CHRISTIAN COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES AND SEMINARIES ARE IN TROUBLE AND OUR INSTITUTIONS HAVE BECOME BOILING CAULDRONS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE, LIBERAL POLITICS AND CRITICAL THEORY.
HOW DO PARENTS DISCERN THE GOOD – THE BAD -AND THE UGLY AMONG CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS ?
Rev Thomas Littleton 1/18/2020
*If your faith and worldview does not see a problem with indoctrination by Cultural Marxist /Frankfurt School progressive social policy and political ideology then perhaps these schools ARE for your family. This guide is to provide some practical ways for parents to spot the influences which are transforming our educational institutions in American evangelicalism. No effort is made to identify or compile a list of those which are not influenced by these forces but to confirm the ones which ARE and to help with your independent research.
If you are a Biblical conservative Christian parent and have been researching colleges, universities and possible seminaries with your young adult then be careful that you do not send the disciple you invested a lifetime making into the hands of compromised men and institutions who are brazenly willing to undo all you have invested in your family and children and their faith. Many Institutions are attempting to turn them into the next generation of social justice warriors and Democrats for Christ”. More pitfalls than ever exist in Christian higher education and they must be identified and navigated as these choices are made.
Christian education is the target of massive infiltration. It is not just Christian Higher Education that is being impacted but even K-12 Christian schools and home school curriculum are as well.
The landscape among Christian colleges, universities and seminaries has changed drastically since 2013 . You will need to be VERY careful because that CHANGE is being driven by a FLOOD of funding and left leaning political influence pouring into these institutions.
FIRST ON YOUR WATCH LIST – AVOID ANY INSTITUTIONS WITH TIES TO THE GOSPEL COALITION AND THE OIKONOMIA NETWORK.
The Gospel Coalition is THE number one source the deepest problematic teachings in the evangelical church today. What appears to be historic reformed theology in TGC is little more than window dressing for top down progressive politics and social policy.
Avoid THESE Partner Schools with Oikonomia Network which coordinates the funding and partner schools as well as the social justice curriculum.
The list of Institutions on the Oikonomia Network site provides a good list of those to avoid due to the grants and influence of Oikonomia Network and the funding behind it .
“Who We Are”
“The Oikonomia Network is a learning community of theological educators and evangelical seminaries dedicated to raising up church leaders who help people develop whole-life discipleship, fruitful work and economic wisdom for God’s people and God’s world.”
“The network is currently impacting classes with attendance of over 9,300 students each semester. Check out our annual impact report and learn more about what our partner schoolsare doing to transform theological education.”
Note : These problems began around 2009 in earnest but intensified in 2013 . You can read about the 2013 scaling up of this infiltration as recounted (in a positive light) in this book -page 63
The New Evangelical Social Engagement
“Edited by Brian Steensland and Philip Goff
- Introduces a growing trend within American evangelicalism that has gone largely unrecognized by the public and unexamined by scholars
- Has chapters by scholars from various disciplines, such as sociology, history, anthropology, political science, and ethics”
DON’T TAKE TGCs DIRECTIONS
Beware -The Gospel Coalition loves to give advise about picking a college or seminary.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-christian-is-your-kids-christian-college/
If you ARE going to “ask the hard questions” then ask about the funding and TGC ties and the TGC political leanings.
If you want the real bullet points for discerning a Seminary -ask if they teach Critical Theory , Race, Gender , Feminine or Queer Theory as gospel tools and if ,as DeYoung insist that social justice /equity is essential to the Gospel. These are the core curriculum ideals of TGC and other affiliated institutions.
DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS ARE NOT SAFE
Be Careful of any and all Schools associated with The Southern Baptist and Presbyterian Church in America where the TGC and Oikonomia have strong holds .
NUMBER ONE FOLLOW THE MONEY
Ask to see whose grants they are getting. If they are not open about whose funding they are willing to take then MOVE ON.
Look out for Kern Family Foundation.
