This is the definitive place to discuss everything that makes life on & off campus so unique in Central Virginia.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#607363
Jonathan Carone wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:17 pm Right. Because I’m trying to score woke points in a conversation with predominantly ultra conservative white men.
You certainly enjoy showing off your Woke Trophies. Your statement is about as credible as ballcoach’s “they must be Baptist”.
I don’t care what color or gender they are. I do agree that LU needs a less autocratic leader
#607364
FlamesHighontheTide wrote: August 24th, 2020, 9:41 pm 1. Dr. Voddie Baucham - Dean of the Seminary at Africa Christian University.

2. Dr. Emir Caner - President of Truett McConnell University.
While I understand the draw of Baucham, his views on childhood discipline are not something I can support leading a school with teaching and family science programs. I admit that’s nit picky, but all-day spanking sessions and his views on daughters aren’t something I can get behind. Quality preacher and theologian even if I don’t agree with everything.

For Caner, even if we got past the family baggage, he leads a school with a 38% graduation rate and only a couple thousand students. I don’t get the draw towards him. By all accounts he’s a great man, but don’t see him qualified for this role.
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By gerb
Posts
#607369
Sly Fox wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:09 pm I would heartily endorse Mark DeMoss rejoining the board. Since he shut down his firm last year, he should be available. We need tough folks willing to hold leadership accountable. And if they have LU credentials all the better.

Whoever lands in the permanent position will have their work cut out for them reworking the upper echelons of the organization.
DeMoss, the guy that helps churches (eg The Village Church - Chandler) paper over sex abuse disasters? No thanks.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#607383
Purple Haize wrote: August 24th, 2020, 7:59 pm I’ve always been an advocate of elevating up from the multitude of smaller Christian Colleges and Universities. The talent and leadership are out there.
If I recall, that was your position on selecting a basketball coach as well. It's certainly something that should be looked into, but ultimately it comes down to finding that special individual with the necessary combination of skills, experience and Godly character. IMHO he/she could come from any one of a variety of backgrounds.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#607384
Just John wrote: August 24th, 2020, 11:36 pm I understand Mark is in very poor health. I was told he had cancer but that was close to a year ago.
He has recovered, and is doing well. I had some interactions with Mark when he was Doc's right hand man at a very young age. He is an impressive individual, and loves Liberty. While I know there are some here who would disagree strenuously, I think he could make a great President, but that does not mean he would be the best choice. I most certainly would like to see him back on the board and actively involved in the process of recovery from this mess. He has a very special skill set, and having shut down his business, should have time to put in the work.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/afte ... iness.html
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By VarsityLu
Posts
#607387
olldflame wrote: August 25th, 2020, 7:53 am
Just John wrote: August 24th, 2020, 11:36 pm I understand Mark is in very poor health. I was told he had cancer but that was close to a year ago.
He has recovered, and is doing well. I had some interactions with Mark when he was Doc's right hand man at a very young age. He is an impressive individual, and loves Liberty. While I know there are some here who would disagree strenuously, I think he could make a great President, but that does not mean he would be the best choice. I most certainly would like to see him back on the board and actively involved in the process of recovery from this mess. He has a very special skill set, and having shut down his business, should have time to put in the work.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/afte ... iness.html
The thing I like about Mark is that he seems to be the only board member who pushed back against JJ games. He saw issues back in 2015-16 and said something! No one else on the board that I am aware of had the guts to do that. At this point I don't trust the current board members. They were at the very least complacent with JJ and they lack the guts to do the right thing. Mark's history of integrity speaks volumes about his character. I can get behind that kind of leadership.
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By TH Spangler
Registration Days Posts
#607388
ballcoach15 wrote: August 25th, 2020, 8:21 am I look can't wait to see what other names get tossed about on this board in reference to next president. (similar to when we were waiting on a new football coach). I still laugh at some of those.
Mitt Romney? We could be BYU East?
Last edited by TH Spangler on August 25th, 2020, 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#607389
olldflame wrote: August 25th, 2020, 7:33 am
Purple Haize wrote: August 24th, 2020, 7:59 pm I’ve always been an advocate of elevating up from the multitude of smaller Christian Colleges and Universities. The talent and leadership are out there.
If I recall, that was your position on selecting a basketball coach as well. It's certainly something that should be looked into, but ultimately it comes down to finding that special individual with the necessary combination of skills, experience and Godly character. IMHO he/she could come from any one of a variety of backgrounds.
It was. But I can’t argue with the success that RMK has brought. He was a unique hire
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#607390
VarsityLu wrote: August 25th, 2020, 8:26 am
olldflame wrote: August 25th, 2020, 7:53 am
Just John wrote: August 24th, 2020, 11:36 pm I understand Mark is in very poor health. I was told he had cancer but that was close to a year ago.
He has recovered, and is doing well. I had some interactions with Mark when he was Doc's right hand man at a very young age. He is an impressive individual, and loves Liberty. While I know there are some here who would disagree strenuously, I think he could make a great President, but that does not mean he would be the best choice. I most certainly would like to see him back on the board and actively involved in the process of recovery from this mess. He has a very special skill set, and having shut down his business, should have time to put in the work.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/afte ... iness.html
The thing I like about Mark is that he seems to be the only board member who pushed back against JJ games. He saw issues back in 2015-16 and said something! No one else on the board that I am aware of had the guts to do that. At this point I don't trust the current board members. They were at the very least complacent with JJ and they lack the guts to do the right thing. Mark's history of integrity speaks volumes about his character. I can get behind that kind of leadership.
Yeah, that is part of the reason he appeals to me as well. I don't know if he would be a good fit for president but there should be a place for him back on the board.
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By flameshaw
Registration Days Posts
#607392
Purple Haize wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:35 pm
Jonathan Carone wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:17 pm Right. Because I’m trying to score woke points in a conversation with predominantly ultra conservative white men.
You certainly enjoy showing off your Woke Trophies. Your statement is about as credible as ballcoach’s “they must be Baptist”.
I don’t care what color or gender they are. I do agree that LU needs a less autocratic leader
JC is proud of his 'wokeness" precisely because of the makeup of the board, "predominately ultra conservative white men" which in itself is not factual. It is all about getting attention, shock value, he needs/craves it. It is pretty obvious. It is always about race and gender first, then qualifications.
Back to the subject of the thread. I am just extremely happy that none of us on this board are in any position to make the decision on our next president. Most of the names floated are actually delusional. I have faith that between God and the Board we will get the right person to lead LU to bigger and better things.
Last edited by flameshaw on August 25th, 2020, 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#607394
I haven't talked to Mark in years. A decade ago he offered me a job at his firm and we used to be in touch regularly for a period of time. He has recovered from his cancer treatments at last check. He would make a strong board member with a track record of holding adminstrators accountable.

