Bob Jones University Weblog

Historical Perspective and Straight Thinking At Please Reconcile

The Please Reconcile website contains a wealth of information about BJU's interracial dating ban scandal. 

Most recently, PR posted a 1986 interview of Dean of Men Tony Miller regarding the interracial dating ban Rules.  From the interview, a couple of facts become clear.

First, "Mr. Miller’s words clarify that the interracial dating policy was codified in the 1970s (not the 1950s) due primarily to the admittance of African-Americans (not Asians)."  This contradicts the oft repeated story that the interracial dating ban was spawned in the '50's as the result of an Asian/Caucasian romance.   

Secondly, Tony Miller was well aware of Bob Jones III's misstatements in the Larry King Live interview.  Dean Miller never stood up and corrected the errors.  In keeping silent, he became a partaker in Bob Jones III's deception.  I wonder how many students Tony Miller expelled from BJU for not reporting the known wrongdoing of another student.  Evidently, Dean of Men Tony Miller held the students over which he exercised authority to a higher standard than that to which he held himself.  What could be more hypocritical?

THE "BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE" OF THE SEPARATION OF THE RACES

Please Reconcile also has a June 25, 2008 post titled The Biblical Principle of the Separation of the Races.

This well-written, well-documented article comes to an inescapable conclusion regarding Bob Jones III's statements in the Larry King Live interview about the present state of BJU's ideological view of interracial marriage: 

"The more one reads the interview, the less one can be sure that anything has changed on the ideological level. Thus, though people may say, “The policy has changed, so why do you hound the school for mere words,” we suggest that good, healing words are precisely what are needed at this point."  

It is time for all BJU graduates to take a stand and join the Please Reconcile group by signing the Petition regarding this unresolved debacle.  

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Since this was posted, Please Reconcile has unfortunately deleted from their site the history of BJU and the Joneses regarding their behavior regarding the interracial debacle.  Apparently, Jon Henry of the Please Reconcile site, promised that if BJU would make some sort of statement or apology he would delete from the site the details of BJU's and the Joneses' handling of the matter.  I believe that promise was ill-advised.

I do not believe it ever serves the truth to whitewash the past.  This interracial dating/marriage controversy - more publicly than any other - revealed how the Joneses, BJU, and their staff operate.  The facts and details that were revealed about the Joneses and BJU and some of the TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF at BJU, demonstrated a level of dishonesty and gutlessness that remains unrebuked.  And, some of these unrepentant people - opportunistic heretics and sychophants, really - still teach and influence students at BJU.  

The underlying problems that allowed BJU and the Joneses to lead an entire religious sect and sub-culture to accept the Joneses interracial foolishness as "Bible policy," remains undisturbed.  The Please Reconcile group never insisted on addressing the matter of personal responsibility for sin in this matter.  In fact, with respect to judgment and righteousness and restitution, there seem to be a host of things left undone.  

Yet, BJU, the Joneses, and those who aided and abetted them in this matter, seem to have been let off scot free. 

But, my guess is that Dr. Stephen Jones' statement, empty as it is, satisfied many gullible people who couldn't wait to congratulate themselves on how this new statement on interracial relations.  

I do want to write about this when I have some time.

mark fitzhenry

The Bomb And Its Fallout: Bob Jones University v. United States

Quote of the Day: 

"Today, I met with the administrators this afternoon before coming here. Let me tell you why we dropped it...We have a broader testimony, and if all anybody can see is this rule which we never talk about or preach, which most of our students couldn't even tell you what it is, it's that unimportant to us. I said to our administration, 'You know guys, this thing is of such insignificance to us; it's so significant to the world at large. Why should we have this here as an obstacle? It hurts our graduates; our concern for the cause of Christ; our concern for our graduates; our concern for our testimony; our concern for the school's broader usefulness is greater to us than a rule that we never talk about and it is meaningless to us. The principle upon which it is based is very important, but the rule itself is not..."

"No, we can’t back it up with a verse from the Bible. We never have tried to.  We have never tried to do that. But we have said there is a principle here, an overriding principle of the one world government. But let me tell you how insignificant this is. Students never hear it preached. There have been four, five, six generations of students that graduated from there have never heard this preached in our chapel or taught in our school."  (Bob Jones III, March 3, 2000 interview on Larry King Live responding to questions regarding the basis for BJU's interracial dating/marriage ban.)

Jon Henry at Please Reconcile has done an excellent, nearly exhaustive job of recounting, line-by-line, the many untruths wrapped up in the LKL interview and in the above statement by Bob Jones III.  While Bob Jones III deliberately sought to deceive Larry King and his audience by saying, "...Students never hear it preached. There have been four, five, six generations of students that graduated from there have never heard this preached in our chapel or taught in our school...," the truth is otherwise.  In short, Bob Jones III lied repeatedly throughout the interview.

The University and Bob Jones III did, in fact, attempt to back up their interracial dating/marriage Rules with Scripture. In fact, they published a couple of different sets of Scripture to do so.  Additionally, their interracial marriage views were taught from the chapel platform within the last generation of students, Bob Jones III doing the honors personally four years before his Larry King Live interview in 2000!  

Jonathan Pait, BJU's current public relations guru, knows the truth.  He wrote at least one 1998 letter to an applicant in an interracial marriage explaining how the applicant's wife could not be a student.  Paul Achterberg, BJU Admissions Counselor, also wrote a similar email in 1998.  Unfortunately, this particular applicant published Pait's and Achtergerg's letters on his website.  How many more such letters went out?

In public interviews with the Greenville print and broadcast media, Bob Jones III declared his interracial dating/marriage Rules to be based upon "Bible policy."  Yet, preacher Bob Jones III preached and proclaimed his interracial marriage ban publicly.  Are we to believe that those his "students never hear it preached" in the news media?  Don't BJU students read the newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch television?

Maybe his students are isolated and get their news from BJU's Bookstore.  Those students who received all their information from the University bookstore had the opportunity to purchase  a pamphlet by Dr. Marshall Neal of the BJU Bible Department.  The bookstore sold Dr. Neal's 8 page pamphlet WITH SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES, defending Bob Jones University's interracial dating/marriage Rule and teachings.  

Yet, Bob Jones III testified before the world that "There have been four, five, six generations of students that graduated from [BJU who] have NEVER heard this preached in our chapel or taught in our school."  Mr. Jones III's statement is demonstrably false.  Was this due to an oversight or is it evidence of a deliberate act of dishonesty?  If it was an oversight, why hasn't Mr. Bob Jones III publicly retracted and corrected his statement?    

Through the years, students who were suspected of violating the Rules were questioned by the Dean of Men and Dean of Women and their staffs at BJU.  Students were expelled for violating the Rules.  Others were reportedly expelled for not "turning in" those who violated the interracial dating ban Rules.  At least two staffers were fired the Monday after their church granted membership to an interracial couple in 1980.  

Who but a blind follower of the blind would argue that the Rules were "meaningless" and "insignificant" and "never talked about or preached" to those students who were expelled because of the Rules?  Clearly, BJU took their interracial dating ban Rules very seriously.

In March, 2000, Bob Jones III tried to paint the Rules as "insignificant" and "meaningless" in an apparent attempt to soften BJU's image.  But in 1970 Bob Jones III sang a different song.  The interracial Rules were important then.  Despite pleas from attorney John Whitehead and warnings that pursuing this issue through the courts could have unintended consequences for Christian organizations in the future, Bob Jones III insisted on making the Rules the subject of a real, live 'federal case' in 1973 when it filed "Bob Jones University v. The United States" in federal court.  

And, it was in prosecuting his 'federal case' in the Federal Courts and in the public arena - in full view of his students, graduates, and staff - that Bob Jones III preached and taught his brand of unyielding fundamentalist religious beliefs, convictions, and so called "Bible policy" supporting his interracial dating/marriage ban Rules.  

In careful review of Mr. Jones' Larry King Live interview, one cannot help Mr. Jones' statements were not slips of memory.  They were practiced, calculated falsehoods designed to conceal, mislead, and deceive Larry King and his audience about the true history and nature of BJU's interracial dating/marriage Rules.  In the final analysis, Bob Jones III was forced to drop his Rules amidst a flurry of untruths.

Background

As any preacher or educator knows, nothing preaches or teaches principles and precepts to a student as loudly as a preacher's or an educator's example.  Through BJU's interracial dating/marriage spectacle, the entire country came to link Bob Jones University - and its students, graduates, and faculty - with an ill-conceived, bigoted religious doctrine, proclaimed by Bob Jones III to be based upon the Bible.  

As the case wound its way through the Federal courts, Bob Jones and BJU were successful in convincing the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court that: "...A primary fundamentalist conviction of Bob Jones University is that the Scriptures forbid interracial dating and marriage..."  (I remember being taught at BJU that "convictions are carefully based upon Scripture and never change whereas preferences can change at will.")

When the Supreme Court ruled against Bob Jones III and his Rules in 1983, Mr. Jones spoke passionately in interviews with the print and broadcast media regarding the ruling against BJU and its interracial dating ban:

"Religious freedom has been murdered by the Supreme Court today."

"...By ruling against BJU, the Supreme Court justices have demonstrated that they are enemies of heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ. I fear for America and for the Court."

