Current Contemplations: Biola as the Institution

Today I wanted share on the blog a tough post about the recent events that occurred at my alma mater: Biola University.  Almost a week ago, a student was arrested on the charges of possessing unregistered firearms (including an assault rifle), and yesterday my friend Garrett posted this status on Facebook:

"If Jason [the student in question who was arrested] were black or Latino, Biola's response would be 100% different."

There were many comments in response to this (rather controversial) status, but I wanted to post mine here for posterity:

To add to Garrett's point, "If only evangelicals could think of anything other than abortion and religious liberty", I am concerned about Biola’s lack to response to this incident in light of the current socio-political climate regarding school shootings/gun control in comparison to their response two years ago to the then-most pressing social movement/reform of “Gay Rights”.

To be clear, I am not trying to start a debate on gay rights with this comment.  I am not equating the debate on gun control with the debate on gay rights in terms of the issues addressed, individuals impacted, the history of both (cultural, religious, socio-economical, etc.), the opposing parties, or anything other than simply wanting to contrast side-by-side Biola’s response to two major social-political movements that have occurred within the past five years that white American Evangelical Christian culture has specifically taken up as their “crusade” causes.

Also, I want to specifically define my references to Biola not as the student body, individual professors, etc. that make-up the university.  I want to be clear that when I say “Biola” I am referring to official emails and press releases Biola as an administrative entity has released on behalf of the formal learning institution to the general public and student body.

Let me first present the emails and press releases regarding the gay rights movement:

An email was sent out two years ago in regards to a Californian senate bill “SB 1146”.  I am not here to debate whether or not the legislation was successful or make any other statements regarding the specifics of the bill other than to note that the intent behind the bill was to attempt to protect marginalized students (specifically LGBTQ students) from discrimination in higher learning institutions.  (And I do want to note here that I think we can all agree it is important to protect the rights of all people wishing to pursue higher education - it’s what those rights are and the actions we take that is where the debate resides).

This is the header of the email Biola sent out in response to this bill: “Proposed Legislation Jeopardizes Religious Freedom of California Christian Higher Education”.

Here, I do want to note that to Evangelical Christian Americans like those that attend Biola, using words like “Jeopardizes” and “Freedom” is, quite simply, “not nothing”.  These words are specifically meant to invoke emotional, impassioned responses within a person by tying together two-fold a mythical Christian American past and the struggles of God’s people in foreign lands (ie Egypt and slavery).

Some choice quotes from the email about this legislation includes the opening sentence:

“It is unprecedented for Biola University to reach out to our community regarding legislative issues, but California Senate Bill 1146 could significantly challenge Biola University’s ability to continue in the mission that has guided us for 108 years.”

And the following statements:

“SB 1146, if passed, would substantially interfere with the ability of California’s faith-based colleges and universities to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with their beliefs.” (note: this sentence was bolded in the email)

“This bill, if it became law, would diminish religious liberty in California higher education. It would unfairly harm faith-based institutions and it would weaken the rich educational diversity of our state.”

“Faith-based institutions of higher education are making profound contributions to the intellectual and common good of society, contributions not in spite of but because of our deeply held faith convictions. Our presence in society enriches it rather than diminishes it. We provide economic vitality to our communities. Our graduates leave with servant-leader hearts. Our focus on ethics and integrity is inherent to all our programs. A disproportionate number of our graduates seek careers in public service or non-profit organizations. Why would California want to harm institutions like this?”

“STOPPING SB 1146 REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION” (note: this header was bolded in the email along with a link to the official Biola press release website that posted updates about the litigation)
“Right now SB 1146 is being heard by the California Assembly's various committees. It has already passed the California Senate. On Tuesday, June 28 it will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. If approved, it will then move to the Appropriations Committee and then the Assembly for a full vote, likely in August. The best chance to stop it is before it reaches the Assembly floor for debate and vote. Updates on the status of SB 1146, and timely action steps you can take to help oppose the bill, will be posted on this website, so check back regularly to stay informed.”

