Sign the Shorter petition

[Stephen Fox]

http://signon.org/sign/stop-shorter-uni ... by=1486696.

It is unclear to me whether you must be alum to sign, but the testimonies are interesting nevertheless.
Roughly 5,250 sigs to date with goal of 7,000 or so

[Sandy]

That has got to be one of the most stupid, ridiculous things I have ever seen. Who determined that it would take 7,500 signatures on a petition to force the administration of a Southern Baptist related Christian university to stop requiring its faculty to sign a pledge that they will live a lifestyle consistent with the values of the school's constituents and the state convention that owns it?

Gee, maybe if you got 10,000 signatures, you could petition for an open bar on campus with happy hour included in the meal ticket. What would you get for 20,000 signatures, professors who deal drugs? Maybe for 30,000 signatures you could force the administration to hire Jerry Sandusky as head football coach, and get Bernie Fine thrown in as basketball coach.

The school has moved in the direction its constituents in the Georgia Baptist Convention want it to go. The only signatures that count are those of messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention, and until you can get enough messengers to the GBC annual meeting to vote in the trustees you want, it will continue to move in this direction. It appears that moving in a more conservative direction has been healthy for the school in terms of both enrollment and finances and for small, private, Christian colleges these days, that's rare.

[Gene Scarborough]

Look---facts are facts and the Trustees of Shorter can do as they please---no matter how much protest happens.

Face it, Stephen---they are on a track prescribed by CR and they are wanting GA financial support so much that they don't give a tinker's dam about who gets hurt in the process!

[Sandy]

[Gene Scarborough]

Sandy---

If Shorter is "dependent" on GA Baptists to survive financially, then they have a right to tell them what to do or not do.

HOWEVER----if that is the case, it will be the first institution of higher education which is such!

In EVERY CASE I know, the schools get the majority of their income from tuition and endowment. I have seen it over and over to the point most NC Baptist-related schools have formally resolved their relationship and choose their own Board of Trustees now. That is true of Wake Forest / Campbell / Wingate / etc.

Being beholding to those who pay less than 10% of the cost, yet want to dictate dancing on campus----is REDICULOUS!!!

[Stephen Fox]

and by implication Gene Scarborough, Sandy, even those GScar was worried about in the CBF forum who may be in the audience for the Snyder cantata.
Bill Rice did a great job in a guest editorial in the RNT

Read it in full, especially Sandy, BDW and Emory's GScarboro

http://rn-t.com/view/full_story/1648478 ... ght_column

[Sandy]

[Gene Scarborough]

I hate to tell you, Sandy, but the autonomous nature of being Baptist allows for a wider circle of cooperating churches and people than is currently going on in the GBC.

They have become so narrow that only a Bob Jones / LIberty type control is their desire. The purpose of higher education should be to expand the mind of the student and expose them to the full range of thought.

That USED TO BE the purpose of my school, SEBTS. It is no longer that way and would better be described as an instution of indoctrination in Conservative Resurgeance. Everything taught is restricted to the BF&M 2000 narrow interpretation of faith.

I graduated from Emory which is Methodist. They are in the business of serious education rather than indoctrination. The students are expected to develope their analytical skills and show a mastery of the material and an ability to select what makes sense and explain why it does such. Diversity and depth are their goal in education.

[Sandy]

[Stephen Fox]

See the Shorter Provost column linked above in the Rome News Tribune. That should frame the next round of exchange here going forward.
and I do sincerely hope both of you will join me in concerted pledge/commitment to read Stephens and Giberson The Anointed ASAP

[Gene Scarborough]

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Gene, even "stupid" followed by a smilie isn't acceptible here. You know better bro.

[Stephen Fox]

Up about an hour ago at www.rn-t.com There also read the Scottie Bates take on the Noth column

http://rn-t.com/view/full_story/1662187 ... ght_column

See comment on Dickey letter

[Gene Scarborough]

Good old boy southern humor allows for you to insult a guy with a smile and lilt in your voice---as long as you don't spit tobacco juice on his shoes or pants.

Sorry, I guess we have some problems with humor here----and I apologize for the offense!!!!

[William Thornton]

Humor in the form of personal insult has always been a problem here, Gene. But we can move on...

[Gene Scarborough]

Thanx---It takes a good old GA boy from the Athens area to understand another from Stone Mountain/Clarkston!!!

Will promise to try and do better---but admit to the difficulty with certain fellow participants!!!

[Sandy]

So, Stephen, will you keep us informed on the status of the "petition" and the effectiveness of it on the Shorter board of trustees?

[Stephen Fox]

[Stephen Fox]

[Gene Scarborough]

Old Nelson Price should be getting long in the tooth by now. I Pastored in the Noonday Association where he pastored a large church in Marietta. He was a showman then and was famous for attending the football games of the seveal high schools represented in his church. He would change hats between stadiums and make a grand entrance on the lower walk so eveyone could see his "school spirit!" It was all for show.

I had met him earlier at Youth Week at Ridgecrest when he was the preacher for the week. He was inspiring UNTIL he told a story of a lady who brought her daughter to him pregnant and wanting counsel. He arrogantly told her that if that girl had listened to his sermons about sexual purity, she would not be in trouble now = total heartlessness when they needed comfort and encouragemenet as well a a listening ear! I was NOT impressed!

His style was to ascend into the pulpit from his office below via a spiral stair. He was part of the first generation of mega church pastors demanding high wages and much deference by those he commanded from that pulpit. He was a basketball star and quite tall. His arrogance was exactly that of a star on the court. His compassion would allow him to put an elbow in the gut of any opponant and care less about the ethics or pain of such.

It appears the control and arrogance still exist. Wonder if he had to get false teeth to speak through for this assignment?

[Stephen Fox]

Harrington was one of the greatest pastors ever to preach in Georgia and Bill Self, a great preacher himself will testify. Frank was longtime pastor at Peachtree Prez in the heart of BlueBlood Atlanta but he was a preacher with Marney's gifts, maybe even better than Marney, week in week out in the pulpit.
In his sermon on the thorny issue of abortion in 1985 at one point Frank said, if a Mother brings her 15 year old daughter to my office for counsel in impossible circumstances: "You tell her abortion is not an option, not me."
Little different from GScar's anecdote on Price.
FTR, and I know Pastors preach lot of sermons for all kinds of characters, and if called on Will Campbell woulda said a few words over Sam Bowers; but I do think it significant Price conducted the state funeral of Larry McDonald.
Here is the latest letter of concern over Shorter in the Rome News Tribune, in today's print issue

http://rn-t.com/view/full_story/1665841 ... ght_column

And Great Tribute to Frank

http://www.moultrienews.com/historian/W ... Harrington

[Stephen Fox]

Some of you may want to explore all 56

http://www.rn-t.com/pages/full_story/pu ... s_16529098

[Gene Scarborough]

Just be clearly aware that Nelson Price has always been an opportunist with his hand on the pulse of whatever is "popular."

Somehow I remember a statement from Jesus about not conforming to this world, but transforming it with the renewing of the mind.

Little "mind renewal" is involved in the Shorter changes, in my opinion!!!!! Just a capitulation to homophobia!

[Stephen Fox]