writing class
spring for
writing for th(
ations. For j
oseph Schub(
rganizations i
t the alumni (
a calling ses(
lonathon. Dsj
re: Feb. 16, i;
9; March 1,2
mes Walker,,
tivities, on
ir call 1306 a
Vol. 61, No. 6
Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, North Carolina
on Smith Addresses
oundation Lny
5 week that, |
i-year history,
ending coU^ -MV
a eligible to W | B J BBI
ational loan^”*-
the Foundal
le benefit oijmer
al residents ait^^
3ut of state.
1987, the N,
Government Association
A t ^ ™ h^ld Monday, December
Authority to^ g^p.
ad parents ™
IX jhe question of how the
I Association might
Lrsftlir^ H^pCoUege if the leaders
. . ,, sociabon were able to im-
tance Authoi , .u u i
r „!■ jules on the school.
; „.„vn Smith, President of the
T7 TirioHr^Tr olina State Baptist Conven-
! Foimdation i , j , j- xu ■
1 Inano tn ™ dlSCUSS the IS-
a fi'® panel that was
nd parents a , xl r
x„ Al 3f the forum.
a, r o of the panel includ-
he borrowersjm
s must, of com
ibdity requir^jJ Financial Aid Di-
ational loans. . a j
Foundation is«' ^ McAnear and Dr
three educatid^T'’. ®
led by North mayor-elect of
riks and specii , , ,
. cx juni was planned as an ef-
r;tr d"e>”> >»•
students who
n order to at
those loans,
it pays the i
ire in collegi
Loans for Stuf
nt self-suppo
not qualify
N.C.lSLs
funds than
N.C. PLUS
to parents
either unde:
professional.
Loans for
B not based f
body of the situation in the North
Carolina State Baptist Convention.
The need for the information arose
during a Student Government Senate
meeting on November 19. Chief of
Defense Tom Cabaniss and Senator
Lea Pardue presented a letter to the
Senate to send to the Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary and to
other concerned parties throughout
the state.
The letter stressed a concern for
the recent turnover involving the
Board of Trustees at Southeastern
and the resulting changes in the
policies and practices of that institu
tion. It also affirmed efforts of the
seminary’s faculty to preserve aca
demic freedom and “to resist the
forces of theological tyranny that de
mand only a myopic view of Christi
anity be presented and insist upon
one interpretation of the Scriptures.”
nal informatii
•e available f:
id offices or
'oundation I:
Raleigh,
1771).
tic Pri
stay!
. clockwise: Dr. Joseph Godwin, Dr. Leon Smith, Dr. Fred Bentley,
tneor, and Dr. Tom Sawyer.
nd Hill! :
5005 9H1 the SGA:
;—; '-A wishes students to res-
2 Originft'matively or negatively to
"Stvlp PizZP ® ®°”®i‘l®ration of passing
XT resolution: Responses
tnt to P.O. Box 1-C.
(
S
Ig7.
eese
dditional
5 to cover
jzas *1
ipremes *10*
priON BY THE STUDENT
INMENT ASSOCIATION
|IARS HILL COLLEGE
_s, for the past thirty-seven
theastem Baptist Theologi-
—try has continued the vision
luuTM ••ti.f.ctian of its founders for honest,
I both pUM. no m«tt.tlieological education and
d placed the commission of
ts singular purpose;
3 the faculty and adminis-
’Dr Tfl continue to
iKt IU 1M Ision in Christ and affirm
(Ith any other PiziJf academic freedom;
J, we the Student Govem-
tiation of Mars Hill College
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
IninTPioa
tMmli |VaM«lT*
260
>6.80
III
M
Idgfnvey our disappointment
Papt actions taken by the
rustees and our stem dis-
any actions taken by the
- to restrict academic
impair honest inquiry into
»^||ires, and to hinder the his-
^ right of free interpreta-
‘i3Scriptures by a free cons-
^free church;
reas, we the Student Gov-
ociation of Mars Hill Col-
sducation over indoctrina-
i any actions that obstruct
reedom, and support the
Btist freedom to interpret
PSISZ O N '■®®-
2 ON resolved, that we
-.^ Government Association
fi n j ‘ ^°bege fully support the
ODBlSOdp^jgl freedom to interpret
U0!)EZ!Ue6J0 l-es.
Be it therefore resolved, that we
the Student Government Association
of Mars HUl College fuUy support the
faculty of Southeastern Baptist Theo
logical Seminary in their stmggle to
maintain academic freedom, an open
classroom, and to resist the forces of
theological tyranny that demand only
a myopic view of Christianity be
presented and insist upon one inter
pretation of the Scriptures.
Be it further resolved, that the Stu
dent Government Association sup
ports the faculty, administration, and
students of Southeastern Baptist The
ological Seminary and encourage
them to continue their fight with all
due haste and expediency.
And be it finally resolved, that we
the Student Government Association
protest all efforts to restrict educa
tional freedoms, to establish a creed-
al and hierarchical church and
academic polity, and affirm our sup
port for the community of Southeast
ern and its struggle, the rights of
academic freedom, and the precious
right of a free conscience in a free
church.
Submitted by.
Thomas E. Cabaniss
Chief Justice-SGA
Mars Hill College
For the Mars Hill SGA
Some senators felt that since the
Senate is theoretically supposed to
voice the opinions of the entire stu
dent body, sending the letter without
informing the students would be an
injustice.
