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Banning Sinful Lifestyles from the workplace

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Shorter University is well known in my area for their strong students, faculty, and tradition of excellence.  In the field of choral music, they have recently been led by well known conductors that included recently deceased John Jennings, John Ratledge, and now Martha Shaw.  Their tradition of excellence continues under Dr. Shaw – they have been selected to perform at the 2012 Southern ACDA Regional Conference.
 
But the world is imploding for many at Shorter:  Shorter University has undergone a change in administration has instituted a policy that requires employees to sign a “lifestyle” pledge that rejects homosexuality, adultery, and premarital sex. (my source is here)
 
The news is everywhere:
 
Employees who sign the pledge promise to reject homosexuality, as well as premarital sex, adultery and other behavior the school says violates the Bible's teaching. Don Dowless, the school's president, told WSBTV that teachers and administrators who don't sign the pledge could lose their jobs. "I think that anybody that adheres to a lifestyle outside of what the biblical mandate is would not be allowed to continue here," Dowless told the station. The statement also bans drug use, drinking alcohol in the presence of students and requires employees to be active in local churches.
 
From the UK Mail Online:
Don Dowless, president of the university, said the statement also requires staffers to reject premarital sex and adultery. He said: 'I think that anybody who adheres to a lifestyle that is outside of what the biblical mandate is and of what the board has passed, including the president, would not be allowed to continue here. 'Anything outside that is not biblical, we do not accept. 'We have a right to hire only Christians.'
 
It's not just about homosexuality, it is also about alcohol, and not just the kind you drink – but the kind you sing about.  The administration recently cancelled a performance of Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love."
 
Amazing, isn't it?  
 
Shorter has had a marvelous music program, but I wonder how many will be left if they fire anyone who:
1.  hasn't gone to church in the past few weeks
2.  occasionally has a beer or glass of wine (and someone sees them)
3.  or has sexual preferences outside of the biblical norm
 
As of yet, there is no firm word on whether they will allow gay students to attend the college or if you can be kicked out of school for having pre-marital sex.  If it applies to students, would it apply to football players or just those who major in the liberal arts?  It is also unclear as to whether this type of activity will be allowed at Shorter.
 
It is likely that many faculty will flee (and students as well).  The ones that remain will be given a list of "approved" churches they can attend.  Read first hand how a gay faculty member feels about the new rules.
 
There is another side, of course.  Al Mohler, architect of the dismantling of the School of Music and School of Social Work at Southern Seminary (where I got my doctoral degree), is very supportive of the strong action of the Shorter trustees.  Thanks for laying the groundwork for the destruction of another school of music, Al.  
 
 
Letters from students, friends and alumni are here, here, here, here, and here.
 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Edward,
     
    These actions have not been brought about by a sudden awareness of events, but rather from a court case in the mid 2000s in which the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the Georgia Baptist Convention controls Shorter College (now University).  The GBC was then able to install an extremely conservative board of trustees, and when the school president, Harold Newman, retired, the board was able to install an extremely conservative new president.
     
    SCR

  2. Phillip, 
     
    These correspond to yours as numbered.
     
    1. I think you are going to regret what I think is a gossipy, unethical discourse.
     
    2. Who are you to decide that public condemnation is in order? I think you could be sued for some of your statements. They may be slanderous.  Your “source” is interesting.
     
    3. No one’s program is under fire; behavior is under scrutiny.
     
    4. For the time being, I’ll not tell my ideas about anacrusis and phonation, but Ii’ll sell them if anyone cares, which is not likely.
     
    5. Re-read the word “but” rather than “by.” I don’t wish to name individuals or institutions. If you do not recognize it, I could not explain it without examples; that would be unethical
           in this format.
                
    EP
     
     

     

  3. Edward,
     
    A couple of questions/statements:
     
    1.  I disagree that this discourse is "out of order."  In my mind, the choral directors who follow ChoralNet need to be aware of situations around the country/world.  This is one of the only places that we find out about things and discuss them.
     
    2.  The Shorter Administration has the right to do anything they want, including closing the school or firing all the faculty.  There is a natural response to any action that they take, however.  One of the natural responses is the one that I have made:  public condemnation.
     
    3.  I think that our community of artists and musicians should support other artists and musicians.  If we don't, who will support us when our programs come under fire?
     
    4.  I know that you want to discuss anacrusis and phonation.  I encourage you to create a post on the message board and invite discussion.  
     
    5.  I am not sure what you meant by this statement:  "We have too many who can discuss by cannot do."  Would you care to elaborate?
     
