Are Some Christian Colleges Like Cedarville University Becoming Dumping Grounds for Fallen Pastors/Theologians Like Anthony Moore? A Guest Post by Todd Wilhelm


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“Never laugh at live dragons” JRR Tolkien


Todd Wilhelm, of Thou Art the Man, received some communication from a couple of people who claimed that a certain well known pastor. theologian, author and speaker recently started teaching at a respected, Christian, undergraduate college. He was told this was due to a certain *situation.* Todd has been trying to verify the information but he cannot post the information until he receives some corroboration of the precipitating event(s).

Then, both Todd and I received emails telling us that Anthony Moore, a former pastor of The Village Church Fort Worth campus, was forced to resign due to a *grievous sin.* Matt Chandler, his boss, addressed his resignation. As you will see in Todd’s post, he said that Moore was totally disqualified from ministry, including the coveted speakers circuits.

Apparently this *grievous sin* was reported to the police and you can read about it on Todd’s blog. (It is Dee’s opinion that grievous sin usually involves sex.)

Who is Anthony Moore?

Anthony Moore received his doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and held the coveted position of Mark Dever’s intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church which means he is 9 Marks certified.

Let’s review Anthony Moore’s credentials…

  • Matt Chandler as a boos
  • Pastor at The Village Church, Forth Worth
  • Acts 29 (Chandler is the head of this and it is assumed that Moore was part of the festivities
  • SWBTS
  • 9 Marks
  • Intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church

He is a dudebro Calvinista of the highest order. So is Anthony Moore hanging his head in shame whilst receiving the strictest of church discipline? Uhhhm,. no, that’s only for us pew sitters.

Where is Anthony Moore now?

Before you could have finished saying “What did he do?,” he ended up as an Assistant Professor of Theological Studies and Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity at Cedarville University!!!!

I wonder if the students and their parents have been notified of this man’s background? It appears he was not listed under the new faculty announcement which you will see on Todd’s post along with lots of other documents and videos.

Cedarville has some very close connections to the Reformed conservative (Calvinista) movement in the church and it only got stronger a few years ago when they got rid of women professors 

Women professors…bad. Men who are involved n grievous sin…welcomed with open arms and given the super duper special positions. How much do the Cedarville University students know?

One thing I know, Todd’s post uncovers how the Calvinistas take care of their own, even when it involves the police and a grievous sin. Look for more stories to follow.


It Takes a (9Marx) Village-Todd Wilhelm

“Evangelical sex abuse ‘worse’ than Catholic says Billy Graham’s grandson, Boz Tchividjian”

The above quote of Boz Tchividijian was made in 2013. I remember thinking at the time that Tchividijian was perhaps being overly dramatic to emphasize his point that sexual abuse in the Protestant Church was bad. After I spent some time following Tchividijian I realized he isn’t a man who is overly dramatic about anything, rather, he is a man who speaks the truth plainly and fearlessly.

Seven years later Boz Tchividijian’s words have, unfortunately, proven true. It seems that there is a new sexual abuse scandal or cover-up in the Protestant Church revealed weekly. I honestly have trouble recalling all the scandals; it’s overwhelming.

I used to wonder about the meaning of these words of Christ in the Gospel of Luke, specifically the question posed by Christ in the last sentence:

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
-Luke 18:7-8 NIV

I wonder no more. Clearly the wolves in the pulpits and their faithful band of loyal followers who attack anyone who dares bring a charge against the “man of Gawd” are faithless imposters. And many of the ravaged have, understandably, left the Church, disillusioned with the religious charade they have been victimized by.

This brings me to the subject of today’s blog. Yesterday I was informed that a former pastor of the Village Church who had been removed for “grievous, immoral actions” had now been found to be gainfully employed by Cedarville University. The informant rightly wondered how this pastor, who had been removed from office, would be allowed to continue in the ministry. Where are the accountability standards?

Great questions.

Click here to continue reading over at Wilhelm’s excellent blog.

 

Comments

Are Some Christian Colleges Like Cedarville University Becoming Dumping Grounds for Fallen Pastors/Theologians Like Anthony Moore? A Guest Post by Todd Wilhelm — 213 Comments

  1. “Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity”

    The Kingdom is plenty diverse. The problem is failure to acknowledge that.

  2. I think it has been apparent for years that “conformity to the thought collective” and “utility for advancement of the collective’s purposes” is regarded to be more important than actual “good moral character.”

    I interpret this to be a pretty clear indication that, in fact, “there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

  3. I haven’t read the post yet, I just saw the picture of Pluto and thought I’d share a science video from one of my favorite YouTubers. It’s about some recent discoveries made about Pluto based on the New Horizons flyby.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2kGp1bPdGo

    I can also recommend his other videos. Pretty much science, the most of them are astronomy and he uses the software program Universe Sandbox 2 to illustrate what he’s talking about. Highly recommended for an educational diversion–check him out!

  4. If the cops were called, it wasn’t just sex between consenting adults.
    The Law couldn’t care less what goes on between consenting adults.
    And that’s the key word here, ‘Consent’.

  5. “Matt Chandler as a boos”

    I think there may be a typo in this ……. but if there is, just leave it be. I kinda like it this way.

  6. Which is more to be expected:
    Al Mohler flip flopping on his moral convictions,
    or
    a Calvinista being protected by his dude bros?

  7. Loren Haas: Which is more to be expected:
    Al Mohler flip flopping on his moral convictions,
    or
    a Calvinista being protected by his dude bros?

    My answer is: Yes.

  8. “He is a dudebro Calvinista of the highest order.”

    So were Driscoll, Mahaney, Tullian, MacDonald, Patrick, etc. … and they are all still in the ministry after their “grievous sins” of one sort or another. The dudebros don’t go away; they just disappear for a short “restoration” to reinvent themselves. Their followers don’t really give a big whoop if they start preaching/teaching again, because their moral compass is not true North either.

  9. “Calvinistas take care of their own”

    As Al Mohler would say “Where else are they going to go?!” Young rebels, after committing assorted sins, are sheltered by the almighty reformed elite unless a particular potato becomes too hot to handle. If the New Calvinist movement needs them, they stay … perhaps in a dumping ground for a season for “gossip” to blow over. The fallen will cry without tears in pretended repentance and take to the pulpit again. Such is life in the kingdom of New Calvinism … but not the Kingdom of God.

  10. Muslin, fka Dee Holmes:
    I haven’t read the post yet, I just saw the picture of Pluto and thought I’d share a science video from one of my favorite YouTubers. It’s about some recent discoveries made about Pluto based on the New Horizons flyby.

    I never thought of Pluto with an ocean.
    Loved the video. Thank you!

  11. Over on Todd’s post, there are pictures of celebrities with inspiring quotes:

    “What’s the most politically powerful thing a church can do? Be the church.” —Jonathan Leeman, accidentally admitting that he wants “the church” to have political power. Shouldn’t that be left to individual members? #SecretBallot

    “The cross of Christ makes sense of our suffering by showing he uses all pain for his perfect purposes.” —Garrett Kell, neither recommending that we work to prevent suffering, nor admitting that it takes awhile to adjust after, say, an untimely death. #GetOverIt

    “The story of Jesus is not merely the story of a good man. It is the story of Jesus claiming his throne.” —Greg Gilbert, at odds with “the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” #PastorsLoveThrones<3<3<3

  12. Loren Haas,

    I have to admit, this surprised me a bit. I believe God allowed Todd to see two situations back to back which probably means that this is normal business. Todd has received more information about the victim in this situation and is involved in dialog to see if the victim might allow Todd to post his story.

    In the meantime, we are trying to look into this other situation in which this well known person is now a professor at another Christian college and most people know who he is.. Stay tuned. He and I may need to figure out a way to get this story out. It is another dudebro.

  13. Max: The dudebros don’t go away; they just disappear for a short “restoration” to reinvent themselves.

    In this situation, I am of the opinion that they had already decided on his reinvention for him. Did you see how quickly this transition occurred. Did Matt Chandler beg the President of Cedarville not to hire him or di he have something to so with it?

  14. Dee Parsons: Did Matt Chandler beg the President of Cedarville not to hire him or did he have something to so with it?

    The New Calvinist movement is rife with stealth and deception … anything is possible with these dudebros.

  15. Friend: The story of Jesus is not merely the story of a good man. It is the story of Jesus claiming his throne.” —Greg Gilbert, at odds with “the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.”

    I’d say that “Jesus does not cooperate with most of the reasons for which people tend to want him to be king”. One can see this in Jesus’ response in the 4th Gospel to the desire of the crowds to make him king. It’s also pretty clear in the entire “passion” story, in which Jesus is acclaimed by the masses as a Davidic king on his triumphal arrival at Jerusalem — he’s the hoped for leader against the Gentiles, the one who will redeem Israel from its humiliation — and then submits to arrest and execution by the very people that the crowds were hoping he would redeem them from. He wasn’t interested in leading an armed rebellion against Rome; I suspect that he was actively trying to avoid that and, by dying as “king of the Jews,” succeeded in delaying that disastrous outcome for a generation.

    I suspect that there are present-day applications. We recruit Jesus into our agendas, reckoning that since he rules from heaven, “head over all things for the church”, that he will give success to our plans. But perhaps, like (I think) in his 1st century public ministry, he may actually be working to avoid outcomes that we are mistakenly pursuing.

  16. Samuel Conner: I think it has been apparent for years that “conformity to the thought collective” and “utility for advancement of the collective’s purposes” is regarded to be more important than actual “good moral character.”

    “For the Collective, Comrades!”

  17. Max: The dudebros don’t go away; they just disappear for a short “restoration” to reinvent themselves.

    i.e. Until the heat blows over.

  18. Max: I am of the opinion that they had already decided on his reinvention for him.

    Somewhere in America there is a smoke-filled room off a dark alley, where – in the wee hours of the morning – the New Calvinist movement is plotted and directed. (conspiracy theory?)

    (Remember MacDonald’s “Elephant Room”?)

  19. Max: Max: I am of the opinion that they had already decided on his reinvention for him.

    Actually, that is Dee’s quote.

  20. Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity…

    Now THAT”s a Buzzword Bingo title with delusions of grandeur.

    Like “Commander of Great Feathers” at the top of the “Airplane Game” pyramid scheme.

  21. Are Some Christian Colleges Like Cedarville University Becoming Dumping Grounds for Fallen Pastors/Theologians Like Anthony Moore?

    In military slang, this is called a LEPER COLONY.

  22. Friend: “The cross of Christ makes sense of our suffering by showing he uses all pain for his perfect purposes.” —Garrett Kell, neither recommending that we work to prevent suffering, nor admitting that it takes awhile to adjust after, say, an untimely death. #GetOverIt

    Here’s some push-back from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach:

    “So many people search for a reason why people suffer. They want to redeem tragedy by giving it meaning. Suffering ennobles the spirit, they say. It makes you more mature. It helps you focus on what’s important in life.

    I would argue that suffering has no purpose, no redeeming qualities, and any attempts to infuse it with rich significance are deeply misguided”

    “Jewish values maintain that there is no good that comes from suffering that could not have come through a more blessed means.”

  23. It is also worth noting that Cedarville University is a “young earth creationist”….. “institution”…. translated…. Any “science” class coming from there is high suspect, in my book…

  24. Headless Unicorn Guy: Dumping Grounds for Fallen Pastors/Theologians

    In military slang, this is called a LEPER COLONY

    … until they are no longer unclean (i.e., until – as you note – the heat blows over)

  25. Friend: “The story of Jesus is not merely the story of a good man. It is the story of Jesus claiming his throne.” —Greg Gilbert, at odds with “the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.”

    That’s like defending the prosperity gospel because Jesus had a treasurer (Judas) in charge of a big bag of money.

