Posted on 02/18/2003 5:11:39 AM PST by SJackson
Since 9-11, hundreds of colleges and universities across America have bent over backward to show the world that they “embrace” Islam. The University of North Carolina, for example, now requires all incoming freshmen to read the Muslim devotional “Approaching the Koran.” And in the wake of Sept.11th, left-wing professors throughout the nation held “teach-ins” to inform college students that Islam is a peaceful religion, notwithstanding the fact that most of the Muslim world, including many American Muslims, view the United States as the “Great Satan.” Despite the left’s new love affair with radical Islam, the left has not changed its opinion of Christianity, which it views with trepidation and contempt.
Because the radical left has seized control of American campuses, Christian students across the U.S. are now viewed by their peers and by campus faculty as followers of an “intolerant” and “oppressive” religion. In the classroom, radical professors focus their lectures on atrocities committed in the name of the Christian faith, such as the Inquisition and the Crusades, whereas Christianity’s contributions to the world are downplayed or simply never mentioned. The prevailing belief among left-wing academics is that Christians are homophobes, bigots and closed-minded extremists. On today’s campuses, this vitriolic attitude towards Christians is beginning to culminate in an unconstitutional assault upon Christian student groups.
At UNC Chapel Hill, for example, seventeen different religious groups on campus received letters from the university administration threatening de-recognition. These letters warned that if the groups’ rules and policies were not modified, the university would officially revoke the organizations’ right to meet on campus and would strip the clubs of college funding. And what is wrong with the policies of these organizations? They are Christian organizations, and their policies reflect their Christian beliefs. At UNC, groups are prohibited from defining themselves as “a Christian community,” and they are not allowed to select group leaders according to Christian beliefs. Both The Brotherhood in Christ and Chi Alpha Omega, for example, are student groups that were reprimanded for requiring members to be Christian males. And the IVCF (Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship) was threatened with de-recognition for requiring its members to follow Christian doctrine.
Imagine the outcry that we would hear if the same university de-recognized the student organization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queers (LGBTQ) for not allowing heterosexuals to assume leadership roles in the organization. No doubt, this would immediately turn into a “civil rights issue,” and all of the professional civil rights hustlers would descend upon the school to shake down the administration.
This of course would never happen because, on college campuses, homosexuals are a protected class. They are one of the sociological groups that leftists consider to be “oppressed” by white, heterosexual, Christian males. Or, as lefties often say, “The White Christian Patriarchy.” Marxism, which is at the root of this worldview, is an atheistic philosophy. It is a philosophy that since its inception has defined itself as the mortal enemy of Christianity. Marxism promises a heaven on earth. Christianity promises a paradise only in the afterlife. This is why every communist nation that has ever existed has outlawed religious expression. In a Marxist society, there can be no higher authority than the "enlightened" Marxists who rule the masses. We have seen this in various nations across the globe, and now we are seeing this on America’s college campuses.
Thankfully, some Christian student groups are beginning to fight back. In September 02, for example, the Director of student Involvement at Rutgers University officially de-recognized the IVMEF (InterVarsity Multi Ethnic Fellowship) because the group was accused of having discriminating polices. It seems that the group only selects leaders whose beliefs reflect the values of the organization. Because the group is a Christian organization, leaders must hold Christian beliefs. This does not gel with the ethos of the university administration, which holds that Christians should not be allowed to express their religious beliefs on campus. Rather than surrender to the administration’s fascistic demands, however, the IVMEF filed a lawsuit against Rutgers University in the U.S. Federal District Court of New Jersey.
Because Rutgers has so obviously violated the first amendment rights of this group's members, it is likely that the IVMEF will win its case against Rutgers. But, whatever the outcome of this case, one thing remains certain: until our colleges and universities are taken back from the radical left, academia’s war against Christians will persist without cease.
To respond to this article, email the author at larson@politicallyright.com .
Neither Crusade nor IV seek to replace involvement in a local church; indeed, we try to encourage everyone to get involved.
At Crusade, our mission isn't the same as a church: ours is to help students, both lost and saved, become laborers for Christ. Theoretically, that's also the mission of a Christian college. Some Christian colleges do that well, and more power to them. But there are a lot more who do not, so that is why I suggest the approach I did.
That all depends on why you think the government schools are so terrible. Is it because we fear our children will be indoctrinated by the secular humanists? If so, then the need to homeschool is imperative for ALL Christian children. It is especially critical at the elementary age level, but in most cases becomes less and less critical the older the child becomes. If our decision to not send our child to a secular institution is based on the belief that our money shouldn't go to support an ungodly system, then we should likewise consider what other "ungodly systems" our money supports, not just our educational dollars.
Our daughter was homeschooled through high school. In our case, after we determined that pursuing a degree was acceptable, what was most important was that our daughter remained under our authority. Continuing to live at home while attending the local JC or university was far more important than where our money went.
I agree that Christian higher education is in poor condition, a situation in many respects due to our love affair with premillenial Rapture theology (another discussion for another day), but addressing that issue will take more than just you and me avoiding the current system. My hope is that by raising biblically sound children today, the next generation of Christians will wield significantly greater power in righting that problem. For my "pioneer" generation, we do what we can (including homeschooling, and supporting those few good colleges as we are financially able), choose our battles wisely, and hope that our children and grandchildren enter the promised land that we all envision.
That's a non-sequitor.
The decline in Christian higher education, IMHO, started when Harvard went secular. That happened well before Scofield popularized the pre-trib rapture.
I take that back. The two are not the same. Brain seizure on my end. Pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib...it's all the same premillenial stuff that is promulgated by the Scofield, LaHaye, Hal Lindsey (among others) Rapture Fever crowd.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teacher's associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
29. Discredit the American Constitution.
30. Discredit the American founding fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of culture -- education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
Unfortunately for this country commies have succeeded on 17, 19, 30, 32 and are closing on 15 (they captured one major political party) and 29, (The Constitution Of The United States is not worth in many aspects the paper it is written on).
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