     
     
     
     

  4. Thanks, PLC
     
    I have not heard what brought about the actions of the board of Shorter U., but it must have been a sudden awareness of events, hopefullly, not too similar to the problems at Penn State. The administrataion must have suddenly become aware of significant deviation from what they consider to be proper behavior.
    Do you know what is behind the shake-up? If you do not, then all of your discourse is really out of order. If you know and it cannot be published, then this is all about gossip.
     
    I do not hear much of the two qualities mentioned above – anacrusis and phonation. I’d like to hear demonstration, not discussion of which there is too much already. We have too many who can discuss but cannot do. College choir singing does not have to be immature musically and vocally. You may disagree!
     
    The pressure to come up daily with worthwhile material must be strong, but you seem to enjoy it.
     
    Pray for Shorter,
     
    EP

  5. Edward, 
     
    I think you are wrong about everything you just stated.
     
    ChoralNet is much more than discussion about anacrusis and phonation.  While it may seem out of bounds to you to cry “foul” about what is going on at Shorter, it isn’t to the people at Shorter.  They are hurting and profoundly amazed at the actions that may destroy their great tradition.  
     
    plc

  6.  
    Hey, Copeland,
     
    Please don’t be so upset! I think your judgementality overstepped here.
    Perhaps this is an example of an institution, which in the name of tolerance compromises a rule(s), whether ethical or lawful, and finds the extrapolation of that compromise to be “out of bounds”  and has no alternative than resort to drastic measures to restore their original ideal.  It hardly seems the role of a choral organization to enter into a dispute taking place in a single institution. This will serve to arouse marginal minds and  keep them from the business of finding a way to raise the standard of choral singing in this country.
    I expressed to this forum that the moment you raise a voice on a controversial issue, you lose about half of your “audience.” If someone wishes to estaablish a school for bow-legged boys, leave him alone. We have enough issues – musical ones!
     
    Let’s have more choruses on ChoralNet or YouTube who can demonstrate an awareness of anacrusis and phonation. There is plenty of upper partial (octave high) and straight “singing.”
     
    Puzzled,
     
    EP
     

  7. How shameful.  Bigotry and hatred are still bigotry and hatred, even if these ideas are attributed to the bible.  I’ve always thought christianity ito be a potentially great creed to follow, but it seems to me that no one has actually tried it yet……

  8. Colleagues:  The assumption here–and one that I believe is true without having done any serious research on it–is that a private school can establish its own standards and qualifications.  My thanks to the ChoraLister who posted a link to a legal opinion site, which I intend to have a close look at.
     
    But in a society that is governed by the rule of law, is that assumption necessarily true?  Doesn’t any school have to comply also with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, including those specifically aimed at prohibiting the curtailing of guaranteed civil rights?  It’s quite true, as someone pointed out, that many early colleges were established in the U.S. as religious schools–almost inevitable coming out of a European culture in which every nation had its own state religion and in which each “official” church had in fact established the first schools, colleges, and universities.  But it’s also true that exactly those same U.S. religious schools have a history of having banned not just homosexuals and those who did not share their particular faith but all women, and all students of any race not demonstrably white and European, and those restrictions have fallen (sometimes after loud and sustained conservative battles) to the force of law.  The university I teach at IS this state’s land-grant university, but for a long time denied admission to both blacks and women, and required mandatory membership in the Corps of Cadets.  The case of the Virginia Military Institute went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that if the school wanted to keep excluding women they would have to give up their state funding, and even the most rabidly conservative alumni could read a balance sheet!
     
    As someone astutely pointed out, a school is not a church, and the special protections extended to churches under the law do not necessarily extend to schools, and in particular to schools that accept federal funding, federal scholarship monies, federal or corporate research contracts, or seek to compete in intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by secular authorities like the NCAA.  In the realm of copyright, Fair Use exempts the performance of music in the course of a church service or assembly from payment of performance royalties, but that exemption does NOT extend to concerts scheduled on church property, as we should all know.
     
    As others have pointed out, there are many other private schools which have similar lifestyle requirements (and, I’m sure, similar difficulties in enforcing them).  We have a rather famous one not too far away in Lynchburg.  Some of them have truly outstanding programs in both music and athletics.  Others do not.  The controversy here seems rather because this is a CHANGE, a very radical and rather huge change, and seems to have been the result (from the descriptions, at least) of what in business would be called a “hostile takeover.”  Well, as the T-shirts say, “Stuff Happens”!  The people who win the votes make the rules.  And when those people are demonstrable bigots, they have won the right to insist on their own particular brand of bigotry.  (And please note that I’m acutally using a dictionary definition here, “a closed-minded person,” not necessarily a BAD person, but certainly not a Good person by many people’s thinking.)
     