  26. Me: Okay, really, what did Anthony Moore do? I can’t find info on him anywhere!

    “In January, 2017, Anthony Moore – who served as the campus pastor and an elder of The Village Church’s Fort Worth campus – was removed from his pastorate as a result of, in Chandler’s own words, “grievous, immoral actions against another adult member” which led The Village Church leadership to “believe he is unfit for [pastoral and elder] ministry at this time, including speaking engagements at conferences or other churches.” While the details of Moore’s actions are not known, the language used by Chandler makes it clear he was in some way abusing a person (or persons) under his pastoral care. And as you all well know, these abuses also led to Moore being removed as an associate to TGC’s council.”
    Source: “Injustice Ignored: An Open Letter to the Gospel Coalition,” by Nate Sparks

  27. Jeffrey Chalmers: It is also worth noting that Cedarville University is a “young earth creationist”….. “institution”…. translated…. Any “science” class coming from there is high suspect, in my book…

    And they fired all their women professors. Because women can’t teach men or something. I feel for their students, not all of whom will go on to careers in the church bubble. They are in for a terrible shock. Because they’re likely to end up in places where that whole thing about women not being leaders is seen as nonsense. And to be blunt, at my job, we are WAY too busy to deal with that kind of crazy. (Y’all really like fondling your virtual money during this pandemic, seriously.)

  28. Friend,

    “Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity”

    The Kingdom is plenty diverse. The problem is failure to acknowledge that.
    +++++++++++++++++

    indeed.

    seems to me The Kingdom in their eyes is limited to insular ‘them and theirs’. in which case diversity is a problem. A Special Advisor on the subject certainly has the right look.

    i imagine they created the position for him. i can also imagine this was a coordinated effort, and that Matt Chandler had a hand in this. intuition is waking up & making some noise on that one.

  29. Friend,

    “Over on Todd’s post, there are pictures of celebrities with inspiring quotes”
    +++++++++++++++++

    it’s amazing… these men look so important, how grab the podium and lean in to the mic, the passionate gestures in the air, the straining facial expressions…

    and they say absolutely nothing in their fancy-sounding statements.

    and their posse are like, “whoa…!”

    (like the little aliens in The Space Claw game in Pizza Planet in Toy Story, when the wondrous claw rises in all its splendor)

    it’s pure comedy to me.

  30. Dee,

    “I believe God allowed Todd to see two situations back to back

    …Todd has received more information about the victim in this situation

    In the meantime, we are trying to look into this other situation in which this well known person is now a professor at another Christian college and most people know who he is”
    +++++++++++++++

    my brain is mushy

    how many situations…? (so far i’m tracking with one [anthony moore])

  31. Muff Potter: “…there is no good that comes from suffering that could not have come through a more blessed means.” —Shmuley Boteach

    Agreed with the rabbi that suffering is a lousy teacher. The only benefit I’ve found is that survivors can give insight and hope to the newly suffering. But it’s not a fair trade, and survivors have to survive first, develop insights worth passing along, and offer their help in a welcome way—or at least quietly serve as living examples.

    And no, most survivors don’t want to be the Motivational Cancer Spokesmodel, or the Fabulous Widow, or the Amputee You Can Look At. Not even if they live in the open (that omits survivors of stalking). Many folks continue to struggle with a disability, emotional damage, or financial ruin.

    You’ve raised a more uplifting question, though. Do we learn through “more blessed means”? Yes, if only because love is a great teacher.

  32. Friend,

    “The cross of Christ makes sense of our suffering by showing he uses all pain for his perfect purposes.” —Garrett Kell
    +++++++++++++++

    oh, how i love it when professional christians give simplistic pat answers to life’s heart-wrenching questions!

  33. elastigirl,

    they speak “with authority” (like they reckon the NT example of Jesus warrants them to do) and the masses are impressed.

  34. elastigirl,

    It would be comedy, except there are true blue, believing students that go there…
    also, just looked up their Biology Department, and they have a women Assistant Professor..

  35. Jeffrey Chalmers: there are true blue, believing students that go there

    Believing or otherwise, they are paying for an education and a relatively safe environment.

    The pandemic will probably cause some colleges to close forever. Students and parents are already asking new questions about the risks and rewards of four-year residential programs.

  36. https://cbmw.org/2016/04/05/news-anthony-moore-to-speak-at-cbmw-conference/

    “April 7, 2016
    The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has added Anthony Moore to its lineup of speakers at next week’s national conference in Louisville, Kentucky.”

    “Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey, will no longer be speaking at the conference due to health concerns.”

    HEALTH CONCERNS?

    ONE WEEK LATER THIS CAME OUT:

    http://www.christiantoday.com/article/megachurch.pastor.darrin.patrick.suspended.over.misconduct.and.historical.pattern.of.sin/83922.htm

    “Darrin Patrick, founder and senior pastor of the multi-site megachurch The Journey in St Louis, Missouri, has been suspended from ministry by his board following the confirmation of allegations of pastoral misconduct….Patrick…is vice-president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network”

  37. (continued)

    https://cbmw.org/2016/04/05/news-anthony-moore-to-speak-at-cbmw-conference/

    “‘Anthony Moore represents the best of a growing number of young pastor-theologians in our country today’, said Jason Duesing, editor of the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Vice President and Provost of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. ‘I am thrilled that he will be speaking at the CBMW pre-conference, as he is a phenomenal communicator with deep conviction’.”

    “‘Anthony Moore is a humble servant leader and an anointed preacher. We are thrilled he will be teaching at the Pre-Conference’, said CBMW Executive Director Grant Castleberry.”

    “Owen Strachan remarked further, ‘I’m thrilled to have a gifted brother like Anthony speak for us. We’re grateful for his ministry, and we appreciate his work at The Village Church, a leading baptist church and a vital part of Acts 29. We’re so thankful for our friends in Acts 29’.”

  38. elastigirl: oh, how i love it when professional christians give simplistic pat answers to life’s heart-wrenching questions!

    Which is why I included a Jewish take (Boteach on suffering) up-thread.
    Do I agree with everything Boteach writes?
    Not at all, but in this case yes, it’s a more humane view (my opinion) than the standard fare found in evangelical Christianity.

  39. Jerome,

    ““Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey, will no longer be speaking at the conference due to health concerns.”

    HEALTH CONCERNS?

    ONE WEEK LATER THIS CAME OUT:

    “Darrin Patrick, founder and senior pastor of the multi-site megachurch The Journey in St Louis, Missouri, has been suspended from ministry by his board following the confirmation of allegations of pastoral misconduct…”
    ++++++++++++++

    oh how i love it when christian organizations are embroider the truth, but my knees start knockin when they tell outright lies!

  40. Max,

    I think the magic words might be “unfit for ministry at this time.” They must have thought there was some way to salvage this guy…and I hope it wasn’t because he was their only hope of kingdom diversity!
    We have a Christian school in my area that twice has tried to rehab people caught in compromising situations. One had porn issues. They sent him off to rehab, got him an accountability partner, and he was still watching porn on the school computer. The other incident, which did make the local paper, was the hiring of an athletic coach who had previous charges of voyeurism, but they had been dropped. He was caught doing it at school, and there is now a law suit pending and the guy is now a registered sex offender. In the second case, they school kept trying to say that they didn’t know anything, but they knew plenty.

    Ministries don’t seem to get that if there is anything hiding in the closet, they don’t need these folks as part of their “work” for the Lord.

  41. elastigirl: my knees start knockin when they tell outright lies!

    As has been repeated often on TWW – with example after example – the New Calvinist movement runs rampant with stealth and deception among church leaders.

    For a bunch who claim to be the sole keepers of Truth, some of their celebrities fall far short of being truthful. “How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the Lord is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood.” (Jeremiah 8:8)

  42. Jerome,

    I just read the story about him ….. sigh…. and the “issues” are not “ new”…..
    And I am suppose to respect the choice of speakers at these conferences…. and pay them money??

  43. Samuel Conner: they speak “with authority” (like they reckon the NT example of Jesus warrants them to do) and the masses are impressed

    The New Calvinist masses are fooled!

  44. Muff Potter: it’s a more humane view (my opinion) than the standard fare found in evangelical Christianity.

    There is a stream of “Christianity” that seems to have a fetish with wrath, punishment, suffering, and pain. Piper takes the lead, but he is certainly not the only one. This article is a very good example of the type of “Christian Porn” they seem to enjoy:
    https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-fathers-cup-good-friday
    This article goes way beyond what the Bible says, and reads way more into the Bible than what is there. I don’t know what drives them, but I find it utterly disgusting.

  45. Dee Parsons,

    How did your week go with hubby working at the hospital? Does he have to stay quarantined from you now for two weeks now? How is all this working for you? Hope it’s not too difficult.

  46. Max,

    “stealth and deception among church leaders”
    ++++++++++++

    may the crickets of a thousand meadow find their bedrooms and bodies. Amen.

  47. Jerome: Owen Strachan all atwitter about how “winsome” Anthony Moore was at their GenderGospel rally (the ‘CBMW 2016 T4G Pre-Conference’): “he crushed it on 1 Peter 3”

    The dudebros flatter each other ad nauseam. They are always “unpacking” Scripture in odd ways. I have a feeling that Holy God ain’t going to put up with this much longer! The arrogance and irreverence are overwhelming within the new reformation … surely the Father will release correction on the movement soon (or perhaps He already has – many of their elite have fallen).

  48. Samuel Conner: I suspect that there are present-day applications. We recruit Jesus into our agendas, reckoning that since he rules from heaven, “head over all things for the church”, that he will give success to our plans. But perhaps, like (I think) in his 1st century public ministry, he may actually be working to avoid outcomes that we are mistakenly pursuing.

    I think that this is very true. And I think that when people are too sure that their plans are God’s own plans, they become angry when the plans do not come to fruition, and they become tempted to help those plans along using the tactics of the devil, so to speak. And thus, church and faith become nothing deeper than politics.

  49. elastigirl: “The cross of Christ makes sense of our suffering by showing he uses all pain for his perfect purposes.” —Garrett Kell
    +++++++++++++++

    oh, how i love it when professional christians give simplistic pat answers to life’s heart-wrenching questions!

    Aren’t they great? It turns my stomach. After I was widowed I heard enough of this drivel from well-meaning friends. I’ll tell you what else, I’m not interested in hearing any explanations about the purpose of pain from anyone who hasn’t been through the worst hell of it, themselves. Interestingly, I have noticed that those who have been there tend not to be the ones blabbing at length on the soapboxes. They tend to be the ones who quietly come alongside you and just let you know you’re not alone. And that means more than all those fancy words about the purpose of pain.

  50. Jeffrey Chalmers: I just read the story about him ….. sigh…. and the “issues” are not “ new”…..
    And I am suppose to respect the choice of speakers at these conferences…. and pay them money??

    Oh, but he’s “a phenomenal communicator with deep conviction” a “humble servant leader” “an anointed preacher” – everyone important is “thrilled” and thrilled again to have him!

    Blah blah blah blah. Every leader who has been revealed to have been an abusive fraud has had these same write ups. A bunch of white washed tombs. They outside of the cup is so shiny and perfect, but what is inside…

  51. SiteSeer: “a phenomenal communicator with deep conviction” a “humble servant leader” “an anointed preacher”

    … is someone you never heard of, serving Christ in obscurity. I’ve known several rural preachers in my 70+ years as a believer who fit that description. They preach Truth, love Christ and His Word, love their congregations, personally know every member (including your dog’s name), pray with you, laugh with you, weep with you, visit you in your home, pray with you when you are sick, preach your wedding and your funeral, have no yearning to be mega, have authored no books, desire no stage. The last will be first; the first will be last.

  52. Max,

    Amen to that…
    . unfortunately, instead we get the “run the church like a business mentality” with the “lead preacher” being the CEO, and at least one of his assistants a marketing guru… and, of course, aggressive lawyers bringing corporate legal maneuvers to the front…. yup, they are following the exact examples set forth in the NT..

  53. Jeffrey Chalmers: “run the church like a business mentality” with the “lead preacher” being the CEO, and at least one of his assistants a marketing guru

    Which, of course, is not ‘the’ Church at all. I suppose it’s possible to be a Christian and be drawn to the hype in such places, but you won’t be there long if you’ve got a lick of spiritual sense!