“HOW YOU CAN HELP STOP IT:” (note: this header was bolded in the email, and afterwards there were 3 suggested action steps for students to take including links to write assembly member emails, appealing to hashtag movements on social media, other similar written-protest steps, and praying)

And the closing sentence:

“Join us in raising awareness about this bill and its consequences for faith-based higher education in California.”

There was even a follow-up email a month later, which included the following statement:

“The most important update is that SB 1146 was amended in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in late June and is now even more problematic for faith-based institutions than it was before” (note: the sentence from “and is now…than it was before” was bolded)

Along with links to articles which argued to oppose the bill and yet another header entitled:

“URGENT ACTION STEPS” (note: this header was bolded in the email, and afterwards there were 5 suggested action steps including contacting assembly members, pastors, sharing on social media, actually going to the Appropriations Committee hearing, signing up for email updates from the university regarding the bill, and praying)

Curiously, there were no links anywhere to a single source regarding the primary source text of the bill or articles/blog posts which advocated in favour of passing the bill to balance the articles which opposed it.  Here, I’m not thinking of “secular sources”, but to fellow Christians who were in favour of the legislation.  Nor were there any particular news stories posted on wider media outlets such as abcnews, or references to the various gay rights protests that occurred on campus.  These, to be quite frank, rather emotional and persuasive statements were also sent out well before any legislative bills were formally passed with up-to-date, frequent updates regarding the status of the proceedings.

Compare these emails and press releases to the press release Biola gave four days after the incident occurred:

On Friday, March 23, 2018 Campus Safety responded to a tip they received and conducted an investigation which led to the discovery of firearms in a student dorm room. In Campus Safety’s ongoing efforts to maintain a safe campus environment for all students, they contacted local authorities to get involved. Consequently, a Biola student was arrested and transported to Norwalk Sheriff’s Station where he was charged with multiple felonies including possession of a weapon on a university campus.

Norwalk Station detectives conducted an investigation, including an interview with the suspect, and found there was no threat to the campus’ students, faculty or staff. Biola’s Campus Safety will continue to assist law enforcement in their ongoing investigation. (note: “found there was no threat to the campus’ students, faculty or staff” was bolded)

Since the Norwalk Sheriff concluded there was no threat to the campus community, Biola’s leadership decided to wait until further details developed over the last few days before sharing it with parents. We take seriously possession of any firearms on campus and did not want to impede or interfere with the investigation by sharing premature information. Biola’s leadership has been closely monitoring the situation.

Biola's campus is a gun-free zone and will not tolerate possession of firearms anywhere on campus except by authorized Campus Safety personnel approved by the president.

Biola remains committed to the safety of all students on campus and will continue to do everything it can to provide a safe environment for the Biola community. Biola’s Campus Safety is consistently conducting training for our campus community. Earlier last week, the Biola community participated in a campus-wide lockdown drill as part of ongoing safety preparedness efforts led by the Campus Safety Department. We are grateful for Campus Safety’s vigilance and taking proactive measures in resolving this situation on campus without incident and their ongoing commitment to safety.

In sum these are the four total paragraphs regarding the incident.  Curiously, no appeals to protest, prayer, or detailed legislative action can be found, or outside resources cited about the incident which occurred on campus.  (For instance here: http://abc7.com/biola-student-arrested-after-guns-found-in-dorm-room/3271724/).  Nor was there impassioned rhetoric used to colour the viewpoints of events one way or another.

Note: I freely admit to not seeing any emails from Biola (I already scoured my old university account, which remains active even after you graduate, to see if one had been sent out, but perhaps they were only sent to current students), so if there are other quotations or major elements to note that I do not have in my ignorance, please feel free to comment with them.

In conclusion, I must reiterate my opening remark about being concerned about Biola’s lack of response to this most recent incident.  I am not trying to talk about personhood, agency, individuals, legislation, compassion, racism, or even larger debates about national gun reform and Christianity’s role it should (?) play in it.  I think a lot of those points are already expressed and debated in the comments.