    The school, and its music program, may become wildly successful or may crash and burn, but in any case it has turned away from the kind of healthy, open-minded inquiry that many of us associate with a good education, and turned instead to indoctrination.  It will be interesting to watch.
     
    All the best,
    John

  9. Philip,
     
    I really do empathize with the music faulty and students. But principle drives me to the conclusion that if the school had not been true to its stated mission and the trustees decided to return to it I can’t bring myself to condemn that.
     
    And yes, because there is/was a well-established culture at the school, including faculty and students who bought into that culture, it could ruin the School of Music due to turnover and turmoil.  The institution has to decide if they are willing to pay that price in order to return to their former values. And of course, you’re right – schools like Bob Jones, Wheaton, etc. have continued their strong music traditions partly because they have not trended far from their founding values and therefore don’t have a sweeping sea change that upsets everyone.  And maybe Shorter Trustees should suck it up.  If they think they’ve become too liberal, maybe they could take measures over time to have campus ministry and new hires represent their return to their former mission without upsetting lives or destroying the school of music.
     
    I agree with you about the loss of a great music school at SBTS, and that always tugged at me a bit on behalf of Prof. Stam. I can’t speak for him or Mohler, but I think they both felt the changes had been a return to a former vision and perhaps the setting of a new direction.  And a good music school suffered because it was a big change.  Boy have I been THERE in church music! Again, however, I am not alarmed that it happened, and don’t feel that it forbodes anything global.. Well, maybe it is a lesson that we should all investigate a school’s stated theology and philosophy, and rather than being comfortable thinking “they don’t really abide by that stuff anymore”, if we see ourselves possibly in conflict, avoid working in those institutions.
     
    I’m not sure it’s “persecution” for an institution to decide to be more consistent with their stated beliefs.  It will *feel* like it is for those who are affected, I’m sure.  I have served in a church environment where I was extremely successful in my work but always out of synch with the Pastor’s view of life, theology and the arts.  I felt VERY persecuted, and finally chose to leave. With some years’ distance I am less likely to blame him. I acknowledge his mandate to follow his conscience and vision, even though his vision still makes me rather nauseated when I think about it.
     
    I’ll try to sum up *my* view – as a human being and musician, I share your concern and feel for the staff who are affected at Shorter. But, I am increasingly aware of a cultural shout-down of voices and institutions that attempt to uphold values that even I consider outmoded or unnecessary. It is so prevalent in the arts and academia that I feel compelled to represent the point of view on the …I hate to say the word …conservative… side. What most bothers me about the discourse in the arts and academy is the sense that “we all agree” on these things.  Of course I see replies from others who feel as I do – they’re just SO much more concise!
     
    May I be a peacemaker as far as is within my power. Thanks for listening.
     
    Dan

  10. Daniel,
     
    Current faculty and students are fleeing Shorter.  The administration is cancelling shows that students have rehearsed.  Tenured professors are threatened with losing their jobs.  What was OK yesterday isn’t OK today.  Alumni and faculty are attempting to communicate with administration and trustees but their pleas go unheeded.  I would say that “respect and dignity” aren’t anywhere to be found in this situation.
     
    I’m surprised you defend Mohler and SBTS.  The school went from a thriving School of Music to a mere shadow of what it used to be.  I respect Chip Stam’s work but you cannot equate what is going on there now to the past.  http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/southern-baptist-theological-s-1.html
     
    I never said that good music couldn’t happen at conservative religious institutions of higher education.  In fact, I’ve promoted Bob Jones in the past and applauded their excellence in this recording of Byrd’s Haec dies in March 2008.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tryOt5-pNEU
     
    What I am saying clearly is that this type of persecution is wrong and that they will kill the school of music with this mandate.  I am far from the only one saying that, I just brought it to the attention of the ChoralNet community. 

  11. Blogs are places for opinions, not fairly stated arguments or equal time.  Most bloggers don't link to contrary opinions, but I linked to Al Mohler's article and he argues the case there.  
     
    This is a religious university we are talking about, not a church.

  12. I do understand the distress it would create to have this kind of cultural change at a school! It is my sincere desire that if the Shorter College and some faculty and staff must part ways, that the college will go above and beyond to assist these folk in their transition. I hope all will be treated with respect and dignity.
     
    But I must question the selective outrage. There are many schools that have lifestyle and theological statements to which students and faculty must adhere. Whether I approve of each tenet is irrelevant. They have the right to be who they are and to pursue their stated identity with integrity. In the case of Shorter, as difficult as it may be for some to understand, if the school’s constitution, polity and statement of faith has established a structure which identifies the trustees as responsible for fulfilling and enforcing the school’s identity, then I also affirm their right to do it.
     