Gerb - I feel you on your concerns. You will not likely find a more passionate person on this board than me about rooting out sexual abuse in the church. We as Evangelicals have come a long way in acknowledging the horrific nature of this sin and the impact on the victims and the witness of the church to the lost. My grandfather who passed away a few years ago there in Lynchburg bravely exposed covered up sin at the largest church in America back in the '80s. It cost him friendships, financial support and resulted in death threats for years. Interestingly enough the only Christian leader who was willing to stand by my grandfather through this time was Doc. I have counseled churches through staff sex scandals over the years and have been consistent in shedding light on the darkness and supporting the victims the way Scripture demands us.

This only makes the events of the past few days all the more ironic and sad. Doc spent his entire life in full recognition of what a scandal like this would do to the university and his ministry. It is a primary reason he didn't follow the trend at the time of naming his school after himself when Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggart had their names front & center. Apparently his eldest wasn't paying close enough attention.

I am sure the board will hire a search firm. A guy I know here in Houston leads the largest Christian ministry leadership search firm. It will be interesting to see if the board hires them or a secular search firm with proven track record. What I hope they avoid us setting up their own internal search committee. The credibility of the board is so low right now that such an endeavor could be disastrous.

I do suspect that the board is consulting with Mart Green who shepherded ORU through their own scandal-plagued recovery.
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#607395
I hope this does not become another thread focused on JC and whether he is "woke" or not.

I too am extremely happy myself, and most of the members of this message board are responsible for the decision but it is still interesting to talk about and I think we should discuss it.
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#607397
Sly Fox wrote: August 25th, 2020, 8:46 am I haven't talked to Mark in years. A decade ago he offered me a job at his firm and we used to be in touch regularly for a period of time. He has recovered from his cancer treatments at last check. He would make a strong board member with a track record of holding adminstrators accountable.

