Re: Should SMU sever ties with the Methodist Church?
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:51 pm
gostangs wrote:ThisIsOurTime wrote:gostangs wrote:We are not a religious school. Perkins is the smallest school at the university and also is the least productive to the whole. (Less donations, prestigege, students and alumni then any other school at SMU). It worked out ok for Duke and USC to separate from the church - we need to do the same. Let the church be the church and SMU be a university.
What is your faith? Why do you think the Methodists founded the school?
Not sure the reason the Methodist founded the school is relevant at this point. Theology is not a sustainable academic path for a university today - unless it is a total focus such as Dallas Baptist. Also not relevant - but my faith is active Presbyterian.
We all just need to admit this has been in name only for well over 50 years. Probably more. Separating is only acknowledging the reality. The Methodist church has no control over SMU, the Bishops on the board are figure heads and there is very little religious academic activity going on at SMU.
And the M can be for Middle. Or just leave it as Methodist but refer to us as just SMU (like TCU does now). That is not insulting to anyone - it just acknowledges that things change over time.
I asked whether you had a faith because many of the things you are saying are contrary to Christian principles. You are going on and on about money and prestige among men and other worldly things as being the most important. But those are far from Christian principles. And those weren't the principles used in starting and running the school.
From the Christian perspective, it is a terrible thing that one of its institutions is being stolen and turned into an outright atheistic institution. The fact that this has been going on for years doesn't make it better. This ultimately means less influence for Christians and worse will even be used as a tool to undermine the faith. I don't see how the founders of the school would be happy with this outcome.