Involvement with faculty with Kern Family Foundation (KFF) or it’s on campus overseer Oikonomia Network or with Acton Institute /Acton University training and grants are clear and present danger signs.
ACTON INSTITUTE & UNIVERSITY IS KEY PLAYER IN TRAINING FACULTY AND CONNECTING TO FUNDING. ACTON ALSO PROVIDES CURRICULUM
Example of Acton event –
https://university.acton.org/faculty-2019
Much of Acton’s work is based on liberal Catholic social policy and aimed at “justice”.
Historic Institutions like Wheaton are very far down the road with these “partnerships”
See this example of just one Wheaton grant from KFF. Note its focus and on campus department
.
https://www.wheaton.edu/news/recent-news/2019/july/center-for-faith–innovation-receives-kern-grant-/
Watch for Templeton Foundation – Bio-Logos or related “efforts to
discard or wed sacred text across interfaith lines or to merge science and faith.
“In the summer of 2016, BioLogos further expanded its range of activities by launching a speakers program: BioLogos Voices. Funded by a $1.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, Voices brings together 24 experts, including Davis, in fields such as biology, physics, history, and theology, to lecture at academic and non-academic venues around the country. “
INTERFAITH DIALOG A SIGN OF RIGOR MORTIS
Watch for deadly Interfaith Dialog like the “Neighborly Faith” error recently hosted in November 2019 at Wheaton and backed by Moody Bible Institute.Christian and radical Muslim leaders are involved in this campus focus.The Wheaton event was hosted by the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton. The Graham family may not be aware of this fact. Ed Stetzer who is the Chair of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton is likely VERY aware and is a favorite of the TGC circles.
https://www.neighborlyfaith.org/who-we-are
“A nationwide movement, bringing Christians and Muslims together. “
Do not assume the school is fine because of it’s historic reputation . Wheaton and Moody are now among some of the worst compromised.
LGBTQ CHRISTIANITY -THE NEW BLACK
WATCH FOR THOSE INSTITUTIONS WHO PROMOTE COMPROMISED VIEWS ON LGBTQ AND HOST SPEAKERS LIKE WHEATON’S MARK YARHOUSE WHO ENDORSES UNCHANGING SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITIES BASED UPON APA .
https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/mark-yarhouse/
“Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in conflicts tied to religious identity and sexual and gender identity. He assists people who are navigating the complex relationship between their sexual or gender identity and Christian faith. He is the Dr. Arthur P. and Mrs. Jean May Rech Chair in Psychology at Wheaton College, where he runs the Sexual and Gender Identity (SGI) Institute. “
Yarhouse promotes the views of the pro LGBTQ American Psychological Association (APA) .His work is not based upon Biblical understanding of sin or of Gospel transformation. He supports the idea of “LGBTQ Christianity “and SOGI , Sexual Orientation Gender Identity as the basis of normalization for merging ones LGBTQ identity with their faith. SOGI is the legal language driving legislation and social activism of “sexual minority inclusion” in the church and the broader LGBTQ movement.
YARHOUSE AND TGC
Yarhouse in 2010 ,according to his bio , played the central role in drafting the LGBTQ ideology of The Gospel Coalition.
“Yarhouse is currently the Chair of the task force on LGBT issues for Division 36 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) of the American Psychological Association. He was also invited to write the featured white paper on sexual identity for the Christ on Campus Initiative edited by Don A. Carson for The Gospel Coalition.”
REVOICE LGBT+ FLOURISHING IN THE CHURCH
Yarhouse influence helped develop and promote the radical Revoice movement from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBC) and Covenant Theological Seminary (PCA). The infiltration and tolerance of Revoice “LGBT+ Flourishing in historic (conservative ) churches” movement stands to split both of these once conservative denominations.
Yarhouse also works with CRU and Intervarsity and MANY evangelical colleges and seminaries once considered to be Biblical and conservative.
COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
CCCU is a membership organization which once reflected a commitment to Christian Higher Education but today CCCU is one of the main leaders of the push for compromise to redefine Religious Liberty through the lens of both Islam and LGBTQ rights . CCCU Chairperson is a leader in the “Neighborly Faith” interfaith dialog mentioned above in this article at Wheaton and is a strong ally in the push for “Fairness for All”.
Fairness for All is a partnership of the & Campaign, The American Unity Fund and billionaire Paul Singer whose massive pro-LGBTQ funding political organization ended GOP/Republican opposition to gay marriage in 2012 election through funding candidate Mitt Romney and the GOP 2012 convention. Romney, a Mormon, has helped lead the LDS into full partnership with the push for Fairness for All coupled with the CCCU, & Campaign and the funding of Paul Singer.
https://fairnessforall.org/the-support-for-fairness-for-all-strategy/
& Campaign also brings with it MANY of the Southern Baptist recent seminary grads who are funded for urban church planting by the Baptist missions organizations NAMB/ Send Network. These young social justice warrior pastors are willing to help lead in the & Campaign and partner with Singer, the Obama Foundation, the Democratic Party, CCCU and others, Their goal is to push “Biblical Values & Social Justice ” along with compromises over immigration laws, abortion, LGBTQ / Fairness for All, and more.
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH AN INSTITUTION AFFILIATED WITH TGC’s MANY CHURCH PLANTING ORGANIZATIONS
Watch for the TGC related church planting organizations both denominational and non-denominational – like NAMB- Send Network -ACTS29 – 9MARKS – Association of Related Churches – and for speakers from those organizations. If you seminary student is involved in one of the schools partnering with these church planting organizations then he or she may be offered funding and employment to staff one of these corrupted church plants. Many are urban churches participating in “Community Development ” and “Faith Based Partnership ” grants co-mingling the vision of re- urbanization and church mission. These efforts actually further the compromise of doctrinal stability and are both justice and globalist driven.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/topics/church-planting/
WATCH FOR CROSS POLLINATION WITH LIBERAL DENOMINATIONS LIKE LUTHERAN, PCUSA, EPISCOPAL OR ECUMENICAL AND IVY LEAGUE FAITH GROUPS
Example -Louisville Institute is FUNDED by Lilly Endowment grants. This is one the main methods of corruption at Covenant College (PCA) for example . Louisville Institute is led by/ tied to PCUSA but being welcomed into PCAs Covenant College in Georgia. This provides direct but unseen impact of liberal theology on a Biblical conservative, denominational institution.
About Louisville Institute
“In late 1990, Lilly Endowment Inc. (an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation) launched the Louisville Institute, based at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (PCUSA). Created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company, the Endowment supports the causes of religion, education, and community development. The Religion Division of Lilly Endowment works with people and institutions of promise to generate knowledge, communicate insights, nurture practices, and renew and sustain institutions that help to make accessible and effective the religious resources upon which a flourishing and humane society depends.”
LOUISVILLE INSTITUTE FUNDING IN CONSERVATIVE PCA’S COVENANT COLLEGE.
https://www.covenant.edu/news/02.01.16
“Dr. Alicia Jackson, associate professor of history, was awarded a 2016 Louisville Project Grant for Researchers from The Louisville Institute. The institute provides grants to both scholar/pastors and scholar/educators and is interested in advancing American religious and theological scholarship. The Louisville Project Grant for Researchers supports research projects for researchers who are interested in work that will enrich believers and benefit the church.”
Example
https://louisville-institute.org/louisville-institute-story/about-louisville-institute/
WATCH THE CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENTS ON CAMPUS
Look at the “Cultural Engagement “department – look for grants speakers and events by that department. Speakers on Race- LGBTQ – Immigration – Political Civility – anti Nationalism or from any of The Gospel Coalition or Christianity Today circles or entities.
