which is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has been dealing in recent months with a controversy over the teaching of evolution that has its Adventist benefactors threatening to withdraw its religious accreditation — and the $4 million per annum that comes with it. Now the university faces a scandal in which a trustee, a vice president, a dean, and an adjunct professor were asked to resign over a recording made, purportedly by accident, of the four men talking informally about the church and university leadership.

The president of La Sierra’s board of trustees on Friday asked for the resignations of Jeff Kaatz, the vice president for university advancement; Jim Beach, the dean of arts and sciences; Lenny Darnell, a trustee; and Gary Bradley, an adjunct professor of biology, according to a campus wide note from the administration.

In recent years, La Sierra has been at the center of an imbroglio over the teaching of human origins that was sparked when a website published e-mails between a biology student and Bradley, the adjunct caught up in the current debacle. (Read more)

20 thoughts on “Blasphemy of a Different Kind

  1. Here is my point – non-SDA publications are essentially “witnessing” about the SDA culture and good name of LSU via these reports.

    How far do we really want this to go in terms of the non-SDA press before taking step beyond behavior modification? The strategy of just working to get more civil, more presentable wolves is not the level of visionary leadership that we need in a crisis like this one.

    in Christ,

    Bob

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  2. I agree Bob, but we should not act based on what the “lay press” feels is the correct answer or solution.

    Whether the secular press (non-SDA) supports us or is against us, we need to do what is correct based on the Bible, not on what some men, religious or not, say.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  3. Professor Kent: Does anyone even care what the outside world sees when looking in on us?

    Well, I actually do care that the “outside world” has a truly accurate picture of what SDA’s believe and stand for. Don’t you? I guess not!

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  4. The “hope” is that when Inside Higher Ed – publishes statements by Bradley saying that our beliefs are junk and that science “is evolution” or when they see stuff like the gang-of-four meeting and trashing the church… that they present it as an LSU only problem rather than smearing the entire church with something like “yes that is pretty much the way the average SDA talks when I am with them… nothing specific to the LSU problem here – it is all nomral for SDAs”.

    For example the way you see the entire SDA denomination sacrificed at the altar of defense for these four guys in the post below –

    Professor Kent: I socialize with many SDAs, non-SDA Christians, and non-Christians, and I have to say the conversation closely resembled a very normal conversation among very ordinary (albeit frustrated) SDAs. The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation

    That is the kind of smear that we would be hoping to avoid in this one-off situation.

    How innexplicable then that the very source for that idea – also posts –

    Professor Kent: Does anyone even care what the outside world sees when looking in on us?

    Will the real Kent please stand up.

    in Christ,

    Bob

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  5. Shane Hilde: @Ron Stone M.D.: I agree. LSU has not been a shining light for our church. That’s unfortunate. That might be the case for other schools as well.

    I have much more knowledge of PUC, and it has as many or more problems as LSU, although these have been, so far, ignored by most. PUC thrives on its “high ratings” from U.S. News and World Report, etc. But, it would get much lower ratings if someone knowledgeable from an SDA rating agency actually did a thorough investigation of the school.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  6. Professor Kent: “I socialize with many SDAs, non-SDA Christians, and non-Christians, and I have to say the conversation closely resembled a very normal conversation among very ordinary (albeit frustrated) SDAs. The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation”

    That you consider their conversation “resembled a very normal conversation…” (although most certainly not a normal SDA one) and “The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation” shows how worldly these men have become. As SDAs we aspire to a highter standard than that of the world. The vulgar language should not have been there period, not “almost completely lacking.” That these men are leaders in LSU, supposedly being a good example to the students, and behave like this, is greatly disturbing.

    Also, the fact that these guys seem to be setting themselves up against the SDA church, determined to get their own way and separate the church from its own institution, while at the same time in its employ is also very disturbing. If you listen to their conversation, they have no respect for the church or its teachings and I believe God may have brought about this “accidental recording” to accomplish what the GC should have done years ago. I truly believe that He can override the circumstances here…and it is a shame on the GC that they didn’t do it when they should have.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  7. God may have brought about this “accidental recording” to accomplish what the GC should have done years ago. I truly believe that He can override the circumstances here…and it is a shame on the GC that they didn’t do it when they should have.

