Ken wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 1:10 am
Josh wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:31 pmConversely, institutions that evangelical fundamentalists built have been stolen by liberals. Look at Goshen and EMU.
That is an absurd statement and not remotely accurate.
For their entire history, both Goshen and EMU have ridden squarely in mainstream of the mainstream Mennonite Church which has now become MC-USA. And for their entire history there has been tension between conservatives and liberals within both the churches themselves and colleges. These are not colleges that were built by evangelical fundamentalists. They were built by Mennonites who have always ranged from liberal to conservative. And far more effort and money was put into building those institutions by people on the liberal side of the Mennonite Church rather than the conservative side who questioned the need for colleges in the first place.
For example, did you know that in 1923 Goshen College was shut down for an entire year due to clashes over doctrine between the college administration, faculty, and students on one side and the more conservative Mennonite Board of Education on the other? That was 100 years ago this year. It even made the New York Times at the time:
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesm ... eNumber=14
In fact, the "Old Mennonite Church" as an institution that created Goshen and EMU was not actually formed as an entity until 1898. Prior to that, Mennonite communities in North America functioned mostly as a loose association of local districts and conferences without any centralized institutions. And almost immediately from its founding there was tension between more liberal and conservative elements of the church that have continued to this day. And that tension was, of course, reflected in the colleges. But they have ALWAYS been a project of the more liberal side of the church and that is who has been funding those institutions by sending their children there, making alumni donations, supporting the endowments, and so forth. Most definitely NOT some evangelical fundamentalist branch of the Mennonite Church. Conservatives have never really supported those colleges going back to 1923 and before. My parents are EMU grads from the 1950s and they have been supporting that school every since as alumni as have thousands of others exactly like them. And they are not evangelical fundamentalists. It is they and thousands of others like them who built those schools.
Now both schools are continuing to evolve in to what are basically just small faith-based regional liberal arts colleges that are going through the same struggles as all of their peers. But they aren't being "stolen by liberals" It would be more accurate to say that they are being abandoned by the current generation of Mennonites who don't feel the urgency or requirement to attend Mennonite colleges anymore like their parents and grandparents did. Now both schools have a minority of students with Mennonite roots even if the administration and faculty are still predominantly Mennonite. These are not "liberals" taking over. It is mostly just local students from the region and from all walks of life who just want to go to a private faith-based college over a big public school and who are willing to pay a premium to do so.
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Every organisation appears to be headed by secret agents of its opponents." - Robert Conquest
I don't think you're being intellectually honest about the institutional power that liberals hold in both the Church and her para-organizations. The idea that conservatives at Goshen, whatever that means (LMC-esque evangelicals?) have as much clout or exist in balanced tension with liberals, is belied by a quick perusal of the website and the school paper.
On the homepage and in the academic page, there is no mention of: God, Christianity, Faith, Mennonite, Anabaptist or anything remotely approaching the fact that Goshen is a Christian/Mennonite institution. The purpose of education according to the website is:
"
We believe learning is about the common that connects us — the thoughts and feelings, the hopes and dreams we all share."
"
At Goshen College, you’ll experience the process of personal discovery through a world-class education that connects you to a real sense of purpose, a sense of self — and to something greater."
These are empty, platitudinous statements that could be the taglines for just about any, generic secular university in America.
In the "About" section of GC the opening 2 paragraphs, the college describes itself, not as a Christian or Mennonite or Christ-centered college, but as "Hispanic-serving" touting how many "students of color" it has:
"
Goshen College is a nationally-ranked college and Hispanic-Serving Institution in Indiana; renowned for its purposeful and integrated curriculum, its distinctive hands-on, real-world educational opportunities, and its commitment to creating positive change in the world.
Located in the City of Goshen, the college’s 135-acre tree-filled campus is home to 950 students, including more than 40% that identify as students of color or from countries outside of the U.S. It offers over 65 undergraduate areas of study; as well as best-in-class graduate programs in nursing, business administration, environmental education and social work."
It's not until one finds the mission or vision tab that one discovers that Christ is the center of everything they do. Which apparently includes their
annual drag show and inviting
trans alum to speak at convocations for the purpose of normalizing LGBTQ+ perspectives.
Compare that to the homepage of Hillsdale College, an explicitly conservative institution: "
Learning, character, faith, and freedom: these are the inseparable purposes of Hillsdale College."
"
Hillsdale College is a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan that operates independently of government funding. Our students come from nearly all of the United States and a dozen foreign countries, and drawn to the challenge of a Hillsdale education, they grow in heart and mind by studying timeless truths in a supportive community dedicated to the highest things."
The school paper's opinion section has articles on why it's good to dress up, why you should have children and why it's good for a soon-to-be married couple, to be equally involved in the wedding plans.
Affiliation: Lancaster Mennonite Conference & Honduran Mennonite Evangelical Church