Birds gotta sing. Fish gotta swim. And the tribal gatekeepers of white evangelicalism gotta be vindictive little jackwagons who try to get people fired.
Owen Strachan doubles down on his total dick move from earlier in the week. This is truly indecent behavior.
Here’s his latest:
There is disagreement in evangelicalism about the nature of violence in the Christian life. I had a conversation not long ago with a godly friend who inclines the way of Anabaptism on this question. We had a great email discussion. He and I disagree, but he nowhere claimed that the Bible is “immoral” or “unsavory” or “downright unhealthy.” No doubt there are some who would agree with him, and who in adopting some form of pacifism would continue to very much uphold the full authority, trustworthiness, and inspiration of Scripture.
But this is not what Seibert is doing. He is subverting the faith of his readers and, I assume, his students. I don’t know what could be more problematic for a biblical studies professor than this. Remember – these aren’t my interpretations. I’m pulling direct quotations from his piece. He’s put his argument out there in public on a widely-read evangelical blog. He’s invited engagement; his unbiblical and spiritually dangerous argument deserves it.
It will be interesting to see how Messiah College responds to this. Will it take its own statement of faith seriously, as Steffan and Christianity Today pointed out? Or will it treat its confession as unimportant? Do professors at Christian schools need to abide by their doctrinal statements, or not? Is a statement of faith just a piece of paper with some well-intended but ultimately inconsequential thoughts, or does it shape the life and health of the students entrusted to the school by God?
Confessions aren’t for policing. They are for health. Doctrinal statements aren’t designed to punish, though that should happen if needed. They are intended to lead people to flourishing. In this doctrine, a school or a church says, you find the core of biblical teaching. This is what will give you life. This is what will bless you and lead your feet on sure paths. We offer this to you to guard you, protect you, and keep you. We will answer to God in some sense for your soul, and we are doing our utmost to shepherd you to glory.
It is therefore good and right and gracious when a school upholds its own standards and protects its students so that Satan cannot destroy them. And it is devastating when a school allows it standards to grow lax.
Will Messiah College leadership allow this to happen? We’re all watching and waiting to see.
With many others, I am praying that good will come from this, that error will be corrected, that the truth will be vindicated, that God’s Word will not be attacked but will be seen as right and true and without error and loving and good and life-giving.
And that students, young men and women who are put in the care of professors by their parents and churches, will thrive in Jesus Christ, triumphing over darkness and doubt and sin.
Wow. You don’t ordinarily see someone take such pride in such embarrassingly shameful behavior. But Strachan relishes this. Gatekeeping is his passion, his love, his calling, his gospel. And he seems far more committed to it than to any other gospel.
Or, again, to put this in the only language Strachan understands:
There is disagreement in evangelicalism about the nature of jackassery in the Christian life. I had a conversation not long ago with a godly friend who inclines the way of Southern Baptism on this question. We had a great email discussion. He and I disagree, but he nowhere claimed that the Bible is “vindictive” or “McCarthyist” or “festering with smugness.” No doubt there are some who would agree with him, and who in adopting some form of dickishness would continue to very much uphold the full authority, trustworthiness, and inspiration of Scripture.
But this is not what Strachan is doing. He is subverting the faith of his readers and, I assume, his students. I don’t know what could be more problematic for a biblical studies professor than this. Remember–these aren’t my interpretations. I’m pulling direct quotations from his piece. He’s put his argument out there in public on a widely-read evangelical blog. He’s invited engagement; his unbiblical and spiritually dangerous argument deserves it.
It will be interesting to see how Boyce College responds to this. Will it take its own statement of faith seriously? Or will it treat its confession as unimportant? Do professors at Christian schools need to be decent human beings, or not? Is a statement of faith just a piece of paper with some well-intended but ultimately inconsequential thoughts, or does it shape the life and health of the students entrusted to the school by God?
It is good and right and gracious when a school upholds some minimal standards of non-dickish behavior and protects its students so that Satan cannot destroy them. And it is devastating when a school allows it standards to grow lax.
Will Boyce College leadership allow this to happen? We’re all watching and waiting to see.
With many others, I am praying that good will come from this, that error will be corrected, that the truth will be vindicated, that God’s Word will not be attacked but will be seen as right and true and without error and loving and good and life-giving.
And that students, young men and women who are put in the care of professors by their parents and churches, will thrive in Jesus Christ, triumphing over total dickishness and douchebaggery and sin.
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