"The court's ruling is an example of what is happening to religious freedom in America. There's not much difference between us and Russia. Russia did this to religion a long time ago; it just took us a little longer..."

"We believe the policy that has gotten us in difficulty is a Bible policy and we're going to hold onto it...We won't change the policy. We will pay the taxes we have to pay and trust the Lord to sustain the institution as long as He wants to sustain it."

Bob Jones III preached his religious beliefs to the media.  Those interviews were, of course, read and watched by the students at BJU. 

I also understand from students that Bob Jones III preached about the interracial dating/marriage ban in chapel as late as 1995 or 1996. 

(A fuller discussion of Bob Jones III's handling of the interracial dating ban controversy and the facts surrounding it can be viewed here.)

The "Bomb" Pamphlet

Bob Jones III and the University, with the aid of students, graduates, and Board members, published a thirty-one page pamphlet titled THE BOMB AND ITS FALLOUT Bob Jones University v. United States.  The pamphlet states and concludes, in part:

1.  "The university had a policy, based on its understanding of the Bible, that forbade interracial dating and marriage among its students.  In order to make that policy easier to enforce, the university did not admit blacks..."

2.  "In spite of lengthy finding of fact in the District Court that Bob Jones University was 'like a church' and 'pervasively religious,' the Supreme Court saw fit to separate its religious purpose from its educational function."

3.  "Unquestionably, our doctrine is not held universally, but whose is?"

4.  "Bob Jones University does not discriminate on the basis of race.  It holds the doctrine that interracial marriage is contrary to principles set forth in God's Word.  Students who do not wish to subscribe to the University's rules prohibiting interracial dating and marriage do not have to attend this institution."

5.  "Our right to be Bible-believing is the issue.  This is religious freedom in a nutshell...."

Bob Jones III and the university seemed to think and act under some notion of corporate immunity which exempted them from the Bible's clear teaching.  "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men..."  (1 Corinthians 15:39, and others).  Apparently such clear statements were not granted authority by Mr. Jones and, thus, failed to "pierce the corporate veil" at Bob Jones University; students and faculty were divided into Caucasians, Orientals (their word for Asians at the time), and Negroes.

 

Despite Bob Jones III's rejection of Biblical authority in this area, his handling of the whole mess brings into question how doctrines and dogmas are formulated by Mr. Jones and BJU's Bible faculty.  It brings into question their level of responsibility and competency.  It's hard to retain credibility when an organization claims to do things based on a vague but important Bible "principle" and "Bible policy".  

It is only made worse when his paid Bible scholars on his staff repeatedly change Scriptural passages purporting to support his position.  It gives the impression that the policy preceded assemblage of Scriptural support and undermines the credibility of the staff.  As if it could not get worse, it does when Bob Jones III was asked for a Bible verse supporting his position and Bob Jones III publicly denied ever having tried to do so.

Honest people don't normally lie about honest "mistakes".  Bob Jones III's flurry of lies on Larry King Live were deliberately designed to conceal and to distort reality in order to deceive others.  Like Nixon, Bob Jones III's cover up only made things worse.  Now, it is impossible for Bob Jones III and his defenders to defend BJU's interracial rules as an honest mistake based upon honestly mistaken Scriptural interpretation.  

The blow to Bob Jones III's credibility - within and without - is huge.  Bob Jones III invoked the authority of God's Word in support of his interracial dating Rules, fought for the right to retain those Rules all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, suffered the loss of BJU's tax-exempt status, expelled those who violated the Rules, fired employees whose church violated that which he claimed was "Bible policy" in support of his interracial marriage ban, claimed the Rules were never talked about or preached to the students and were meaningless and insignificant, and, then, he drops the Rules!  What kind of person is going to entrust the formulation of religious doctrines and dogmas to this kind of person?

Those who formulate doctrines - especially doctrines by those who loudly claim they are Christians, preach the Gospel, and who claim their beliefs are based on so called Bible policy and principles - assume a high level of responsibility.  The Bible is clear in Revelation 22: 18 and 19 regarding those who "add unto" or "take away from" God's Word.

Certainly, Bob Jones III and the BJU faculty members who supported his pet interracial dating/marriage ban doctrine assumed a serious responsibility when they formulated and propagated a doctrine dividing God's people by racial lines.  

Yet, Bob Jones III defended himself and his interpretation of God's Word by saying that because he runs a family-owned educational corporation that he is free to interpret Scripture as he wishes.  Bob Jones III seems to think that because he runs a family owned para-religious business, he can develop a religious doctrine, publicly propagate it, and claim it is "Bible policy" with impunity so long as people who "do not wish to subscribe to the University's rules prohibiting interracial dating and marriage do not have to attend this institution."  I wonder how that argument would have fared in Galatians 2 when Paul publicly rebuked Peter for causing a division within the Church?  Not well.

Often it is said at BJU: "There is no difference between the sacred and the secular."  Yet, with regards to the interracial marriage controversy, it seems that the message Bob Jones III was trying to send was that his secular family business, BJU, is not subject to principles applicable to the sacred or subject to what God's Word really teaches about interracial marriage.  So, then, it appears that Bob Jones III and the BJU staffers who claim  "Bob Jones University stands without apology for the absolute authority of the Bible" are trying to have it both ways.  

It reminds one of the politician who said, "I don't care who votes.  I only care who counts the votes!"  In effect, Bob Jones III and BJU have been saying, "We don't care what the Bible teaches so long as we can interpret it the way most beneficial to ourselves and formulate Bible policies that are in line with what we want."  And, that is the way Bob Jones III and BJU operated - with the tacit approval of the University constituency - until the national media helped Mr. Jones and BJU see the error of their religious beliefs and inappropriateness of their exercise of religious freedom.

God's Word says in Romans 16, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."  

Yet, Bob Jones III, with the aid of his Bible faculty, fellow preachers, and supporters, succeeded in deceiving thousands of trusting young people into adopting a religious doctrine, purportedly based upon Bible beliefs and religious freedom, that the Bible specifically forbade interracial marriage.

The sad thing is, until now, nobody within the BJU camp had the Pauline fortitude to "mark" Bob Jones III and BJU and "avoid them" for "causing divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine" taught in the Bible they all claim to believe and obey.  But, there is a group of BJU graduates who have, after a fashion, petitioned Bob Jones III and BJU to repent for the many sins committed in the furtherance of BJU's interracial dating/marriage debacle.  

Hopefully, they will apply enough pressure to Bob Jones III and BJU to beg forgiveness from those they have defrauded in this matter.

 The text of the pamphlet can be viewed Download img002.pdf.

    

Will Bob Jones University Emulate the Roger Clemens Non-Apology Model?

My [unsolicited] advice to those who are petitioning BJU to apologize for the University's racial bigotry and interracial dating/marriage ban is this:

First, one must proceed with caution when dealing with the Joneses/BJU. They are crafty people.

Secondly, never let the Joneses/BJU frame an issue or allow them to "flank" you in your efforts to pressure them to issue a meaningful apology.

The Roger Clemens Non Apology

Baseball Hall of Famer Roger Clemens filed a defamation suit alleging that his reputation was hurt by allegations of steroids.

In an effort to appear to apologize without admitting wrongdoing, Roger Clemens issued a non apology of sorts Monday for unspecified "mistakes" in his personal life.

Clemens apparently had a decade long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was 15 and an aspiring singer. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was also linked to former Manhattan bartender Angela Moyer and Paulette Dean Daly, a former wife of champion golfer John Daly.

Clemens denied having an affair with a 15-year-old but didn't specifically address whether he had a romance with McCready.

"Even though these articles contain many false accusations and mistakes, I need to say that I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry," Clemens said in a statement issued by spokesman Patrick Dorton. "I have apologized to my family and apologize to my fans. Like everyone, I have flaws. I have sometimes made choices which have not been right."

Everybody makes "mistakes" and most people regularly admit when they do. But, note how Clemens links articles that contain many unspecified "false accusations and mistakes" with the admission (that all people have to make regarding innocent mistakes) that he has made "mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry...I have apologized to my family and apologize to my fans..." What are these "mistakes" for which he feels the need to apologize? Did he make a wrong turn in the car? Did he throw the baseball to the wrong base?

In my view, Clemens did not issue an apology in any way, shape, or form. Genuine apologies always include an admission of the specific wrong[s] done, repentance for deliberately violating a moral or social standard, and include a plea for forgiveness from the one[s] wronged. A genuine apology doesn't dance around personal guilt and responsibility by merely admitting to have made a "mistake". A married man having sexual relations with other women and/or with an underaged girl isn't merely a "mistake," it is a sin AND a crime.

"I think what it says without saying it is that he apparently admits he cheated on his wife and family. And if he cheated on them, I think it's reasonable to assume that he cheated his fans and baseball," Richard Emery, one of the lawyers defending against Clemens' defamation suit, said in a telephone interview.

"I think this is all very probative of his behavior and his penchant for denying the truth, and it certainly will come into play in the defamation lawsuit. He certainly doesn't deserve to be compensated for loss of reputation when his reputation, to the extent he ever had it, of being a family man, was totally false and built on a house a cards, a tissue of lies, if you will."

