20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
It is common for institutions of higher learning to recognize the achievements of their alumni. But, to one once proud Christian school, the recognition of one of its own has brought dishonor to the college in its walking that recognition back.
I touched on it several weeks ago: a graduate of Wheaton College, Russell Vought, someone whose Christian faith had been ridiculed and challenged in a Congressional hearing when he was up for the position of Deputy Director of Management and Budget a few years ago and who ultimately served as OMB Director, was named and confirmed to that position again.
The Western Journal reported that the school had congratulated Vought on that high honor, noting:
Vought is a conservative evangelical Christian and is hardly known for attracting controversy. Wheaton’s post was apolitical in nature and simply offered him prayers and support.
The article went on to say:
But Wheaton, apparently pressured by a small subset of progressive alumni, shortly thereafter deleted the post and apologized.
That incident was a wake-up call to thousands of alumni, students, and parents, who signed a letter addressed to the members of the Wheaton College Board of Trustees and President Philip Ryken voicing concern about the woke direction of the institution.
Excerpts from the letter were included in the Western Journal article, including these statements:
“As alumni and parents, we have sensed Wheaton’s drift for some time,” the letter said.
“We’ve exchanged anecdotes with each other from our time on campus and from our children currently enrolled,” the document added. “Many of us have brought our concerns privately to President Ryken and to you, the trustees, hoping to have our concerns resolved privately.”
The letter stated a belief that they had not been heard in their calls Biblical fidelity and said:
“As such, we are now compelled to publicly air these concerns and take additional steps in the hope of seeing necessary change,” the letter continued. “We are not doing this out of anger, frustration, or spite, but out of deep love for Wheaton College and the profound good it has done in countless lives, and can still do.”
Among the suggestions is to make sure that all faculty and staff adhere to a Biblical statement of faith.
Former alumnus Eric Teetsel of the Center for Renewing America was involved in drafting that letter. According to a Christian Post article, reporting on a conversation that Teetsel and fellow alum Daniel Davis had with William Wolfe of the Center for Baptist Leadership, Teetsel said:
"The problem is people who intentionally undermine orthodox Christian teachings as affirmed in Wheaton College's Statement of Faith, which every faculty member, staff member and student is required to sign," he said.Davis "told Wolfe he believes the school's handling of the Vought incident 'really encapsulated, I think, the rot in the leadership at Wheaton that I have seen since my time on campus 10 to 15 years ago, which has only born more and more bad fruit in recent years.'"
"Those are guerrilla warriors for a progressive agenda. They are knowingly and intentionally and willfully undermining the Statement of Faith in their classrooms, and they tend to close the door just before they do it, because they know they're doing it."
Their subversive attitude seeps into their views and teaching on sexuality, gender identity, race and even the nature of God Himself, Teetsel said.
And, there is a competing letter that has been signed by former students, who said, according to The Wheaton Record: "We publically [sic] distance ourselves from Russell Vought’s work and reaffirm our commitment to the Gospel’s radical call to justice, mercy and humility...Silence in the face of such an anti-Christian vision is complicity.”
One student thought that the statement by the college was political in nature. She said: “I beg to differ. If, for example, a Wheaton alum became executive director of Planned Parenthood, would they have posted a congratulations then? I sincerely doubt it.”
OK, so now you have a student who drawing some sort of moral equivalency between the work of a Christian leader who has been placed in a high and influential position in government to a person who takes human life through his or her work with Planned Parenthood? Enough, already.
Ryken is quoted in the article, as well, admitting that the statement, which he believed was tied to praying for leaders was misinterpreted and that because of the pushback, it became a "distraction."
Again, what did Russell Vought do that was so hideous, so offensive? Have we really gotten to the point that a person who desires to display a Christian faith perspective in a position in government is ostracized by a Christian institution or the students thereof? Well, I'm afraid so, and these alumni and parents who have signed on to the letter calling out the school for its "drift" are rightfully making their voices heard.
We have to be cognizant of areas of drift throughout the Church and in culture. And, it starts with us - in our own quiet time, our time of prayer and Bible study. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to point out what's in our own heart and allow the cleansing work of the Spirit to take place, confessing our sins, receiving forgiveness, and receiving more of the Word in our hearts to do its work. We also have that responsibility to hold others accountable, and to be discerning about what may be happening in our own churches and governing structures, as well as ministries that we are involved with. We should make sure that we are upholding Biblical standards individually and collectively and guarding against drift that can be so subtle, yet destructive.
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