(And honestly, I think JD eloquently states my personal thoughts on those matters, in his response to the comments of another individual:

"...while I agree that compassion for a brother in Christ is crucial, i’m confused by your language choice. You seem to speak as if this brother had no agency (he made a ‘dumb choice’ and should be ‘sympathized with’ because it’s ‘wrecking his life). We should certainly weep with those who weep, but this brother isn’t just a victim here; he is a responsible adult who broke the law in a way and at a time that is particularly alarming and insensitive to the fears of those around him. His crime also is wrapped up in several live and important political issues, whether or not he intended this. As such, I think it could only be fear or foolishness to not think about how political issues like race and gun violence might be at play here. Certainly this brother is a white man who thought he could get away with bringing an assault rifle into his dorm, which could only happen to someone in a very particular sociopolitical location with a good deal of privilege. He should NOT be cruelly lambasted, but I’m not sure that he needs to be wept with either, except in that he’s likely receiving undue hate alongside of very legitimate criticism and punishment and causing his family a great deal of distress."

" I also want to say clearly that alongside everything I've just said, I don't doubt that plenty of folks are abusing this situation to inappropriately harass [the student arrested in question], and I'm grateful that you recognize that. Any response that ignores or denigrates his personhood has to reckon with that choice, but I wonder if your response is taking seriously the fact that this whole incident is taking place within an institutional system that many believe is more prone to excuse and defend him than it is to engage with the real causes and consequences of what he did and how they might relate to ways in which the church and society has denigrated and ignored the personhood of many other folks.")

Rather, I want to come from a position of someone who wants to examine the culture of Biola (the institution) and the role it plays in cultivating the conversation that it has at Biola (the body of individuals that comprise it).

As someone who genuinely enjoyed attending Biola, it concerns me that a place where I met some of my closest friends and best mentors remains so silent and clinical on some select debates, but vocal and impassioned in others.  This is not evidence to me of an institution which truly advocates critical thinking, structured, respectful debate/discourse, or teaches students how to navigate the tricky web that is religion, politics, and culture, and how they interact with each other.  I worry about what this says about institutions that pride themselves on representing Christianity to the world.  I earnestly pray and long for the day when meaningful conversation and corresponding action can be taken side-by-side with prayerful meditation and Christ’s compassion.

And my follow-up comment to someone who appealed to having patience and trust in the authorities (and their investigation) regarding the lack of information about the case:

It's not just a frustration over a perceived lack of response/information.  I understand investigations require time to unfold, and formal emails/publicity releases are just a tiny portion of a much larger situation underneath the surface.  But that is precisely my point.  Publicity releases like these are meant to (nominally) inform the public, offer official stances/statements on a variety of issues, and generally be in response to topical issues.  The slow, clinical sparsity of Biola's statements in regards to this case is a sharp contrast to their fast, impassioned lengthy rhetoric in regards to a past case in which both situations were "hot topic" social/political issues that the Evangelical American community has collectively decided to have a formal stance on.  I do not doubt the care, compassion, or intent to do the right thing on behalf of the individuals involved.  I do, however, doubt the ability of a formalized institution and administration to properly convey this to both the Christian and non-Christian public.

All of this is indeed worrisome to me, as I think back to just a few months ago where a story of rape happening at Biola was similarly controversial across student body's (past and present) social media and hushed-up by the institutions.  Whether or not you "side" with one person or the other, it's becoming alarmingly clear to me that as an institution, Biola is not providing it's students the skills necessary to have meaningful, respectful discourse about real problems in our society which include gay rights, sexual assault/rape culture, and school shootings/gun control.  There should be a reconciliation between the idea of thoughtfully and prayerfully meditating on what action we should take and actually taking action to ensure the safety and protection of the marginalized and targeted.  It is not an either/or, but a both/and.

In my opinion, no action will ever be perfect, and an instant-solution doesn't exist.  Humanity never marches forward ever unceasingly towards a "better future" (Ecclesiastes, anyone?).  However, I do know that faith without works is dead (shout out to my boy James).  And as an institution, Biola seems to have little work to show regarding meaningful social/political reform to at least try and combat these issues that have creeped in upon the "Biola Bubble" that allegedly insulated them from the world.  Thus, in regards to it's vision as an institution which demonstrates true Christian values to the world, I worry what exactly the world perceives Christian values to be.