Comments on: Cardboard Obama Hung on Tree at George Fox University

By: Jay McKenney

Jay McKenney — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:44:25 +0000

wow Tyler. Thanks for sharing this story. I like George Fox’s statement. I have tons of friends from Fox, including you, and really respect that school.
Jay

By: Tyler

Tyler — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:57:58 +0000

The innocence of many college graduates is their own mistake not the colleges, in most cases. George Fox gives plenty of opportunities to go around the US for serving trips and plenty of overseas semesters abroad. I think most Christian colleges have done a great job of trying to provide opportunities for students to become more culturally aware. In my experience I thought GFU had a great balance of freedom within boundaries. Of course…most Christians would call GFU too liberal.

By: Yonas

Yonas — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:29:27 +0000

btw I’m speaking this in general terms, not necessarily towards Georgefox.

By: Yonas

Yonas — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:26:30 +0000

I can only say from experience that going to Christian colleges, university, seminars, etc. (whatever you call it), does not make somebody more Christ-like in his/her thoughts and actions. I know somebody who despised Christanity, yet went to a Christian college because that person wanted to ‘Challenge the professors’.

One of the biggest mistakes of (sorry if this offends) many fresh graduates from the smaller, racially-homogenous Christian colleges is that, they learn a lot about the bible, without really knowing the ‘cultural’ differences among people beyond just “Hey, you’re from Indonesia, I hear you got big lizards and bugs there” (YES, somebody said that to me during the ‘International student culture awareness night’-and people thought irony wasn’t funny).

When you learn about other ‘cultures’, especially judging them through American point of view, does that really help people to understand each other, or does that really make those minorities stand out more??

When people only integrate on a superficial level, and not really connecting any deeper, does that still qualifies as America the melting pot???

By: Tyler

Tyler — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:17:48 +0000

I should say that while GFU is a Quaker and a Christian university…you DO NOT have to claim to be a Christian to go there. You do have a sign a statement of living saying you won’t have sex, drink, etc. Obviously this is followed pretty loosely. So while GFU is looked upon as a Christian university (and should be), there are many who are not Christians that attend. I knew of plenty while I went there.

By: Kurt Brandemihl

Kurt Brandemihl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:59:02 +0000

As someone who grew up in the Detroit area and in a very racist family…this sort of thing should really bother us all. Like you said especially at a “Christian” school…arent we supposed to be different on this issue? Be even outside the church you would think people have come much further…

I am definitely not an OBAMA fan (as you know) but am also not a fan of racism…and still fight those old voices within me that still hangon.

By: Sovann

Sovann — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:53:32 +0000

Saw that this morning on the news. Very sad. Glad you posted this because I thought it did really reflect poorly on the school (not that I thought it represented what a majority or even significant amount of people think there).

I heard a story from the director of my daughter’s home school co-op recently about Hyde Park school, that in the middle of an assembly the drummer stopped playing and announced that someone had carved letters into the drum set. Silence. Within seconds the kid who had done it spoke up and confessed in front of everyone that he had done it and would talk to the drummer after the assembly and the music resumed.

I hope this will be a time for whoever did that to reflect on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the values of the school, take a good look inside and repent. And that this bad situation would result in even more reconciliation, healing and community.