Calling Former (and Current) Bison
OBU grads scattered about, get ready for the next scandalous chapter in our alma mater's history. I am still sorting it all out, but it looks kinda bad.
It all started here. The public relations guy (who helped re-make the alumni mag) wrote a somewhat scathing letter to the editor of the Shawnee newspaper. Immanuel Baptist is moving from Main Street to a larger, more expensive building. Whether or not you agree with Mr. Kincaid's analysis, what happened next is outrageous.
According to blogs in the area, Mr. Kincaid has been asked to resign and has done so. Comments on this blog entry include a public response from the pastor if Immanuel and a counter from Mr. Kincaid.
It seems that alumni have been sounding off for a long time now to no avail. So let's brainstorm about what we could do to be heard. Any suggestions, leave a comment.
It all started here. The public relations guy (who helped re-make the alumni mag) wrote a somewhat scathing letter to the editor of the Shawnee newspaper. Immanuel Baptist is moving from Main Street to a larger, more expensive building. Whether or not you agree with Mr. Kincaid's analysis, what happened next is outrageous.
According to blogs in the area, Mr. Kincaid has been asked to resign and has done so. Comments on this blog entry include a public response from the pastor if Immanuel and a counter from Mr. Kincaid.
It seems that alumni have been sounding off for a long time now to no avail. So let's brainstorm about what we could do to be heard. Any suggestions, leave a comment.
posted by matt at 5:28 PM
5 Comments:
last night i was wondering the same thing... what is the proper and most effective response to this situation? having read discussions of this incident for a few days, i have become very disheartened with the current obu climate. i would be very interested in brainstorming ideas.
Though I have many opinions on this subject, I would hate to add to the "current OBU climate" as Joe stated. The fact is, it looks like we're fighting the whole damn Spanish Inquisition at the University right now. A lot of this seems to stem from a desire to save face.
Here's my thought: Why not get a big community together who disagree with this thing and send emails to OBU's president? Activist organizations do this thing all the time. Perhaps someone could suggest a standard letter which everyone could use. Most of the time, when this is done to government leaders or senators, from what I understand, the emails are counted # for # against. Brister always said he wanted to be on an open-email-basis with students didn't he?
I should add, Kinkaid wasn't the only faculty member fired this week. I don't have all the details, only rumors (I am only a student), but I'm sure when the news gets out there'll be a lot more to this Inquisition thing...
It seems that the opinion e-mail thingie has been a failure. Most commenters at the blogs I linked to speak of e-mails that have gone ignored.
Maybe I should frame this question better: What would an effective activist organization look like in this situation? What issue would it focus on? What would it use for leverage?
I say we accuse Brister of being a Gay democratic cooperative baptist episcopalian priest. Then watch the fireworks happen. We need to do it officially though, maybe write up an accusation and put it on all the chairs on the BGCO annual board meeting. I don't think thats been done before. Oh wait. .
Thanks for heads up, brother. Somehow we have to fight the good fight, but I'm just not sure how. I treasure the learning I experienced at OBU in the hands of professors who stretched me to think in more expansive ways. And although my renewed faith may be unrecognizable to some, I treasure my relationship with Christ more than ever because my foundations were rocked, because I questioned everything. That is the essence of education. Precisely this is what this action runs against.
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