It's getting cold here at Cedarville. And despite the gusty winds and piercing horizontal snowfall courtesy of Hurricane Sandy, I'm not just talking about the weather.
Yesterday during chapel, Dr. William Brown announced that he is stepping down from his position as President of Cedarville University at the end of the current school year. Dr. Brown has been Cedarville's president for ten years and the university undoubtedly will undergo significant change following his departure. I will be among the last to shake his hand at graduation, and will be thinking about my four years as a student where I have heard him speak in countless chapels and have even had the opportunity to interact with him on a personal level at scholarship banquets. Dr. Brown is a desirable figurehead for any institution, and not just because of his eternally flawless head of hair. He represents himself well in every setting, and even more significantly, he represents Christ well. His sincerity, generosity, intelligence, and wits make every conversation enlightening, encouraging, and memorable. Dr. Brown has promised to remain at Cedarville for at least one additional year as chancellor, but the fact remains that Cedarville will miss Dr. Brown and his leadership.
However, Dr. Brown's sudden announcement has triggered uproar in many students and alumni following the saga of the white papers and Dr. Pahl's dismissal. For those of you unaware of these events, Christianity Today published an article yesterday (coincidence?) describing the incident. In addition, here is the meat of Cedarville's official statement:
The white papers I mentioned above are lengthy amendments to the already cumbersome doctrinal statement, written not by Cedarville Bible scholars but by one administrative representative. They are poorly written and include alarmingly narrow specifications of belief that not every faculty member, including tenured Bible professors, agrees with. The white papers, along with other recent events, have raised concern from students, faculty, and alumni for the future of Cedarville University. Solemn faces, nervous laughter, and choice vocabulary have crept into the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies, creating an air of uncertainty and unspoken worries. For if Dr. Pahl can be dismissed on such subjective grounds, no one is safe."Dr. Michael Pahl has been relieved of his teaching duties because he is unable to concur fully with each and every position of Cedarville University's doctrinal statement. This decision was made following a review by the University administration and trustees prompted by Dr. Pahl's recent book, The Beginning and the End: Rereading Genesis's Stories and Revelation's Visions.Dr. Pahl's orthodoxy and commitment to the gospel are not in question, nor is his commitment to Scripture's inspiration, authority and infallibility. He is a promising scholar and a dedicated teacher, and he will be missed by his colleagues and students. Nevertheless, the University has determined this decision to be in the best interests of its constituency at this time."
And now, today's big question: Does Dr. Brown's resignation decision have anything to do with Dr. Pahl and the media attention given to his dismissal? Are the shadowy fingers that plucked Dr. Pahl from his position at Cedarville the same fingers on Dr. Brown's back as he walks about the door? The answer is that we will likely never know, and thus have no grounds to make assumptions or claims in such a direction. However, the truth is that many people responsible for Dr. Pahl's dismissal will also be responsible for selecting the new president of Cedarville University. Many have expressed concerns over the past few years about Cedarville's "identity crisis," and the selection of a new president will finally make the identity clear. What will it be? Will Cedarville be fundamentalist, or will it be evangelical? Is our goal to uphold the convictions of the previous generation, or move forward and become open to accepting diverse theological backgrounds? Will we be a Bob Jones, or a Wheaton? Or somewhere in between?
In reality, the body of Christ as a whole has been fragmented and broken by generations of Christians who neglected to keep Jesus Christ at the center. This fragmentation is the reason Cedarville has found itself in the midst of scandal, intolerance, and fear. Some of the Christians at Cedarville have forgotten how to love. They have forgotten the Biblical instructions for confronting one another. They have forgotten Christ, and have replaced him with doctrinal correctness and upright appearances. I feel comfortable saying that a fragmented, inconsistent identity is not what anyone at Cedarville desires. How then do we become unified? The answer is Christ.
I challenge Dr. Brown and other faculty to talk openly about what has happened - not necessarily to the public, but to the parties involved. I challenge students and alumni to commit to prayer rather than gossip. We will not make any progress through slanderous discussions, for unity in Jesus Christ is our only hope. I challenge everyone who claims the name of Jesus to take every thought captive to Christ and check every action against Scripture. The popularity of an opinion does not make it right, even among Christians.
Prayer is vital, for most of us do not have any direct influence on the men and women responsible for what happens next. Prayer is even more vital for those who do have direct influence, for only righteous actions will create a positive change. Christ has given us all the power to influence through the Holy Spirit and prayer, yet we often push this, our most valuable resource, to the back burner. We must quench our power-hungry, vindictive natures and become humble. For resolution, we must all come and kneel at the cross together. We have no choice.