  54. I always wonder what goes through the minds of these guys when people like Todd or Dee start connecting the dots….do they read the articles and comments? Do they lie awake at night and try to put a spin on the issue? Do they think all the speculation is a plot of the devil to harm them?????

  55. Another question i have…..when i think of many of these arrogant immoral fallen pastors…….why do their wives stick with them??? Do they like the limelight too? Why do the men get away with immoral actions and still stay married??

  56. Abigail: when i think of many of these arrogant immoral fallen pastors…….why do their wives stick with them???

    Complementarianism is a form of human bondage with a theological blessing on it. This thing ain’t going to get any better for female believers until women ensnared by New Calvinism rise up en masse, declare “Enough is enough!”, and start dragging their sorry husbands/boyfriends out of the mess! Until then, they are stuck.

  57. SiteSeer: They tend to be the ones who quietly come alongside you and just let you know you’re not alone. And that means more than all those fancy words about the purpose of pain.

    Exactly, the humane ones who (metaphorically) come along side you with balm and morphine, not meaningless platitudes.

  58. SiteSeer,

    “I’m not interested in hearing any explanations about the purpose of pain from anyone who hasn’t been through the worst hell of it, themselves. Interestingly, I have noticed that those who have been there tend not to be the ones blabbing at length on the soapboxes. They tend to be the ones who quietly come alongside you and just let you know you’re not alone. ”
    ++++++++++++++

    i’m very sorry for how the jacka$$es for jesus tried to “help you”. as if you needed an authority on the subject to tutor you.

    as if these self-anointed ‘voices of experience’ actually had experience, instead of the press-&-pat-answer feature… they press their tummy to make the pat answer sound.

    i need someone to make me their discipleship-project as much as i need… this little square sponsored ad that just peeked at me from the bottom of my screen…

    why do christians feel so compelled to have answers for everything and feel like they have the right to inform us of them?

  59. Friend,

    I agree.

    And there are those who DON’T come through stronger on the other side. The widow/widower who never “gets over it.” The rape victim who commits suicide. Countless who turn to substance abuse after a trauma.

    I used to work at a college. If a professor had these kinds of results, there’s be some serious questions as to their abilities.

  60. elastigirl,

    but gaahhhh it happens in my beloved prayer group, too. it’s the whole darn culture.

    (i am a patient person. i love them,… while doing patience-lifting work-outs.

    pretending i didn’t hear what they said helps. a sudden cough attack, pretending to silence my phone, …pretending to tie my shoes… that’s a useful one for lots of things)

  61. elastigirl: it’s amazing… these men look so important, how grab the podium and lean in to the mic, the passionate gestures in the air, the straining facial expressions…

    Like they’re sitting on the can straining in terminal constipation?
    (Type example, Perry “Pastor Pee” Noble.)

  62. Jerome: “‘Anthony Moore is a humble servant leader and an anointed preacher. We are thrilled he will be teaching at the Pre-Conference’, said CBMW Executive Director Grant Castleberry.”

    Does he have liveried armorbearers blowing long trumpets before him to announce how HUMBLE he is?

  63. SiteSeer: And I think that when people are too sure that their plans are God’s own plans, they become angry when the plans do not come to fruition, and they become tempted to help those plans along using the tactics of the devil, so to speak.

    According to a quip by Chesterton(?), The Dark Powers have a reputation for Getting Things Done.

  64. Erp: Anthony Moore is also an assistant basketball coach at the university.

    https://yellowjackets.cedarville.edu/news/2019/10/18/mens-basketball-tenhove-thankful-for-path-that-led-to-cedarville.aspx

    “the team’s small group Bible study leaders under the direction of volunteer assistant coach and Assistant Professor of Theological Studies Dr. Anthony Moore. The team meets with Dr. Moore on a weekly basis and then divides into the small groups for further sharing and discussion.”

  65. He had a Q&A with Cedarville’s purity club for young ladies:

    https://www.facebook.com/cusanctifyministries/posts/1475851922548597

    “Sanctify Ministries of Cedarville University
    Man Panel is TOMORROW! You may want to arrive a few minutes early before the seats fill up. This is one of our more popular events! Can’t wait to see all you ladies there!”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BtOpSlpgSHy/

    “Man Panel presented by Sanctify Ministries

    Ever wonder what men are thinking? Or what they have to say about some tough or big subjects? Well, now is your time to find out!

    Sanctify Ministries invite the women of Cedarville University to join us for a night with Dr. Gregory Couser, Dr. Anthony Moore, and Nick Boucher, who will be answering your questions about dating, love, and relationships!”

  66. elastigirl: why do christians feel so compelled to have answers for everything and feel like they have the right to inform us of them?

    I suspect it has to do with faith that is threatened if there is anything that doesn’t make sense or that doesn’t have a quick triumphal resolution. Also, I’ve heard so many sermons over the years, encouraging the people to think that we do have all the answers, and that is what legitimizes our faith.

    Thanks much for your understanding and compassion, elastigirl, it means a lot to me.

  67. Headless Unicorn Guy: According to a quip by Chesterton(?), The Dark Powers have a reputation for Getting Things Done.

    Oh, they sure do! The things that get done just don’t end up being exactly what the naive were expecting.

  68. Jerome: Sanctify Ministries invite the women of Cedarville University to join us for a night with Dr. Gregory Couser, Dr. Anthony Moore, and Nick Boucher, who will be answering your questions about dating, love, and relationships!”

    Oh, the irony.

    I have lost count of the number of fallen Christian leaders who had been making it their business to instruct others on dating, purity, and relationships.

    Jerome, you have a knack for getting right to the evidence at the heart of an issue.

  69. SiteSeer,

    I’m sorry for the loss of your husband, and what you experienced afterward.

    I keep thinking back to Jesus response when he saw mourners grieving at the grave of Lazarus. “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Not “said everything was going to be ok” (even though he knew the miracle that was coming), not “offered a ‘Biblical’ platitude,” but WEPT.

  70. Jerome: The school’s administrators have him teaching a course on “Counseling and Mentoring Men”

    Good Lord! Parents must not know why he was terminated from his previous job! Counselor?!! Mentor?!!

  71. From my daily devotion: Mal. 2, “’And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.’
    Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty. Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. ‘The man who hates and divorces his wife,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘does violence to the one he should protect,’ says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. You have wearied the Lord with your words. ‘How have we wearied him?’ you ask. By saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?'”

    Questions: This is a warning to priests. So if we are called to be a nation of priests, does this chapter apply to us and our “pastors?” Is God shy about making threats, and even ones that are a bit crude? God warns those who are priests who cause others to stumble. They did this by being partial and unjust. This blog exists because of great injustice being done by today’s religious leaders. Do these scriptures apply to them too? Is God still the creator, if some man with a PHD claims that no one has created anything?

    Then he speaks about those who married unbelievers and divorce and unfaithfulness on the part of men towards their wives. Is God wearied by us when we call evil good and that God is pleased with this? How about when we claim that God will never bring justice on this evil planet of ours?

  72. Jerome: Sanctify Ministries

    I peeked at their FB photo, and concluded that they lack a Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity.

  73. Jerome,

    “The school’s administrators have him teaching a course on “Counseling and Mentoring Men”:”
    +++++++++++++++++

    i looked through all the course offerings; the only course with the word woman was “Biblical Theology, Womanhood”.

    so, no thought given to counseling and mentoring women. to encouraging them to develop into the kind, compassionate, wise, strong & courageous superheroes they are.

    (maybe that’s just too frightening a prospect for the male leadership)

    i think i’ll pool money together to erect a billboard in front of Cedarwood University emblazoned with

    “Women Are Not Human At Cedarwood University” in 1,000 point font, with the course listings underneath.

    do they know how transparent they are?

  74. Friend,

    “Sanctify Ministries…. they lack a Special Advisor to the President for Kingdom Diversity”
    ++++++++++++

    what? no SAPKD (Sapkaduh)?

    i think we have new ball to add to bs bingo, christian edition.

  75. Jerome,

    “Man Panel presented by Sanctify Ministries

    Ever wonder what men are thinking? Or what they have to say about some tough or big subjects? Well, now is your time to find out!”
    +++++++++++++

    is there, by chance, a Woman Panel??</i

    more importantly, how can i get on it?

  76. Jerome: “You may want to arrive a few minutes early before the seats fill up.”

    This, too, bothers me about Man Panel. If the event is so popular, why don’t the men reserve a bigger room or set out more chairs?

  77. Friend: First question from the audience: “What part of the man is the man panel?”

    Maybe it is a series of tests…

  78. SiteSeer,

    I agree with your assessment. I was trained that we should always be able to “defend your faith” and have an “answer”. While one May not be having a “faith crisis” when one just questions a situation, or one is suffering under grief , i suspect that many that spew these platitudes have a weak faith…. and their spewing aplatitude proves in their mind that “they have a strong faith…
    in fact the more live, the less I think I understand things, BUT that does NOT mean my faith is “weak”… despite what many preachers, and flavors of Christianity say..

  79. Jerome: Sanctify Ministries invite the women of Cedarville University to join us for a night with Dr. Gregory Couser, Dr. Anthony Moore, and Nick Boucher, who will be answering your questions about dating, love, and relationships!”

    All the women should come and have three men answer their questions about dating, love, and relationships!???

    Why? So they can be brainwashed to respond to men the way these three men want them to. No way. How dismissive toward women that a woman can’t answer questions with the men.

  80. elastigirl: but gaahhhh it happens in my beloved prayer group, too. it’s the whole darn culture.

    Sorry to hear that elastigirl.
    Group prayer (my opinion) should be free and clear of surrounding cultural mores and politics.

  81. Bridget: Why? So they can be brainwashed to respond to men the way these three men want them to. No way. How dismissive toward women that a woman can’t answer questions with the men.

    Well?
    How else can a woman get ‘sanctified’ unless it’s under the ‘covering’, and aegis of godly men?

  82. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    Cedarville fired their one female bible professor. They have female professors in other departments: just not Bible dept. (heaven forbid that a female ever teach a man any bible class according to CU). The president, Thomas White, was a mentee of Paige Patterson who used to sit on CU’s board until his fall from grace debacle at SWTS. That says it all.

  83. Muff Potter,

    “Group prayer (my opinion) should be free and clear of surrounding cultural mores and politics.”
    ++++++++++++++++

    for the most part, politics don’t enter in. cultural mores do somewhat. but it’s more like… being tutored, in the form of being corrected during prayer time.

    it’s very free form, people pray or not pray when they feel ready, have the inspiration. sometimes i’ll pray something, and one person (in particular) will somehow find a way to pray in such a way that clearly corrects me.
    ——–

    i’ve been in this thing my whole life (christianity)… i’ve chewed it up, and i myself have been chewed up by it.

    when in my deepest, darkest pit (physical injuries, emotions ravaged, depression, hopelessness, all compounding themselves; which lasted at least 15 years) none of the answers i had been given were true on any practical level whatsoever. turned out they were completely hollow.

    my faith tradition i was raised with was of absolutely no help to me. none. zilch. doesn’t mean that God, Jesus, Holy Spirit weren’t / aren’t real.

    i made my own way. found the 3-in-1 in a new way, borrowing from a different tradition.

    at this point, i’ve chewed all that up, too, and spit out everything except for the (well, i guess brass tacks is a painful mix of metaphors, so how about) non-pithy part. which was most of it.

    it’s interesting… even though my understanding and convictions are radically pared down to just a few things, it’s all much deeper. and more real.
    ———–

    so at our prayer meetings, when i pray something based on a deep thing i’m seeing, sensing, and then spiritual honeymooner comes along and prays a follow-up prayer to correct my prayer that didn’t compute in her inner christian-culture-issued computer,…

    i get a fit of coughs, check my phone, and tie my shoes all at once.
    ———–

    i love her, though – she’s my friend. i finally confronted her about it some weeks ago… it went well. it got messy, but we made something beautiful out of it. we are closer as a result.