"I believe my personal life has nothing to do with the accusations of steroid and HGH use," Clemens said. "I have already made clear that I did not use them. Now, I have been accused of having an improper relationship with a 15-year old girl. Nothing could be further from the truth. This relationship has been twisted and distorted far beyond reality. It is just one of many, many accusations that are utterly false.

"I realize that many people want me to simply confess and apologize for the conduct that I have been accused of, but I cannot confess to, nor apologize for, things I did not do. I have apologized to my family for my mistakes, and having offered this apology to the public, I would ask that you let me and my family deal with these matters in private."

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said last week he will talk with his client about whether to proceed with the defamation suit following the wave of unpleasant publicity.

"He's getting pummeled," Hardin said. "I've never seen somebody get beat up like this. In some ways, I think we're on uncharted ground."

"That's always a decision the client has to make," Hardin said. "That's not the lawyer's decision."

(Source: The Deseret News)

Unlike Roger Clemens, the Joneses have never admitted to even "a mistake" regarding the interracial dating/marriage ban. Up to March, 2000, Bob Jones III adamantly declared the Rule was based upon "Bible policy" and that BJU would stick to the Rule. Bob Jones III changed his tune in the face of political pressure and lied about the essence of the Rule on Larry King Live. The Joneses have never come to terms with the truth regarding their interracial dating/marriage ban: It was sinful, it was not "Bible policy," it harmed people, and they must beg forgiveness and seek to make restitution to those they have wronged with the Rule.

Based upon the past behavior of the Joneses, no one should trust them to craft an apology that will amount to anything more meaningful than that which Clemens has crafted. Both Clemens and the Joneses/BJU are interested in just two things: image management and damage control.

Support and encourage those who have taken the lead on the BJU Petition drive at Pleasereconcile.blogspot.com/.

And, hope that the leaders of the BJU Petition drive will keep the pressure on the Joneses/BJU to issue a genuine, meaningful apology that will include an unqualified admission of wrongdoing and an acknowledgment of the deception they used to mitigate the damage done to their reputations. The Joneses/BJU also need to admit the fraud they used to perpetuate the Rule. They also need to name those they have wronged, beg forgiveness from each person and/or group they have defrauded, and seek to make restitution.

The Joneses/BJU have never taken such a step. Let's hope this time they react differently than they have in the past.

BJU Petitioners Take a No-Nonsense Look At Bob Jones III's Interracial Duplicity

Quote of the Day: "What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive." D. Dafoe

Definition of the Day: "Bigot: One obstinately and irrationally, often intolerantly, devoted to his own church, party, belief, or opinion." (Webster's Third New International Dictionary)

One of the things that always amazes me about many of my fellow BJU alums, including current BJU president Stephen Jones, is the unqualified praise they heaped upon Bob Jones III for dropping the interracial dating/marriage ban on the Larry King Live show in 2000.

Another thing that amazes me is that even BJU grads who oppose the bigotry practiced and propagated by the Joneses/BJU, are quick to label as "bigots" those who point out the interracial dating Rule deception practiced by Bob Jones III.

I recently engaged a BJU grad on a forum. Although he was seemingly for the Petition to BJU to publicly apologize for the interracial dating bigotry, he accused me of "bigotry" for citing well-established facts, supporting Scripture, and logical, rational conclusions regarding Bob Jones III's interracial dating ban deception. He apparently thinks that to confront Bob Jones III's sin and heresy would undermine the Gospel. I asked him several pointed questions about Bob Jones III's LKL interview including these three:

"Are the Drs. Bob Jones, [Bob Sr., Jr., III] in your mind, suitable examples of "men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" on par with men like Stephen in Acts 6?"

"Are you saying that the Bob Joneses [Bob Sr., Jr., III] meet your idea of those who have demonstrated competency, trustworthiness, judiciousness, wisdom, and submission to biblical authority on behalf of God's Word and [on behalf of] those who have followed their spiritual leadership?"

"Have you considered the scope and breadth of the damage Bob Jones III did to the Gospel and [to the credibility of] those who preach it from BJU with his Rule, his Supreme Court case, his public statements, and in his interview on LKL?"

He refused to answer the questions and accused me of "bigotry". Defensible views that are based on facts, sound logic, and scriptural rationale are not evidence of bigotry, else every Christian who believed in the authority of the Bible would be a bigot.

Yes, it is important to pressure the Joneses/BJU to apologize and make restitution to those they have wronged with their interracial dating ban nonsense. But, propagating unbiblical division within the Body of Christ by banning interracial marriage, and doing it deceitfully the way Bob Jones III has done, is sin. Thus, it is equally important that Bob Jones III publicly repent for his sin of bearing false witness just as other religious leaders have publicly repented for their breaches of the Ten Commandments.

Bob Jones III violated the trust the University family placed in him in saying the Bible taught that interracial marriage violated "Bible policy". I just talked to a BJU grad whose parents were both BJU faculty lifers. She said, 'If Bob Jones III was so adamantly wrong about the interracial marriage ban being "Bible policy," what else has he taught us that is wrong.'

Clearly, Bob Jones III violated and betrayed a sacred trust that an ordained minister of the Gospel - and educator - would not handle the Word of God deceitfully or craftily. We all make "mistakes". However mistaken, with Bob Jones III's continued dissembling on this issue, he reveals that his 'mistake' was deliberate and that he is bent upon dodging responsibility for his actions.

Bob Jones III has never begged forgiveness from the University family for deceiving us and abusing those within our number. And, Bob Jones III continued the deception by deliberately issuing false statements to the American people regarding the Rules. Again, any apology needs to include public repentance and a plea for forgiveness from Larry King and the American people.

When I watched Bob Jones III being interviewed by Larry King, I was appalled; much of what Bob Jones III was saying was simply untrue! When I pointed out this to other BJU grads, they simply dismissed the facts and started talking about how good it was that the ban had been dropped.

Not all BJU Grads are Bigots

But, not everyone who graduated from BJU is "obstinately and irrationally, often intolerantly, devoted" to the Joneses and Bob Jones University.

The authors of the Petition at Please Reconcile, Ignore, Defend, Forget, or Apologize? have done an excellent job of concisely exposing the deception Bob Jones III employed on LKL to deceive Larry King and the American people about the true nature and history of BJU's interracial dating and marriage ban.

In a post titled "We have never tried to do that," the Pleasereconcile authors quote Jones' response to Larry King's question about not being able to back up the interracial dating ban with a verse from the Bible. Bob Jones III responded to this question with a startling answer:

"No, we can't back it up with a verse from the Bible. We never have tried to, we have never tried to do that. But we have said there is a principle here, an overriding principle of the one world government. But let me tell you how insignificant this is. Students never hear it preached. There have been four, five, six generations of students that graduated from there have never heard this preached in our chapel or taught in our school..."

Bob Jones University's 1986 Race Relations Pamphlet

The post includes copies of an eight-page pamphlet published in 1986 by BJU Press titled "Race Relations" by Marshall Neal, Ph.D. of the School of Religion, Bob Jones University. The pamphlet cites specific passages of supporting Scripture on nearly every page.

Take a look at the Pleasereconcile blog. They have a very informative, narrowly focused website dedicated to motivating people - not just BJU graduates, I understand - to apply pressure to the Joneses/BJU to repent and to apologize to those they have wronged. They are doing a good thing. I pray that they may be successful in their efforts.

Mark Fitzhenry

Online Petition Seeks Resolution of BJU's Interracial Dating Scam

Years ago, in 1983, Charles Underwood, first director of Church Planting at BJU, penned an Open Letter to Bob Jones III. At the end of the letter was a form, a petition of sorts, that readers could sign and send to BJU to express their disapproval for the actions of the Joneses and their management of BJU.

I considered Underwood's letter to Bob Jones III to be so insightful - and so up to date in its observations - that I engaged a transcriptionist to type the body of the letter so that I could include it in BJU Exposed. There is a direct link to the Open Letter on this page.

I don't know how widely Underwood's letter was circulated or how many people signed and sent in petitions as a result of his letter. I do know that anyone associated with such a letter of reproof and rebuke directed toward the Joneses/BJU could be sure they would be blackballed. BJU was able to limit the impact of such letters because there was not a mechanism to circulate the information widely.

Enter the WorldWideWeb! The landscape has changed and anyone with a computer can have access to everyone else who is connected to the web. BJU can no longer control information or access to their constituency.

