Opinion – La Sierra Debacle
by Elwin Dunn
The recent events surrounding the La Sierra University debacle make me appalled and ashamed to be associated with some in the Church who call themselves Christians.
In recent years, a group of religious zealots, in both leadership and membership roles, have sought to lay claim to purity and understanding of the early chapters of Genesis – so much so, that anyone with a differing understanding of these very same scriptures has been told to renounce his or her membership in, and get out of, the church our forefathers founded.
One of the Church’s Universities, La Sierra University, has been particularly taken to task because some members of its faculty have been guilty of doing exactly what a university is supposed to do, namely, teaching students to learn how to think.
Based on both their website, “Educate Truth”, and their comments in numerous blogs, those associated with this perspective see themselves as the only owners of knowledge and truth in our church. Inasmuch as they, along with others, have a Biblical belief system which is enunciated as “the Bible says it, I believe it, the matter is closed” view, totally removing the question of differing understandings of the same material by others.
Their view of church membership is akin to the wearing of a school uniform. Doing so is a declarative statement of belonging to a specific group and belief system. If you don’t wear the uniform in the prescribed manner, you can no longer be part of that group.
I have had the opportunity to serve in numerous capacities over the past 40 years which include the Executive Committees of both the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as well as the on the Executive Committee of the North American Division of SDA. Over the years, I have served under leaders who were varied from strongly authoritative to will-of-the wisp, to consensus builders.
I have no inside knowledge of specific events, save as have been made public, on what is, or what has happened at La Sierra University. However, I am appalled at the manner in which the issues surrounding La Sierra’s stated shortcomings have been dealt with.
University Administration has allowed itself to be manipulated by a small group of individuals to the extent that finally the University President and Board of Trustees Chair issue a statement which satisfies no one and uses data which clearly is valueless as a basis for their decisions.
Just days ago, with great publicity, but totally without explanation and a week before the end of the current school year, resignations are demanded from four University administrators. Based on unsubstantiated information leakage, this was done based on information found on a privately recorded tape being used without due process.
Leadership has a duty to all its constituents: In this case, the church and its supporting membership, academia and all it represents, and even more so, to the specific individuals involved. The decisions made and taken may have been the only ones thought to be viable by Administration/the Board of Trustees. Only with full transparency and passing of time will one be able to judge this.
What clearly has not been part of the process is transparency.
Elwin Dunn is a retired surgeon. He has served multiple terms on the Southeastern California Conference of SDA Executive Committee and one term on the North American Division of SDA Executive Committee. He has also served as Chair of Adventist Today Foundation.
Elwin (& Mark as well),
If you were in charge, at what point would you put your foot down? How many years would need to go by? How many young people would have to first be led astray into the delusions of evolution before you would act?
An Adventist university is not supposed to just teach students how to think. An Adventist university is supposed to teach students to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, to make God’s Word the final authority in the life. If students are coming out of LSU believing in evolution who arrived there believing in creation, the university is failing in its God-given mission.
Submitted Jun 15, 2011
By Elwin Dunn
“In recent years, a group of religious zealots, in both leadership and membership roles, have sought to lay claim to purity and understanding of the early chapters of Genesis – so much so, that anyone with a differing understanding of these very same scriptures have been told to renounce their membership in, and get out of, the church our forefathers founded.”
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My understanding on the Educate-Truth position is that those who teach at our educational institutions should adhere to the fundamental belief of our church on creation, and that those teachers who persist in teaching the theory of evolution as the only credible interpretation of origins should resign and seek employment elsewhere.
Do you have any credible evidence that the leaders of Educate-Truth have been teaching that “anyone with a differing understanding of these very same scriptures have been told to renounce their membership in, and get out of, the church our forefathers founded”?
Should we not be very careful not to misrepresent what the opposition is actually saying? Many Adventists have not been reading what the leaders of Educate-Truth have been saying and will believe your exaggerated version of what they have been writing.
Can you please correct this misinformation? I have never read nor heard Sean Pitman or Shane Hilde say what you claim their position is.
Elwin Dunn said: “Inasmuch as they, along with others, have a Biblical belief system which is enunciated as “the Bible says it, I believe it, the matter is closed” view, totally removing the question of differing understandings of the same material by others.”
If all Seventh-day Adventists followed the above, they would need to change some beliefs–for one start believing in a forever-burning hell and other literal translations. I am not saying we should change our creation theology, but to keep in mind we don’t subscribe to verbal inspiration and never have.
I think Nic’s response was rational that these posts constantly misrepresent other’s ideas. (Bearing false witness.)
Whatever happened at LSU the timing was certainly in poor judgement. We deserve to know why it was done at this time and exactly what happened. I am tired of having only AT interested in transparency.
Elaine,
The problem starts to exacerbate when some people take the roll of “official interpreters of the Bible” and start to impose on others what they think is the right interpretation of allegories. Their poor judgement and arrogance lead to suggesting that those who disagree with them should leave the church. As if they owed the church themselves. Poor judgement, poor thinking, failed proposition.
Well said.