  84. Friend,

    ““What part of the man is the man panel?”
    ++++++++++

    the part that causes them to park their shopping carts diagonally in the middle of the aisle? 😮

  85. Ken F (aka Tweed): Friend: First question from the audience: “What part of the man is the man panel?”

    Maybe it is a series of tests…

    As in “Unzip and Measure”?

  86. Muff Potter: Well?
    How else can a woman get ‘sanctified’ unless it’s under the ‘covering’, and aegis of godly men?

    Don’t forget servicing the Godly Men and making male babies for them.

  87. Mr. Jesperson: How about when we claim that God will never bring justice on this evil planet of ours?

    Justice as in working up COVID-19 in His Heavenly bioweapons lab and handing out vial after vial of the virus to angels to pour all over the world like that scene from Revelation?

    Because that’s what your Private Revelation has been saying since you got on this kick.

  88. Friend: Agreed with the rabbi that suffering is a lousy teacher. The only benefit I’ve found is that survivors can give insight and hope to the newly suffering. But it’s not a fair trade, and survivors have to survive first, develop insights worth passing along, and offer their help in a welcome way—or at least quietly serve as living examples.

    And no, most survivors don’t want to be the Motivational Cancer Spokesmodel, or the Fabulous Widow, or the Amputee You Can Look At. Not even if they live in the open (that omits survivors of stalking). Many folks continue to struggle with a disability, emotional damage, or financial ruin.

    You’ve raised a more uplifting question, though. Do we learn through “more blessed means”? Yes, if only because love is a great teacher.

    There was a good recent documentary of Jim Abbott, a major league baseball pitcher who was born with only one hand. Abbott spoke of the chance he had to just be another competitor when he was playing sports rather than a focal point due to the physical difference. He shared about his different emotional challenges as he rose through the different levels of the sport, as with each level of success, more of a focus was put on that difference.

    When Abbott finally became a big leaguer, he talked about the initial emotional toll of the inevitable call from the higher-ups to come out of the clubhouse where he felt comfortable and to be used as the well-wisher and encourager to whatever physically-challenged person was brought to him, the big leaguer with a disability. However, he spoke of it as a net positive saying it was the most memorable and meaningful part of his career.

    Sufferings and trials can hold great value. What is written in Hebrews 4 about Jesus being able to sympathize with our weaknesses is surrounded in other chapters by other verses concerning suffering. It does seem that His experiences bearing out in reality had a true purpose:

    Hebrews 2:10 “For it was fitting to Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, having brought many sons to glory, to make perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”

    Hebrews 5:7-10 “He in the days of His flesh, having offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One being able to save Him from death, and having been heard because of reverent submission, though being a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered, and having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all those obeying Him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

  89. As I look at my own experience I don’t think things will change for a long time as far as leadership and even the laity accepting women as college professors in the Bible department. Why? I was the first Christian in my family, my mother was an extremely strong woman personality wise in our family so I had a good example growing up on what women can do ( I am 62) . The churches I attended were all fundamental baptist churches where women were not allowed to teach men and the rest that goes with that belief. Surprisingly today, even though I feel I have progressed in my thinking, I find it VERY DIFFICULT to read a theological book written by a woman. I have been indoctrinated not to view the book as being as deep spiritually as one written by a man. I know intellectually it doesn’t make a difference but I just do and so I have to fight that. So when I look at the YRR movement, their teachings and the size of their churches I don’t see much hope. Even more ironic is that I have been a nurse for close to 40 years and all my instructors, except one have been women and they were outstanding and I never had an issue except for one or two who were ardent feminists. I think the church just loses out for not tapping into a great source of knowledge that God made available to us. Women often bring a different perspective to a situation that men don’t. I saw this often when I first came into nursing and most doctors were men and nurses female. Believe me when I say a lot mistakes and bad outcomes were avoided by a
    listening to a female nurse’s perspective on certain situations. God bless women theologians.

  90. CHuck,

    Thank you for posting this. A lot of people are in this situation, including women raised in traditions where only men were allowed to speak or have any control or power whatsoever.

    I don’t know if you belong to a church these days, but you might try researching some churches with women clergy, and watching services online. Within a given tradition, the men and women broadly preach the same theology and do the liturgy in the same way.

    It’s reassuringly normal, despite the hue and cry about Witchcraft and False Teaching over in the SBC and IFB.

  91. elastigirl: it’s very free form, people pray or not pray when they feel ready, have the inspiration. sometimes i’ll pray something, and one person (in particular) will somehow find a way to pray in such a way that clearly corrects me.

    I’ve been there back in the day (Calvary Chapel), and it amounts to ‘weaponized’ prayer.
    I am so glad to be free of all that horse-poo-poo.

    elastigirl: i made my own way. found the 3-in-1 in a new way, borrowing from a different tradition.

    I’ve done pretty much the same, borrowing heavily from modern Judaism.

  92. Friend: What do you believe about the 3-in-1?

    I’m a trinitarian, but I don’t part company with those who are not.
    I think it’s better and more productive to find the common ground that can exist with different traditions and belief systems.

  93. Muff Potter,

    Thanks. Non-Trinitarian Christians have interesting things to say, as do non-Christians. It’s humbling and healthy to listen outside one’s own zone.

  94. Jerome: You may want to arrive a few minutes early before the seats fill up.

    This sounds to me like Christian school code for “You are required to go so don’t be late.” Liberty often did the same thing.

  95. ishy,

    It also plays on emotions….. hey, you might miss put on something special! Maybe you can learn how to “talk the talk”, but not “walk the talk”??

  96. Prayer Request & Update:

    04/20/2020 Update: My son-in-law’s grandmother tested positive for COVID-19 on April 9. She is 92, resides in an assisted living facility. She was hospitalized with pneumonia a few days ago. Seven of the residents in the assisted living facility with the coronavirus have passed away; multiple other residents and staff have tested positive. I posted this earlier on the prayer requests page … please continue to pray.

  97. drstevej,

    Ken F (aka Tweed): Headless Unicorn Guy: As in “Unzip and Measure”?

    And if one fails that test, the next test on the panel is book stack size.

    Well, in Ceejay’s case of talking of Big Al’s stack size, stack size was only a thinly disguised euphemism. That’s why all the hospelly dudebros listening found it so hilarious.

  98. Bridget: All the women should come and have three men answer their questions about dating, love, and relationships!???

    Wow, why would any woman want to go & listen to that, except to laugh and have a story to tell.

  99. Max,

    Will pray for your son in law’s mother do you have a first name or initial, for some reason it helps me
    focus .

  100. Beakerj,

    It’s a desperate effort to wake us all up before it’s Too Late. The behavior is self-reinforcing, because in challenging it we fulfill verses about prophets in their home towns, voices crying in the wilderness, and coming not to bring peace but an implement that would send my comment into time-out.

    People ignore prophecies, people believe prophecies, people reject prophecies: any and every reaction proves this kind of prophet right in his own mind.

    So we might as well just respond honestly, and maybe help some lurkers who are hearing these kinds of prophecies at home. [waves to lurkers]

  101. Max:
    Prayer Request & Update:

    04/20/2020 Update:My son-in-law’s grandmother tested positive for COVID-19 on April 9. She is 92, resides in an assisted living facility.She was hospitalized with pneumonia a few days ago.Seven of the residents in the assisted living facility with the coronavirus have passed away; multiple other residents and staff have tested positive.I posted this earlier on the prayer requests page … please continue to pray.

    Max
    I’m so sorry. Please feel your s-i-l that I have already prayer for his grandmother. Please keep us updated.

  102. Friend,

    “Non-Trinitarian Christians have interesting things to say, as do non-Christians. It’s humbling and healthy to listen outside one’s own zone.”
    ++++++++++++++

    i observe that people who don’t sport the christian label (and either sport different labels or no real label at all) exhibit at least as much ‘fruit of the holy spirit’ (as a catch-all descriptor), wisdom, good marriages, healthy life-giving relationships as christian-label-people….

    but more often than not they exceed the christian-label people.

    it’s one of my main catalysts for questioning everything.

  103. elastigirl: but more often than not they exceed the christian-label people.

    I was raised to believe that people like us had it the best. Our family was miserable, but that was the best it could be, and therefore outstanding. Imagine my surprise (and gradual relief) to see that people from different religions and ethnic groups were happier than I was in my little fundagelical bubble. From others I learned to believe in kindness, charity, friendship, and good marriages.

    Then I had to retrofit all of that learning into my cramped set of beliefs. Worth doing, but much effort. Should have been obvious from the get-go, since it’s right there in Paul’s chapter on love:

    Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

    Love never ends.

  104. Max,

    So sorry to hear about this. It’s really hitting the elderly establishments hard. I’ll pray for her.

  105. Chuck,

    Her friends call her “Mickey” … anyone who would pray for her is her friend. Thanks Chuck. The really tough thing about this is that family can’t visit her in the hospital. That’s understandable, but tough.

  106. dee,

    Thanks Dee. I will let Michael know that you prayed for his grandmother (“Mickey”). He is a hospice chaplain and handles these things daily, but this is his Granny … not being able to visit her in the hospital is a hard thing for the family.

  107. Friend,

    “Then I had to retrofit all of that learning into my cramped set of beliefs.”
    ++++++++++++

    could you say that you had retrofit your set of beliefs into all that learning?

  108. elastigirl: could you say that you had retrofit your set of beliefs into all that learning?

    I didn’t adopt others’ practices so much as I looked for them in Christian tradition. Many religions have fasting; what is fasting in Christianity, and how might I choose to fast?

    In every regard, my own tiny tribe fell short of the Christian standard, and non-Christians were better Christians than we were. We nonetheless scoffed, “We don’t have to fast. Fasting is for those dumb _____ over there.”

  109. For too long, the corruption at Cedarville University has largely gone unnoticed. I’m glad to see the chickens coming home to roost (though I’m truly sad for many of the good and godly people who still work there and the students/parents ignorant of everything that has gone on). This story is about corruption on the Board of Trustees, dating back to when the BoT purged themselves of supposedly “liberal” members and corruption in the present administration. This particular story about Moore is only the tip of the iceberg.

    CU has violated their accreditation mandates through the Higher Learning Commission in numerous ways, creating a culture of hostility under White’s reign of tyranny. The censorship policy passed in 2017 (CU first called it the “Philippians 4:8” policy, which Christianity Today reported on; then the university left the policy in tact but changed the name to the “Biblically Consisistent Curriculum” policy, or “BCC”) solidified a quasi fascist regime which tightly controls what readings can be assigned and which ones can’t be assigned. Banning books is the norm. Hostile bullying of faculty who don’t tow the line is likewise the norm.

    To date, books and stories have been banned, some of which don’t even fall under the “BCC” policy. Some things are banned for political reasons. For instance, all of Christian author Shane Claiborne’s books have been banned because they contain political viewpoints the administration deems unbiblical–they view them as “radical” (i.e., non-Republican). Claiborne’s books are in no way “pornographic,” “erotic,” “obscene,” or “graphic,” the four characteristics the “BCC” policy says will determine whether materials will be banned. Likewise, other readings have been banned, including Native American “trickster” myths, various acclaimed graphic novels written by people of color (such as Persepolis), the memoir of a Latina writer (because it depicts her sexual abuse as a child), etc. The policy is also used to censor media and movies, art and theatre, etc., including the infamous example provided in the CT article about the Oscar-winning film, Schindler’s List, also banned. (Clairborne, btw, is the only white male author banned. Every other author is a person of color. This is important to note because the racism on that campus is deep and wide, too; Moore only got his job precisely because of that racism–to make the university look good on paper–and because White trusted Moore implicitly to support him and stroke his ego. After all, White has Moore’s number, which he could use at any time if Moore doesn’t tow the line. Thus, Moore passes the litmus tests of both theology and White sycophancy. Ironically, if Moore were a white man, he would’ve have been hired; White is banking on Moore’s very race to protect him. White will play that race card–and say your attacks against Moore are rooted in racism. I can guarantee it.)

