[Jonathan Carone]

I think the position deserves the salary it's getting.

That said, the professors also deserve a lot more than they're getting.

[Jonathan Carone]

Here is the part that is most troubling to me:

In my conversations with more than two dozen current Liberty students and recent graduates, Nasser emerged as a key figure in soothing campus unease—and an example of how earnest religious rhetoric can be used to tamp down even the most righteous dissent. “There’s this culture at Liberty where leadership will pull you aside and pray with you, but it’s really strong-arming you into shutting up,” said 2019 graduate Addyson Garner, who spoke with me in the spring, when she was senior class president. “The phrase that comes to mind is spiritual gaslighting.”

Sam Herrmann, who graduated last year ... said Nasser spent most of the meeting talking—and effectively discouraged him from speaking publicly, without coming out and saying so outright. “[Nasser] told me, ‘If you were teachable, then you would understand,’ ” Herrmann said. “For someone like me who grew up in a Christian home and grew up with a black-and-white idea of ‘sinners: bad, Christians: good,’ you get this inner confusion. Like, ‘Am I the bad guy?’ ” (Nasser told me, “Our meetings with students, including Sam Herrmann, are pastoral in nature. Students … are free to take or not take any pastoral insight or advice offered.”) One former employee, who asked to not be named because of Falwell Jr.’s legal threats against other ex-employees, described Falwell Jr.’s inner circle, including Nasser, as deploying evangelical language to enforce loyalty: “They’re using fundamentalist, guilt-ridden Christian rhetorical tactics at the same time that they’re draining the spiritual life from the campus.”

The Sunday after Politico’s reporting was published, Nasser called an impromptu all-campus worship service, to be held on the school’s outdoor ski slope as the sun set over the mountains. More than 4,000 students attended to sing and pray; Fox News quoted Nasser calling it “the essence of Liberty U.” One student described it as “very obviously a PR stunt, or a way to reduce the student uprising.”

Liberty may have always been this way, but these quotes and examples show a pretty obvious pattern. I saw in a few Facebook groups and Instagram accounts similar comments about the PR stunt when they did the outdoor worship service. One pastor even texted me about it and called it "spiritual manipulation."

I'm obviously on the critical side of our leadership. For those who give Liberty the benefit of the doubt on many of these things, what am I missing? Why am I wrong?

[Purple Haize]

This is typical. You are making it seem as though LU is the only place doing this.

[Jonathan Carone]

I'm sure other people are doing it but I'm not invested in those places. Why am I wrong for wanting to make a place I care about better just because other places do the same bad things?

[ballcoach15]

I don't know much about this side of the house, but 300,000 ???????

[ElmersTwin]

Here is the part that is most troubling to me:

In my conversations with more than two dozen current Liberty students and recent graduates, Nasser emerged as a key figure in soothing campus unease—and an example of how earnest religious rhetoric can be used to tamp down even the most righteous dissent. “There’s this culture at Liberty where leadership will pull you aside and pray with you, but it’s really strong-arming you into shutting up,” said 2019 graduate Addyson Garner, who spoke with me in the spring, when she was senior class president. “The phrase that comes to mind is spiritual gaslighting.”

Sam Herrmann, who graduated last year ... said Nasser spent most of the meeting talking—and effectively discouraged him from speaking publicly, without coming out and saying so outright. “[Nasser] told me, ‘If you were teachable, then you would understand,’ ” Herrmann said. “For someone like me who grew up in a Christian home and grew up with a black-and-white idea of ‘sinners: bad, Christians: good,’ you get this inner confusion. Like, ‘Am I the bad guy?’ ” (Nasser told me, “Our meetings with students, including Sam Herrmann, are pastoral in nature. Students … are free to take or not take any pastoral insight or advice offered.”) One former employee, who asked to not be named because of Falwell Jr.’s legal threats against other ex-employees, described Falwell Jr.’s inner circle, including Nasser, as deploying evangelical language to enforce loyalty: “They’re using fundamentalist, guilt-ridden Christian rhetorical tactics at the same time that they’re draining the spiritual life from the campus.”

The Sunday after Politico’s reporting was published, Nasser called an impromptu all-campus worship service, to be held on the school’s outdoor ski slope as the sun set over the mountains. More than 4,000 students attended to sing and pray; Fox News quoted Nasser calling it “the essence of Liberty U.” One student described it as “very obviously a PR stunt, or a way to reduce the student uprising.”

Liberty may have always been this way, but these quotes and examples show a pretty obvious pattern. I saw in a few Facebook groups and Instagram accounts similar comments about the PR stunt when they did the outdoor worship service. One pastor even texted me about it and called it "spiritual manipulation."

