Alumni from Biola University have launched a petition asking administrators of the evangelical Christian institution to affirm their biblical foundation and repudiate a petition that pushes critical race theory.
The alumni describe the Marxist theory as "a postmodern ideology that perceives people as not essentially equal and rejects our common humanity being grounded in the image of God.".
The Change.org petition is addressed to Biola's president, Barry Corey, and comes from "Proud alumni, donors, and supporters."
Their "Deep concern" is over a previous petition by a group called Biola Alumni Standing in Solidarity, or BASIS, that asks the university to address the Black Lives Matter movement by creating an "Anti-racism task force." BASIS calls for students to attend "Racial reconciliation" sessions and to train all "Staff, faculty, and student leaders" in "Anti-racism." It also advocates working with "Anti-racist" authors and speakers to address students.
The opposing petition, from Biola Alumni Standing for Equality, warns that the critical race theory associated with the BLM movement casts institutions as inherently racist and regards race itself as a concept used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color.
The new petition warns that criticial race theory "Promotes an alternative gospel whereby we must seek salvation by deconstructing existing societal structures - forcibly if need be - as the primary means of producing moral character, or conquering sin, instead of seeking transformation of the heart through the inner-working of the Holy Spirit, the practice of our Christian faith, and the individual pursuit of virtue."
Racism is a problem, the second petition acknowledged, but "It is the Christian religion, with Christ as its center that can lead us into a new era of peace and restoration, not a theory that acts as an alternative religion to the true Gospel."
The alumni describe the Marxist theory as "a postmodern ideology that perceives people as not essentially equal and rejects our common humanity being grounded in the image of God.".
The Change.org petition is addressed to Biola's president, Barry Corey, and comes from "Proud alumni, donors, and supporters."
Their "Deep concern" is over a previous petition by a group called Biola Alumni Standing in Solidarity, or BASIS, that asks the university to address the Black Lives Matter movement by creating an "Anti-racism task force." BASIS calls for students to attend "Racial reconciliation" sessions and to train all "Staff, faculty, and student leaders" in "Anti-racism." It also advocates working with "Anti-racist" authors and speakers to address students.
The opposing petition, from Biola Alumni Standing for Equality, warns that the critical race theory associated with the BLM movement casts institutions as inherently racist and regards race itself as a concept used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color.
The new petition warns that criticial race theory "Promotes an alternative gospel whereby we must seek salvation by deconstructing existing societal structures - forcibly if need be - as the primary means of producing moral character, or conquering sin, instead of seeking transformation of the heart through the inner-working of the Holy Spirit, the practice of our Christian faith, and the individual pursuit of virtue."
Racism is a problem, the second petition acknowledged, but "It is the Christian religion, with Christ as its center that can lead us into a new era of peace and restoration, not a theory that acts as an alternative religion to the true Gospel."
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