Pleasereconcile.blogspot has set up a link to a petition that can be "signed" online. The letter, apparently a draft, reads as follows:

Dear Stephen Jones, Bob Jones University Board of Trustees, and Administration:
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We are Bob Jones University alumni and students who care deeply about our alma mater. We recognize that God has used the university in our lives for good, and we pray that God preserves the university and uses it in the lives of those who come after us. We value our time there, the many wonderful faculty and staff members who taught us and touched our lives, the godly friends we met, and the school's fearless stand for Jesus Christ.
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We are troubled, though, by certain aspects of the school’s reputation regarding its attitude toward race. The school is widely known as segregationist, bigoted, and racist. Some of us were not aware of this reputation while we attended the university and were baffled when we encountered negative perceptions from others after we graduated. Our ignorance may be to the University’s credit, since it suggests that the actual practices of the University have improved beyond the older perceptions that persist in the world at large.
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Nevertheless, the reputation remains. We see it in people's faces and hear it in their comments and reactions upon learning where we went to school. Sometimes we encounter it in job interviews--troubling times to be confronted about racial prejudice. For some of us, employees suspect our motives as employers. Those of us who are ministers and spiritual leaders must explain our association with the university to minority congregants. All of us are charged to present the gospel, but must now do so in the context of this stigma. After a period of objective discussion and research, we begin to understand the origin of these negative impressions.
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The University's historical position on race is deeply troubling, and some of that history is disturbingly recent. Stories of its founding leaders having connections to notoriously bigoted characters and organizations. Married black students were not admitted until 1971, and unmarried black students were not admitted until 1975. Even then a ban on interracial relationships lasted into the twenty-first century. Records from those years include vicious and embarrassing statements from people representing the University in an official capacity. The individuals on the receiving end of this treatment recounted those experiences to their tight-knit communities, and their stories provided a public record of the University's attitude toward minorities. Finally, many of us have personally seen actions or heard statements from current members of the University community which seem to indicate that sensitivity toward this issue is not a priority of its administration or representatives.
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We realize that other institutions have made mistakes as well. We do not excuse their mistakes, but neither are we concerned with them. They are responsible for what they have done, and many of them have issued public statements of regret and apology and have taken dramatic steps to demonstrate their commitment to change. Bob Jones University, to our knowledge, has never done so. We can find no record of a statement that admits that the university’s historical position on race, while sincere, was mistaken, and God has granted a better perspective. We are writing to request that such a statement be made, backed up by concrete actions that demonstrate its seriousness.
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We hope and believe that such a statement would be sincere and accurate. We recognize that it may be difficult to make and realize that it may attract criticism from other corners. That is why we want you to know that should such a statement be made, we will support it completely and joyfully. We hope that you will choose to address this issue because of your own conviction that all people, regardless of their skin color or ethnicity, are made in the image of God and that God desires unity in His Church. We request this not just to remove stumbling blocks in our dealings with others, or to improve appraisals of our resumes (though we believe it will do both). We pray that you will do this, most of all, because it will be doing right, and showing forth a true demonstration of the love and humility that God desires from His people.
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Sincerely yours,

First, those who drafted this petition are to be commended. Finally, someone is taking some initiative! It is thoughtfully composed and it has been well-received by some within the University family.

I think the petition glosses over the issue of Bob Jones III's involvement in this controversy. It would have been better, more biblical after the Pauline example in correcting Peter in Galatians 2, to have included Bob Jones III as a specific recipient. As such, it should have forthrightly addressed Bob Jones III's duplicity and deceit in his handling of the interracial dating ban scam.

I also have reservations about the statement: "We can find no record of a statement that admits that the university’s historical position on race, while sincere, was mistaken, and God has granted a better perspective."

Based upon my review of the Joneses'/BJU's historical position on race, I did not detect a "sincere" element to their position or the way they prosecuted their position. Any "mistake" the Joneses made regarding this issue seemed to be pre-meditated, calculated, and deliberate.

At any rate, if you think the Joneses/BJU are past the interracial dating rule controversy, take a look at the sign-in sheet and the comments left by the signers.

Pleaserconcile includes a copy of particularly scathing correspondence from Bob Jones Jr. to a black preacher, Reverend Banks.

Pleasereconcile's petition drive has been discussed on the Sharperiron debate forum here. I found the discussions very interesting as they revealed current attitudes of graduates toward this issue. Unfortunately, the thread has been closed because it reached a 20 page-limit.

Mark

Blessed be the Name of the Lord: The Katelyn Grace Story

A Personal Note of Praise

Sometime ago, I mentioned that one of my children had some medical needs. The Lord has answered the prayers of people across the US regarding my one-year-old daughter, Katelyn Grace.

KATELYN GRACE’S STORY

Besides my family, I have two great passions, the first of which is road cycling and the second being shooting the 1911-styled .45 ACP pistol and learning the modern defensive pistol craft as espoused by the late Col. Jeff Cooper.

When I graduated from high school, I flew out to San Diego, CA. and rode my bicycle back to Jacksonville, FL. I raced for years and ride approximately 8,000 miles a year.

In 2006, I changed my saddle to one of the new ‘boy-specific’ anatomic bicycle seats. Two months later, my wife was very pregnant! At her age, my wife was in a high-risk category for having a child with problems, particularly Down Syndrome.

We rejected our doctor’s suggestion to take “genetic counseling” tests, content to accept from a Sovereign God that which He had for us.

On February 2, 2007, my wife gave (home/water) birth to Katelyn Grace. Our four homeschooled children were so excited and the birth was so much easier than the first four! But the mid-wife quickly noticed some DS-like characteristics in Katelyn Grace. My wife and two older daughters also noticed certain DS characteristics.

We were stunned. My wife and I had four normal children who were high-achievers: two National Merit scholarship finalists, one National Honor Roll, 4 state MTNA champions (piano, violin, cello, violin), etc. This couldn’t happen to us.

But, the Lord had providentially prepared our family for this event. DS was not foreign to us. Our dearest friends had a DS son. We had taken care of him from time-to-time over the past 10 or so years. We accepted him as a part of our activities. My third daughter is his best friend. He, like most Down Syndrome kids, was so happy, kind, and loving. When our time came, his family provided us with encouragement only possible from those who have "walked the walk".

The mother of the DS son is a fine Christian woman. I have known her, and admired her Christian testimony, for over 40 years. In talking with us about her own struggles, she recounted how devastated she was when she found out her son was DS. She said that she wouldn’t even look at him and when she did, she cried uncontrollably. She said she thought she could never love him. I was shocked at her [frank] admissions. I had known her since I was eight. I never imagined that SHE, of all people, could have had such a struggle.

But, she said, her uncle, a pediatrician, had told her that she would love her son just as much as she loved her other children and that in six months, she would not trade him for a normal baby. Her testimony to us was that she found that to be true!

But, we still had struggles reconciling our faith in an all-powerful, all-loving God with our daughter’s plight. One of our closest neighbors who was a critical care pediatric nurse for over 30 years had told us that she could not believe in God because of what she had seen. She never elaborated on what she meant by “what she had seen” that lead her to such a conclusion. We couldn’t understand how anyone could feel that way. But now we were seeing, first-hand as parents of a small baby with special needs, perhaps a little of what she must have meant. I won’t speak for my wife but I must admit that I went through all “the questions” of faith.

Katelyn Grace was a happy little baby until she was four months old. We were just getting adjusted to the idea of having a DS baby. Then, our world imploded again. Katelyn Grace’s eyes started rolling back in her head. She would suddenly and inexplicably jerk, sometimes dropping her head forward. She became unresponsive for extended periods. This would happen 60 times a day and continue through sleepless nights. She stopped smiling, laughing, interacting, babbling, grabbing things, etc.

We took her in for testing. The doctor gave us a four-page handout along with a few comments and a diagnosis of epilepsy and went about his busy schedule. Again, we were stunned. DS was “simple”. We had just come to terms with it. Epilepsy is anything but simple. Why our baby, our daughter? Why us? How could God allow such suffering in a helpless, innocent little baby?

We took her to MUSC in Charleston. Their solution was (experimental) anti-seizure medicine. We didn’t want to drug our baby, just mask the symptoms, and reap the unpredictable fruits later. For the next ten months, we sought other solutions. We visited doctors in Atlanta (5x’s), California (6x’s), and Washington State (1 time).

God has been faithful and gracious to us. He led us to a doctor in California who had a DS son with epilepsy. He had been successful in controlling the seizures through nutrition and not drugs!

Two weeks ago, after the third visit, my wife, 2nd daughter, and Katelyn Grace came home from California. The nutritional approach apparently worked! Katelyn Grace has not had a seizure since that time! The doctors at MUSC examined Katelyn Grace and were all amazed.

My humble, stumbling testimony for the Lord is that while we are not always faithful to Him, He is always faithful to us! And, whether it is dealing with disappointments in religious/educational institutions or dealing with serious health issues in an innocent daughter, God is always faithful.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Dr. Camille Lewis' Exit From BJU

Recently, Dr. Camille Lewis, a former faculty member of Bob Jones University who recently resigned, posted a comment to the BJU Weblog: "I wish you were wrong. I really, really wish. But you're not. You're exactly correct. And my very recent story confirms that all this is still alive and well. God help us all."

Camille has a blog, "A Time to Laugh", in which she shares the story of how she and her husband, Dr. Grant Lewis, also a former faculty member at BJU, came to resign from BJU. She is a published author, a 'thinker' who has a mind of her own, a painstaking researcher, a brilliant wordsmith, and one who has gone through some very deep waters, both in her profession as a faculty member of BJU and in her private life.

Much has changed at BJU during the last 28 years since I graduated. But, has BJU really "changed" in areas that desperately need(ed) change?

Though his legacy remains, Bob Jones, Jr. passed away and is no longer embarrassing the BJU-family with his inordinate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.

Bob Jones III is now chancellor. As president of BJU, Bob Jones III muddled his way through the public portion of the interracial dating nonsense from 1970 to 2000. He fought for his interracial dating rule against the IRS, the Reagan Administration, and the Supreme Court. Following in the steps of his father and grandfather, he embarrassed the University family with his interracial dating bigotry and the grand deception that BJU's interracial dating ban was "Bible policy".