    In the last 3 years alone, half of the English department has resigned, seeking academic freedom and healthier work places because they have been mercilessly attacked and publicly shamed. Once instance of public shaming occurred in August of 2017 during required faculty & staff sessions. In front of all staff and faculty, Pres. White pulled out of context certain passages of some of literature that he has since banned, including the memoir by the Latina author, put quotations on PowerPoint slides, and explained that the “BCC” policy (passed in 2017) exists to eliminate such “dirty” literature from the classroom, likewise shaming faculty who assigned such readings. He never explained the professors’ perspectives or pedagogical reasons for teaching the readings. Context to him was irrelevant. He was judge and jury. Faculty and staff across campus were shocked. To this day, many faculty view that behavior not only as a public shaming but also as a violation of the community covenant all CU employees are required to sign (i.e., the President himself violated the covenant to show respect to others and lovingly esteem them). Most faculty felt threatened that day, believing if they, too, “crossed over the line,” they may face similar public humiliation.

    Equally important, Pres. White publicly shamed the Latina author herself, a victim of sexual abuse, thereby sending the message to all members of the faculty and staff that if they, too, are victims of such abuse (and some are), they can never discuss it in detail in their own stories. This is important to note in light of Moore’s hiring as well because he himself was apparently a predator. The lesson is clear: If you silence the victims, the predators prosper. (Btw, often in some faculty committee meetings, White would express dismay and confusion over Christians who needed counseling or took antidepressants, something White doesn’t believe in. He is a supporter of nouthetic counseling and doesn’t believe in psychology, let alone therapy. His attacks against the psychology department at CU have also been constant. This explains why Moore was hired at CU just 6 months after he was fired from his church. A simple expression of repentance was enough for White to then give Moore access to the young people at CU–no psychological therapy required.)

    The CU President and the VPA now have a regular modus operandi they follow: When a student or parent complains about something being taught in a class, whether online or on campus, they take a look at it. If they find it objectionable, the faculty member is brought in and condemned. Since high schoolers take dual enrollment classes at CU (Ohio is very big on dual enrollment), it’s not uncommon for this scenario to transpire with such students who are simply too unprepared or immature for college-level materials (likewise with sheltered, infantilized freshmen). This policy, therefore, has invited a culture in which parents and students are welcome to complain about faculty. Thus, professors never know who in their classes will complain, and so, they teach under constant fear and anxiety since the administration often undermines them.

    The VPA, however, claims he also uses the “BCC” policy to defend faculty to parents who call to complain. But one must ask: Why does a VPA need to rationalize his support of his own faculty with such a policy in the first place? Shouldn’t an HLC-accredited institution have administrators who are already adept at communicating the significance of academic freedom as well as the rationale behind a university education, one that is supposed to value the liberal arts? The VPA’s defense is a ruse.

    Last note: The all-male modesty panel has been likened in the past to the Taliban (in an April 2009 issue of the student newspaper, Cedars–after that issue, which isn’t in the online archives, the newspaper was closed down until February of 2010). All this corruption at CU traces its roots back to the controversies on campus in the 2006-2009 time period–the truth & certainty controversy leading to the required statement, the SoulForce visit, the Shane Clairborne canceled visit, etc. The student newspaper did a good job covering those things, until it was shut down, assigned a new faculty advisor, and restarted with all new staff. Simply put: Fundamentalist constituents, the ones with money, viewed the school as “going liberal.” They overreacted and overcorrected, as a driver might do if his car is heading toward a ditch. But the overreacting and overcorrection has resulted in the creation of one of the most incredibly misogynist, racist, and hostile cultures in higher ed today.

  110. Clarification: *If Moore were a white man, I don’t think he would’ve have been hired.

  111. justicecollective,

    Unfortunately, what you write, is true to greater or lessor extents, at most “religious” schools.. The concept of “academic freedom” will run counter to any doctrinal statement. People like to lament how so many of the “big name” US Universities started out as religious schools, and the they “went liberal”.
    But almost all established “churches/denomination will always be slow to react/change to new ideas, and this is by design.
    What most people take for granted as scientific fact was once considered a “heresy” in the “church”… and then by default, at any University that taught the particular scientific fact… or, forget scientific fact and consider the case for human slavery in this the US… it split denominations , and I am sure there was battles in Southern Universities associated with specific demonization …

  112. This is the first time I have ever commented on a blog, and I have never spent much time reading them. As an academic, blogs’ lack of editorial or peer review make me nervous. However, an individual not affiliated with Cedarville University, made me aware of this post, and I feel compelled to reply because I am the professor who assigned the Latino woman’s story of abuse, and have therefore suffered great emotional distress at having caused (I know I didn’t actually cause it, but this is often how victims feel) her re-victimization. The fact that she was not present during her re-victimization brings little comfort to me. I have been locked in internal battle until now about whether or not I should speak up. Despite finding courage in the words of women like Beth Moore, Dannah Gresh, and Karen Swallow Prior,I remained afraid, which should speak to the amount of tyranny Cedarville administration has lorded over faculty and staff in recent years.

    What I actually assigned was a several hundred page autobiography of a Peurto Rican woman who dedicated about three pages to a moment when she was sexually abused by an older cousin (on the day of the public shaming, Dr. White actually referenced another problematic scene in a later chapter, but his point was moot and misleading because I had told students to skip that chapter).

    The abuse scene truly was difficult to read: the language was crass, with anatomical parts being called by nicknames. The most novice of readers would have recognized this was because she was writing through the POV of an 8-yr-old, the age she was when the abuse took place. Evidently, then AVP, Loren Reno, and President White are less than novice readers. The then AVP called it pornography on more than one occasion (problematic because that totally ignores author’s intent, which is pivotal to one’s ability to read a text through a Christian lens and embraces a postmodern ideology), but Dr. White did worse.

    During faculty development days in 2017, Dr. White put this woman’s story of sexual abuse on the overhead screen. He called it profanity and told everyone present to look away from it. Folks, we can take our most heart breaking stories of abuse to Jesus and spill out every detail and He will never tell us we are dirty and He must look away. Amen and Amen. Dr. White clearly meant for this to be a dramatic moment. It was not. It was awkward and sad. Everyone present wondered what in the world Dr. White was trying to do. I was heartbroken, though, because this woman’s story of abuse was being mocked and called profane because of me, because I had assigned her story in an attempt to teach my students the Christian response of empathy. Dr. White clearly had none.

    Incidentally, if you turned the page in this beautiful woman’s novel, her memoir, her mother beat her when she learned what happened. That is the most profane part of the story. Yet it was not profane enough to make Thomas White’s supposedly shocking PowerPoint slides. His only interest was the sexual content, not the horrific way sexual abuse is responded to.

    I have cried endless tears over the re-victimization of this author. She does not even know it, but than matters not. The day Thomas White, President of Cedarville University, shamed her, many of the 300 or so of us present were also victims of sexual abuse, and we got the message loud and clear. Thankful Jesus does not view us as pornographic.

  113. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    I have taught at four religious schools in my 30+ years as a university professor, dating back to the 1980s. I had true academic freedom at three of them. CU is altogether a different animal. It is not just about a doctrinal statement, that that has grown and added minutiae under White, to be sure. It is about inhumane treatment of employees. I have never before witnessed or suffered under the emotional, verbal, and spiritual manipulation and abuse—threats and bullying, firings and demotions, unabashed misogynist messages and jokes in chapel services and emotionally manipulative speakers—as I did at CU. It is evil. The kind of hostile environment Master’s College was put on probation for by its accrediting agency is the very environment that exists at CU, only worse. It’s so bad that no present employee dares to talk—they are under such duress because *everyone* is suspect. They all talk, like we are now, after we leave, after it’s safe.

  114. justicecollective,

    Interesting…… as a scientist/engineer, I have particular interest in how science is taught at Christian schools…

    for example, Answer in Genesis has a “list” of “compromised” and “ non compromised” Christian schools with the “test” being the age of the earth, and literal, 6 day (. 24 hr) creation narratives..

  115. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    I understand that but the three other religious schools (including a CCCU school) all teach/taught evolutionary theory or theistic evolution. CU is the one exception.

  116. justicecollective: The policy is also used to censor media and movies, art and theatre, etc., including the infamous example provided in the CT article about the Oscar-winning film, Schindler’s List, also banned.

    How in the blue-eff did Schindler’s List get banned?
    If this isn’t enough to gobsmack an every-day rational person (christian or non), I don’t know what will. These people are so mired in a tyrannical make-believe-Orwellian-religious-dystopia, it’s straight out of Margaret Atwood.

  117. justicecollective,

    I went to Answer in Genesis’, AIG, web page to verify what I wrote above, and AIG has a “honor list” of Christian Colleges that are hard core, young earth creationist schools.. of course, Cederville is on the list… and so are several other schools that have significant “abuse” similar to what you outlined above……
    i went to a Christian College many years ago, and they taught the earth was old…. and, they took significant heat for that, as well as Professors in their Bible/Theology department for being to “scholarly”… “Scholarly ” is my word, the critics used much less complimentary words..

  118. Melissa Faulkner,

    I am sick to hear how White handled this. How are you doing? Has it affected your position at CU?

    White appears to be beholden to the New Calvinist movement which has influenced some changes at CU. This story has attracted the attention of some media and I suspect you will see more on Moore’s story.

    It is stunning to me that White would respond in the way he did-oh so concerned about *porn* in the story of abuse yet kiss up to Moore and hide his past from the faculty and students.

  119. Jeffrey Chalmers:
    justicecollective,

    Interesting…… as a scientist/engineer, I have particular interest in how science is taught at Christian schools…

    for example, Answer in Genesis has a “list” of “compromised” and “ non compromised” Christian schools with the “test” being the age of the earth, and literal, 6 day (. 24 hr) creation narratives..

    This does not surprise me. I may write a post about this soon.

  120. Melissa Faulkner,

    Thank you for bravely sharing this part of your story. The entire atmosphere there (from leadership) sounds horrifying, and decidedly anti-Christian.
    I also feel bad for any well-meaning parents who send their kids to Cedarville, and students who attend, not necessarily knowing the evil they will be exposed to during their “education”.

  121. dee,

    Actually, White’s response is not surprising…. In many ways, White is gaslighting everyone in the audience…. i.e. make the audience think they are “evil” since reading the passage means you are “enjoying” reading it….

    Given he hires a “fallen pastor”, and has him teach “men” how to treat other women, White clearly has “issues”

  122. dee,

    Melissa was able to use her name here because she is safe now–she got out, just like I did a couple of years ago. We both work a different schools now. I can attest to the veracity of her story. 100% accurate. Justicecollective represents faculty still stuck at CU who cannot use their names and speak out. In fact, the oppression at CU is so complete, and no one dares to even speak out with a false identity or anonymously to media (except for one or two really, really courageous folks). Fear is the real ruler at CU. That’s why I’m speaking out for these emotionally, verbally, and spiritually abused employees. It is time to expose all that has gone on there.

  123. dee,

    It is well with my soul, thank you for asking. I stayed 2 more years. I was tenured and had projects and people at Cedarville that I dearly loved, but admin continued to chip away at me. I finally realized two things — I was beginning to distrust all Christian men with power and authority, which is a huge problem, and I was in mourning. I was mourning what I thought the rest of my career would look like. I knew I wouldn’t heal until I left Cedarville. As soon as I admitted this truth, God handed me an new opportunity.

  124. Muff Potter,

    Great question–and it has a long, long answer! Below, you’ll find that long answer.

    Having worked at CU for 2 decades, up until just a couple of years ago, and representing some facstaff still stuck under White’s tyranny at CU, I can attest to the accuracy of everything that appears below. Wartburg Watch editors, you are free to contact us at the email account if you have further questions.

