Scott Lively’s conduct is very typical for high profile Evangelical pastors. Stir up controversy and then deny accountability. Lively should be run out of Evangelicalism but I suspect, at least privately, he is being heralded as a hero.
Midwestern Baptist College was started in 1954 to train Fundamentalist Baptist preachers for the ministry. Men from all walks of life came to Midwestern to train for the ministry. Since Midwestern was a non-accredited, private religious institution students were not eligible for student aid. Most students worked full-time jobs while attending Midwestern. There were a large number of older, married men taking classes. My father-in-law was in his mid-thirties when he attended Midwestern.
The academics at Midwestern were very substandard. Most teachers taught at an adult Sunday School class level. In fact, some adult Sunday School classes I have taught over the years were much more challenging than many of the classes I took at Midwestern. Many of the teachers were graduates of Midwestern. The Bible classes were most often taught by pastors who had graduated from Midwestern. (I should note that the founder of Midwestern had a earned doctorate from Wayne State/
I wonder if it could have been otherwise. With a large number of older students, and with most students working full time jobs, a rigorous academic program would have resulted in a large number of failures.
The man who taught English was a closet homosexual. He was single and lived in the dorm. He and I did not get along very well. I knew what he was (remember I was quite homophobic at the time) and we clashed repeatedly. He finally told me to stay out of his class. If I would do that he would give me a passing grade. Worked out great for me. I got a passing grade without doing the work and I got to shoot baskets during the time for English class.
The man who taught business classes at Midwestern was a schizophrenic. Great guy. Single. Lived in the dorm. As long as he took his meds he was fine. But, he didn’t like to take his meds.
One night he drove his car to the black section of Pontiac, got out of the car, and handed his keys to the first person he saw. He then walked back to the dorm. It took us a week to track down his car and retrieve it.
The man who taught Missions was a former missionary. I really enjoyed his class. Lots of stories. Very personal. He was passionate about missions and his passion infected everyone who took his class. He only taught one year.
World History was taught by a pastor’s wife who literally read the textbook to the class. She spoke with a monotone voice. The highlight of the class was when someone would fart.
The Bible and doctrine classes I took were all taught by pastors. Most of the classes were taught in a devotional manner.Since the Bible was the inerrant Word of God (KJV only) we never discussed textual variants or alternative explanations or understandings of a text. God said it and that settled it. I learned very little bible in BIBLE college.
Biology class was the biggest joke of all. No lab. All lecture. The teacher was a racist and he spent a few classes talking about why we should only marry our “own kind.” The teacher was a pastor with no meaningful science training.
I have come to see that Midwestern did not exist for the purpose of giving me an education. It existed for the purpose of indoctrinating me in the Fundamentalist, Independent Baptist faith. Difference and dissent was quashed. Troublemakers were thrown out. (also known as shipped) Academic freedom did not exist. Either a teacher taught the party line or they were fired.
The College had a library. It had very few books and most of the books it did have were castoffs from pastor’s libraries. I only used the library a handful of times.
What learning I now possess I do not owe to Midwestern. A few years into the ministry I realized that the education I received at Midwestern was academically inferior. I began to buy books and started the long, arduous task of learning the Bible. Over the years I ended up with a library of over 1,000 theological books. (all of which I have since sold on EBay) More than once someone would come into my study, and upon seeing the books, ask me if I actually read all of them. Yes, was the answer.
I know of more than a few fundamentalist pastors whose whole library would fit on two shelves. No need to read or study. The Bible is all we need.
Ignorance among Fundamentalist, Independent Baptists is far too common. Winning souls is the priority. It should come as no surprise when men trained this way teach error or become cultic in their practices.
I plan to write a good bit more about my time at Midwestern Baptist College. Stay tuned.
The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Fresno City College today demanding that the school ensure that all its health science classes teach unbiased and medically accurate information. According to students at the college, lectures by Professor Dr. Bradley Lopez, who teaches an introductory health class, often present religiously-based and anti-gay views as “science” or “fact.”
“I feel very let down by my school,” said Jacqui Mahaffey, a 24-year-old student who took Professor Lopez’s class. “I signed up for health science because I was interested in the subject, but what I got was hateful lecturing based on Professor Lopez’s personal beliefs. I am in school to learn, not to be indoctrinated with one professor’s religious views and anti-gay beliefs.”
The ACLU letter includes several examples of Professor Lopez teaching sectarian views and personal bias as “fact.” In recent lectures, Professor Lopez:
Presented a slide listing “homosexual facts,” including that homosexuality is a “biological misapplication of human sexuality” and said that the “recommended treatment” is “psychological counseling” or “hormone supplements.”
Presented LGBT people as a burden on and/or threat to society, claiming, for example, that anything but a heterosexual union provides a “one-sided foundation for raising children.”
Presented bible passages as “empirical” evidence that life begins at conception in support of his assertion that abortion is murder and “the leading cause of death in this country” (because there are over a million abortions a year).
Followed a slide on climate change in a presentation on “environmental health” with a slide containing a Biblical quote about the world ending in fire, and said “that is the real global warming we should be worried about.”
Repeatedly referenced the Bible and used it as a teaching tool, for example assigning as homework a question as to Jesus’ genetic makeup.
“The college class room of a state school should be a welcoming environment for all students, and courses, especially health courses, should be based on objective and medically accurate information, not religiously-based bias,” said Elizabeth Gill, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. “While Professor Lopez is free to talk about his religious beliefs outside of the classroom, Fresno City College has an obligation to protect its students from religious indoctrination and anti-gay bias presented as ‘science’ or ‘fact.’ Professor Lopez’s health class fails students in both regards.”
The letter sent by the ACLU charges that because the classes are being taught at a publicly funded college, Professor Lopez’s lectures violate federal and state constitutional protections guaranteeing the separation of church and state. To satisfy its legal obligation to combat anti-gay bias, the letter also urges the school to mandate accurate and unbiased health instruction.
The ACLU’s letter, which is available here, gives the college until February 15 to explain how it intends to address the problem.
I could hardly watch this video. I felt so sorry for this young man. Delivered? How about more deceived and deluded? How about conned by modern day Elmer Gantry like preachers? This is spiritual manipulation and abuse.
If we are perplexed by any apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, the author of this book is mistaken; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood. — Augustine
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