Like Bob Jones Jr., Bob Jones III proved that he is no stranger to inordinate speech. Those who trusted that Bob Jones III would run BJU decently and with a modicum of Christian decorum were embarrassed and disappointed throughout the whole ordeal. Stephen Jones has been a welcomed change in that area.

The University's involvement in politics is one of its most notable, obvious changes. After the 2000 presidential election, politicians have avoided Bob Jones III and BJU like the plague. Yes, Bob Jones III did his "personal" Mitt Romney endorsement in which he took pains to say that he was not speaking for Bob Jones University!? And, obviously, the endorsement embarrassed Romney. (What was he to do? Refuse the endorsement and invite a John McCain-styled firestorm before the SC Primary?) But Bob Jones III's endorsement of Mormon Romney only garnered media coverage because of the apparent inconsistency of endorsing one in a religion he had called "a cult". Clearly, one change that has occurred at BJU is that the Joneses/BJU have been forced to take a lower public profile. They have also become more media-savvy.

The "Bob Jones-only" label has been erased and Stephen Jones is now president. Many of the old-guard faculty and administrators have retired. New people have taken their places, many whose names I do not recognize.

But, has BJU changed in the ways that they treat people, students, faculty, staff, graduates? Have they changed the way they decide doctrine and "Bible policy"? Have their ethics changed? Is there still an atmosphere of spiritual coercion and Phariseeism? Is BJU still a place that produces men and women bound, not to their consciences and Christ, but bound by personal loyalty to the Joneses and institutional idolatry to BJU? Is BJU still guided by pragmatic expediency? Or, are important decisions involving matters of faith and practice made based upon what will sustain BJU?

I hear the claim that BJU has changed. But these claims never cite specific, substantive areas of reform. Can anyone cite one substantive change Stephen Jones has made? Or, like in the days when Bob Jones Jr. was chancellor and Bob Jones III was named president, is Stephen just a day-to-day operational figurehead who has to ask daddy?

28 years ago, BJU was a spiritually abusive, spiritually oppressive institution. This was well-known - and accepted - by most of those who had attended or had worked at BJU for any length of time. Bob Jones University was a "sick sub-culture," something that M. Scott Peck discussed in his book People of the Lie. (Peck did not name BJU specifically. However, he did describe how such organizations operate and his book is instructive as to how to identify evil people and evil organizations.)

Dr. Camille Lewis graduated from BJU, earned her doctorate at Indiana University, and came back to BJU with her husband, Dr. Grant Lewis, to be faculty "lifers" at BJU. Obviously, the Lewis's were loyal, dedicated members of the BJU-family. And, apparently, they are now lived through what I call "The Whole BJU Experience," that which includes the starry-eyed freshman's entrance to BJU-dom all the way to the sickening realization of the atmosphere of deception and the painful exit.

I would encourage anyone interested in seeing how BJU operates today to visit Camille's blog and her "Ebenezer" series on how she and her husband came to resign from the faculty of BJU. Following are two short clips from her last post.

"Like many, I was hopefully optimistic that a change for the better was taking place under BJU’s new administration. And as reluctant as I was to admit it before, during, and immediately after the meeting, I now see that really very little has changed in the last 81 years in the way that organization handles intellectual differences, faculty development, interpersonal disagreement, and administrative egos. Stories from the disenfranchised are legion, and if you compare our story to ones from 30 years ago, it’s plain to see that nothing’s changed. The direction that the meeting was about to take that unlucky July afternoon made that abundantly clear."

"...This is what Grant and I were objecting to from the start really. The gracelessness of a system that justified all sorts of secrecy, lying, and cruelty simply because of who was doing it. A system that claimed to be parental but was simply punitive. We had heard about it from our students. We had read about it in those books. And now we were getting it first-hand, in living color, right before our eyes, right from our friends. . . . I pray I never forget how that feels so that I’m never tempted to do it to another human being..."

Over the years since my time at BJU and my experience with Bob Jones III and the BJU grads at Northside Baptist, I have found it reassuring, and uncanny, that different people, in different circumstances, come to the same conclusions about the Joneses and Bob Jones University. Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Part V: Phariseeism, Jonesianism, and Questions

Quote of the Day: "One of the traits of a cult is its refusal to consider any evidence that might disprove the faith." Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist.

During the past two months or so, I have been corresponding with Professor Louis Hensler of Regent University, a past commenter on the BJU Weblog who has been outspoken in his criticism of me for citing the reputations of the Joneses/BJU. Louis Hensler seemed to embody the spirit and philosophies of the Joneses/BJU, so I thought it would be instructive in this case study to engage Louis Hensler in dialogue.

Our correspondence has been marked by two significant elements: First, Louis Hensler has never addressed any evidence or factual data I have ever cited to support my assertions. Secondly, to date, Louis Hensler has never answered any of my questions.

However, Louis Hensler has been very insistent that I answer his questions. I answered his questions within my last few posts on the BJU Weblog and directed him to the Weblog posts and to the Weblog "About" link for answers to his questions about me regarding my major, graduation date, and some demeaning speculation as to whether I flunked out of BJU and had to attend BJ's SAS, etc.

Louis Hensler also asked me an open-ended question about my "precise relationship with BJU". It was a thought provoking question and, evidently, my original answer didn't satisfy Louis Hensler. I provided him with this final answer:

"...Louis, regarding my "precise relationship with BJU," it is best characterized by the relationship Christ advised for His disciples regarding the Pharisees in Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind" coupled with his caution in Luke 12:1, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." That is my relationship with the Joneses, BJU, and the people who have embraced the peculiarly Jonesian leaven of hypocrisy that pervades the BJU subculture."

I also informed Louis Hensler that I directed some questions to him within my posts. To date, Louis Hensler has failed to answer any of my questions. He has simply ignored my questions and adamantly insisted that I answer his questions!

CLOSED CULTURES HATE QUESTIONS

The BJU culture is a closed culture. Members of closed cultures hate anyone or anything that would question them. The Pharisees demonstrated a zeal in questioning Christ, His character, His authority, and everything about Him with a mind to destroying Him. The Pharisees were first and foremost, dishonest in their basic motivations. Their motivations were to maintain the status quo and no Man from Nazareth was going to bring into question their religious sect.

Yet, Christ, to the distress of His disciples at times, dared to ask questions of the Pharisees that were designed to expose the hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance that came to stereotype Phariseeism. The Pharisees had spent years conditioning - through love and fear - the Jewish people to revere and to fear them as the final authorities for all faith and practice. As Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, demonstrated, those who crossed the Pharisees paid a hefty price.

Through the Pharisees "5th Avenue PR campaign," the Jewish people, including Christ's disciples, had been conditioned to think that the Pharisees were righteous religious leaders whose commandments and practices could not be questioned. As Christ's disciples obviously knew, the Pharisees would not hesitate to punish anyone who questioned their religious standing or practices. (And, that is the way that the Bob Jones University subculture operates.)

Be careful of people and groups, especially religious people and religious groups, who will not submit themselves to honest questions about their beliefs and practices by outsiders. I recall the letter Mr. Bob Jones III wrote to a man who asked him questions. Mr. Bob Jones III said that he was "not required to answer questions of you or anyone else." Thus, Mr. Bob Jones III surrounded himself with yes-men who lacked the intestinal fortitude to stand up and ask questions when Mr. Jones III lied or perverted Biblical truth. And, Bob Jones Sr., Bob Jones Jr. and Bob Jones III have leavened the entire BJU subculture with that same attitude.

After the Pharisees asked Christ about the commandments in Matthew 22: 35-46, Christ answered their question well and followed up with questions of His Own: "If David then called him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."

Members of cults cannot deal with probing questions. They avoid questions that - if given due consideration - would reveal their cult or sect and its philosophies and practices as unbiblical, inconsistent, and/or false. Such people hate the light of day and the light of Scriptural scrutiny. Such people and groups especially hate anyone who would expose the leadership of their sect, or members who blindly defend their sect, as lacking in the fundamental elements of godliness.

But Christ commands us to "beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy". Those of you who are confronted with Pharisaical Jonesianism - whether in a BJU-led church or at BJU itself - would do well to follow Christ's example and ask questions. Within the answers these people give you will find out whether or not the organization and its people have been leavened with the leaven of the Pharisees. It takes some effort, discernment, and questioning to determine if an organization or a group of people have adopted the Pharisaical hypocrisy of the Joneses/BJU.

But, there will be a price to pay, as Christ's disciples knew. After having asked questions, the Joneses/BJU and their defenders will normally ignore your questions, dissemble in their answers, or they will visciously attack you. In some cases, they will do all three at once!

I have emailed Louis Hensler a few times asking him some questions without getting answers to my questions or a timetable in which answers would be forthcoming. Today, I asked him two more questions. Let's see how he will respond.

On January 28, 2008, I asked Louis:

"I noted your statement in a FFF post targeting me, "...Most BJU grads aren't obsessed with BJU. They're loyal..."

Louis Hensler, as a loyal graduate and defender of BJU and one who alleges to be a Bible-believer, have you ever experienced a conflict between your loyalty to the Joneses/BJU and the loyalty Christianity requires to God's Word?