    CU’s exposure to young people of a “credibly accused” sexual abuser is grievous. CU has given Anthony Moore generous access to students, and the local church has given him generous access to young people, as he now works with the youth group at Grace Baptist in Cedarville. CU absolutely knows about Moore’s background. Here’s how we know that: CU will excuse their decision by saying they hired Moore and then had him on a one-year probation period where he could not teach–that is true. Why the probation? Because they knew. White told all facstaff at the time that he was going to hire someone who’d made a mistake in his past but was repentant. White told them as well that they weren’t allowed to ask questions about it or research the man’s name online or object in any way to hiring. White told them that CU was a place of “generous grace” and wanted to give this man a second chance. So again, Facstaff had no say in the matter. They were uncomfortable with the way it was presented and the decision, but they could say or do nothing (because at CU, you get bullied and fired if you don’t obey). Most Facstaff figured the man had had an extramarital affair–sin, but consensual sin. Now that CU Facstaff are finding out about this (thank you, WW, and Todd Wilhelm), their jaws have hit the floor. They are SHOCKED and APPALLED. Hiring a man who was fired for sexual abuse–just six months after the firing–a CRIMINAL ACT, is not the same as having made a “mistake.” It is atrocious, unethical, and deeply disturbing. (Plus Moore replaced a respected and godly man whom White treated abusively in that position previously as well. Equally atrocious. So note: This isn’t about race. It’s about hiring an SBC “bro,” a White sycophant.)

    Here is all the information we’ve collected over the last couple of years about all the violations of Higher Learning Commission accreditation. The HLC accepts complaints but not anonymously–and has no whistle-blower protection–one of the worst weaknesses of the HLC. So giving you all this information here is much safer for those involved with this cause at CU.

    It all relates to the Moore hiring because as Melissa’s story shows, when a regime silences victims, predators prosper–and so does the misogynist patriarchy. When this administration chose to censor and ban materials they deemed inappropriate, they were silencing victims from telling their stories. PLUS, NOTE THE TIMING: THE SAME YEAR MOORE WAS HIRED, THE CENSORSHIP POLICY WAS PUT INTO PLACE. (And yes, White has made CU into an SBC laundromat, promising to clean up an abuser while simultaneously giving that abuser access to CU’s thousands of students, even basketball players. Everything White wrote about how seriously CU takes sexual abuse is a joke. His blog–written during the Patterson scandal, when White would not condemn Patterson either, close friends that they are–makes a mockery of Title IX, Title VII, and every other law on the books a university is supposed to follow and enforce.)

    White, by the way, does NOT attend Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, but his good friends, Jason Lee and Jeremy Kimble do and are elders there. It’s our suspicion that the lead pastor at GBC has been hoodwinked; he has the highest of integrity, and we know personally that he has a solid history of supporting abused women and women going through divorces from abusive husbands.

    Again, this is lengthy. I hope everyone here can get through it ok. Feel free to ask follow-up questions. I’ll check in from time to time and try to answer them. Here it is:

    A culture at Cedarville University (CU) has developed over the last several years that greatly restricts academic freedom, thereby violating Higher Learning Commission (HLC) mandates.

    In particular, in the spring of 2017—the same year CU was hired “credibly accused” sexual abuser/fired Village Church pastor Anthony Moore—the CU administration implemented a policy they now call “The Biblically Consistent Curriculum Policy” (BCC), despite strong faculty objections (see attached document). In fact, there was, and is, no “shared governance” regarding the implementation or enforcement of this policy. Several long-time faculty leaders warned against it when the Vice President of Academics (VPA) at the time (Loren Reno) asked them about it, but the administration continued the process anyway.

    Then VPA Reno held faculty forums about the policy (forums that gave the appearance of listening to faculty input but really were just a ruse). Many faculty opposed the policy because it suggested the administration did not trust faculty to design their own curricula and administer appropriate assignments. (And indeed, to this day, faculty do not feel as though the administration trusts them; in turn, they do not trust the administration.) Many faculty likewise opposed the policy because they knew it would restrict their academic freedom. Some faculty even quoted Milton’s treatise against censorship, Areopagitica, in the forums. Others argued the policy really wasn’t biblical at all. In particular, two long-time, tenured Bible professors, hired under Dr. Paul Dixon, condemned the policy for taking Philippians 4:8 out of context and misapplying it. In short, faculty across campus—in professional programs, the sciences, and the liberal arts—voiced opposition to the policy. That opposition was ignored.

    Some other faculty either skipped the forums or stayed silent during them for fear of reprisal. Leading up to this policy, the new administration had already forced many Bible professors out of the Bible department because they deemed them “not conservative enough” to teach at Cedarville any more. (The “conservative resurgence” wing of the Southern Baptist Convention, made in the image of Paige Patterson, had gained control of the university and was enacting its infamous “purges” in that department. See more information here: fiatlux125.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/whats-happened-at-cedarville-villefeedbackforum/). Faculty feared then and fear now that if they question the administration, they will lose their jobs or be demoted.

    Administration did not allow faculty to vote on whether to adopt the policy—no vote was taken. The last forum was held on a Thursday; the next day, a Friday, the policy was put immediately into place and enforced retroactively, to boot. Thus, in the end the administration implemented the policy, in its original form, though they changed the title of it from “The Philippians 4:8 Policy” to the BCC.

    The entire situation was so controversial, it garnered media coverage, such as this article in Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/april/cedarville-university-apply-philippians-4-8-curriculum.html (One note about this article, however: The part that quotes Bible professor Dan DeWitt as saying his department had no problem with the policy is completely erroneous. As mentioned above, two tenured Bible professors objected strongly to the policy in the public forums. Yes, DeWitt is a White hire.)

    After the article appeared, faculty and staff were chastised for airing the situation in the press and told that they should never do such a thing. They were likewise told never to do that again in the future, that all discussions of controversies should be kept “in the family.” But the administration has never understood is that Facstaff go to the press precisely because they’re not allowed any voice on campus!

    The following disturbing situations also transpired around that policy:

    • First, CU’s administration waited to put this policy in place until after the HLC granted CU its accreditation renewal in the fall of 2016. CU’s President Thomas White wrote this blog entitled, “Biblical Wisdom and Intentionality for all 1,000 Days,” in the fall of 2016, serving as a precursor to the policy:

    https://blogs.cedarville.edu/cuaroundcampus/2016/11/biblical-wisdom-and-intentionality-for-all-1000-days/?fbclid=IwAR2O1wn5AjIk3DWEbq2qXSbC3f81ikQTDrZQBHf_DBV2Wn-LpCLHVIvr-rQ

    It is clear the administration wanted to move in this direction but waited until after the 10-year accreditation was renewed in December. As a side note, too: Faculty did not participate in the HLC visit that fall if they didn’t have to. Everyone was afraid to speak out against the administration, and many who worked on accreditation did so under duress. Again, the HLC provides no whistle-blower protections. Yet, obviously, it was to everyone’s benefit if the university regained its accreditation, too, so they were caught in a Catch-22 situation.

    After the CT article ran, Pres. White wrote another blog in August of 2017, in which he defended the policy and responded to the CT article:

    https://www.drthomaswhite.com/2017/04/27/biblically-consistent-curriculum/

    This is all notable only because the timing of the whole process seems suspicious, as though the CU administration knew they might have problems with the accreditation process if they put the policy in place right before, or at the same time as, the HLC visit in the fall of 2016.

    • Since the policy was passed, the administration has censored faculty curricula and student writing. For instance, some majors in the liberal arts have faced censorship for papers using various literary theories the administration objects to. Likewise, then VPA Reno censored student writing in The Cedarville Review, the student-run literary journal, pulling pieces, including writing and art, from publication because he didn’t like a philosophy behind a drawing (titled something along the lines of “the sacred and the profane”) and a curse word or two (hell) and the way a character behaved in a story (a grandmother depicted defending her grandson’s desire to get an alligator; in the story she also used the bathroom). The present VPA, Thomas Mach, still has the authority to censor the journal at will (as well as the student newspaper, Cedars, which has had a long history of censorship).

    • Quite a few liberal-arts faculty have been called into the VPA’s office, or worse, Pres. White’s office, and condemned for teaching certain readings and curricula.

    • To date, books and stories have been banned, some of which don’t even fall under the BCC policy. Some things are banned for political reasons. For instance, all of Christian author Shane Claiborne’s book have been banned because they contain political viewpoints the administration deems unbiblical because they view them as “radical” (i.e., non-Republican). Claiborne’s books are in no way “pornographic,” “erotic,” “obscene,” or “graphic,” the four characteristics banned in the policy. Likewise, other readings have been banned, including Native American “trickster” myths, various graphic novels (such as Persepolis), the memoir of the Latina writer (see Melissa’s comment above), etc.

    • What’s worse is that during the fall semester of faculty/staff sessions in August of 2017, the President defended the policy by publicly shaming the English department in particular. He pulled out of context certain passages of some of literature that he has since banned, including the memoir by the Latina author, put quotations on PowerPoint slides, and explained that the policy exists to eliminate such “dirty” literature from the classroom. (Again, see Melissa’s comment above corroborating these facts.) He never explained the professors’ perspectives or pedagogical reasons for teaching the readings. Faculty and staff across campus were shocked. To this day, most faculty view that behavior not only as a public shaming but also as a violation of the community covenant all CU employees are required to sign (i.e., the President himself violated the covenant).

    • Most faculty felt threatened that day, believing if they, too, “crossed over the line,” they may face similar public humiliation. That’s the whole point of a public shaming, after all: Control.

    • Equally important, Pres. White publically shamed the Latina author herself, a victim of sexual abuse, thereby sending the message to all members of the faculty and staff that if they, too, are victims of such abuse (and some are), they can never discuss it in detail in their own stories. The CU President and the VPA now have a regular modus operandi they follow: When a student or parent complains about something being taught in a class, whether online or on campus, they take a look at it. If they find it objectionable, the faculty member is brought in and condemned. Since high schoolers take dual enrollment classes at CU, it’s not uncommon for this scenario to transpire with such students who are simply too unprepared or immature for college-level materials (likewise with sheltered, infantilized freshmen). This policy, therefore, has invited a culture in which parents and students are welcome to complain about faculty. Thus, professors never know who in their classes will complain, and so, they teach under constant fear and anxiety since the administration often undermines them.

    • VPA Thomas Mach now claims he also uses the policy to defend faculty to parents who call to complain. But one must ask: Why does a VPA need to rationalize his support of his own faculty with such a policy in the first place? Shouldn’t an HLC-accredited institution have administrations who are already adept at communicating the significance of academic freedom as well as the rationale behind a university education? His defense is a ruse.

    • What’s worse, since the VPA forced out the Writing Center director last year, he has put all existing (and already CRLA-certified) writing center tutors through a re-application process that included questions testing their allegiance to CU. To make clear: He forced veteran student tutors, who’d already gained CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association) certification, to re-apply for jobs in the Writing Center in order to meet with his approval. In short, the administration is now censoring and seeking to control the views of the student tutors in the CU Writing Center, too.

    • Likewise, the administration has now mandated that all faculty seeking tenure write their faith-learning integration papers (required for review) in such a way that they completely refute their various disciplines’ theories that the administration doesn’t approve of. Faculty are not allowed to hold nuanced positions, even if they’ve already published scholarly articles on these positions. Instead, they are mandated to reject such theories wholesale, despite even the tenure review committee’s objections. This, too, greatly restricts academic freedom and a faculty member’s freedom of expression in ways that simply defy logic–and the whole point of integration in the first place. CU doesn’t integrate; it indoctrinates.

    • Other public shaming happens often in chapel services, too; this past year, Pres. White publically chastised students in chapel for seeking counseling in the counseling center, admonishing them to “get in” their Bibles. Although Pres. White says otherwise, he holds the psychology profession and certain professors in the department under suspicion and undermines them however he can. In fact, as soon as he arrived at CU, he appointed the same person to serve as both Dean of Students and the Director of Counseling, causing a serious conflict of interest, as CU is quick to expel students who don’t abide by the rules, despite mental health illnesses and needs.

    • Furthermore, Pres. White appointed a new chair for the social work department who is attempting to develop his own accreditation organization (for fundamentalists!) so as to leave the one that has accredited CU’s social work program for years. His work has shocked professionals in the field at national conferences, including many Christian scholars, and raised serious questions about way the program at CU is now being run.