    Higher education grew out of religious principle in the US, and we have a long history of insitutions of learning that have maintained a very strong religious identity. I object to the assumption that a rigorous or evangelical religious viewpoint must preclude the survival of music.  (I know from experience that *sometimes* it does have that effect, but it is not a given.) To say so is to ignore the good teaching and music that happens in schools like Wheaton, Biola, Houghton, and (gasp!) Bob Jones.  And it does not acknowledge that many great young musicians happily choose these schools. These are kids who could easily be accepted and probably scholarshiped at major conservatories and schools of music, but want to pursue their college education in a place that is consistent with the religious values they were taught at home.
     
    Churches of a more rigid stripe often require and expect more of their youth. This has often proven to be a fertile place for developing musicianship. I don’t like the views and rules of some of these church cultures, but I am *not* outraged that they exist, or that they have colleges and universities. It is demonstrably true that some of them have exceptional music departments.
     
    Since Dr. Al Mohler was mentioned, SBTS in Louisville illustrates my point. Yes, Mohler oversaw big changes to  – as he might put it – return the school to its original orthodoxy. But my friend the late Carl Stam thrived there teaching worship and conducting great music.  There is room in the world for our friends like Chip Stam and many other colleagues of evangelical or fundamentalist points of view.
     
    It’s a big world with countless choices of colleges that require nothing in terms of rules or religious adherence. And we must admit that in some of these schools there are other kinds of orthodoxy that can be at least as harsh as a fundamentalist college, if not more underhanded and devious at times. I hope we will continue to allow for diversity in our country. Parents (who pay much of the costs) and students may choose a strict Christian College with a not-so-pc rulebook if they wish. To suggest that these schools should be censured, silenced, shut-down, boycotted, brought up on charges, etc. – and this kind of talk happens all the time – is NOT freedom, and NOT diversity.
     
    In times when my High School freshman daughter tells us at dinner that her Social Studies teacher told them that Columbus is the moral equivalent to Hitler, I am prone to make more room in my world view for schools that take the road less traveled. 
     
    Peace,
     
    Dan Wagner

  13. “There is another side, of course.”
     
    But you don’t present it. A religious institution ought to be able to establish policies in accordance with its beliefs.

  14. Shocking and sad.   Such actions are what Harvard theologian Harvey Cox (in The Future of Faith, a fantastic book) describes as creed-obsessed, dogma-without-the-true-spirit  type of Christianity.   I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wonders about what has happened to faith in the past 2,000 years.   

  15. Something very similar took place at the almost-defunct “Crystal Cathedral” in Garden Grove, California, where last May, the choir members were all asked to sign a “Worship Choir and Worship Team Covenant” that sounds like Shorter’s “lifestyle pledge” (link: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/17/local/la-me-crystal-cathedral-20110317). I just searched ChoralNet for mention of this and it appears that it wasn’t reported here, nor was the decision by respected conductor Donald Neuen to resign in July 2010 after Programming Director Gretchen Schuller Penner (part of the family of founder Robert Schuller) said she was going to make sure each person was “spiritually and emotionally fit.” The Schuller family (minus Robert, who retired) has flown that once-mightly ministry right into the ground, having filed for bankruptcy over a year ago (not long after Neuen left). As a condition of the bankruptcy, they’ve had to put the campus up for sale, and although the local Roman Catholic diocese wants it badly to use as a cathedral, the bid from Chapman College (home to William Hall, another choral icon) was selected, with provisions for the church to lease back much of the space for ministries.
     
    The founder of the Crystal Cathedral, Robert H. Schuller, was quoted in the article linked above as disapproving of the choir covenant because it “goes against what he has built his church upon.” He said: “I have a reputation worldwide of being tolerant of all people and their views,” he told the Orange County Register. “I’m too well-educated to criticize a certain religion or group of people for what they believe in. It’s called freedom.”

  16.  
    “ACSI” stands for the “Association of Christian Schools International.”  (I am not involved in the organization; I simply found the article via a quick Google search of the issue.)  This article (2005), written by lawyers (but in plain English), clearly outlines that which religion-based organizations currently can and cannot do in this area, and is worth reading regardless of one’s point of view.

  17. Thank you for posting this. As a choral director and now as a student working on my M Div, I support their unyeilding orthodoxy. If they really wish to follow through biblically and not be accused of “picking and choosing” they MUST do the following so that they may more fully live into their biblicism and serve as a shining example above all others:
     
    -Set up a department where marriage may be arranged and auction the women who could not be arranged- There is no such thing as romantic marriage
    -Inspect clothes for more than one fabric, expel students and faculty who have mixed fabrics. They are an abomination before YHWH.
    -Dedicate a place in a common area for stonings
     
    I could keep going, but I think you get the point.
     
     

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