If so, Louis Hensler, as a loyal BJU graduate who alleges to be a Christian, how did you reconcile the inevitable conflicts that occur when the Joneses/BJU violate the teachings and commands of God? Does not Christ warn that those who serve two masters will end up loving one and hating the other?

Secondly, Louis Hensler, have you ever struggled with the instability of a double minded person, as James observed, while trying to reconcile what the Bible teaches with that which the Joneses say and do?"

Today, February 4th, I emailed Louis,

"Wanted to give you an opportunity to answer a couple of questions related to things you have said and done in the last couple of months:

1. Have you ever judged any person high enough in standing with God, sound enough in mind, and pure enough in heart and motive to be qualified to evaluate the words and deeds of the Joneses/BJU in obedience to Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 5 and 2 Timothy 3:16? If so, what is that person's name?

2. Jesus Christ declared that the second great commandent was, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:39) Jesus Christ accused the Pharisees thus: "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (Mark 7:9) Christ also said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) In your defense of the Joneses/BJU and in your treatment of me, why have you not striven to obey Christ's commands? Secondly, why have you exempted the Joneses/BJU and your BJU/FFF brethren from the commands of Jesus Christ?

Mark Fitzhenry

Part IV, Dealing with Defenders of the Joneses/BJU: Character Assassination

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been waiting on a response from Louis Hensler, a Fighting Fundamentals Forum member and honors graduate from Bob Jones University. Mr. Hensler, or Professor Hensler, is a law professor at Regent University. He finally issued a [non]reply of sorts.

The last post in this series featured a comment by Professor Louis Hensler, in which he voiced concerns about "bigoted name-calling," "stereotyping," and hatred. As is typical of those trained by BJU, his concerns were only directed at me, though he had ample opportunity with his BJU cronies on the FFF. I invited Louis Hensler to also direct those same concerns to his BJU-defending friends on the FFF. He has not done so at this time. In fairness to Professor Hensler, he says he is too busy to respond but that he intends to do so. I asked him for a time-frame. Louis Hensler ignored the inquiry.

Even so, if Mr. Hensler acts like all the Jonesians I have known, he will ignore my invitation to "direct those same concerns to his BJU-defending friends on the FFF". Any objective observer would judge that Louis Hensler and his Fighting Fundamentals Forum cronies engaged in nothing other than bigoted name-calling, stereotyping, and hatred on the Forum. For the most part, the Jonesians on the FFF never dealt with issues or facts! They acted like the Pharisees who strained at gnats and swallowed camel-sized Jonesian faults.

Mr. Hensler's words seem to be mocking him doubly. Anyone who has objectively followed the doings of the Joneses/BJU through the years knows that the Joneses/BJU, who Hensler sought to defend, are the most well-known practitioners of bigotry, name-calling, stereotyping, and hatred within the American religious educational industry. My guess is, Mr. Hensler will be too proud to retract the words by which he judged me. If Louis Hensler is a stereotypical Jonesian, he will never apply to the Joneses/BJU or his BJU/FFF cronies the same standards by which he judged me.

In our exchanges, Louis Hensler hasn't gotten any farther than discussing that which he imagines is wrong with me. He acts as if I'm not qualified to point out the sinful ways of the Joneses/BJU. That is standard operating procedure with the Bob Jones University defenders. I have never met a Jonesian that has judged anyone critical of the Joneses/BJU as qualified to rebuke or reprove the Joneses/BJU.

Louis Hensler is adapting Bob Jones Sr.'s old ploy: "You want to know where a man stands with God? Ask him this one question: What do you think of this school?" Thus far, Louis Hensler has attempted to paint me as a bigoted name-caller, a stereotyper, and nothing more than a BJU-hater with a warped hatred of BJU. In the BJU sub-culture, they think that anyone who does not have a favorable opinion of BJU has lost his standing with God. It is a subtle form of idolatry because it makes what one thinks of BJU, not Christ and His Word, the final arbiters of religious approval.

The Jonesian Leaven: Do As We Say and Do As We Do

For good or ill, educators influence those they teach. This is the principle Christ cited when he warned "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." This is one of the greatest dangers of BJU: the Joneses and those they have trained to train young people, duplicate themselves in impressionable students.

As I researched the techniques the Joneses use on those with whom they disagreed, I found that the Joneses' defenders - students, graduates, faculty, preachers, etc. trained by BJU - employed similar techniques in dealing with those who would dare to point the Nathanic finger at the Joneses/BJU. One of their chiefest tools is Character Assassination.

Character Assassination: A Time-Honored Bob Jones University Tradition

Mr. Bob Jones Sr. seems to have set the no-holds-barred approach to dealing with BJU's critics through character assassination when he preached against one of his former faculty members:

"After Mercer was [fired], Jones Sr. preached a series of chapel messages on Judas. Jones identified Mercer with Judas but, Mercer remembered, 'made clear that Judas was a much finer fellow, for he did have the grace to hang himself and he did not write letters back to his school.' The analogy to the traitor Judas fit well in the minds of the Joneses. The Mercer affair reinforced their growing defensive mentality." (Dalhouse, An Island in the Lake of Fire, p77.)

In Jack van Impe's book, Heart Disease in the Body of Christ, he had a telling quote from a letter to Mr. Bob Jones Jr. from Dr. J. C. Joiner citing an instance where Jones Jr. pronounced judgment on Dr. John R. Rice's mental fitness:

“[Bob, Jr.], I do have ‘ought against you.’ I attended the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship meeting in Tempe…and witnessed the “open” forum…In my opinion; the open forum was not ‘open’ at all because no one was allowed to speak from the floor. The forum degenerated into a gossip session!...You pronounced judgement on Dr. John R. Rice, that he as old and senile and that is ministry…had been significantly influenced by two frustrated women on his staff who have convinced him that he is perfect…The hour of the forum was to be given to discussion of issues and problems that face fundamentalists, but sadly most of that hour was ill-spent in ridicule and character assassinations…”

Mr. Bob Jones III, who was the president of BJU during Louis Hensler's and my time at BJU, showed that he embraced the technique of character assassination as well as evidenced by this letter he wrote:

“He has slandered and vilified his alma mater…He has said we are approving apostasy…He has lost all reason…a kind man, a good man would not do this.” (An attorney commented: “It is my opinion that Dr. Jones III’s words] constitute actionable and recoverable libel per se.”)

When one deals with BJU-styled fundamentalists, one is dealing with a group of some of the meanest, most unethical and hypocritical religionists in existence. The Joneses have passed on to their followers, supporters, and defenders the attitude that slandering an opponent - publicly judging his motives, heart attitude, and even his mental state - is justified if it is done to defend the Joneses, BJU, or their brand of fundamentalism. This attitude is not limited to BJU-styled fundamentalism.

Wally Metts observed: “To be quite blunt, many organizations I encounter [profess a belief in the fundamentals] to maintain peer status, but lie, cheat, steal, carry on corrupt business practices, slander, commit fraud, and practice bitterness and hatred. But as long as they [believe the fundamentals], they are accepted by their peers. It would be hard to imagine a more hypocritical stance.” (Faith Brokers, commenting on his experience at David Gibbs' Christian Legal Association.)

Anyone who stands up and exposes a Fundamentalist pope or a fundamentalist sacred cow like BJU, is going to be lied about, cheated out of his good name, slandered, and be the object of all manner of attacks.

Louis Hensler's Defense of the Joneses/BJU

Louis Hensler, from his Fighting Fundamentals Forum posts, BJU Weblog comments, and emails to me and about me, seems to have settled on "hate" as his main thrust of attack. Not once did Louis Hensler dispute any of the facts that I cited regarding the past reputation of the Joneses/BJU and the impact the Joneses' philosophies and practices had in leavening the attitudes and actions of those they trained. Clearly, in all of Louis Hensler's communications, he has never given the slightest attention to the "discussion of issues and problems that face fundamentalists..." Louis Hensler's focus was not on issues or problems plaguing the Joneses/BJU. When one finds himself in an indefensible position, one finds offense the only course of action. He seems totally absorbed with ignoring the central issues and problems that face BJU and undermining my credibility with phrases like "hatred of BJU," "watches BJU like a hawk," "what he perceives to be its vices," "warped hatred," etc.

Louis Hensler posted this 12-14-07 on the FFF:

"...it seems that the BJU-haters don't seem to think of anything else. I don't think anyone here has set up a blog dedicated to his love of BJU, such as the monument that Mark Fitzhenry has set up to his hatred of BJU. Nobody here watches BJU like a hawk looking for any opportunity to praise its virtues, as Fitzhenry does what he perceives to be its vices. Most BJU grads aren't obsessed with BJU. They're loyal. They understand that the school has its virtues and its shortcomings. A few seem to come away with a warped hatred of the place, and that seems to me to be more strange than what you see here."

Evidently, Louis Hensler sees himself as a judge of not only my heart attitude, ie., hateful, with a warped hatred, etc. but is willing to judge my mental fitness as well. Note this 1-16-08 email Louis Hensler sent me:

"...But let me be candid with you for a moment -- you sound a little unstable. If that's the case, I would hate to think that I am making your situation worse by engaging you. If I get the distinct sense that you are a crazy person on the edge, I'll have to cut off any further correspondence..."

