Sattler College Turmoil

[Ken]

CT thinks Sattler is Anabaptist.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/ ... 51820e1628

Did not do their homework.

I wonder how desperate they are.

They interviewed the president of Sattler for the article.

I would not be surprised if that is how Sattler described themselves to the interviewer. They hint at it in their promotional materials and web site.

[Judas Maccabeus]

CT thinks Sattler is Anabaptist.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/ ... 51820e1628

Did not do their homework.

I wonder how desperate they are.

They interviewed the president of Sattler for the article.

I would not be surprised if that is how Sattler described themselves to the interviewer. They hint at it in their promotional materials and web site.

Classic case of redefining a term outside of its real meaning.

[Josh]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

[Judas Maccabeus]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

Sloppy journalism.

[Judas Maccabeus]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

Sloppy journalism is the answer. Another answer is whatever gets them more enrollment.

[Ken]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

Well, they named themselves after a prominent Anabaptist martyr and say this about themselves in the "about us" section of their web site"

Sattler College provides an education that is grounded in the historic Christian faith. This encompasses the traditional beliefs of the church with respect to doctrine and practice. While the College has no specific denominational affiliation, the beliefs upon which it is established correspond most closely with the persecuted, suffering churches of history, such as the ante-Nicene church, the Waldensians, the Wycliffites, and the Anabaptists.

I would also not be surprised if they currently have a higher percentage of students from Anabaptist backgrounds than historically Anabaptist schools like Goshen, Bluffton, and EMU.

And it isn't really true that they identify with persecuted suffering churches of history. You don't see them identifying theologically with the Mormons, for example. Or the Maronite Christians of Turkey.

[Neto]

CT thinks Sattler is Anabaptist.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/ ... 51820e1628

I cannot access more than the very first part of the article, probably because I recently read some things there, so I'm no longer permitted.

But as others have said, it is not surprising because they co-opted the name of a [Swiss Brethren] anabaptist. That is a strong negative mark for the college, at least in my opinion. If their doctrines aligned with what Sattler taught, then they could claim to be a revitalization movement, "correcting" more recent "distortions" of his teaching. But from what I understand, neither of these are true. (I am not saying that they have said either of these things. Just that if they were, it would explain the dissonance between Swiss anabaptist thought and the positions of the college.)

[MaxPC]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

Sloppy journalism is the answer. Another answer is whatever gets them more enrollment.

Christianity Today has a reputation for liberal-bias in its reporting as well. I have also noticed a lot of misinformed articles too. Nevertheless, the topic of the article is about the elimination of tuition by some Christian Colleges. That would require a healthy endowment along with perhaps a cadre of wealthy supporters.

[ken_sylvania]

That's interesting when they've elsewhere emphatically claimed they aren't "Anabaptist". So which is it?

Sloppy journalism is the answer. Another answer is whatever gets them more enrollment.

Christianity Today has a reputation for liberal-bias in its reporting as well. I have also noticed a lot of misinformed articles too. Nevertheless, the topic of the article is about the elimination of tuition by some Christian Colleges. That would require a healthy endowment along with perhaps a cadre of wealthy supporters.

It looks to me like they're trying to exploit the same psychological response as the "tipping culture." Not demand payment up front, or at least make it a smaller payment requirement, but require the students to sign pledges so that hopefully they will feel a psychological pressure to give, give, give later in life. Sattler basically says as much, just in "sanctified language" - they think they can collect more this way than by collecting tuition up front.

[RZehr]

It looks to me like they're trying to exploit the same psychological response as the "tipping culture." Not demand payment up front, or at least make it a smaller payment requirement, but require the students to sign pledges so that hopefully they will feel a psychological pressure to give, give, give later in life. Sattler basically says as much, just in "sanctified language" - they think they can collect more this way than by collecting tuition up front.

This system works great for many universities. And it works alright as a way for Mennonites to find nonprofits.

The unique aspects that may prohibit this from working at Sattler that I see?
1. Will alumni feel that their donation dollars are best given to Sattler, or will they prioritize other nonprofits and their churches? Where will their loyalties lie, to their church, or denomination, or missions, or Sattler?
2. Sattler has no church constituency to fund and support them. Will this matter?
3. Is a religious schools graduates going to hew more towards business or towards service? If service, then will the funds even exist in their bank account to give at all? It’s not like Sattler is a business school like Wharton, where they will be focused on turning out businesses people who will be able to cut hefty checks to their alma mater.

But as long as Finney keeps funding it, they probably can experiment with their funding model for quite a while.