This is the first word from the interim president:
To our dear community,
Asbury Theological Seminary was not born yesterday. For more than 83 years our school has served God -- through the Great Depression, when dollars could hardly be found; through World War II, when the male student body was seriously decimated, and through the raising and the fall of the Berlin Wall -- to name a few historical markers. We have also been through a variety of philosophical and theological challenges, ranging from the Death of God idea to deconstructionism.
Now we are passing through an internal crisis. It isn't simple, but neither is it fatal. It is, however, a time for the people who love Asbury to rally around, forget their personal hurts and prejudices, and commit themselves to prayer and love as never before.
We must do this because God has brought us to the kingdom for such a time as this, and we dare not frustrate God's purposes. I know of no time when a strong, evangelical, Wesleyan voice was more surely needed, and I know of no institution that is better equipped to meet the challenge. Quite surely, hell is against us. This is frightening, but hell doesn't have the last word. It hasn't had the last word since Easter.
I am persuaded that God is spreading before us possibilities and wonders beyond our imagining. I pray that you and I may join hearts and heads and hands in bringing God's possibilities to pass.
Your friend,
J. Ellsworth Kalas
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7 comments:
Everyone sees Kalas as the silver lining--someone everyone likes and who can unify.
On the lighter side, I survived when D-CON struck before my shuned viva became a Sir.
Portraying this episode as if it were kind of battle between the righteous Son of Man and the evil ones of darkness on the Board is quite naive. Life is never this simple. Some folks need to put down their Bibles and pick up a text on organizational behavior. Much can be learned about how to be a leader and how to respect leaders. Everyone involved in the matter--and that means everyone--bears some responsibility for the failed presidency of Jeffrey Greenway.
Ken, you had a final "I wonder--Epilogue" post up, then you took it down. Perhaps you're just wanting to move on, and now want the seminary to heal. We all want that too. However, it greatly disturbs me that one "anonymous" poster on this blog knew exactly what was going to happen long before the board meeting. She/he told us (1) Greenway would resign--assumably because if he didn't he'd be fired, (2) A new interim had already been chosen, and (3) That interim would be from the Beeson Center. This person's statements weren't in terms of--IF Greenway resigns, there's an interim who's already been tapped on the shoulder... The statements were--this WILL happen. Which means all this was decided BEFORE the board meeting.
Yes, the seminary needs to move on, and healing is needed. But as the "anonymous" commenter before me indicated, perhaps there were problems on both sides of the fence. Greenway has taken the fallout--he's lost his job. How about the board? Was this a coup from the beginning? (So many things point to that, including this pre-knowledge of what was going to happen at the board meeting.) If all members of the board remain in place, and nothing is done there to deal with those who may have stepped out of line, the seminary's going to feel it for a long time. Whatever new president comes along will have to deal with these people. Is it right for everyone to just let this go and move on when there may (I stress "may," because I don't know for sure) have been some rather underhanded dealings going on?
Concerned, it does appear that we had a board insider among us, prophesying accurately. I don't think that means that the whole board had a plan. I think it means that the EXCO had hoped to put Kalas in since one of Dan Johnson's announcements in early September (remember how Kalas' chapel service was mentioned in glowing terms?).
But I wouldn't want to vilify Kalas for that. If anything, everyone seems to think he is the silver lining in all this, a genuinely good choice for the community to heal. I certainly hope so. But I don't think anything was as certain as anon assumed until Oct. 17.
I took down the final "I Wonder" post because I didn't think it was constructive. But to appeal to the goodness that is surely is still in the board, I will put up in its place a "working through it" post I put on the Asbury intranet Wednesday night.
I still don't get why this all happened. We don't need to rehash that though. At least, not on your blog!
Justice is hardly ever seen here on earth. Only God, with His full love and grace, can provide true justice.
The Board has lost trust of the students, faculty and community at large. How does a group, such as a Board of Trustees, actually punish themselves? They don't because they can't. The only punishment is the willing resignation and relinguishment of power to others who may not be as deserving as they.
It seems that once a Board appoints a President, then they have given him power to move the community (including themselves) in the directions in which HE sees God's directing. The exception is when a President falls short, morally and Biblically speaking. Not only do they not state any immorality on Dr. Greenway's part, (because there isn't any as they have already stated) but they have moved on their own appointment without reason and appear at best reckless and at worst "out of control." Point in case: The ends do not always justify the means. -- the end is hardly ever seen here on earth, but in heaven under God direct authority and immediacy and without the self-limiting (necessary for free will) as God has chosen to do for us.
The world is watching and so is God (but of course). May God's Mercy, Love and Justice be on us all. gsm
We'll see what happens. I tend to be pessimistic, but who knows, maybe there will be some significant things that will come out of any Spring board meeting. Asbury may rise better than ever, but there are potentially devasting consequences already in play.
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