The attacks on those who rebuke the Joneses/BJU have been remarkably savage through the years. The Joneses/BJU have survived by fostering a cult-like personal loyalty, institutional idolatry, and a well-earned fear of reprisals reserved for anyone who rebukes the Joneses/BJU.

It is no wonder why generation after generation within the BJU subculture have remained quiet about the evil vices of the Joneses/BJU for all these years.

To my knowledge, no Jonesian defender has ever declared anyone highly enough qualified, virtuous enough in character, or mentally competent to expose and/or rebuke the evil deeds done by the Joneses/BJU. In this way, the BJU subculture has become a law unto itself, totally insulated, internally and externally, from biblically-based review, rebuke, or criticism.

The only powers the Joneses/BJU fear on earth are political pressure, media pressure, and economic pressure.

In the minds of the Jonesian faithful, the Joneses and BJU are above all internal and external accountability. This is a thoroughly unbiblical attitude and has led many a group into cultism.

IN OVER 30 YEARS I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE BJU-CROWD JUDGING ANYONE PURE ENOUGH IN MOTIVE, EMBUED WITH ENOUGH WISDOM, STABLE ENOUGH IN MENTAL HEALTH, OR HIGH ENOUGH IN THEIR STANDING WITH GOD, TO BE QUALIFIED TO REBUKE THE DOINGS OF THE JONESES/BJU.

A Failure to face facts in an honest, straight-forward manner

Professor Louis Hensler has never dealt with my stated concerns about the deeds, practices, and philosophies of the Joneses/BJU and the effect those deeds, practices, and philosophies have on the students and "preacher boys" they train and the fundamentalist Baptist preachers they manipulate into supporting them.

Hensler makes a pretense that since I have pointed out some of the "vices" of the Joneses/BJU, that I am hateful and must not be stable. I cannot think of a more thoroughly dishonest way to engage in debate than for someone to ignore the underlying facts and issues and problems facing the Joneses/BJU and BJU-styled fundamentalism by questioning the heart attitudes and mental states of those who point out the duplicity and inconsistencies therein.

A Lack of Intellectual and Ethical Consistency

“They may lie about you as a Christian, but they won’t mock Christians who live consistent lives. They will respect you.” Bob Jones Sr.

I have also invited Louis Hensler to apply to his BJU/FFF cronies and to the Joneses the same standards of "candid" judgment he applied to me. HE HAS IGNORED THE INVITATION. As Jack van Impe said when he saw hypocrisy within fundamentalism, "Consistency, thou art a jewel!" Unfortunately, inconsistency doesn't seem to bother Louis Hensler, at least so far as his judgments concerning the Joneses/BJU.

On 1-22-08, I invited Hensler to join me in petitioning the Joneses/BJU to apologize to First Lady Betty Ford for the chancellor of BJU, Bob Jones Jr., publicly calling her "a slut" from the Bob Jones University chapel platform. Hensler hasn't responded. I wrote Louis Hensler:

"Professor Hensler, join me in asking the Joneses/BJU to apologize to the old helpless widow, Betty Ford, for calling her "a slut," and you will see all the "BJU haters" you could ever want to see or hear, from INSIDE the walls of the Fortess of Faith!"

And, this is how the leaven of the Pharisees spread by the Joneses/BJU manifests itself. While the BJU crowd, and loyal graduates like Louis Hensler, are traditionally free in handing out judgments of those critical to the Joneses and the BJU sub-culture, they never apply to the Joneses/BJU any objective standard of conduct. To my knowledge, Louis Hensler has never specifically objected to the inordinate speech that has come from the lips of the Joneses. But, he publicly accuses me of a "warped hatred"?

It seems to me that any man in Hensler's position, who desired to be viewed as an intellectually honest and fair-minded person, would feel compelled by ethical consistency to judge everyone, me, his Forum cronies, the Joneses, and BJU, by the same standards of conduct.

While Louis Hensler makes an intentionally vague reference to what he says I "perceive as vices" (what are those "vices," Louis, and how do you "perceive" them?) at BJU, Louis Hensler studiously avoids addressing those "vices". In fact, the only thing he seems to see are what Louis Hensler "perceives" are his speculation as to my heart attitudes and mental state. I think the Joneses'/BJU's evil speaking is a vice. I think the Joneses'/BJU's Pharisaical hypocrisy is a vice. The Joneses'/BJU's dishonesty is a vice. The Joneses'/BJU's duplicity is a vice. The Joneses'/BJU's willingness to fraudulently invoke the Bible and the name of Jesus Christ in an effort to deceive and manipulate God's people into supporting BJU's racial bigotry is a vice. The Joneses'/BJU spiritual abuse of those under their authority is a vice, etc., etc. My question to Hensler is: If these are not "vices" then what do you call them, Louis Hensler, and how do you "perceive" them? In my view, these "vices" that Louis Hensler studiously refuses to "perceive," are so serious as to call into question the fitness of the Joneses/BJU to train Christian young people.

Mr. Hensler seems to have learned the ways of the Joneses/BJU very thoroughly. Charles Underwood observed the Joneses' lack of regard for facts. Likewise, at no time during our exchanges has Professor Hensler, a loyal honors graduate from BJU, a law professor at Regent University, a litigator trained in evidence and legal argumentation, ever directly addressed any of my concerns regarding the Joneses/BJU. He simply ignored the facts and issues and characterized me as one operating under a "warped hatred of BJU". In court, if an attorney does not refute incriminating evidence or testimony against his client, that testimony is accepted by the court as having been admitted.

Professor Hensler has done a shameful job at deflecting attention from the Joneses'/BJU's ungodly ways by demonizing me, just like his mentors, the Joneses have done with those with whom they disagree. Within the BJU sub-culture, petty, ad hominem argumentation will take the day and garner 'Good post'-accolades on BJU chat forums.

I hope I am wrong but, thus far, Louis Hensler has done a dismal job of addressing central areas of concern regarding the Joneses/BJU. Unless I miss my guess, Mr. Louis Hensler has embraced the leaven of the Joneses and will make a good example for studying Jonesianism.

Those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to discern will watch, listen, and understand why I believe the Joneses/BJU are dangerous religious practitioners within the IFB brand of fundamentalism. (Edited March 18, 2008)

Part III, Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees Which is Hypocrisy

I have seen corruption boil and bubble 'til it o'er run the stew.
Laws for all faults,
But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,
As much in mock as mark. Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

The Jonesians are often mistakenly labeled "legalists". While the Jonesians like their rules, they don't have a rule they wouldn't ignore, bend, or break for the Joneses or Bob Jones University. Jonesians are, first and foremost, Pharisaical hypocrites.

Charles Underwood noted the Joneses' "disregard of facts." I have repeatedly noted that the Joneses followers share their disregard of facts. In my experiences with Jonesians stretching back to 1977, a Jonesian will ignore any fact, feign innocence and ignorance regarding BJU's past, avoid answering probing questions designed to reveal the truth, lie, cheat, use unethical means, smear and slander any opponent, twist any word, ignore or subvert any biblical principle, cast a blind eye toward any Jonesian evil, etc., in order to defend the Joneses and BJU. Like the Joneses, however, their followers are masters at the smear campaign, ad hominem attacks, killing the messenger and ignoring the message.

In the final analysis, the Joneses have created an entire Pharisaical sub-culture that blindly follows and defends every pronouncement and deed of the Joneses as "gospel". When Bob Jones III claimed his interracial dating position was "based on Bible policy" only to later characterize that position as "insignificant" and "meaningless," the Jonesians instinctively ignored their leader's duplicity. What could be more dishonest than invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's heaven, and God's Word as support for racial bigotry. And, what else would disqualify a person from wielding spiritual influence over others? In my view, Bob Jones III prostituted his frock on the altar of bigoted, pragmatic expediency. Only a Jonesian would mindlessly continue to grant unfettered loyalty and trust to one who displayed such a high level of religious duplicity. Again and again, issue after issue, the Joneses have practiced duplicity and have leavened a whole host of BJU-styled fundamentalists who think that duplicity is the norm.

Pharisaical Hypocrisy

Like Matthew-23 Pharisees, the Jonesians judge everyone else - especially those who point out Jonesian hypocrisy - by a set of standards/laws/rules that they themselves have no intention of keeping. Like their spiritual ancestors, "...they say, and do not." (Matthew 23:3, 4)

In my last post, I suggested to Louis Hensler, a Fighting Fundamental Forum member: "You might take a few minutes to peruse the "Rules" thread in light of your second sentence about "bigoted name-calling," "stereotyping," and "haters" and decide whether or not you are willing to weigh your friends on the Forum by the same standard you have attempted to apply to me. Perhaps you missed some of the more colorful ad hominem attacks that pass for civil Christian discourse on the Forum. Did you ever voice any concerns regarding "bigoted name-calling," "stereotyping," or "haters" on the Forum?"

