Position Paper
Delaine Fox
As most of the members of the Friday session of the “Faith and Institutional Purpose”, I feel that Lenoir-Rhyne College fits somewhere between Critical Mass and Intentionally Pluralist; however, I fear that LR is moving closer to Accidentally Pluralist. The college’s homepage has no permanent icons or sayings that identify us as a Christian institution, occasionally there is a 1 ¼” by 1 ¼” rotating picture of the small stone cross in front of the quad or the new walls that have a cross, as part of a four photo spread in the center of the page. The only icons visible on the campus with the exception of the ones just mentioned are the crosses in the classrooms and the chapel in the Koinonia House. If someone is not looking for these things they could easily be overlooked.
Recently someone remarked to me that marketing statistics revealed that religion is not a very important factor to students when choosing a school. Where would Christianity be today if missionaries had relied on marketing statistics for prospective converts? I know that our primary mission is not to convert students and without students we would have to close the doors, but I strongly believe Matthew 6:33 “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
We have a terrific campus pastor, but he cannot do it alone. I support Lenoir-Rhyne College’s original “high purpose and aims of its founders; namely a school which would afford the best mental culture possible, in all departments of human knowledge, upon Christian principles, as held, confessed, and taught, by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in her broadest development and culture”.[1] As a Christian institution do we not have an obligation to create a nurturing, Christian atmosphere in all the areas represented here at LR? The majority of the faculty and the staff are great people, and LR is a comfortable environment, but should we not be more vocal about our Christian values? I am not advocating compulsive chapel attendance or a police state that dictates all of the populace’s behavior and beliefs.
I have heard both faculty and staff remark that they do not understand why we do not become a state institution because we could get state aid and lower our tuition. I think it is crucial in hiring faculty and staff, and in recruiting students to keep in mind our original objective as a Christian institution. If we did this, those students who have not been exposed to Christian teaching and examples at home, would have a better opportunity of seeing Christian faith in action. I do not want to preach, but I think it is important to remember Revelation 3: 16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” We need to get off the fence and decide what we want LR to be in the future, a state supported institution or an institution more faithful to our original Christian mission.
As a support staff person, I, alone, cannot alter or influence Lenoir-Rhyne College’s culture or policy, but I can, as Benne suggests, be a part of a “committed minority in the school” that advocates returning to a stronger Christian mission. Even though I am not a Lutheran myself, I think that is important to have a set of particular theological beliefs that will continue to mold and shape the vision and ethos of LR, instead of a generic hodgepodge that caters only to what today’s society judges to be morally right.
As Benne says in his conclusion, “the main reason for creating room for the Christian account is that it is the right thing to do”.