Bob Jones University Apologizes for the Racist Past
Bob Jones University, the Bible university in Greenville, South Carolina, would not acknowledge black pupils until the 1970s. Then, for a 30-year duration, interracial dating ended up being forbidden. Now the college has established that its polices had been incorrect.
Missing in the dazzling news records associated with election of a black colored guy as president for the united states of america is yet another event — this time around in advanced schooling — that appears as a milestone in racial progress. Within an statement that is eloquent Stephen Jones, great-grandson associated with creator as well as the fourth president of Bob Jones University, has apologized for the institution’s racist past.
President Jones reported, “For nearly two hundreds of years US Christianity, including BJU in its initial phases, had been seen as a the segregationist ethos of US tradition. Consequently, for way too very very long, we permitted institutional policies race that is regarding be shaped more straight by that ethos than by the axioms and precepts associated with the Scriptures. We conformed towards the tradition as opposed to give a definite christian counterpoint to it.
“by doing this, we did not accurately express god and also to match the commandment to love other people as ourselves. Of these problems we have been profoundly sorry. Though no understood antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism for a individual degree have actually ever been tolerated on our campus, we permitted institutional policies to keep in position which were racially hurtful.”
By means of back ground to the remarkable announcement let’s review the racial reputation for 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 compared to a Catholic into the White House.”
Jones Sr. ended up being for the view that twentieth-century blacks should always be grateful to whites for bringing their ancestors to the nation as slaves. If this hadn't occurred, Jones published in 1960, “they might nevertheless be over here within the jungles of Africa, unconverted.” Integrationists, based on Jones, had been wrongfully wanting to expel natural boundaries that Jesus himself had founded.
With the aid of rich supporters, Bob Jones founded a university near Panama City, Florida, in 1926. Bibb Graves, that has simply been elected governor of Alabama utilizing the backing that is official of Ku Klux Klan, gave the keynote target during the groundbreaking ceremony. Whenever classes started in 1927, admission of pupils had been formally limited to people in the race that is white a policy that persisted until 1971.
Experiencing Depression-related difficulties that are financial 1933, Bob Jones ended up being obligated to offer the Florida land and go their university to Cleveland, Tennessee. In 1936 A billy that is young graham the brand new Bob Jones university in Tennessee. But he quickly became disenchanted having its strict spiritual doctrine and social policies and utilized in Florida Bible Institute. In 1947 Bob Jones College moved once again, this time around to its site that is present in, sc. Now financially seem, the faculty started initially to provide master’s and doctoral levels and assumed the designation of the college.
Whenever Bob Jones Jr., the son associated with creator, became the institution’s president, he continued the institution’s policies of rabid bigotry. During their tenure he bestowed honorary levels on 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, in which he has, like Judas, attended their very own destination.”
Whenever Bob Jones III assumed the presidency associated with institution in 1971, male students were necessary to wear coats and ties to classes. Ladies had been obliged to put on dresses or skirts. Rock music had been forbidden on campus. Pupils were forbidden from attending films. Pupils weren't allowed to be on off-campus times with out a chaperone. On campus, the university maintained two “dating parlors” where students could satisfy to talk. Touching had not been kissing and allowed had been strictly forbidden regardless if the few ended up being engaged to be hitched. Male and female pupils were perhaps perhaps not allowed to talk with one another after 7 p.m. The campus had been divided through the town of Greenville by an iron and fence that is barbed-wire.
Under federal government stress, Bob Jones University finally started its doorways to unmarried black colored pupils. 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 back taxes. The college appealed the ruling. Sooner or later, in 1981, the Supreme Court for the case was heard by the United States. This new Reagan management initially supported the positioning for the college but, after having an outcry that is public switched edges. In 1983 the Supreme Court ruled against Bob Jones University and only the IRS by way of a vote of 8 to at least one. The dissenter that is lone belated Chief Justice of this united states of america William Rehnquist.* On being advised of this choice associated with the Court, Bob Jones III ordered that the US flags on campus be flown at half-staff.
A public relations spokesman for the university, explained the school’s prohibition against interracial dating: “God has separated people for his own purposes in 1998 Jonathan Pait. He has got erected barriers between the countries, not merely land and ocean obstacles, but in addition cultural, social, and language obstacles. Jesus has made individuals distinct from the other person and intends those christiancupid.com distinctions to keep. Bob Jones University is in opposition to intermarriage associated with events since it stops working the barriers Jesus has built.”
In 2000 the college finished its formal prohibition against interracial dating. Now eight years later on, the college has admitted that its policies had been incorrect.
This modification of heart at Bob Jones University comes regarding the heels of current news that is good black colored enrollments in the nation’s other Bible universities. JBHE’s database indicates that in 1997 there have been just nine Bible colleges where blacks constructed 10 % or maybe more of total enrollments. Today you will find 29 schools that are such.
*William Rehnquist had a history that is long of to the development of blacks. He opposed the 1954 Supreme Court choice in Brown v. Board of Education so when a young gop pollwatcher in Arizona, Rehnquist ended up being active in challenging black voters’ skills.
To get more regarding the racism of Rehnquist, see “The Racial Views for the Chief Justice for the united states of america,” JBHE, quantity 23, Spring 1999, p. 72.
Leave a reply