I'm obviously on the critical side of our leadership. For those who give Liberty the benefit of the doubt on many of these things, what am I missing? Why am I wrong?

It's unfortunate seeing the spiritual arm of the school being used for PR stunts. Another case in point is when LU Send sent students to the border within a week of Jerry Jr. criticism of Russell Moore's original tweet regarding the living conditions along the border. There was a call made immediately after blowback from his tweet to organize a trip that Jr. and Becki were originally supposed to attend, but then backed out for reasons not made clear.

[TH Spangler]

I like him. But I would like him even more if he would stop and bow when he prays.

[Class of 20Something]

First. What is expected of the position is absolutely worth $300k.

The question is, what does the human for that job look like?

You're requiring someone to
-Direct all departments relating to the spiritual health of the University
-Have such a driving personality and confidence and charisma that they can reach out to and convince dozens of speakers every single semester to stop at Liberty.
-Have a true pastoral heart for people and true defined theology in step with the SBC.
-EmCee Convo even with guests that would feel unwelcome in most Christian or Conservative environments.

I'm not 100% team Nasser, but I'm not sure I could find someone else capable of ticking all those boxes.

[Purple Haize]

I'm sure other people are doing it but I'm not invested in those places. Why am I wrong for wanting to make a place I care about better just because other places do the same bad things?

I’m not sure it’s necessarily “bad”. It just “is”. Every church. Every Christian school at every level has these types of talks with students. I can neither confirm nor deny being on the receiving end of a few myself. He’s not be forbidden from posting. He’s not being expelled for posting. He’s just being cautioned. I absolutely like write an article that could make this type of interaction look sinister (as they do here) or benign or glorious.
I know absolutely nothing about Nasser. But what I gathered from the article is what I posted earlier. He’s Jr buffer. Like Godwin was for his dad. Someone who has the opposite skill set to handle what they cannot. Senior was an incredible people person who could never say No. Godwin was his hatchet man. Junior lacks those people skills. It appears Nasser does not.
So he has a nice office. So what? So the university puts guests up at a nice place on campus. Big deal. (I suspect this author has t stayed at a lot of nice hotels).
There is just nothing there. This kid was not muzzled or silenced. So what’s the big deal.

[Purple Haize]

First. What is expected of the position is absolutely worth $300k.

The question is, what does the human for that job look like?

You're requiring someone to
-Direct all departments relating to the spiritual health of the University
-Have such a driving personality and confidence and charisma that they can reach out to and convince dozens of speakers every single semester to stop at Liberty.
-Have a true pastoral heart for people and true defined theology in step with the SBC.
-EmCee Convo even with guests that would feel unwelcome in most Christian or Conservative environments.

I'm not 100% team Nasser, but I'm not sure I could find someone else capable of ticking all those boxes.

Yeah. The people complaining aren’t offering any solutions.

[Jonathan Carone]

I'm sure other people are doing it but I'm not invested in those places. Why am I wrong for wanting to make a place I care about better just because other places do the same bad things?

I’m not sure it’s necessarily “bad”. It just “is”. Every church. Every Christian school at every level has these types of talks with students.

I don't think that's true. I've definitely be involved with multiple churches where students were not spiritually manipulated to keep their mouths shut.

He’s not be forbidden from posting. He’s not being expelled for posting. He’s just being cautioned. I absolutely like write an article that could make this type of interaction look sinister (as they do here) or benign or glorious.

You keep saying "he" as if it were one person in the article. There were multiple students along with a faculty member who mentioned the same thing.

I know absolutely nothing about Nasser. But what I gathered from the article is what I posted earlier. He’s Jr buffer. Like Godwin was for his dad. Someone who has the opposite skill set to handle what they cannot. Senior was an incredible people person who could never say No. Godwin was his hatchet man. Junior lacks those people skills. It appears Nasser does not.

I'm totally fine with having a buffer. That's not an issue at all. It's how he's doing the buffering that I have a problem with.

So he has a nice office. So what? So the university puts guests up at a nice place on campus. Big deal. (I suspect this author has t stayed at a lot of nice hotels).

Absolutely no issue with him having a nice office.

There is just nothing there. This kid was not muzzled or silenced. So what’s the big deal.

Again - you say it as it's one kid. It's not. It's systemic.

As for offering solutions - how about not trying to twist the Bible into making it feel like standing up for your convictions and beliefs is somehow sinful?

Or not randomly scheduling an impromptu "spirit led" worship service just days after the worst negative PR we've gotten in a few years?

