Down Among the Fundamentalists (Part 2)

In September 1970, Bob Jones University was in the center of a growing maelstrom. The culture was rapidly changing and adjusting itself. A flood of feminism, anti-war marches, rock and roll music and general hedonism poured from the general culture. Bob Jones University stood against these changes, anchoring itself to the Bible. At that time Bob Jones, Sr, the founder, had been dead for several years. His son, Bob Jones, Jr., was large and in charge. He was president of the place. There was also a Bob Jones III on campus. I'm not sure what his official position was at the time, but I'm fairly certain, given his several talents, nepotism was involved.

Bob Jones College was founded in Panama City, FL, in 1927 by, of course, Bob Jones. Before turning to a career in education, Bob Jones was an itinerant preacher, a contemporary of Billy Sunday. He was a kind of Billy Graham of his day (Graham attended Bob Jones University and would have been the school's superstar had not a disagreement resulted in Graham's excommunication from Fundamentalism.)

What does Bob Jones University stand for? I think the Bob Jones creed pretty much sums up the essentials.

I believe in the inspiration of the Bible (both the Old and the New Testaments);
the creation of man by the direct act of God;
the incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ;
His identification as the Son of God;
His vicarious atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood on the cross;
the resurrection of His body from the tomb;
His power to save men from sin;
the new birth through the regeneration by the Holy Spirit;
and the gift of eternal life by the grace of God.

The funny thing is, I pretty much believe all of this. I did then and I do now. What I had a hard time dealing with was the harsh attitude of the place, the confining rules, the over all combativeness of the university pulpit, the lack of humility, and, the worst transgression of all, overt racism and bigotry.

Well, I guess nobody's perfect.

In fairness, times were different then. For a while it did seem as if the world was coming apart, hence the combativeness. And there was still, in 1970, a good chunk of the old south's culture permeating the campus. Yes, it is true. Blacks- African Americans- were not permitted to attend the school, but it wasn't like they were lining up trying to get in. What was truly obnoxious was BJU's claim that the Bible supported their racist policies.

The Bible supports no such thing.

Later, the admission policy was changed. And in 2000, Bob Jones III, then the Chancellor of the University, ended the ban against interracial dating. I saw him do this in a televised interview on a news show. Live. There was even a hint of humility eking through his facial expression. Times change.

Here at the very end of the twentieth century, Bob Jones University was about to enter it.

That September I arrived on campus, a freshly minted graduate from a suburban high school in northeast Ohio. I attended the local United Methodist Church. And I knew several hymns completely by heart.

I had no idea of what I was walking into.