    • This kind of reasoning led Pres. White to withdraw CU from the Conference on Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in 2016, telling faculty the CCCU just isn’t conservative enough on the issue of (what else?) homosexuality and his goal is to form his own such organization for fundamentalist schools like the one he’s turned CU back into. He made this decision (and this statement) even though the official stance of the CCCU still views heterosexual monogamy as the biblical model. Yet, within the year, as you have established, White hired a professor “credibly accused” of same-sex sexual abuse.

    • Public chastisement also hurts staff and faculty, many of whom are presently working with therapists as they endure workplace abuse and some of whom have even suffered serious physical illnesses as a result of the hostility and unbearable stress. Such faculty can be found in departments such as social work, psychology, pharmacy, communications, theatre, art, graphic design, English, and foreign languages. If the HLC could see how many faculty have left in the last 8 years from those departments, that would be proof enough of the ongoing hostility. In short, those faculty and staff who want to leave and can get out, do. Human Resources has plenty of documentation on this trend from their exit interviews with such faculty, but nothing changes.

    Although as a private, religious institution CU has great freedom to enact policies that public schools could never enact, and it has the religious freedom to require agreement to its community life standards, it now has violated HLC accreditation mandates in many ways. These violations are completely unethical; they have likewise proved to be emotionally and verbally abusive towards faculty. In short, these violations are as unprofessional as they are unChristian.

    The academic freedom statement formulated by the American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges clearly states the following:

    College or university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession and
    officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they
    should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special
    position in the community imposes special obligations. As persons of learning
    and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their
    profession and institution by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be
    accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the
    opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not
    institutional spokespersons.

    Moreover, the HLC clearly states all HLC institutions should be “committed to freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning.”

    This document, therefore, should be understood not as an attack on Christian higher education, for that has every right to exist and should continue to exist. It is an expression arguing that the “special obligations” the AAUC and AAC have stipulated are vital to higher education. Therefore, this complaint should be viewed for what it is: a desperate plea for help from faculty who are not “free from institutional censorship or discipline.” CU does not fulfill the HLC mandate either with its present curriculum policy, which does constitute censorship. Professors across the board—in social work and psychology, communications and theatre, art and literature, education and sociology—are all required to teach only the literature, media, art, drama, pedagogies, theories, etc. that aren’t offensive to the administration’s political views (it’s the Republican viewpoint or bust) or their reductionist moral views (i.e., they reduce art and literature to evaluating art based upon curse words, sex scenes, etc.). Thus, the administration is disingenuous in the CT article and Pres. White is disingenuous in his blog when they say they don’t censor political views or art in this way; they absolutely do.

    Furthermore, CU’s administration does not demonstrate “that the exercise of intellectual inquiry and the acquisition, application, and integration of broad learning and skills are integral to its education programs.” And it has now regularly censored professors’ attempts to have students master “modes of inquiry or creative work.” It can’t be emphasized enough that even students’ writing has been censored. Thus, even in this way, CU does not allow academic freedom. In short, it does not recognize the “human and cultural diversity of the world in which students live and work,” especially when the vast majority of censored writings have authors who are people of color.

    Faculty have tried to reason with this administration on many occasions, to no avail. There is no real shared governance surrounding the policy, which is regularly used to threaten and condemn faculty. In short, their pedagogy and theory are held hostage by this policy, for they are not only restricted in what they can teach and assign but also restricted by their own legitimate fears of reprisal. All in all, this policy has created one of the most disturbing climates in higher education in this country, and the CU administration must be held accountable for both the hostile culture they’ve created and the emotional abuse they have heaped upon the faculty who faithfully serve Christ there.

  125. justicecollective,

    The BCC Policy at CU

    Foundation:

    Cedarville University’s doctrinal statement affirms, “we believe that every believer should walk by the Spirit and engage in practices that stimulate spiritual maturity.” To that end, “Christians are…to flee evil influences and practices, which hinder a Spirit-filled life.” The Community Covenant provides a framework within which spiritual maturity can be pursued by employees and encouraged in our students: “we covenant together to be people of integrity and self-control, truthful in our speech, honest in our conduct, and morally pure in both thought and action.” Further, the Cedarville General Workplace Standards establishes specific principles within which employees should operate, “As a community of born-again believers, we believe that pleasing and glorifying God in all that we do and say is an expression of our gratitude to God’s grace and love in our lives.” As such, all that we do should be designed to bring Him glory as demonstrated in “our commitment to moral purity in thought and action.” These guidelines for work and life are institutional standards based on the belief that Scripture is the foundation upon which we can pursue righteous living.(II Timothy 3:16-17) Scripture is replete with guidelines for Christian living, because God knew how susceptible humans are to temptation. It reminds the Christian “to keep oneself unstained from the world.”(James 1:27) “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”(Psalm 119:9) “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”(Psalm 101:3) Finally, Phil. 4:8 provides a rubric for evaluating what is appropriate in the Christian life:

    Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worth of praise, think about these things.(ESV)

    Application:

    The above guidelines not only apply to the individual lives of faculty employed by the university, but also to what is examined and taught in the classroom or through co-curricular activities. The application of these principles to courses or events on campus is not always easy. Students will often be exposed to assumptions, philosophies, and ideologies within various fields that run counter to the truth of God’s Word. To operate effectively within the field in which these students intend to work, they must both know these unbiblical systems and ideas as well as be able to critique them. In some cases, the very study of a particular field involves the examination of images or writing that is conducive to temptation. Cedarville does its students no favors by insulating them from everything that is false, pagan, or immodest in this world. Nonetheless, Cedarville’s faculty must evaluate these demands based upon the standards of Scripture. Paul, in Romans 12:2, exhorts followers of Christ to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The Philippians 4:8 passage articulates the imperative for Cedarville to be distinctive in the education it provides. What is acceptable in most classrooms may not be at Cedarville. The lines of propriety must be drawn with an eye toward what is pure, not simply what is just.

    Scope:

    This policy is not designed to restrict the free discussion of ideologies, philosophies, or schools of thought that may or may not run counter to biblical truth. Rather, this policy is focused on images, movies, songs, plays, or writing that may be considered “adult” in nature, that represent immorality, or that may be a stumbling block to students. While it is true that Cedarville cannot prepare its students for cultural engagement without exposing them to aspects of the culture that are depraved, it is also true that every institution must draw lines that it will not transgress. Cedarville chooses to draw its lines in a fashion that best comports with the clear teaching of Scripture and, where it must err, err on the side of preventing the placement of temptation or unwholesome material in front of students. In cases where Scripture is not clear, Cedarville University has established institutional preferences. While these guidelines do not pretend to be equivalent to Scripture, they are not intended to be legalistic either. Freedom only exists within boundaries. This policy provides clear boundaries for employees as well as context for students and their parents regarding the type of community they are entering when they enroll at Cedarville.

    Guidelines:

    In general, faculty will avoid material that is pornographic (“prurient, twisted, addictive, evil, and exploitive use of nudity to titillate or tempt”) or erotic (“overt sexual connotation”). “Artistic bareness” may be appropriate in courses studying art, for example, as such images are designed to convey “ideal proportion, human philosophy and religious beliefs, and human emotion and vulnerability.” The use of such images should be handled judiciously, recognizing that each person faces different struggles when it comes to the ability to view them without stumbling. The decision should not be based on what some can tolerate or on the world’s standard of what is acceptable, but on what some cannot or should not tolerate. It should be based on the standards of Scripture as outlined in this policy, and each faculty member should be able to articulate how the use of such material is in line with passages like Philippians 4:8. In all cases, faculty should make loving accommodation for those students who do not wish to view the images in such a fashion that allows for the objectives of the course to be met.

    Faculty must also be cognizant of what reading and writing assignments they require of students. Passages that are clearly pornographic, erotic, obscene, or graphic must be avoided. While it may be important to expose students to various genres of writing, examples need to be selected to avoid inappropriate material. Sometimes the genre is not as important as the theme or content in determining assignments. In those circumstances, faculty should consider what topics are appropriate for students to engage directly and what topics should be discussed without exposure due to their graphic or erotic nature. Faculty are responsible for what they assign to their students in the same way that they are responsible for what they say to their students.(James 3:1)
    Movies need to be carefully selected in curricular and co-curricular settings. Movies shown for a class should be prescreened by faculty for objectionable material. Excerpts can be used that do not include inappropriate material. Required assignments involving movies or movie segments should be made recognizing that students have varying levels of conviction about material and varying struggles with regard to temptation. Faculty should provide accommodations to those students who do not wish to view the material because they deem it objectionable. As a general rule, “R” rated movies will not be shown. PG-13, PG, and unrated movies should be evaluated based on language, sexual content, graphic violence, and nudity. Faculty should consider how the movie selected measures up to the standards of Philippians 4:8. Excerpts could be shown that do not include the objectionable material. Movies that are shown as part of campus events that could include individuals from the public should be reviewed by the Vice Presidents of Academics. The standard for events involving the public may be higher because the movie, in this case, will be a reflection of the standards of the institution.
    Similar guidelines apply to plays and productions produced by the institution on campus. Since these productions are closely associated with the university in the minds of public attendees, it is very important that the scripts chosen not leave attenders confused as to the standards of the institution. Scripts with swearing must be avoided or modified. Plays with morals or teachings that run counter to the Scriptural standard should be evaluated for what value they bring to the campus. Given the broader audience and consistent with current practice, all play scripts selected should be approved by the VPA.

    In all cases where material is potentially objectionable or problematic, faculty should model biblical critique for their students. Questions such as the following are helpful in working through the value of these materials with students:

    1. What is valuable in this image, movie, song, play, or writing?
    2. What is an appropriate biblical critique of the objectionable material?
    3. What worldview is expressed and how does it compare with a biblical worldview?
    4. What are the gray areas that Scripture does not speak to directly and how should Christians analyze them?
    5. How should we be sensitive to that brother or sister who may struggle with this material?

    Faculty should take into account that standards for required material may be higher than for optional events. Students who have a conviction about certain material or are struggling with a particular temptation can easily opt out of optional events. Such students are put in a predicament by required assignments that involve problematic material. Faculty should provide and make students aware of accommodations when material involved is potentially problematic. In all cases, faculty are wise to run material and media by their dean or chair prior to presenting it to students if it approaches the category of “unacceptable.” Before God and the administration, faculty are accountable for their choices, and deans and chairs for their oversight of this material.

  126. readingalong: I also feel bad for any well-meaning parents who send their kids to Cedarville, and students who attend, not necessarily knowing the evil they will be exposed to during their “education”.

    I might give some of the parents a pass. However, many such parents are angry people intent on controlling their young adult children, and especially making sure that college doesn’t challenge their ideas.

    Earth to parents: Wake up!

  127. justicecollective (quoting from the BCC policy): This policy is not designed to restrict the free discussion of ideologies, philosophies, or schools of thought that may or may not run counter to biblical truth.

    I call BS. From what JC and Melissa have shared, it sounds like “restricting free discussion” is exactly the goal that White has in mind.

  128. justicecollective: Cedarville does its students no favors by insulating them from everything that is false, pagan, or immodest in this world.

    Cedarville does its students no favors by proclaiming that all outside its tiny oppressive fiefdom is false, pagan, and immodest.

    Also by proclaiming that falseness, paganism, and immodesty, as defined by Cedarville, are bad.

    Full disclosure: Part of my left collarbone is currently visible, and I raise native plants.

  129. Melissa Faulkner: I have cried endless tears over the re-victimization of this author. She does not even know it, but than matters not. The day Thomas White, President of Cedarville University, shamed her, many of the 300 or so of us present were also victims of sexual abuse, and we got the message loud and clear. Thankful Jesus does not view us as pornographic.

    Thank you for saying this — I’m sure there are many reading here who need to hear it.

    As hard as it must have been, I’m glad that you survived your time at Cedarville. Thank you for having the courage to speak out in detail about the injustice there.

  130. dee,

    So sorry for posting the same response twice just now–my system seemed to have timed out. Feel free to delete the second (redundant) one!

