The Baptist Standard has published a story portraying Texas Baptists as "cautiously optimistic" about the possibility that Kenneth Starr can bring unity to Baylor Baptists. The need to qualify "optimism" with the adjective "cautious" tells a story in itself.
The election of Kenneth Starr as President of Baylor University will not unite Baptists. It has already stirred the deepest divisions in my lifetime among many of Baylor's own alumni and friends.
The board of Regents at Baylor sent a message with this appointment. Those who deny it are more committed to their institutions than they are to the truth.
This bombshell in Texas Baptist life ranks second only to the termination of Russell Dilday by the trustees of Southwestern Seminary.
Over the last 30 years, the list of the students that I have encouraged to go to Baylor for an education is long. Many of them have done so.
As long as Kenneth Starr is President, I'll not be recommending that school.
4 comments:
As a lifetime member of the Baylor Alumni Association (and a law school classmate of BU Regent chair Dary Stone), I likewise will "not be recommending that school."
I'm with you, Bruce! Besides the political baggage that Kenneth Starr carries, he's not a Baptist! The president of Baylor should be someone who understands - and is committed to - historic Baptist principles.
The Baylor Regents seem to be bound and determined to keep Baylor mired in controversy and turmoil, and then they have the gall to fire John Lilley for "failing to unite the 'Baylor family'"! It's time for them to take a long, careful look in the mirror.
I'm not a Baylor grad (Oklahoma Baptist University 1973), but I'm a longtime Texas Baptist - and all Texas Baptists (dare I say all Baptists everywhere) have a vested interest in the health of Baylor University. The Baylor Regents have a responsibility to all Baptists, and they have failed over and over again, continually dragging the name of Baylor to an ever-lower level.
I pray that God saves Baylor and Texas Baptists from the unholy and unprincipled Baylor Regents!
Once again, in the new SBC, right wing politics trumps all.
Top Ten Reasons Why Ken Starr Should not be President of Baylor
1. In John 7 there is a familiar story of lawyers who drug a Jewish girl caught in adultery into the public square. The lawyers did not care bout the law, justice or faith, it was merely a political ploy to destroy somebody. James Harris used to say the act committed by the Pharisees was worse than the act committed by the woman in the heat of passion. Which character(s) in this story represent the projected head of a Baptist school?
2. Ken starr spend over $52 million to prosecute a Pesident and it proved to be a failure as experts told the nation this impeachment would never happen. Not exactly good stewardship.
3. Some Biblical commentators believe the pharisees in John's story were involved in the same thing the women was and that was what Jesus wrote in the sand. During Star's legal manuevering, the opposing political party had a long list of people doing the exact same thing as the President. While the House leader was leading the charge for impeachment, he was having an affair with a staff member.
4. Starr ain't a Baptist.
5. Baylor often uses euphemistic language to pass something along to its supporters. A few years ago I received a letter stating the university had decided to discontinue its "unclothed anatomical figurine drawing class". Most of us didn't know what they were talking about in East Texas. If they had told us they were closing the nude modeling co-ed class we would have understood. The spin here is that Starr is a Democrat!
6. Since the Baylor basketball player, who was poor and drove a new SUV, capped a few rounds into a fellow team member, Baylor has held the spotlight quite often for embarassing reasons. Not to mention a huge debt, hight costs, harming the church/state tradition, and firing administrators.
7. Star went against President Bush's wishes and pushed for a pro-choice Supreme Court nominee. Texas Baptists are not pro-choice.
8. I ssume leaders of institutions ought to draw folks together, not splinter them further apart.
9. You cannot trust the regents at Baylor with the rocky recent history.
10. In just about every truck stop in Texas there is a sarcastic bumper sticker. It reads, "remember the golden rule, those who have the gold make the rules". This choice appears to be like the famous movie line, "show me the money".
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