[Jonathan Carone]

I don’t want them summoned to the principal’s office for posting criticism online and then having to listen to a spiritually dishonest lecture instead of having an open conversation where they’re heard and understood.

If you’re going to claim to pastor, then pastor.

[Purple Haize]

I don’t want them summoned to the principal’s office for posting criticism online and then having to listen to a spiritually dishonest lecture instead of having an open conversation where they’re heard and understood.

If you’re going to claim to pastor, then pastor.

Dishonest is subjective. Of course I’m jaded enough, and was at an early age to understand it for what it was. I’m sure there was an agenda of some sort but if they preferred I didn’t and I preferred I did then I would just keep on doing it. Probably would have used the time to cultivate a relationship with the guy on a C Level suite as well. Because, for the 100th time, there were no consequences for his actions other than the best cup of coffee he ever had.
You don’t like Nasser. Got it. That shades every thing you read about him. I met him once. This year when he ran into me when I was carrying Cokes at a FB game.

[Yacht Rock]

Yeah, "everyone else does it," is a terrible defense and I'd also say that it doesn't happen everywhere.

It's more common of smaller, inexperienced organizations.

LU and their leadership has a much thinner skin than other organizations in a similar place so I'd say that they probably bring down a heavier hand than other places.

That's just my observation from what I've experienced and observed.

I will agree that there are Christian organizations that will pull out scripture to try to suppress things, keep people quiet, all kinds of stuff. It's not great in those cases and wouldn't be great in this case.

You don’t think someone coming into your school wearing a RE Lee shirt is going to get a talking to? Your school will come down much harder on speech they don’t like than LU has

First, public high school and private Christian university are apples and oranges. Second, we're talking criticisms on social media, not dress code violations. And to be honest, dress code is pretty lax in public school, even with all the hoopla that happened last year. They've taken a real hands off approach to this stuff.

[Yacht Rock]

On the social media blocking stuff, it's actually illegal for public schools to do this. But, like I said, LU has a thin skin.

[Just John]

FWIW, I understand the university will also be building a home for Nasser on the mountain, ala Elmer Towns.

[ballcoach15]

I believe the house is already under construction.

[thepostman]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

[Purple Haize]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

I guess my ambivalence is that I grew up with people like Nasser. I understand how they think, their role etc. I don’t see it as Good or Bad, it just is. It’s a primary reason I much much prefer smaller churches now and take little to no heed of “National Christian Leaders”. People like him serve a purpose. I can appreciate that and understand he puts his pants on one leg at a time. Perhaps this is a unique perspective and I need to recognize that, I dunno. Perhaps it’s because I’m a dreaded Old Hag and this is how we think?

[Class of 20Something]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

[thepostman]

I guess my ambivalence is that I grew up with people like Nasser. I understand how they think, their role etc. I don’t see it as Good or Bad, it just is. It’s a primary reason I much much prefer smaller churches now and take little to no heed of “National Christian Leaders”. People like him serve a purpose. I can appreciate that and understand he puts his pants on one leg at a time. Perhaps this is a unique perspective and I need to recognize that, I dunno. Perhaps it’s because I’m a dreaded Old Hag and this is how we think?

I don't have a problem with anything in the article because there is some context being conveniently left out but I also know how Nasser is and have my own reservations about him.

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

Ahhh ok. This is why context is always important. Makes way more sense now.

[rogers3]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

Seriously? You don't need to "recruit" a Nasser. Filling that role is easy, but filling that role with a sycophantic yes man might be more challenging. Why is there even discussion about anyone of Jerry's stuffed shirts?

[flameshaw]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

Seriously? You don't need to "recruit" a Nasser. Filling that role is easy, but filling that role with a sycophantic yes man might be more challenging. Why is there even discussion about anyone of Jerry's stuffed shirts?

Nasser is a puppet, nothing more, nothing less. His ego is only surpassed by that of his boss. Kinda like coaching the Cowgirls with Jerry Jones pulling all of the strings. Hard to respect a person like that.
I am 1000% LU, but this blind leadership thing is becoming quite distasteful.

[JK37]

Blind leadership, or blind followship?

Is a man paid (handsomely) by a company not expected to toe company lines? What else should we expect? I’m just not that surprised, so I’m not concerned.

[LUAlum1215]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

Nasser has been in his house for a good while, a year or two I believe. Freeze’s house is still under construction. From Candlers Mountain Road the first house is Freeze, second Towns, and Nasser is further up the hill and not visible from the LU side of the mountain.

[stokesjokes]

I just read through this thread and here’s my take on where people are landing with Nasser:

1. Those who view Nasser’s role as a business position see him making decisions anyone in a business leadership role would make, i.e. doing what’s best for the company.

2. Those who view Nasser’s role as pastoral taking issue with Nasser favoring what’s best for the company over personally shepherding the students.

