Bob Jones University Apologizes for the Racist Past

Bob Jones University, the Bible university in Greenville, sc, would not acknowledge students that are black the 1970s. Then, for a period that is 30-year interracial relationship had been prohibited. Now the college has established that its polices had been incorrect.

Lost in the news that is spectacular for the election of the black colored guy as president regarding the united states of america is yet another event — this time around in advanced schooling — that appears as being a milestone in racial progress. In a statement that is eloquent Stephen Jones, great-grandson regarding the creator therefore the 4th president of Bob Jones University, has apologized for the institution’s racist past.

President Jones reported, “For very nearly two hundreds of years American Christianity, including BJU with its first stages, ended up being described as the segregationist ethos of US tradition. Consequently, for much too very very long, we permitted institutional policies race that is regarding be shaped more straight by that ethos than by the concepts and precepts associated with Scriptures. We conformed to your tradition as opposed to give a clear christian counterpoint to it.

“by doing this, we did not accurately express the father also to match the commandment to love other people as ourselves. Of these problems we’re profoundly sorry. Though no understood antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a individual degree have actually ever been tolerated on our campus, we permitted institutional policies to stay in place that have been racially hurtful.”

By means of back ground for this announcement that is remarkable review the racial history of Bob Jones University.

The university’s creator, Bob Jones, had been a fundamentalist evangelist whom thought that the idea of development had been an abomination. He called the pope the anti-Christ and dismissed Catholicism as a “Satanic counterfeit.” He when stated, “I would personally instead view a saloon on every part than the usual Catholic into the White House.”

Jones Sr. ended up being associated with view that twentieth-century blacks ought to be grateful to whites for bringing their ancestors to the national nation as slaves. If this hadn’t occurred, Jones penned in 1960, “they might be over here into the jungles of Africa, unconverted.” Integrationists, in accordance with Jones, had been wrongfully attempting to eliminate boundaries that are natural Jesus himself had founded.

By using rich supporters, Bob Jones founded a college near Panama City, Florida, in 1926. Bibb Graves, that has simply been elected governor of Alabama with all the formal backing for the Ku Klux Klan, provided the keynote target in the groundbreaking ceremony. Whenever classes began in 1927, admission of pupils had been formally on a people in the white competition, a policy that persisted until 1971.

Experiencing Depression-related difficulties that are financial 1933, Bob Jones had been forced to offer the Florida land and go his university to Cleveland, Tennessee. In 1936 a new billy graham joined the brand new Bob Jones university in Tennessee. But he quickly became disenchanted along with its strict spiritual doctrine and social policies and utilized in Florida Bible Institute. In 1947 Bob Jones university moved once again, this time around to its current website in Greenville, sc. Now financially appear, the faculty started to provide master’s and degrees that are doctoral assumed the designation of a college.

Whenever Bob Jones Jr., the son for the creator, became the institution’s president, he continued the institution’s policies of rabid bigotry. During their tenure he bestowed degrees that are honorary George Wallace, Strom Thurmond, and Lester Maddox. Whenever Pope Paul VI passed away in 1978, Bob Jones Jr. called him the “archpriest of Satan, a deceiver, and then he has, like Judas, attended his very own destination.”

Whenever Bob Jones III assumed the presidency associated with european dating sites the organization in 1971, male pupils had been needed to wear coats and ties to classes. Ladies had been obliged to put on dresses or skirts. Rock music ended up being forbidden on campus. Pupils had been forbidden from attending films. Pupils weren’t permitted to take off-campus times without having a chaperone. On campus, the university maintained two parlors that are“dating where pupils could fulfill to talk. Touching had not been permitted and kissing was strictly forbidden even when the couple ended up being involved to be hitched. Male and female pupils were perhaps not allowed to talk with one another after 7 p.m. The campus ended up being divided through the town of Greenville by an iron and barbed-wire fence.

Under authorities force, Bob Jones University finally opened its doorways to unmarried students that are black. But strict laws had been founded by the college to avoid interracial relationship. The policy on interracial dating resulted in the Internal Revenue Service’s revoking the tax-exempt status of Bob Jones University retroactive to 1970 in 1976, during the administration of Gerald Ford. The IRS demanded the repayment of $490,000 in straight back taxes. The college appealed the ruling. Sooner or later, in 1981, the Supreme Court for the united states of america heard the situation. The brand new Reagan administration initially supported the career regarding the college but, after an outcry that is public switched sides. In 1983 the Supreme Court ruled against Bob Jones University in support of the IRS with a vote of 8 to at least one. The dissenter that is lone belated Chief Justice for the united states of america William Rehnquist.* On being encouraged associated with the choice associated with Court, Bob Jones III ordered that the flags that are american campus be flown at half-staff.

In 1998 Jonathan Pait, a advertising spokesman when it comes to university, explained the school’s prohibition against interracial dating: “God has divided individuals for his very own purposes. He’s got erected barriers between the countries, not just land and ocean obstacles, but in addition cultural, social, and language obstacles. Jesus has made individuals not the same as the other person and intends those distinctions to keep. Bob Jones University is in opposition to intermarriage regarding the events as it stops working the barriers Jesus has generated.”

In 2000 the college finished its prohibition that is official against relationship. Now eight years later on, the college has admitted that its policies had been wrong.

This change of heart at Bob Jones University comes regarding the heels of current news that is good black colored enrollments during the nation’s other Bible universities. JBHE’s database demonstrates in 1997 there have been only nine Bible colleges where blacks made 10 % or even more of total enrollments. Today you can find 29 such schools.

*William Rehnquist had an extended reputation for opposition to the development of blacks. He opposed the 1954 Supreme Court choice in Brown v. Board of Education so that as A gop that is young pollwatcher Arizona, Rehnquist had been active in challenging black voters’ skills.

For lots more from the racism of Rehnquist, see “The Racial Views regarding the Chief Justice regarding the united states of america,” JBHE, quantity 23, Spring 1999, p. 72.

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