    The GC will not escape. God holds them responsible for their silence while God’s true messengers are being abused in all the lower echelons.

    “The Lord will work to purify His church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn and overturn in the institutions called by His name. Just how soon this refining process will begin I cannot say, but it will not be long deferred. He whose fan is in His hand will cleanse His temple of its moral defilement. He will thoroughly purge His floor.”–Lt 4, 1895.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  8. Here is my point – non-SDA publications are essentially “witnessing” about the SDA culture and good name of LSU via these reports.

    How far do we really want this to go in terms of the non-SDA press before taking step beyond behavior modification? The strategy of just working to get more civil, more presentable wolves is not the level of visionary leadership that we need in a crisis like this one.

    in Christ,

    Bob

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  9. The “hope” is that when Inside Higher Ed – publishes statements by Bradley saying that our beliefs are junk and that science “is evolution” or when they see stuff like the gang-of-four meeting and trashing the church… that they present it as an LSU only problem rather than smearing the entire church with something like “yes that is pretty much the way the average SDA talks when I am with them… nothing specific to the LSU problem here – it is all nomral for SDAs”.

    For example the way you see the entire SDA denomination sacrificed at the altar of defense for these four guys in the post below –

    Professor&#032Kent: I socialize with many SDAs, non-SDA Christians, and non-Christians, and I have to say the conversation closely resembled a very normal conversation among very ordinary (albeit frustrated) SDAs. The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation

    That is the kind of smear that we would be hoping to avoid in this one-off situation.

    How innexplicable then that the very source for that idea – also posts –

    Professor&#032Kent: Does anyone even care what the outside world sees when looking in on us?

    Will the real Kent please stand up.

    in Christ,

    Bob

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  10. I agree Bob, but we should not act based on what the “lay press” feels is the correct answer or solution.

    Whether the secular press (non-SDA) supports us or is against us, we need to do what is correct based on the Bible, not on what some men, religious or not, say.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  11. God may have brought about this “accidental recording” to accomplish what the GC should have done years ago. I truly believe that He can override the circumstances here…and it is a shame on the GC that they didn’t do it when they should have.

    The GC will not escape. God holds them responsible for their silence while God’s true messengers are being abused in all the lower echelons.

    “The Lord will work to purify His church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn and overturn in the institutions called by His name. Just how soon this refining process will begin I cannot say, but it will not be long deferred. He whose fan is in His hand will cleanse His temple of its moral defilement. He will thoroughly purge His floor.”–Lt 4, 1895.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  12. Professor Kent: “I socialize with many SDAs, non-SDA Christians, and non-Christians, and I have to say the conversation closely resembled a very normal conversation among very ordinary (albeit frustrated) SDAs. The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation”

    That you consider their conversation “resembled a very normal conversation…” (although most certainly not a normal SDA one) and “The vulgar language I hear so much of from my non-Christian friends and colleagues was almost completely lacking from this particular conversation” shows how worldly these men have become. As SDAs we aspire to a highter standard than that of the world. The vulgar language should not have been there period, not “almost completely lacking.” That these men are leaders in LSU, supposedly being a good example to the students, and behave like this, is greatly disturbing.

    Also, the fact that these guys seem to be setting themselves up against the SDA church, determined to get their own way and separate the church from its own institution, while at the same time in its employ is also very disturbing. If you listen to their conversation, they have no respect for the church or its teachings and I believe God may have brought about this “accidental recording” to accomplish what the GC should have done years ago. I truly believe that He can override the circumstances here…and it is a shame on the GC that they didn’t do it when they should have.

      (Quote)

    View Comment
  13. Shane&#032Hilde: @Ron Stone M.D.: I agree. LSU has not been a shining light for our church. That’s unfortunate. That might be the case for other schools as well.

    I have much more knowledge of PUC, and it has as many or more problems as LSU, although these have been, so far, ignored by most. PUC thrives on its “high ratings” from U.S. News and World Report, etc. But, it would get much lower ratings if someone knowledgeable from an SDA rating agency actually did a thorough investigation of the school.

      (Quote)

    View Comment

Leave a Reply