Therefore, the idea of the forum
was conceived and acted on. The
Campus Life Committee presided
over the forum, and committee mem
bers asked a question to each panel
member. After the initial questions
were answered, the audience was in
vited to follow up with additional
questions.
During the discussion, panel mem
bers voiced their concern for the situ
ation at Southeastern and empha
sized that Mars Hill, for the mean
time, is safe from changes similar to
those recently instituted at the
seminary.
Smith assured audience members
that he was conducting statewide af-
During the discussion, panel
members voiced their concern for
the situation at Southeastern and
emphasized that Mars Hill, for the
meantime, is safe from changes
similar to those recently instituted
at the seminary.
99
fairs in a reasonable and fair man
ner, and described his method of ap
pointing members to the influential
Committee on Committees. This com
mittee is the most powerful in the con
vention because its members appoint
the members of other committees af
filiated with the state convention. If
the convention president chose to ap
point like-minded members to the
committee, then he could use the
Committee on Committees to alter the
state of the convention and related
organizations and schools.
Smith also said that other individu
als running for the position of conven
tion president last November had ul
terior motives and wanted to use the
position as a means of imposing re
stricting beliefs on Baptists through
out the state.
He stated that his appointees
would share the commitments that
Southern Baptists adhere to: mis
sions, education, evangelism, and
benevolence. He also stressed that
the members would not have an agen
da to gain control of the convention to
impose restricting beliefs or prac
tices.
Financial Aid Director Ann
McAnear discussed the financial as
pects concerning a drastic change of
college policies. She said that funding
would change if Mars Hill became a
strictly Baptist “Bible college.”
McAnear said if that were the case,
then funding from the state conven
tion, approximately $900,000, would
not change but the school would have
to take a cut in federal funding.
Laura Smithwick
Staff Writer
An old legend goes that a man in
prison wrote his family to say he was
finally coming home. Unsure of his
reception there, he asked that they tie
a yellow ribbon aroimd an old oak
tree if he were welcome. As he rode
the train into town, he would see the
tree and know whether or not he stiU
had a home. To his delight, he foimd
the oak covered with yellow ribbons
on every limb, signifying his family’s
ft
Southern Baptists who want to take a
stand for what Marie Bean calls
“academic freedom with integrity —
it’s in keeping with the Baptist tradi
tion.”
Not only students and faculty of
North Carolina campuses, but non-
academic people as wide-spread as
the convention are wearing the rib
bons. The first to wear them were
faculty and students at Southeastern
Insomuch as it means acceptance and
affirmation of people in crisis and distress, the
supportive yellow ribbon has lately been
adopted by Southern Baptists who want to
take a stand for what Mars Hill College
Chaplain Rev. Marie Bean calls ‘academic
freedom with integrity — it’s in keeping with
th^BapUsHra^ition/^^^^^^^^^^^^j ^
eager acceptance of him.
This idea was carried over in the
1970’s popular song “Tie a Yellow
Ribbon,” by Tony Orlando and Dawn,
in which an estranged lover asked for
the same sign of acceptance. In the
1979-1981 hostage crisis in Iran,
Americans wore yellow ribbons that
stood for support and hope for the
hostages’ release.
Insomuch as it means acceptance
and affirmation of people in crisis
and distress, the supportive yellow
ribbon has lately been adopted by
Baptist Theological Seminary who
were distressed when an October
12-14 meeting of the Board of Trus
tees resulted in the resignations of the
school’s president and dean (effective
in July, 1988).
At the October meeting, the trus
tees decided to alter the way the sem
inary appoints its faculty. RandaU
Lolley, Southeastern’s president who
recently resigned, said shortly after
the meeting, “Future faculty appoint
ments will embrace biblical inerran
cy.”
Continued on page 4
Friday, December 11,1987
The group listens attentively.
Dr. Sawyer spoke about changes
that might occur if a group similar to
the one now presiding over South
eastern came into power. He dis
cussed piossible changes in adminis
tration, faculty requirements, and
campus life. He also said that dif
ferent textbooks would be used and
that the curriculum would change.
Dr. Bentley elaborated on the rela
tionship between the state convention
and Mars HUl CoUege. He said that
the convention elects members to the
College Board of Trustees in return
for the fimding that they give to the
school. He also said the agreement al
lowed him to request trustees and
that the convention had generally ap
pointed the trustees that the college
requested. Two exceptions have oc
curred during Bentley’s career at
Mars HUl, and Bentiey said that the
replacement trustees had served
weU.
Dr. Godwin spoke about the situa
tion that exists in the Southern Bap
tist Convention on the national level
and protested against the actions that
the ruling powers in the convention
had taken in an attempt to run the
convention as they wished.
An audience member said that he
was concerned about the “blatant
bias” of the panel. He said that if
Mars HUl conducted itself according
to its liberal arts backgroimd, then
conservative elements should have
been present at the forum.
Cabaniss responded to the stu
dent’s protest by recoimting his ef
forts to contact people who held op
posing viewpoints and of the difficiU-
ties that he encountered in trying to
contact these individuals.
Smith then stated that the panel
was biased and that caution should
be used by both sides because “nar
row-mindedness could go both ways.”
He closed by saying that open-
mindedness would be necessary to
resolve the issues at hand and that
the problftm of theological disparities
in the Southern Baptist Convention
would, in time, be solved.
Tie a Yellow Ribbon
A yellow ribbon.
INSIDE
Editorials p. 2
Just the Facts p. 2
Reel Talk p. 3
I
Crossword p.3
Briefly p.4