Letters to the Editor

Note: The following letters did not appear in the print issue of this issue of The Erskine Mirror due to space considerations. They appear below in full.

Letters to the Editor: Differing Opinions on “Whose Christian Commitment?”

Editor’s Note: The following letters are responses to Katherine Evans’ article in the November issue of The Erskine Mirror entitled, “Whose Christian Commitment?”


A perspective on evangelicalism, Catholicism, and Erskine

Dear Editor,

As I (a graduate of the class of 2007) read The Erskine Mirror, I keep seeing comments about the injustice of not hiring a Roman Catholic to be the Director of Campus Life. The articles on the subject have said that the refusal to hire was based on denominational affiliation. Let’s be clear. We are not talking about the difference between a Baptist and a Presbyterian. The divide is much larger than that. An article in the October edition even referred to this lady being of the “Catholic faith.” One would not say somebody was of the “Baptist faith.” It truly is a different faith.

(However, we must be careful here, because I would argue that many of our mainline Protestant denominations are of a different faith as well. For example, I had a funeral at a certain Protestant church last week that read from the “Book of Christian Science”!)

In arguing that Catholic doctrine is separate from the evangelical faith, I am going to let their doctrine speak for itself. Here are some comments from the Council of Orange:

It firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart "into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels" [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.

These are not the words of “just another denomination”!

The criterion set for the hiring of faculty and staff at Erskine is that we hire evangelicals, which is not too much to ask. We are an institution that seeks to equip students for Christian living. Thus, we need to have professors who adhere to Biblical Christianity. There is nothing un-Christian in not hiring somebody because of a religion to which they adhere. One student even said it was downright persecution. (How far do you go with this? What if the person were an atheist? An agnostic? A devil worshiper?) However, it is un-Christian for Erskine to sell Christian commitment and excellence in learning and yet put a freshman in a classroom that does not embrace gospel truths.

Furthermore, I do not feel like asking for evangelical faculty and staff constitutes the ARP church “micromanaging” Erskine. Churches are sending their students there trusting that they will be equipped to serve for the kingdom of God. In order to make this happen, we need Kingdom-minded evangelicals on our payroll.

Dr. Ruble was quoted saying that he was not trying to be anti-Catholic. And I do not think he is. Neither do I want to be. I am not making a blanket statement that Catholics are not Christians. My point is that we are the school of an evangelical Protestant denomination, and so it is not unreasonable to ask for professors and staff to be the same. Furthermore, what if it were the other way around? I would not suspect that a Catholic school would hire Protestants. Why would they? To be married in a Catholic church, you must swear to raise your children in their faith. Oh, what persecution! Get real. That is their right. And as the College of the ARP Church, Erskine has the right and the responsibility to teach and equip students in the Christian faith, which can only be done by Protestant evangelicals.

Warmest Regards,

Sam James
Erskine College Class of 2007



Unconditional love

Dear Katherine,

A friend and the President of the EC Alumni Association, Steve Southwell,
sent us a link to your article in the Mirror, "Whose Christian
Commitment?" We are so proud of you for writing this piece for the student newspaper.

As alumni of the college (classes of 1969 and 1970), and longtime supporters of Erskine, we are encouraged to know that students realize that our Lord, Jesus Christ, loves all people, not just ARP's! Diversity is critical to any great institution of higher learning as diversity helps all of us to grow and also to respect differing viewpoints and cultures.

Satan tries to keep man deluded by fear, exclusiveness, greed, lust for power, ignorance and narrow minds. Jesus counters by teaching unconditional love, courage, humility, self-control and wisdom.

Over the decades, we have observed how divisive and destructive absolutism/closed minds are to any organization. We must avoid this kind of mindset at Erskine College.

Katherine, it is imperative that this truth be shouted from the Erskine Towers for all to hear: "This is a place where Christ lives and we welcome all people and respect and love them as Christ himself would."

Thank you for your courage in expressing your opinion and for your commitment to unconditional love.

Sincerely,

Joe Black and Kathy Black