[TDDance234]

ankled at the prospect that “extremist” Liberty University might soon own the campus where they spent their prep school years, alumni of Northfield Mount Hermon School are petitioning to stop it.

In a letter posted Monday (March 5), more than 570 NMH graduates are calling on Mark Chardack, chair of the NMH board of trustees, to help ensure that when the 217-acre property is given away by a wealthy Christian family, it doesn’t end up in the hands of a “homophobic and intellectually narrow institution.”

“We consider the institutional presence of Liberty University on the Northfield campus fundamentally incompatible with the spiritual breadth, academic depth and community diversity we know and cherish at Northfield Mount Hermon,” the letter says.

HERE.

[ALUmnus]

Who's "intellectually narrow" in the article? Not LU.

[TH Spangler]

I wonder how they would feel if C.A.R.E. was receiving it? That would probably be okay

[TH Spangler]

Melissa Totten
March 7, 2012 4:00pm


March 4, 2012 Mark H. Chardack ’73 Chair, NMH Board of Trustees Northfield Mount Hermon One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon, MA 01355 Dear Mark, As loyal alumni of Northfield Mount Hermon School and its fundamental traditions of spiritual diversity, expansive learning, and community action, we call on you lead the board in taking a public stand against the current owners' prospective transfer of the former Northfield campus to Liberty University. While we recognize that the Green family has legal authority to dispose of the campus according to its own preferences, we believe that to deed it to an extremist, homophobic, and intellectually narrow institution (whose founder blamed the September 11, 2001 attacks on insufficient regard to Christianity in the public and private sectors of American life) is inconsistent with the Board's explicit language in the provisions of their agreement with the Green family and Hobby Lobby. Standing by silently as the current owners welcome Liberty University onto the Northfield property fails to honor D. L. Moody's true legacy. Dwight L. Moody's "great awakening" and his subsequent calling to provide religious education is a strong foundation for the Northfield Mount Hermon community. "The Great Evangelist" had a complex vision and a mission to lead others to conversion experiences and the Christian faith. He was an early proponent of racial, ethnic and religious diversity of the school’s student body, and a forward-thinking leader who believed the school’s responsibility included providing education to those who had no access because they were poor. Today, the school's statement of its "core values" reinforces and extends this pledge to offer students the “…opportunity for demanding and transformative responsibilities and experiences” (http://www.nmhschool.org/sites/default/ ... Values.pdf). Moreover, those "core values" embrace additional commitments that are diametrically opposed to those of Liberty University and its founder: • An opportunity for and encouragement of spiritual development through religious traditions, exploration of the human experience, and appreciation of the natural world • The expectation and practice of egalitarian ideals, especially honesty, civility, hopefulness, curiosity, and tenacity The school throughout its history has grappled successfully with the tension between its missionary Christian roots and the modernization of both its curriculum and its ambitions for its graduates to serve humanity in a variety of venues, including the secular, with integrity and commitment. We do not protest here the 2009 sale of the campus, for that transaction – albeit controversial – was accomplished by the NMH Board of Trustees in good faith. We do not judge the Green family's orthodox Christian beliefs, or their desire to build institutions reflecting their own concept of morality. We had reconciled ourselves to the possible arrival of a new college created by the C. S. Lewis Foundation, believing it a relatively compatible intellectual fit (despite the Foundation's stated ambition to prepare more Christian candidates to enter secular university faculties). However, we consider the institutional presence of Liberty University on the Northfield campus fundamentally incompatible with the spiritual breadth, academic depth, and community diversity we know and cherish at Northfield Mount Hermon. Thus we must register our principled objections to the proposed sale of the former Northfield campus to the institutional and patrilineal inheritors of the extremist, exclusionary, and authoritarian dogma of the Moral Majority in the 1980s and its role in consolidating the far right's political will-to-power through the Christian Coalition as well as its allies and successors. These ambitions in fact have been made explicit for the entire Northeast according to Liberty University Facebook page comments on the sale of the Northfield campus. One comment enthuses: "To have such a light in the dark reaches of the Northeast would be great." (https://www.facebook.com/LibertyUniversity). We call on you – who are responsible for our school's ongoing stewardship – to object. We graduates of Northfield Mount Hermon School also stand in solidarity with those residents of the town of Northfield dismayed by the prospect of Liberty University arriving to proselytize speciifically in the local community. We do recognize that many residents may welcome the income generated by any new institution. However, Hobby Lobby president Steve Green seems to anticipate an aggressively evangelical role within Northfield itself, telling the Boston Globe, "I would love to see [the new owners] have a local impact and potentially cause people in the area to reconsider what they may believe'' ("Christian owner sought for school," by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Feb. 29, 2012). It is important to set some context for the specific objections we raise. Liberty University is an outpost of a concerted effort to insert conservative Christian doctrine directly in the American political system. The explicit mission of its founder, Jerry Falwell, was to "save America" from his nightmare vision of a non-sectarian democracy with a Constitutional separation of church and state: "If we are going to save America and evangelize the world, we cannot accommodate secular philosophies that are diametrically opposed to Christian truth... We need to pull out all the stops to recruit and train 25 million Americans to become informed pro-moral activists whose voices can be heard in the halls of CongressŠ I am convinced that America can be turned around if we will all get serious about the Master's business. It may be late, but it is never too late to do what is right. We need an old-fashioned, God-honoring, Christ-exalting revival to turn American back to God. America can be saved!" (Falwell, Moral Majority Report, September 1984). In 1971, as NMH first joined its own two schools together, Falwell established Liberty University as the world's largest Christian institution of higher education in Lynchburg, Virginia (now run by his son Jerry Falwell, Jr.). According to the "Doctrinal Statement" posted on its web site, the school not only declares the Christian Bible "inerrant in its originals and authoritative in all matters" and embraces a millenial vision but also rejects scientific examinations of cosmic origins as well as human evolution: "The universe was created in six historical days. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God" (http://www.liberty.edu). These theological statements do not suggest an open educational model. Moreover, Falwell remained throughout his life openly hostile to any form of religious, cultural, and particularly gender diversity. Falwell even asserted a causal link between such diversity and the Sept. 11, 2001 crisis, maintaining that "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve:" "And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say, "You helped this happen" "(quoted in "God Gave US 'What We Deserve," by John F. Harris, Washington Post, Sept. 14, 2001, from appearance on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club," hosted by Pat Robertson). Although he later apologized for this outrageous statement, he did not retract it. It is hard to imagine such a statement from the mouth of D. L. Moody. Falwell's legacy is the policy agenda that has been handed down to the Christian far right today, to "cure" gays and lesbians, to prohibit all abortions and access to contraceptives, to deny rights to women and people of non-Christian faiths, and to limit the educational parameters of public education, including the banning of books deemed unacceptable. These ideas are antithetical to the lessons we learned at Northfield Mount Hermon. They also are divisive and hateful. We protest, and we ask you to do the same. The Green family reportedly will meet on Wednesday, March 7 to consider the first round of proposals submitted by a variety of Christian-based institutions for the former Northfield campus. We urge you to oppose, before that date, Hobby Lobby's transfer of Moody's historic grounds to Falwell's Liberty University. Respectfully yours, Melissa Totten ‘76 Jean Riesman ‘75 Dongsok Shin ‘76 Tess Champoux ‘92

