“If Brite does not rescind this invitation to Jeremiah Wright, I will be compelled by conscience to repudiate my Theology degree from Brite Divinity School.”
The following is an update to Wednesday's article, Brite Divinity School to Honor Rev. Jeremiah Wright
The Dallas Morning News announced late this evening: “An event honoring controversial Chicago pastor Jeremiah Wright at Texas Christian University has been moved off campus because of security issues, TCU announced Wednesday. . . Members of TCU's board of trustees voted to move the Brite Divinity School's fourth annual Black Church Summit events off the Fort Worth campus. Officials at the divinity school agreed, according to a statement from TCU. . . The Brite school has not announced a new place for the event. . .Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Henderson said he had not heard any specific reasons why the event will be moved from TCU. "We don't have any information on any threat against the event. It may be due to some concerns related to on-campus security. . ." Though the divinity school is at TCU, Brite is a separate corporation with its own leadership. The award is presented by Brite.”
What the news left out is that Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr., Fort Worth, TCU Chancellor ,is a member of the Board of Trustees of Brite Divinity School. It would appear that some long overdue political leverage is being applied. Brite, however, must rescind the invitation to Wright. The failure of Brite to recognize the great damage Jeremiah Wright has done, not only to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, but to race relations in our nation, is evidence of the leftist ivory tower attitude permeating universities and religious seminaries throughout the Western world. They have lost touch with the truth and with current political realities!
Roger Gardner of Radar Site read this most recent news and mused: “But "for 'security' reasons" still sounds like a cop-out to me. How about for morality reasons? Or simple patriotic reasons? Or how about plain old "Christian reasons"?
I think Roger summed this up very well.
Latest Brite Update Friday, March 21: Brite Divinity School Accused of Violating Its Own Covenant
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I cannot believe you got a 'canned' response. I'm wondering if there are so many folks like you writing and calling, that they felt the need for a canned response to everyone?
ReplyDeleteDebbie Hamilton
Right Truth
I suspect that you are right. The story is exploding. Here's my letter to Chancellor Boscini and his response follows:
ReplyDeleteDear Chancellor Boschini:
I want to thank you, Chancellor Boschini, for disagreeing with Brite’s decision to go ahead with the honor banquet for pastor Jeremiah Wright. I am pleased to learn that the event honoring pastor Jeremiah Wright at Texas Christian University has been moved off campus, but this doesn’t go far enough. Here is the text of the e-mail I sent to Dr. Williams:
As a graduate of Brite Divinity School, MTS,1999, I am writing you to say that I am sickened by your failure to rescind the invitation to pastor Jeremiah Wright.
America can no longer afford a double standard of multiple contexts when it comes to racially charged inflammatory speech. As Obama said we are now living in “a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems,” and according to Obama that demands a context of unity! Ministers, no matter how much good they might have done, and no matter what the racial context, can no longer get a free pass for Anti-American, anti-Jewish or anti-White racist speech!!!
Universities can no longer hide behind “the right of free speech” lie that rewards leftist anarchists and Anti-American traitors while silencing the voices and limiting the access of traditional Americans!
If Brite does not immediately rescind this invitation to Wright, I will be compelled by my conscience to repudiate my Theology degree from Brite Divinity School. I am calling on all Brite alumni, who share my disgust with Brite for this appallingly stupid and racially divisive decision, to join with me in a public demand that Brite must IIMMEDIATELY RECIND THIS INVITATIN TO WRIGHT!
His response:
"First, you are welcome. Second, God Bless you and everyone of us involved in this situation….as it is a difficult one. Have a great day. Victor Boschini"
While I would never urge someone to go against their conscience, I would express my hope that in spite of Brite's decision not to rescind the invitation and award to Jeremiah Wright that you not choose to "repudiate your Theology degree from Brite Divinity School." To do so would be an unfavorable step away from the kind of unity that you call for in your letter to the Chancellor.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a former student of Brite. And though I disagree with your point of view on this matter, what I believe made my experience the richest education I've received is the diversity of theological perspective that I encountered in students and faculty while I was there. It will take all of us to resolve issues related to racism. Choosing to cut ourselves off from anyone who is doing what he/she believes in good conscience to be the right choice to address the issue and no longer remain in dialog with them deprives us all of the resources we need to make a difference.
Thank you Linda for your very thoughtful comment and I do appreciate your point of view. I do believe, however, that there comes a time when we have to ask what ourselves kind of “unity” we are talking about? Brite has a long history of multicultural progressive Christianity that often fails to recognize that when you accept all things, you actually stand for Nothing. The strong voices of traditional Christianity must not be silenced, and only then can true dialog occur. God Bless you in your journey.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what kind of unity we will achieve as well. It is unity I seek, not uniformity. The irony of your comment above, for me, is that in this instance Brite has taken a stand. It just happens to be one with which you disagree. Uniformity would call for such stands to be in agreement with our own way of thinking. Unity says, in spite of our disagreement, I will remain in dialog to work for some resolution.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion for what it's worth.
Linda you make an excellent point about unity vs. uniformity. Unity allows a certain amount of variance in opinion among those who come together for a common purpose. Uniformity demands a stricter structure and less variance in opinion, but does not necessarily mean that all must march in lock-step.
ReplyDeleteYes, Brite has taken a stand and it certainly isn’t in agreement with my thinking, nor with the majority of middle –class Americans, nor with traditional Christianity. Brite’s decision to reward Wright’s long history of racially charged and divisive statements will have long-term consequences that are not conducive to any kind of dialog.
Unity cannot exist when people are diametrically opposed. It should not exist when stands are taken that reward racist words or actions which are detrimental to the common good. And it cannot exist when an institution claims to foster dialog but never invites those who disagree with their progressive Christian mores to even sit at the table.