I have a daughter attending a Christian university. As a
parent, my desire is for my daughter to mature and become a light in a world of
darkness as well as a contributing member of society. Her contribution could
represent a variety of effects. My daughter does not attend the university that
is represented in the article below, but I pray she will complete her
university career with the mindset of an overcomer, more than a conqueror and
the ability to love others because love is not optional. Taking responsibility for our actions, attitudes and destiny is a sign of a mature, contributing member of society.
This is Not a Day Care. It’s a University!
Dr. Everett
Piper, President
Oklahoma Wesleyan
University
This past week, I actually had a student come forward
after a university chapel service and complain because he felt “victimized” by
a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13. It appears this young scholar felt
offended because a homily on love made him feel bad for not showing love. In
his mind, the speaker was wrong for making him, and his peers, feel
uncomfortable.
I’m not making this up. Our culture has actually
taught our kids to be this self-absorbed and narcissistic. Any time their
feelings are hurt, they are the victims. Anyone who dares challenge them and,
thus, makes them “feel bad” about themselves, is a “hater,” a “bigot,” an
“oppressor,” and a “victimizer.”
I have a message for this young man and all others who
care to listen. That feeling of discomfort you have after listening to a
sermon is called a conscience. An altar call is supposed to make you feel bad.
It is supposed to make you feel guilty. The goal of many a good sermon is to
get you to confess your sins—not coddle you in your selfishness. The primary
objective of the Church and the Christian faith is your confession, not your
self-actualization.
So here’s my advice:
If you want the chaplain to tell you you’re a victim
rather than tell you that you need virtue, this may not be the university
you’re looking for. If you want to complain about a sermon that makes you feel
less than loving for not showing love, this might be the wrong place.
If you’re more interested in playing the “hater” card
than you are in confessing your own hate; if you want to arrogantly lecture,
rather than humbly learn; if you don’t want to feel guilt in your soul when you
are guilty of sin; if you want to be enabled rather than confronted, there are
many universities across the land (in Missouri and elsewhere) that will give
you exactly what you want, but Oklahoma Wesleyan isn’t one of them.
At OKWU, we teach you to be selfless rather than
self-centered. We are more interested in you practicing personal forgiveness
than political revenge. We want you to model interpersonal reconciliation
rather than foment personal conflict. We believe the content of your character
is more important than the color of your skin. We don’t believe that you have
been victimized every time you feel guilty and we don’t issue “trigger
warnings” before altar calls.
Oklahoma Wesleyan is not a “safe place”, but rather, a
place to learn: to learn that life isn’t about you, but about others; that the
bad feeling you have while listening to a sermon is called guilt; that the way
to address it is to repent of everything that’s wrong with you rather than
blame others for everything that’s wrong with them. This is a place where you
will quickly learn that you need to grow up.
This is not a day care. This is a university.
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