  131. Serving Kids in Japan,

    While I do not want to take away, nor diminish anything you said, I have heard disgusting things from/about:
    Bob Jones University
    The Masters University ( formaly Los Angles Baptist College)
    Pensacola Christian College
    Christian Heritage College
    Moody Bible Institute
    I have heard about issues with others, but above list I know stories from original sources
    And, to a lessor extent, BIOLA…

  132. Friend: Cedarville does its students no favors by proclaiming that all outside its tiny oppressive fiefdom is false, pagan, and immodest.

    In a way it’s analogous to Official North Korean Proclamations, where everything outside the grasp of Comrade Dear Leader is in infinitely worse.

  133. Jeffrey Chalmers: Given he hires a “fallen pastor”, and has him teach “men” how to treat other women

    “Treat” as in “Your Boot, Her Face, EVERYBODY STAMP HARDER”?

  134. dee,

    While I do not want to degenerate into a game of which is worse abuse, the “intellectual/emotional” abuse that these two have outline is VERY serious, IMHO, and definitely worthy of TWW. I could go on and on about the Damage that this kind of abuse can cause, but I think these two speak for themselves!

  135. Melissa Faulkner: I knew I wouldn’t heal until I left Cedarville. As soon as I admitted this truth, God handed me an new opportunity.

    God is good! Despite what Cedarville might teach, believers have a free will. When they choose to exercise it and depart from the bondage of aberrant teachings, they discover freedom in Christ. While it can be a difficult transition to leave the familiar and folks you love, it is a spiritually healthy thing when you surrender error for a pursuit of truth. For all you New Calvinists listening in, there is refreshing in the spirit, a healing of mind and soul, and new opportunities in Christ awaiting you … “if” you move from the movement into the Kingdom. Thank you Melissa for sharing this truth.

  136. Max,

    And, we all need to support those that get the courage to say enough! These “ oppressive organization”, I have real trouble calling them “the church”, do a great job of manipulating the pew peons into thinking they are the “fallen ones” that blow the whistle and cry foul! (I.e. they are masters at gaslighting the pew peons). Depending how brainwashed and for how long they brainwashed you, it can take years to break the guilt they lay on you….
    As MAx states, one of the FUNDAMENTAL concepts coming out of the reformation is free will, or another way of looking at it, we are responsible directly to G$d…. no need for, nor justification for, these “little popes” that try to control the pew peons….

  137. You are so correct. God does not call us to be comfortable. And that can be hard to accept. If you knew my whole story, it would blow your mind how God has so clearly had me in the palm of His hand all along. My story crushes all statistics dictating what it should have been. Speaking up is something I have believed God had been calling me to do for a long time. Ironically, I find comfort in Thomas White’s own words: “Any attempt to minimize or conceal incidents [of abuse] – including simply not reporting them – is absolutely unacceptable. We have an obligation to protect anyone who has been abused or mistreated.” I’m sorry I can’t specify which chapel message, text, or speech these words came from because I just found them in my journal. I know it’s an exact quote, though, because I am meticulous about quote marks . Today, you would think I felt anxious, having just shared my story. But no. I planted my garden with little regard for anything happening around me. I am at peace.
    Max,

    Max,

    Max,

  138. Jeffrey chalmers: While I do not want to take away, nor diminish anything you said, I have heard disgusting things from/about:
    Bob Jones University, etc. etc.

    I don’t doubt it. Let’s do our part to see that they’re all held accountable.

  139. Samuel Conner: I think it has been apparent for years that “conformity to the thought collective” and “utility for advancement of the collective’s purposes” is regarded to be more important than actual “good moral character.”

    I interpret this to be a pretty clear indication that, in fact, “there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

    AMEN.

  140. elastigirl:
    Jeffrey chalmers,

    “And, to a lessor extent, BIOLA…”
    +++++++++++

    really?

    I thought Biola had a pretty good reputation, though most of my information dates from around the Eighties.
    Did Entropy set in?

  141. Headless Unicorn Guy,

    They still had pretty rigid “behavior rules” and I seem to remember questions on their science classes.. In those days, I went to “liberal”, or as some would say “compromised” Westmont College…

  142. Get your facts straight before you publish. Dr. White has posted on Cedarville’s website in minute detail why Anthony Moore was hired and why he was let go. If all the facts had been disclosed on Moore’s part prior to the consdieration of hiring, it would have not taken place. The fault lies with Moore and his failure to disclose, not With Cedarville’s policies.

  143. Jeffrey Chalmers,

    Cedarville Biology grad here who will be attending medical school in the fall. I transferred to CU after my freshman year at the University of Richmond and can speak very positively of the science department. My experience has been that the science faculty at Cedarville are some of the best in the country. I, along with all of my fellow pre-med classmates, were beyond prepared for the MCAT. CU’s national average of medical school acceptance is far above the national average. Thought I’d offer a little perspective since you seem to be making baseless claims.

  144. Amy: Get your facts straight before you publish

    From Julie Roys’ post:
    “The elders at TVC Fort Worth said in a statement to me this week that they “thoroughly informed Dr. White and Cedarville University about the details of Anthony’s dismissal and our belief that Anthony was not fit for ministry of any kind.”
    Elder Jeff Jamison said that the elders told Dr. White that Moore had made multiple videos.
    Jamison added that the video evidence showed that Moore’s abuse spanned at least six months. Jamison did not comment on whether the elders had told White that fact in 2017.”

    White is either lying, or he wasn’t listening, or he didn’t do due diligence, or he felt he knew better than the elders of the church. Or maybe all of the above…
    Also, the term ‘multiple videos’ would be reasonably expected to be over a period of time.
    Really, I think he’s only fired Moore now because this news is becoming public, and his bad judgment is now on public display for which he can’t control the narrative.

  145. Andrew Testas,

    From Cedarville University’s DOCTRINAL STATEMENT (https://www.cedarville.edu/Why-Cedarville/Doctrinal-Statement.aspx#believe):

    We believe that the Scriptures provide a literal and historical account of God’s creation of all things. The climax of the six days of creation was the special, immediate and personal creation of human life. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were directly created, not evolved from previous life forms. God created humans, male and female, in His image. Human life, sexual identity and roles are aspects of God’s creative design.

    I was taught in Young earth Creationist dogma. While I do not know what is being taught in Cedarville’s Science classes, I do know what I was taught, which aligns very clearly with what Answers in Genesis, AIG, teaches. AIG highly endorses Cedarville Unviersity.

    So, I challenge the Andrew Testas to tell me how modern science is taught at Cedarville University? Doing well on MACT exams (entrance exams for Medical school) means you know how to answer the questions, not what you really believe/think, or what you more fundamentally understand.
    So, modern molecular biology is based on evolutionary theory, and modern physics is based on fundamental laws of physics, which clearly indicate that the Universe is billions of years old. What were you taught?

  146. Heaven forbid Dr. White practices what he preaches by allowing restoration and makes a mistake. The majority of these comments are extremely slanderous, dishonest, and hypocritical. Seriously, a petition to fire Dr. White for this? Are you 4 years old? Grow up. While Dr. White made a mistake, “canceling” him is horribly unforgiving to which makes me believe that you need to check your heart before trying to tear down someone else’s. Next time you make a mistake at your job I hope someone signs a petition to fire you.

  147. Amy,

    The facts that were available when this article was written did could not have include what White JUST posted. Check your dates.

  148. Fact check: Cedarville did not get rid of women professors. Women do not hold faculty positions in the Biblical Studies department. Plenty of women are professors at Cedarville.

  149. Logan,

    Restoration does NOT mean one gets to have a ministry or ministry related job back. If the treasurer embezzled money, would anyone else hire them as a treasurer with access to funds because they were “restored”? I don’t think so. At least not a sane, reasonable person who has a modem of concern about the institution or company. The “restored” person needs to change vocations.

  150. Alumna7,

    See my comment from April 18. You forgot to mention that the one female bible professor was fired shortly after White’s unfortunate arrival.

  151. Logan,
    I have seen medical researchers outright fired for faking research data on human studies. As they should be. No second chance… Same for drunk airline pilots, although there are some cases where after significant time of rehabilitation, they do get a second chance.
    If the reports are true, Dr. Moore’s behavior was not a “one off thing” and he abused a assistant pastor under him. He is then allowed to teach and interact with a men’s basketball team, in semi private meeting (I presume this based on his being a “spiritual leadership position to the team”)?
    What is wrong with this picture? What really “gets me” is that these church leaders, in this case University President, like to hold over us “pew peons” their G$d given “authority” and “leadership” ability… But then, when they screw up, they plead that they are just like us “pew peons” and deserve immediate forgiveness. But no, “leaders” should be held to higher standards, and higher performance standards… pleading “ignorance”, or “I do not remember”, or some other “incompetence” does not cut it with me…

  152. justicecollective: Other public shaming happens often in chapel services, too; this past year, Pres. White publically chastised students in chapel for seeking counseling in the counseling center, admonishing them to “get in” their Bibles.

    CU grad here– could you provide the date of this chapel service? I would like to hear the context of this quote. 🙁

    Ironically, the counseling center already runs very much on a biblical counseling philosophy. (I’ve received counseling there and also have been counseled by a therapist who left the center after disagreements with the administration.)

  153. So, my husband was denied tenure and released from his job as Professor in Pharmacy school because we attend a Nazarene church! It sickens me to read about Anthony Moore and Cedarville welcoming him with Open Arms. So sad, that the same year my husband was denied tenure, he was also voted as PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR. What is wrong with this institution of higher learning? Many faculty went to bat for Jeb, but Gen Reno and White refused to hear their stances on defending Jeb, my husband, a TRUE man of God.

  154. April Ballentine,

    I’ve sent you an email. Might you be interested in telling there story about what happened to your husband? We can do it anonymously if that makes you more comfortable.

  155. Jeffrey Chalmers: What really “gets me” is that these church leaders, in this case University President, like to hold over us “pew peons” their G$d given “authority” and “leadership” ability… But then, when they screw up, they plead that they are just like us “pew peons” and deserve immediate forgiveness.

    “Heads I Win, TAILS YOU LOSE!”

  156. April Ballentine: So, my husband was denied tenure and released from his job as Professor in Pharmacy school because we attend a Nazarene church!

    What?!! Is it a requirement at Cedarville that staff attend a Baptist church?

  157. Max: What?!!Is it a requirement at Cedarville that staff attend a Baptist church?

    Sounds like a case of “THE One True Church” Syndrome.

  158. Logan: Next time you make a mistake at your job I hope someone signs a petition to fire you.

    That sounds just like an impotent child going “I HOPE YOU DON’T GET ANYTHING YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!”

    (The quote is from an old Peanuts strip where one of the kids (I think it was Lucy or Linus) has been thwarted in payback attempt after payback attempt until such raging is all they can do.)

  159. Nuttshell: Restoration does NOT mean one gets to have a ministry or ministry related job back. If the treasurer embezzled money, would anyone else hire them as a treasurer with access to funds because they were “restored”? I don’t think so.

    At the very least, they’ve shown they can’t handle money.

  160. Andrew Testas: I, along with all of my fellow pre-med classmates, were beyond prepared for the MCAT. CU’s national average of medical school acceptance is far above the national average. Thought I’d offer a little perspective since you seem to be making baseless claims.

    Where have we heard this before?
    FLike fom Christianese Homeschoolers bragging about how their CHRISTIAN Homeschooled kid outperforma all your Secular Humanist Heathen kids?

  161. Jeffrey Chalmers: From Cedarville University’s DOCTRINAL STATEMENT (https://www.cedarville.edu/Why-Cedarville/Doctrinal-Statement.aspx#believe):

    We believe that the Scriptures provide a literal and historical account of God’s creation of all things. The climax of the six days of creation was the special, immediate and personal creation of human life. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were directly created, not evolved from previous life forms. God created humans, male and female, in His image. Human life, sexual identity and roles are aspects of God’s creative design.

    Note the specific mention of “sexual roles”.
    Are these code words for Biblical Manhood/Womanhood(TM) or just the usual “Adam & EVE, NOT Adam & Steve”?