[Purple Haize]

I was not going down the rabbit hole of all the kids listed. Just the first one named.
If you’ve worked at multiple churches in leadership roles you’ve had those types of talks. Oh, you don’t label it manipulation because you are the one doing it or you agree with the direction it’s going. And it may not be to keep their mouth shut but it may be something else.
What? A religious based organization making you feel like something you are doing is sinful ? Why I’ve never! That’s the issue with a lot of religious based organizations. Three people are going to have 4 different opinions on the matter.
As for the Spirit Led worship thing and bad PR, I got nothing cause I don’t know anything about it.

[FlamesHighontheTide]

The reality is David Nasser is making that kind of money and LU believes he is worth that much. I personally don't think he is worth that much money, but then again I don't think Gerrit Cole deserves 324 million nor does Bryce Harper deserve 330 million. Yet, the reality is both of those teams believe they do.

I guess all I am saying is you have professors who spent a ridiculous amount of time in school and have spent a ridiculous amount of time in preparation for their classes semester in and semester out and some are making chump change to Nasser and I just don't see the fairness in that.

[Jonathan Carone]

It’s not about fairness. It’s about value and supply and demand.

[Purple Haize]

The reality is David Nasser is making that kind of money and LU believes he is worth that much. I personally don't think he is worth that much money, but then again I don't think Gerrit Cole deserves 324 million nor does Bryce Harper deserve 330 million. Yet, the reality is both of those teams believe they do.

I guess all I am saying is you have professors who spent a ridiculous amount of time in school and have spent a ridiculous amount of time in preparation for their classes semester in and semester out and some are making chump change to Nasser and I just don't see the fairness in that.

How Academicians are thought of and treated at LU is an entirely different thread
For those who don’t think Nasser is worth his salary what do you think a fair salary would be?

[FlamesHighontheTide]

Due to my sister working under him for 2 years I have a decent picture of what he does and there is no doubt the man works hard and has his finger on a lot that goes on at LU. So the time, energy, planning and execution is worth pay for sure. Personally, I would feel comfortable with 90 to 100,000 dollars.

I do realize that his situation is different than some in that Liberty is a cash cow and so those in upper level leadership are going to make a healthy living. However, there are guys that I know that are pastors of smaller low income churches that deserve (in my opinion) the $300,000 well before Nasser deserves the $300,000.

[FlamesHighontheTide]

For the record, none of what I have said is due to a dislike of Nasser. This is all just due to simply an opinion.

[Purple Haize]

Due to my sister working under him for 2 years I have a decent picture of what he does and there is no doubt the man works hard and has his finger on a lot that goes on at LU. So the time, energy, planning and execution is worth pay for sure. Personally, I would feel comfortable with 90 to 100,000 dollars.

I do realize that his situation is different than some in that Liberty is a cash cow and so those in upper level leadership are going to make a healthy living. However, there are guys that I know that are pastors of smaller low income churches that deserve (in my opinion) the $300,000 well before Nasser deserves the $300,000.

That’s some good input. But how what do you base that $ figure on? Deans at liked sized Universities? The amount of work you describe is worth a lot more than 90k.

[Yacht Rock]

I'll say this, I reached out to Nassar's office a few times while I was an online student. No response any of the times I reached out.

So, from my perspective, while I was a student, he wasn't earning any kind of salary.

Obviously, in the end, it's LU's decision to decide what someone is worth. That being, Jerry likes to say LU is a business. From a business perspective, that would make students customers and he doesn't seem to understand that businesses should listen to their customers more often. That's another thread though.

Personally, I don't think Jerry hires anybody for their independent thought. That alone would take several thousand of anyone he chooses to hire.

[ATrain]

This is typical. You are making it seem as though LU is the only place doing this.

Jerry Sr. said "If it's Christian, it ought to be better."

[Purple Haize]

This is typical. You are making it seem as though LU is the only place doing this.

Jerry Sr. said "If it's Christian, it ought to be better."

Define better? This just is. It’s neither good nor bad. It’s not a case of making something “better” or not. The kid I keep referencing from the story (and the others) were free to continue doing what they were doing and faced no recriminations. Faculty is different than students and I think something that should be addressed
As for the “if it’s Christian it ought to be better “ line. It’s not like Jerry followed that maxim himself so while I might agree with it to a point, I don’t hold it as a measuring stick from whence LU came.

[Jonathan Carone]

It’s not the “measuring stick from whence LU came” but it should be the one we aspire to measure ourselves against.

[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.

[Purple Haize]

It’s not the “measuring stick from whence LU came” but it should be the one we aspire to measure ourselves against.

But what is “better” here? Nothing happened to these kids. Do you want them front and center at Convo? Held up as examples of virtue and holiness? I have no problem with what happened here, because nothing happened here.

[Purple Haize]

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