http://www.nmhschool.org/nmhbook

Well, if I were the Green's I know what I would do!

[jbock13]

lol. Anyone who has been to our campus for 5 minutes knows one of the least things we are, are homophobic. Although I can't speak for all...

Nothing fascinates me more than stupid people, and their attempt at rationalizing a coherent thought. That last letter from that woman, would be funny if it weren't so downright scary that half of people believe the false accusations and lies that she seeks to spread due to her ideology.

We graduates of Northfield Mount Hermon School also stand in solidarity with those residents of the town of Northfield dismayed by the prospect of Liberty University arriving to proselytize speciifically in the local community.

OH NO!!! THOSE CHRISTIANS ARE GONNA COME TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS!!!

Wow. I would dare to venture this lady is clearly Christophobic.

[ballah09]

When I graduated no one cared about the lgbt, in fact i ran into a lot of liberal/democrat people there, to my surprise including a couple of professors.

i think a lot people get the notion of homophobe because of jerry and more recently the liberty counsel. (google some of things they said and did)

as for the science. they never stepped foot on campus to know what is taught in the regular science class. no, i'm not talking about the creation class. again when i was there, we had the same science textbook that penn state uses. the irony of this is that moody, their founder, was anti- evolution who never wanted it to be taught in schools.

[Sly Fox]

Forgive my curiosity, but I had to see who this Melissa Totten really is that could be so misinformed on everything about who we are and what we do.

• Ms. Totten's LinkedIn Profile
  
  Ms. Totten's Business Bio

Enough said.

As for the Liberty Counsel, there has to be a way to separate their comments from the school. While loosely connected, much of what they say we wouldn't be caught dead speaking in a public forum.

And is anybody growing tired of hearing Moody's reputation being contorted to match a liberal agenda. Is there anything in his writings to imply a universalist perspective? I'll save you the trouble of doing the research yourself. The answer is no.

