Can a university be distinctively Baptist and academically excellent? Yes_gregory_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

Can a university be distinctively
Baptist and academically excellent?
—Yes

By Joel Gregory

As a double graduate of Baylor University, I see my alma mater as standing at a crossroads. It is looking both ways at an intersection and will have to make a decision. That decision superficially appears to be about debt, football, a disgruntled faculty or factious regents. To limit the historic decision confronting the school to those issues trivializes its impact on 158 years of Baylor history. The controversy transcends the disparate issues raised by those with a bushel basket of beefs about the Bears.

The decision before Baylor drills down deep into its reason for existence, its very soul. Why is Baylor here, and what is it for?

10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

Can a University be distinctively Baptist and academically excellent? No_prichard_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

Can a University be distinctively
Baptist and academically excellent?
—No

By Ella Prichard

The lists of “top universities in America” include the great public research universities; once-Christian universities, such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton; a few private institutions founded as secular universities after the German model, such as Stanford and Johns Hopkins; and a handful of elite Catholic universities.

As a student at Baylor University from 1959 to 1963, I dreamed of the day when Baylor would become a “Baptist Harvard.” Later, I came to realize the term was an oxymoron; a university can't be Baptist and Harvard at the same time. My attention turned to Notre Dame, a national Catholic university; and I began to ponder the concept of a “Baptist Notre Dame.” But Notre Dame and her sister institutions are marked by openness and freedom of inquiry, very different from top evangelical colleges, such as Wheaton and Calvin. And both those models, Catholic and Calvinist, are marked by an authoritarianism foreign to Baptist tradition.

Baylor's quest: Joel Gregory Ella Wall Prichard Chris Seay

10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

Three views on Baylor’s quest_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

The Baptist Standard asked three Texas Baptists to write from differing perspectives on one of the questions at the heart of the current debate over the future of Baylor University:

Can a university be distinctively Baptist
& academically excellent?

By Joel Gregory	By Ella Wall Prichard	By Chris Seay
As a double graduate of Baylor University, I see my alma mater as standing at a crossroads. It is looking both ways at an intersection and will have to make a decision. That decision superficially appears to be about debt, football, a disgruntled faculty or factious regents. To limit the historic decision confronting the school to those issues trivializes its impact on 158 years of Baylor history. The controversy transcends the disparate issues raised by those with a bushel basket of beefs about the Bears. More…	The lists of “top universities in America” include the great public research universities; once-Christian universities, such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton; a few private institutions founded as secular universities after the German model, such as Stanford and Johns Hopkins; and a handful of elite Catholic universities. As a student at Baylor University from 1959 to 1963, I dreamed of the day when Baylor would become a "Baptist Harvard." More…	10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge City Core Initiative targets four Texas cities_92203 Posted: 9/19/03 City Core Initiative targets four Texas cities By John Hall Texas Baptist Communications The Baptist General Convention of Texas City Core Initiative will focus on spiritually and economically reviving the historic hearts of Tyler, San Antonio, Dallas and Abilene. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge Crossover Lubbock planned_92203 Posted: 9/19/03 Crossover Lubbock planned By John Hall Texas Baptist Communications LUBBOCK–The Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session is still seven weeks away, but plans to share the gospel in the host city already are under way. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge Dawson family protests Beckwith’s appointment to Baylor institute_92203 Posted: 9/19/03 Dawson family protests Beckwith's appointment to Baylor institute By Marv Knox Editor WACO–Twenty-nine members of the J.M. Dawson family have called on Baylor University to remove the associate director of the institute that bears Dawson's name. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge DOWN HOME: A ‘Marv’ by any other name …_92203 Posted: 9/19/03 DOWN HOME: A 'Marv' by any other name … We've reached a new era in our family. My youngest daughter, Molly, calls me by my first name. Well, not precisely my name, but an endeared version of my name. And she does it only part of the time. Say it's almost time for dinner, and Molly's upstairs, and she needs to come down to eat. I stand at the foot of the stairs and call out, “Molly!” She's taken to calling back, “Marvie!” MARV KNOX Editor 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge EDITORIAL: Add love, grace & forgiveness to ‘Baylor family’ values_92203 Posted: 9/19/03 EDITORIAL: Add love, grace & forgiveness to 'Baylor family' values You don't have to live among Texas Baptists long to meet up with folks whose passion for their “Baylor family” seems stronger than their feelings for the blood relatives they see during holidays. This summer, that passion boiled over, as members of the “family” conducted a public squabble over the future of their beloved university. This family feud has left many loyal Texas Baptists outside the Baylor fold scratching their heads, wondering if all those Bears love their school too much–or not enough. President Robert Sloan and Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year strategy, have been the twin lightning rods of the internecine strife. (The death of basketball player Patrick Dennehy was tragic, and scandal in the men's basketball program was appalling, and they received national attention. Although these are terribly painful issues that bring great sorrow to all of us, they are not directly involved in the battle for the soul of Baylor.) All members of the Baylor family want their school to be great. But right now, it needs to embody character-istics of Christ's family– love, grace, compassion and forgiveness. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge CYBERCOLUMN: The bridge_duncan_92203 Posted 9/22/03 CYBERCOLUMN: The bridge By John Duncan I am sitting here under the old oak tree, wondering about a bridge. The musical duo Simon and Garfunkle used to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” Early this morning while biking, I stopped on the bridge near the lake not too far from the old oak tree. But the bridge I am thinking of is in Cambridge, England. If you travel to Cambridge, you will discover a center point in the middle of the city. The “city center” as the locals call it, swirls with activity. Near the city’s center you will find a GAP, a Marks and Spencer store for buying groceries, and a market square where you can purchase fresh flowers, a T-shirt for approximately $18, and Doc Martin’s sandals for half the price you can buy them in America. Walk a short distance, and you will find Borders, Starbucks and McDonald’s. The world shrinks, and suddenly everything starts looking the same, no matter where you travel. The college students gather at McDonald’s for lunch, so you if you are hungry, you will want to beat the rush by arriving before 11:30. John Duncan 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge Cowboy Fellowship ropes in more than just cowboys in Pleasanton_10603 Posted: 10/3/03 Cowboy Fellowship ropes in more than just cowboys in Pleasanton By John Hall Texas Baptist Communications PLEASANTON–The bumper sticker reads: “Cowboy Fellowship. It's not just for cowboys anymore.” 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge Missions Foundation gives Cowgirl Award_10603 Posted: 10/3/03 Missions Foundation gives Cowgirl Award By Toby Druin Editor Emeritus A new Texas Baptist missions award is a horse of a different color. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge Deacon brings Dead Sea Scrolls to life_10603 Posted: 10/3/03 Deacon brings Dead Sea Scrolls to life By George Henson Staff Writer BLUM–Aubrey Richardson has a passion for archaeology, in particular the Dead Sea Scrolls. But the thing he wants most to bring to light is that the Bible is accurate and worthy of faith. 10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge « 1 … 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 … 94 » ×