Nasser is an a gray and blended role, which I’m sure is difficult to navigate. Would it be better to divide the role? Have a company guy to make the PR moves and deal with the unrest among students and faculty and also have a “pastoral-only” position responsible for spiritual growth and guidance among the student body?

I graduated before Nasser came, so I can’t speak to his personality. My only experience with Nasser was at a Christian music festival in the 90s. I remember him giving an invitation and telling everyone to keep their eyes open because people shouldn’t be ashamed to be giving their lives to Christ.

[thepostman]

Nasser is an a gray and blended role, which I’m sure is difficult to navigate. Would it be better to divide the role? Have a company guy to make the PR moves and deal with the unrest among students and faculty and also have a “pastoral-only” position responsible for spiritual growth and guidance among the student body?

Yes!

The fact that we still don't, is mind blowing!

[Purple Haize]

Nasser is an a gray and blended role, which I’m sure is difficult to navigate. Would it be better to divide the role? Have a company guy to make the PR moves and deal with the unrest among students and faculty and also have a “pastoral-only” position responsible for spiritual growth and guidance among the student body?

Yes!

The fact that we still don't, is mind blowing!

Perhaps because they don’t think one is needed? This is where having to reclassify “Chapel” as a “Convocation” comes into play IMO. You need that blended role. Although in an ideal situation you’d have an Event Coordinator that would hand things like Convocation and University Sponsored events and a Campus Pastor who dealt with student discipleship. However, those two rolls would overlap a whole bunch and it would be difficult to define who does what. And the confusion and redundancy would be great

[thepostman]

You need someone who actually had a PR background to run a PR department. Especially for an institution the size of Liberty. Once upon a time there was a University Relations dept that filled that role but went away shortly after Sr passed away. Shortly after that Johnny Moore filled the role that is now Nasser's and it has been a disaster since.

That isn't a shot on either men, it is just they aren't PR people and don't have that skillset.

[Purple Haize]

You need someone who actually had a PR background to run a PR department. Especially for an institution the size of Liberty. Once upon a time there was a University Relations dept that filled that role but went away shortly after Sr passed away. Shortly after that Johnny Moore filled the role that is now Nasser's and it has been a disaster since.

That isn't a shot on either men, it is just they aren't PR people and don't have that skillset.

I see what you’re saying now.
It hurts me to say this
But I agree with you. Nasser shouldn’t be doing Press Releases etc.

[stokesjokes]

I’ve always day-dreamed about how different the public perception of LU might be if PR decisions/statements were made by more well-equipped people.

Jerry Jr/Nasser seem to be our de-facto PR people. I can’t speak to Nasser, but Jerry is naturally abrasive and antagonistic (might be the attorney background), and that certainly hasn’t helped our public image. He just doesn’t have the charisma to be a public figure the way his father was, imho.

Not to diminish Jerry’s skill-set because he has been great for the business/financial side of the university, but he would be great as a background character, not the public voice. I also daydream about Jonathan being that public voice because I think he would be really good in that role.

[Just John]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

I get it with a head football coach or a college president but how hard can it be to "recruit" a 300k+ per year youth evangelist to come to a university and have the stage three times a week he so thoroughly enjoys and play a PR spokesmen? I keep a pretty close ear as to what is happening in the evangelical world, including youth ministries, and I don't recall ever hearing about Nasser before he came to LU. I was on the West Coast at the time but he was never on my radar. Now he's making pretty big $ at a choice gig. He can afford his own house.

[Just John]

I posted on the Bethel thread regarding Nassar inviting Bethel Music to LU for convocation at least a couple of times. I don't think he always makes the wisest decisions in who is invited to convo...even in the Christian world.

[Jonathan Carone]

I've tried to stay away from this thread because my anti-Nasser bias makes it really difficult to look at anything he does fairly.

With that said, Nasser is getting the Towns treatment? Really??? What is happening...

So is Freeze. I think the University is trying to make it more appealing when they have to recruit people for those positions.

I get it with a head football coach or a college president but how hard can it be to "recruit" a 300k+ per year youth evangelist to come to a university and have the stage three times a week he so thoroughly enjoys and play a PR spokesmen? I keep a pretty close ear as to what is happening in the evangelical world, including youth ministries, and I don't recall ever hearing about Nasser before he came to LU. I was on the West Coast at the time but he was never on my radar. Now he's making pretty big $ at a choice gig. He can afford his own house.

There aren't many pastors who can related to students would want to have to mute themselves or constantly defend Jerry's views.

[Purple Haize]

I also feel it’s an oversimplification of the job description. Like saying Pastor’s only work on Sunday

[ballcoach15]

If one works at LU, I would think they have an obligation to defend the views. It's called loyalty.