It is my personal opinion that is D.L. Moody were walking the earth today he would be one of the biggest proponents of what they school is doing from a missional & educational standpoint. Then again, that's just my personal opinion. And since he was dead before my great grandparents were even born, all we have is hearsay and his writings.

[jbock13]

Melissa Totten graduated with high honors from Wesleyan University (B.A.) and the University of Texas at Austin (M.A.) in American Studies.

That explains all Thank you for your investigative work Sly. Sheds plenty of perspective.

[Sly Fox]

In the field of study she chose, UT remains among the more liberal schools in the nation. That has begun to turn over the past 15-20 years but the school still at times has a reputation as being Berkley South.

[Humble_Opinion]

Lol as soon as I saw her picture I could tell who she was and what she believed...

[TH Spangler]

According to the "Doctrinal Statement" posted on its web site, the school not only declares the Christian Bible "inerrant in its originals and authoritative in all matters" and embraces a millenial vision but also rejects scientific examinations of cosmic origins as well as human evolution: "The universe was created in six historical days. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God"

So? .... And because I accept what the scriptures teach I should be banded from Mass? Author is "not" very opened minded? Whenever I read something like this I always seem to write a bigger check the following Sunday.

[LUconn]

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907

I'm having trouble finding the part about "rejecting scientific examination of cosmic origins". I do recall the opposite of that being part of a required class though.

[TH Spangler]

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907

I'm having trouble finding the part about "rejecting scientific examination of cosmic origins". I do recall the opposite of that being part of a required class though.

She just got a little carried away!

[jbock13]

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907

I'm having trouble finding the part about "rejecting scientific examination of cosmic origins". I do recall the opposite of that being part of a required class though.

I think what's funny is that she hates that. But I bet if we were Muslims, I bet she wouldn't complain.

[BJWilliams]

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907

I'm having trouble finding the part about "rejecting scientific examination of cosmic origins". I do recall the opposite of that being part of a required class though.

I think what's funny is that she hates that. But I bet if we were Muslims, I bet she wouldn't complain.

Mostly because she knows that death or high levels of destruction would swiftly follow in her life

[Cider Jim]

Ms. Totten writes a 96-line paragraph?

If LU went to the Northeast, I trust we would teach students to organize their thoughts in multiple paragraphs--with an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Sly, please tell me that this isn't how most students write with masters degrees from Texas.

[jbock13]

And the point of that isn't even to point out the "double standard" card. I think I'm 99% sure that Muslims believed that God created the earth as well.

[BJWilliams]

Ms. Totten writes a 96-line paragraph?

If LU went to the Northeast, I trust we would teach students to organize their thoughts in multiple paragraphs--with an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Sly, please tell me that this isn't how most students write with masters degrees from Texas.

[rogers3]

Ms. Totten writes a 96-line paragraph?

If LU went to the Northeast, I trust we would teach students to organize their thoughts in multiple paragraphs--with an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Sly, please tell me that this isn't how most students write with masters degrees from Texas.

I've had run-ins with folks like Ms. Totten where I work- to bad they didn't consider an extra BA in Common Sense.

[Purple Haize]

According to the "Doctrinal Statement" posted on its web site, the school not only declares the Christian Bible "inerrant in its originals and authoritative in all matters" and embraces a millenial vision but also rejects scientific examinations of cosmic origins as well as human evolution: "The universe was created in six historical days. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God"

So? .... And because I accept what the scriptures teach I should be banded from Mass? Author is "not" very opened minded? Whenever I read something like this I always seem to write a bigger check the following Sunday.

Well I agree with her on one thing.....

[Cider Jim]

we consider the institutional presence of Liberty University on the Northfield campus fundamentally incompatible with the spiritual breadth, academic depth, and community diversity we know and cherish at Northfield Mount Hermon

I hereby challenge Ms. Totten and 3 of her other distinguished alumni to a cage match of Quiz Bowl.

[jbock13]

community diversity? Lady... have you ever been within 500 miles of here? Obvious not. Typical liberal ignorant slob. If the facts get in the way of your ideology, just lie.

[Cider Jim]

I remember Doc telling the story one time where he was speaking at Duke or one of the Ivy League schools of the Northeast, and someone brought up the point that he thought Doc was a racist because only white kids went to LU. But Doc had done his homework, and he knew the demographics of both LU and the Ivy League (or Duke) school where he was speaking. LU at the time had something like a 20% minority population, and he challenged the student speaker, asking what the racial diversity was at his school. Of course, LU was much more racially diverse than whatever school he was speaking at, and Doc knew that and also knew that this topic would probably come up. Doc could debate with the best of them, even the Ivy Leaguers!

[TH Spangler]

Was Duke. I have a copy of an article about it. Classic Doc. Nothing like the facts.

[Hold My Own]