Evidently, Louis Hensler, in his haste to ignore my concerns by stereotyping me as a BJU-hater, "missed" some of the more notable examples of "bigoted name-calling," "stereotyping," and hate practiced by his Forum brethren. In my view, several outspoken Forum members were masters of the arts that Louis Hensler accused me (Former Fundee or FF) of practicing. For quoting newspaper articles, quoting the Joneses own words, quoting letters to and from the Joneses, I was treated to every manner of bigoted name-calling, stereotyping, and hatred. One of the best examples of the ad hominem nature of the Jonesians can be found in an exchange between "Fred" and me in Posts #76-79 linked below. Incidentally, despite the concerted efforts of a few outspoken Forum members, the "Rules" thread has had over 11,500 views, possibly a BJU/FFF record.

Now, I understand "Breslau" (an anonymous Forum member) has accused me of "cherry-picking" posts to prove my points. Unfortunately, "Breslau," cherry-picking was not necessary in order to find examples of dissembling on the Forum. My challenge to this "Anonymous Avenger" is for Breslau to pick any Forum post from those of the members cited below and try to make the point that there was a forthright dealing with the facts that I shared on the Forum regarding the Joneses and BJU. (Why not start with Posts 76 to 79, Breslau?) I'm not holding my breath. While "Breslau" is a master at cute quips and snide cuts, he doesn't seem to have the wit or the will to debate central issues.

Here are several examples of "bigoted name-calling," "stereotyping," and hatred that seem to have escaped Louis Hensler's attention. Was Louis Hensler sincere when he voiced his disappointment over bigoted name-calling, stereotyping, and hatred? Or was his expression of disappointment contrived so as to discredit me without having to deal with the facts and the Joneses' sullied reputations? Is Louis Hensler a Bob Jones University hypocrite or will he apply to his Forum buddies the same standards he tried to impose on me?

Petimus Credimus, The BJU product debating issues on the Fighting Fundamental Forum:

Fred, Post #76-#79, “full of hate” and spreading “a lie”. (This exchange is worth checking out.)

Fred, #105, “[Former Fundee's] ranting,” “gossiping,” “causing strife,” “cowardly”.

Breslau, #123, “[FF] You’ve earned ignore status.” Seconded, and thirded by Merlin and Fred.

Fred, #132, “[FormerFundee's] hateful rants”.

Former Fundee, #138 is a long quote of letter from former BJU staffer, Charles Underwood to Bob Jones III. Underwood summed up, “I think this distinctly reveals the trend of BJU in approving idolatry and deceit….” The content of the letter was totally ignored and its “length” became the sole focus of those on the forum.

Merlin, #140, “[FF] I don’t waste the time or the energy to read such rubbish,” referring to newspaper quotes of Bob Jones III and an open letter written to Bob III detailing his double-dealing and dishonesty.

Sacred Singer, #142, “[FF] you’re a nut…I read about 3 sentences of your first ‘novel’ and wasn’t interested in reading your opinions any further…” (Evidently, SS wasn’t interested in Underwood’s opinions or Bob Jones III contradictory statements quoted in the newspapers.)

Breslau, #145 “[FF] You are a wack job bucko”.

Merlin, #146, “Well spoken Breslau.”

Sly Fox, #147, “By ignoring the claims [FF] made against the school and the royal Jones family you appear to be acknowledging their credence. Just an observation from the outside looking in.” (Sly Fox, a clear-thinking forum member, with an astute observation regarding Forum members who ignored well-settled facts.)

Sacred Singer, #149, “[FF's] trumped up accusation...He has…a lot of bitterness/jealousy/insecurity/whatever in his heart. Pretty sad.”

Breslau, #170, “[FF has evidently] fallen away from the Scriptures.”

Merlin, #175, “Facts from you…(as Merlin throws head back and belly laughs)…now that one is truly funny. Fundee, thanks for that laugh…”

Merlin, #182, “…and fundee distorts all the truth.”

Sacred Singer, #204, “[FF] obviously destroyed some brain cells in the process…”

Former Fundee, #205, [Sacred Singer], I don’t believe there is a Jonesian sin that you couldn’t ignore. You must have learned civil discourse and logic from Peter Ruckman. Perhaps you could put this verse to music and make it your theme song: “In religion, What damned error, but some sober brow, Will bless and approve it with text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament?” Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Merlin, #219, “[FF] Have you considered professional counseling? Life is too short to harbor such bitterness and hatred.”

Sacred Singer, #223, “Fundee, you are making yourself look more foolish by the day…such lunacy…”

Merlin, #251, “Trumpet, may I remind you that this is an open forum where people are free to share their opinions. Your personal attacks on other forum members are not appreciated or necessary…I have said things on this forum to people because I was angry, and had to go back later and apologize. Thankfully for the Holy Spirit’s convicting power. Don’t let yourself fall into the bitterness trap…”

Former Fundee challenging Merlin to back up his ad hominem smear campaign, #292, “[Merlin, re. your] Post 182, ‘…and Fundee totally distorts all truth.’ Care to back that up, Merlin?’…’What ‘truth’ do you allege that I distorted? What ‘facts’ did you find funny? It seemed like the article ‘Dances With Compromise’ was chalked full of facts: sworn court documents, newspaper articles, television transcripts, things ‘reported commonly’. Hello! Anybody home? Your problem, Merlin, besides your penchant to degrade those who disagree with you with sophomorish pop psychology and your ethical lapses, is that you appear to be so self-deluded that you CANNOT look at facts in an objective manner. The sad thing is that you appear to have learned this at BJU.”

Certain Sound, #297, “Former Fundee is the guy who hates all things BJU…Biblically he could be compared to the scorner. He quotes people like Dr. Custer with no references. In his mind people who are dead or retired are still in power.”

FormerFundee, #303, “…No references? Pardon the brevity. The quote was from a cassette entitled ‘Manuscript and Translation Controversy’ by Custer, Panosian, Wisdom, and Bob III…” (Certain Sound still ignored the information and the fact that Bob III said, "When a faculty member speaks, he speaks for the university.")

FormerFundee to Tennessee Trumpet, #314, “Tennessee, Attorney John Whitehead, in trying to dissuade BJU from taking their interracial dating ban/IRS case to the Supreme Court, said, "You can't tell those people anything."

I left the BJU-crowd some time ago and wondered if anything had changed regarding the state of the 'brightest, best-trained Christian product' that BJU produces. I found my answer on this Forum."..."TT, look back at Anchor's statement, that 'the Joneses may be flawed but were not evil.' Did you note how quickly Anchor dropped the issue - an issue that he introduced to the Forum? And, look at the quotes from the Joneses and the questions from me that members on the forum COULD NOT ADDRESS because they brought into question the integrity of the Joneses and the ungodly personal loyalty and institutional idolatry that plague the BJU-crowd. Follow the example of Christ in asking them probing questions and they will reveal themselves to be Matthew 23-Pharisees every time.

Bob IV once wrote, "Everyone loves to laugh at a self-righteous windbag." While, Merlin, Breslau, Anchor, Certain Sound, Sacred Singer, Fred (where are you, Fred? I really have missed you.), and my fellow-BJU family members, have provided me with alarm and sadness at the state of BJU-styled fundamentalism, I have enjoyed a few laughs along the way.

BTW, TT,...Wouldn't it be fitting to apply to the Joneses, BJU, and those on the forum this teaching from Dr. Panosian?

“Wherever truth exposes error, error will oppose truth, and truth will be drawn into conflict. The believer must both stand and advance against the enemy. Although controversy is not to be sought, it must be accepted. He cannot ignore strife, though it is not of his making. Love is a noble virtue, but Christian love is love in the truth.”… “[M]odern history affords ample opportunity for the teacher to illustrate our final lesson, that Satan’s method is to counterfeit the true.”… “We are conditioned to regard the “good” in every mixture of good and evil, when as discerning Christians, we should regard the evil. Few would value the scraps of good food in a garbage can. Just as the good food is totally contaminated by its association with the bad, so is whatever of good may seem to be in a spiritual mixture. In fact, the presence of the good makes the evil more subtly dangerous.” FF

END OF POSTS

Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, wrote, “Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.’ But if someone who will learn only from painful experience is a fool, what do you call someone who won’t learn from painful experience?”

The Jonesians have never been able to learn that a leader like Bob Jones III, who will invoke the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, heaven, and his religion to manipulate his followers into accepting his racial bigotry, will also employ the Bible and his religion to manipulate his followers into accepting his twisted view of other issues such as Masonry, separation, pastoral authority, church polity, ecclesiastic commercialism, prophesy, etc. Few Jonesians detected Bob Jones III's interracial dating ban scam and deception and fewer Jonesians learned from the painful experience that Bob Jones III is a devotee of pragmatic expediency. And, the leaven of pragmatic expediency has permeated the thinking and philosophies of the BJU crowd.

A Proposed Solution

The only solution I see to "clean up" some of BJU's past is for Stephen Jones and Bob Jones III to go to those who BJU and the Joneses have wronged and beg forgiveness. Perhaps they could start with Former First Lady Betty Ford, who Bob Jones Jr. publicly called "a slut". And, they should also go the the American people and beg forgiveness for calling their First Lady "a slut". And, don't they owe BJU's students, grads, faculty, and staff embarrassed by the chancellor's inordinate speech an apology? After all, Bob Jones Jr. betrayed their trust that the Joneses would run BJU in accord with basic, fundamental tenets of decency. It's never too late to ask forgiveness, is it? Why not apologize to Mrs. Betty Ford while she is alive?