Example
https://www.samford.edu/news/2017/05/Beeson-Divinity-School-Receives-Third-Kern-Grant
“Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School received its third grant from the Kern Family Foundation for the extension of the school’s Faith and Work program …In the last four years, funds from these grants have brought in scholars and experts in the field of faith, work and economics to speak in chapel services, workshops and symposia. These guests have included Tim Keller, Os Guinness, Russell Moore, Wayne Grudem and Scott Rae. “
WATCH FOR SPEAKERS SPREADING THESE IDEOLOGIES
Watch for Ivy League liberals being invited in.
Watch for Tim Keller or others speaking at chapel or graduation /fundraisers.
FAITH AND WORK FOCUS INDICATES SOCIAL JUSTICE ECONOMICS
Watch out for the “Faith and Work ” programs – they are generally liberal socialist economics and social justice driven progressive politics often with a variety dark money behind them.
Yale Faith and Work
https://faith.yale.edu/god-human-flourishing/god-human-flourishing
“The God and Human Flourishing Program is dedicated to cultivating and resourcing a new theological movement grounded in the conviction that Jesus Christ is the key to human flourishing.”
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Commonweal Project
https://news.sbts.edu/2014/09/09/work-to-the-glory-of-god-mohler-says-in-commonweal-project-lecture/
“Work to the glory of God, Mohler says in Commonweal Project lecture”
Tim Keller of the PCA is king of the Social Justice buzz phrases like “Human Flourishing ” ” Common Good” and making up a “Theology ” to mate with every progressive political ideology he is promoting at the time.
https://faithandwork.com/resources
https://timothykeller.com/blog/2014/3/7/how-faith-affects-our-work
https://oikonomianetwork.org/2014/05/more-highlights-7/
“Eight influential senior pastors from four states and Washington D.C., representing six theological traditions, gave intensive attention to the intersection of faith, work, and economics at a March pastors’ symposium hosted by Beeson Divinity School. The symposium was led by Greg Forster of The Kern Family Foundation and Dan Scott, pastor of Christ Church in Nashville….. Next year, we plan to welcome Tim Keller, who will lead a major conference on faith and work, exploring themes from his book “Every Good Endeavor.”
TIM KELLER SOURCES HIS IDEOLOGIES LIKE HUMAN FLOURISHING AND THRIVING FROM FRANKFURT SCHOOL INSPIRED ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE IASC
A Community of Scholars
“Our mission to understand contemporary cultural change and its consequences is carried out in the rare context of a thriving community in which disciplines and generations intersect. Institute Fellows come together to pursue the highest level of scholarship on the most important questions facing the late-modern era. The Institute is led in this endeavor by the Institute Council.”
WATCH FOR LEFTIST POLITICAL IDEAS AND PARTNERS BEING WELCOMED ONTO CAMPUSES LIKE OBAMA FOUNDATION LED “& CAMPAIGN ” .
Example
Patrick Henry College has welcomed & Campaign Justin Giboney and Michael Wear
https://www.phc.edu/news/newsmaker-interview-series-2019
“
1. Justin Giboney: The “And Campaign” for Redemptive Justice
“Atlanta attorney and political strategist. Co-chair of Obama for America’s Gen-44-Atlanta Initiative
Patrick Henry College Newsmakers | Michael Wear
“Michael Wear is the founder of Public Square Strategies LLC, and a leading expert and strategist at the intersection of faith, politics and American public life. Michael was one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: he served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama’s first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage trafficking efforts. Michael’s book, Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House gives an unvarnished account of faith inside the world’s most powerful office, and an unprecedented insight into the most controversial stories of the last eight years. He serves on the national board of Bethany Christian Services, the nation’s largest adoption agency, and holds an honorary position at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Center for the Public Understanding of Religion.”
CONCLUSION
Committed Christian Parents and their young adult prospective student will need to vet these institutions and the funding and political powers behind them. Go into this process with eyes wide open and informed. Some may feel led to go as missionaries into these compromised institutions while others will not find these concerns to be deal breakers. Still the rapid advance of these problems and the issues troubling Christian Higher Education are not to be ignored or overlooked unless parents are willing to pay the high cost of tuition while paying the ultimate price of potentially losing the hearts and minds of their most important disciples in the process.
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