Gerb - I feel you on your concerns. You will not likely find a more passionate person on this board than me about rooting out sexual abuse in the church. We as Evangelicals have come a long way in acknowledging the horrific nature of this sin and the impact on the victims and the witness of the church to the lost. My grandfather who passed away a few years ago there in Lynchburg bravely exposed covered up sin at the largest church in America back in the '80s. It cost him friendships, financial support and resulted in death threats for years. Interestingly enough the only Christian leader who was willing to stand by grandfather through this time was Doc. I have counseled churches through staff sex scandals over the years and have been consistent in shedding light on the darkness and supporting the victims the way Scripture demands us.

This only makes the events of the past few days all the more ironic and sad. Doc spent his entire life in full recognition of what a scandal like this would do to the university and his ministry. Apparently his eldest wasn't paying close enough attention.
This can not be emphasized enough and it is one of the main reasons I am so emotionally invested in this. This is far greater than hiring a coach. I do think the board has finally seen the light, it may have been a little late but all I can do is have faith that they are turning to God to lead them in this very, very tough decision.
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By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#607398
Whatisthetruth wrote:A couple of other trustees pushed back and were 'retired' behind the scenes. No many stood up.
Who?
#607400
flameshaw wrote: August 25th, 2020, 8:44 am
Purple Haize wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:35 pm
Jonathan Carone wrote: August 24th, 2020, 10:17 pm Right. Because I’m trying to score woke points in a conversation with predominantly ultra conservative white men.
You certainly enjoy showing off your Woke Trophies. Your statement is about as credible as ballcoach’s “they must be Baptist”.
I don’t care what color or gender they are. I do agree that LU needs a less autocratic leader
JC is proud of his 'wokeness" precisely because of the makeup of the board, "predominately ultra conservative white men" which in itself is not factual. It is all about getting attention, shock value, he needs/craves it. It is pretty obvious. It is always about race and gender first, then qualifications.
My comment was about this message board, not the Board of Trustees. We have a diverse BoT which is a good thing.
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By TH Spangler
Registration Days Posts
#607401
Class of 20Something wrote: August 24th, 2020, 6:27 pm Not backing down.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondi_E._Costin

Poach him.
This guy looks like a good fit. Hope he's at least contacted.

Chaplain Costin is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986. He received his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He also holds Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling from Liberty University. His military education includes U.S. Air Force Academic Instructor School, Squadron Officer School, Air War College, and Master of Strategic Studies. [1]
Last edited by TH Spangler on August 25th, 2020, 9:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#607402
LUconn wrote:
Whatisthetruth wrote:A couple of other trustees pushed back and were 'retired' behind the scenes. No many stood up.
Who?
I can't remember who off the top of my head, but I am fairly certain we discussed it here on the forum. Those of us who saw the writing on the wall with Jr's leadership saw it as just another red flag of many.
By JK37
Registration Days Posts
#607403
Agree with you Sly. Should be a position for Mark on the board. As whatisthetruth mentioned earlier, there were others removed, just not as openly as Mark because his criticism of JJ was so public. I, too, would like to see some of those members restored. However, in order for them to be removed, there must have been complicity on the part of remaining BoT members. It’s one thing to remove JJ in the face of such egregious moral violations. It’s another to admit further mistakes and bring back on removed members - if they even want to. I think it may be telling to find if those extricated from the BoT in the past 8 years would a) be welcomed back, and/or b) accept the invitation.

Fool me once... you all know the rest.
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#607405
I have heard for years that several stepped away quietly to avoid damaging the university's reputation. Sadly their decisions only worsened the situation.

Back to the original premise ... I don't think many of us are factoring in just how damaged the school's reputation is because of this scandal. It will be very tough to find a strong candidate willing to enter into leadership right now. I remember being at Liberty when the PTL scandal broke. Doc stepped in to try and save the ministry as a conservator and it significantly impacted his reputation negatively. Like the mess Jim & Tammy Faye left behind there was a network of enablers and sycophants in leadership that made any fundamental reforms exceptionally challenging. Sound familiar right now? Whoever comes in has to be willing to make significant changes at the top of the house and that takes intestinal fortitude generally lacking these days.
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By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#607408
Removed members should not be brought back. That's almost like when someone quits a ball team because team is losing, then when they start winning, they come crawling back.
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