If you live near Berrien Springs, MI, or anywhere in Alert Adventism in 2023, you knew that it was only a matter of time until an outrage mob flared up into grievance theater complete with angry students and stony-faced activists crying for ‘justice’ against the new president of Andrews University.
Is the alleged offense really that bad? Of course not, but exaggeration is the performance-enhancing drug of manufactured outrage.
As a new leader, John Wesley Taylor (great name) is entitled to make a few changes as he begins the process of reviving a declining institution (Andrews University). That is expected, but when he sinned against Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (D.I.E.) by replacing the diversity and inclusion office with mission & culture, that was a bridge too far. Goodbye Christian deportment. Hello grievance theater.
Never mind that institutions around the country are shedding their diversity hires like a snake molting before hibernation. Never mind that donations to Andrews were plummeting over the last six years and student enrollment was declining. The new president had transgressed the unholy trinity of D.I.E. and he must pay.
— Several students have written invectives about John Wesley Taylor in the Student Movement newsletter that was sent around last Friday by the Provost. For them, grievance theater is merely an art form of shopworn activism, an avenue to polilib power and punishment of the guilty. While they are at it, several students scorned Coming Out Ministries in the Student Movement for purchasing a new office building across from Andrews University.
Apparently being available to help prisoners of LGBTQ sin find peace, freedom, and victory in Jesus the Christ is a bad thing.
— On December 1, the interim diversity officer, Danielle Pilgrim, released a resignation letter. Friday, December 8, was her last day in office. Her closing statement in the letter,
“Such a decision indicates the administration’s disregard for the committee’s voice, diverse perspective, expertise, accountability, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in fulfilling the University’s mission of producing world changers. This decision demonstrates not only the lack of inclusion but also a lack of trust and disregard for a committee that has for years worked with Administration and on behalf of its beloved university to enhance the success and well-being of all employees and students. I am saddened that after having a meaningful working experience as an employee of Andrews University for nearly four years, my ending experience has been met with such harmful, demeaning, and dehumanizing practices.”
— Two days ago, Timothy P. Nixon—who is a pastor at the Ephesus SDA Church in the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists—wrote an article that was critical of the President of Andrews University and loaded with praise for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. An excerpt from his blog,
“So, today, on December 12, 2023, I am specifically calling out the President of Andrews University who has displayed by his behavior, rhetoric and actions, that he is unresponsive to certain segments of the university constituency, that are unlike him in their appearance, thinking, philosophy and understanding. He has shown by his actions, exchanges, and decisions, an exclusivity toward the African American community specifically and other constituent groups, whose lives and experiences differ from his. This close-minded way of thinking and operating is not in keeping with Christian principles and moral values. It does not comport with the Christian precept of servant leadership that was practiced and modeled by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I therefore am calling for an immediate investigation into his recent actions regarding the restructuring and or dismantling of the V.P. for Diversity Position of the Campus of Andrews University, a position that was created to address the past history of inequity that existed in the institution and his fitness to serve as President of Andrews University. No one that exhibits these characteristics, and ignores these important issues of inclusion and diversity, should serve as the president of a university with the second highest ethnic diversity index of 0.77 in the United States.”
This is the first step in a process of investigation that I am calling to be initiated by the Board of Trustees. I will be sending a similar letter to the Chair and Vice Chair of the AU Board and asking for an immediate response to this request. As an alum of Andrews University, twice a graduate and former employee of close to sixteen years and a present employee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of over 40 years I expect my request will be taken very seriously. If it is not I will take further steps with regard to this matter.”
If that sounds like a threat, it is.
— On December 8, Shandelle Henson wrote a letter to the editor of the Student Movement. In her letter she praised Andrea Luxton, Criston Arthur (provost), and former Diversity officer Michael Nixon. An excerpt:
“I love Andrews University. I have grown as a person and as a Christian over the 22 years of my tenure because of the way we intentionally cherish and celebrate our diversity.”
— An employee of the NAD called for social justice activism two weeks ago. And she doesn’t even live near Andrews University. It’s grievance theater politics in the church.
Remember, all this is in reaction to the AU President simply replacing the diversity and inclusion office with a mission and culture position.
But, grievance theater is never really about the specific case, it's about the connection between the political aspirations of Critical Race Theory and the phantoms of white racism. It's about a Sharptonesque outrage mob more interested in posturing for power than healing the problems of their own communities.
Grievance theater is manufactured outrage. To be genuinely outraged about something, you need to actually believe in something. We should be outraged at genuine injustice and lies about the character of our Father. But without principles, outrage is just tactical anger — or bullying, to put it simply.
We don't have to have grievance theaters. We have them because they are convenient for a number of political interests and because like ghettos, they are the unintended side-effect of a number of liberal policies. We have them in the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of decades of administrators who say much and do little.
For a sizable number of progressive people in Adventism, both black and white, grievance theater is their way of collecting power and making sure that no one pays too much attention to what's really wrong in the Church, or in our own hearts.
But that power can only be retained through constant indoctrination in the rituals of guilt (hence DIE offices), through the activism of grievance theater which convinces some of us that spiritual bankruptcy is a small price to pay for cultural relevance.
Just yesterday, the Governor of Oklahoma signed an executive order eliminating offices of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in all public higher education institutions in Oklahoma, including the University of Oklahoma. They get it. Grievance theater and (Adventist) outrage mobs, don’t get it.
Brother John, be of good courage. Seek the Lord’s wisdom and strength daily. Many people are praying for you; I could cite dozens, if not hundreds of examples.
Remember, leftism doesn’t create anything. It is a parasite that prospers on the soil of capitalist and conservative institutions. It incrementally eats into to the soul of an organization, forcing it to turn left.
Leftism is very territorial and has to be met with strength. Any concessions to people having temper tantrums only emboldens them. What older conservatives and liberal ‘leaders’ don’t realize is that their misguided tolerance of everything, and their indulgent approach to ‘parenting’ has brought us to this point. Some of them think these activists can be appeased, which shows their naïveté. And now we have adult faculty members pouring fuel on the fire. Liberalism gets what it wants through incrementalism, but it needs to be extracted by the pruning saw.
I leave you with this verse:
“When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this?” After searching and inquiring, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred pole beside it” (Judges 6:28-30).
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