Charlie in Dayton
Rabid radioactive stargazer and JREF kid
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2001
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Religious furor over scripture interpretation
Cedarville University is a nonprofit private religious unversity of the Baptist persuasion, located in Cedarville OH. Recently, it has been the site of 'theological controversy'.
Cedarville has been regarded as orthodox/"fundamentalist" since the early 1950's. Students are REQUIRED to have a minor in Bible studies. The college officially frowns on dancing, and prohibits certain 'provocative' dance styles whether on or off campus. It does offer classes in certain classical dance styles.
Recently, there has been theological conflicts between fundamentalists (those stating that Bible truth can be known with certainty) and 'emergent' believers (those stating that Christians can only be assured of truth because only God can know certainly).
Two professors on the fundamentalist side were recently fired after receiving new contracts. The professors' supporters claim that the firings were due to challenges raised to other educators' more liberal interpretation of scripture in classes. The university claims that the firings were due to the 'less-than-collegial manner' of the two. One of the professors in question is pursuing a grievance against Cedarville U.
The college itself is quoted in an email, saying in part "...Our committment to God's Word as inspired, infallible, and inerrant is unwavering...". Five conservative Bible department faculty members left the university after the 2006-07 school year reportedly because of the conflicts in theology between fundamentalists and 'emergents'.
The entire situation is exacerbated by the fact that the firings were being considered before a campus visit by the North Central Association, the college's accrediting body. The professors' contracts were given, though, with the statement from attorneys that they could be terminated later, according to an audio recording made by a student during a meeting with a school official to discuss the terminations. The school denies that the timing of events were affected by the accreditation body's visit.
The school's religious affiliation has been affected by the apparent divide in theologies among Cedarville faculty. The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches decided to sever ties with Cedarville due to its unofficial affiliation with Southern Baptists. The General Association does not look kindly on the Southern Baptists' tolerant attitude toward other faiths (including Christianity).
Further information on Cedarville University and its current theological troubles can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedarville_University
and
http://www.cedarvillesituation.com/
The 'cedarville situation' website is an extremely interesting read, with major insights into fundamentalist views in Bible theology.
NOTE -- source material for this article include "Bible Profs Fired, 'A Climate Of Fear' at Cedarville U.", and "Secret recording suggests firings timed to avoid furor" by Stephanie Gottschlich, staff writer for the Dayton Daily News (Dayton OH). The articles appeared on pages A1 and A6 respectively of the Sunday March 30, 2008 edition of the Dayton Daily News.
Cedarville University is a nonprofit private religious unversity of the Baptist persuasion, located in Cedarville OH. Recently, it has been the site of 'theological controversy'.
Cedarville has been regarded as orthodox/"fundamentalist" since the early 1950's. Students are REQUIRED to have a minor in Bible studies. The college officially frowns on dancing, and prohibits certain 'provocative' dance styles whether on or off campus. It does offer classes in certain classical dance styles.
Recently, there has been theological conflicts between fundamentalists (those stating that Bible truth can be known with certainty) and 'emergent' believers (those stating that Christians can only be assured of truth because only God can know certainly).
Two professors on the fundamentalist side were recently fired after receiving new contracts. The professors' supporters claim that the firings were due to challenges raised to other educators' more liberal interpretation of scripture in classes. The university claims that the firings were due to the 'less-than-collegial manner' of the two. One of the professors in question is pursuing a grievance against Cedarville U.
The college itself is quoted in an email, saying in part "...Our committment to God's Word as inspired, infallible, and inerrant is unwavering...". Five conservative Bible department faculty members left the university after the 2006-07 school year reportedly because of the conflicts in theology between fundamentalists and 'emergents'.
The entire situation is exacerbated by the fact that the firings were being considered before a campus visit by the North Central Association, the college's accrediting body. The professors' contracts were given, though, with the statement from attorneys that they could be terminated later, according to an audio recording made by a student during a meeting with a school official to discuss the terminations. The school denies that the timing of events were affected by the accreditation body's visit.
The school's religious affiliation has been affected by the apparent divide in theologies among Cedarville faculty. The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches decided to sever ties with Cedarville due to its unofficial affiliation with Southern Baptists. The General Association does not look kindly on the Southern Baptists' tolerant attitude toward other faiths (including Christianity).
Further information on Cedarville University and its current theological troubles can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedarville_University
and
http://www.cedarvillesituation.com/
The 'cedarville situation' website is an extremely interesting read, with major insights into fundamentalist views in Bible theology.
NOTE -- source material for this article include "Bible Profs Fired, 'A Climate Of Fear' at Cedarville U.", and "Secret recording suggests firings timed to avoid furor" by Stephanie Gottschlich, staff writer for the Dayton Daily News (Dayton OH). The articles appeared on pages A1 and A6 respectively of the Sunday March 30, 2008 edition of the Dayton Daily News.
