BJU Papers: number 03
- Brian Fuller
- Feb 22
- 4 min read
"The institution has emphasized its fundamental, evangelical doctrinal position and has refused to be drawn into controversy with any evangelical group or groups concerning certain interpretations of the Word of God that separate many of God's orthodox people." -Dr. Bob Jones Sr. -From a Statement from the Founder, 1952
Dr. Steve Pettit spent a lot of time early on in his presidency seeking to understand the Founders’ thinking. He concluded that Dr. Bob Sr. believed in a holistic approach to education (the development of the whole person), a practical, balanced Christianity, marked by discipline and excellence.
“The issues aren't primarily cultural. At BJU, they are primarily ecclesiastical.” -Steve Pettit
Soon after he started, Dr. Pettit asked two of his Executive Vice Presidents, "What is the biggest issue at BJU?" They answered in chorus, "associations."
One of the last decisions Dr. Stephen Jones made before he resigned in December 2013 was to end Sunday services on the campus of Bob Jones University. Compared to the accreditation pursuit he initiated, the Bruins’ athletics he began, and the GRACE investigation he signed, the change to end Sunday services on campus may seem like the most insignificant of the changes he led. However, that would be to misunderstand BJU since the 1950s. For BJU, since the Billy Graham split, evaluating associations and practicing ecclesiastical separation have been king.
Knowing how vital associations and ecclesiastical separation are to the DNA of Bob Jones, Dr. Pettit did not quickly make any refinements or adjustments to the church attendance policy at BJU for nearly five years. The church attendance policy before services ended on Sundays at BJU was simply a guide of approved churches that students, faculty, and staff could voluntarily attend on Sundays and midweek.
The same list of approved churches for Sunday evenings, transferred to Sunday morning attendance, which was then required by all students, faculty, and staff.
After two years, Dr. Pettit’s team began working on papers that would articulate the University’s philosophy regarding (1) associations, (2) church attendance, and the most controversial ecclesiastical issue at the time, (3) the Southern Baptists. The clarification of those BJU position statements lasted for nearly three years. They were completed in 2019.
When the Pettit administration began, ministry association decisions were primarily made by Dr. Bruce McAllister and Dr. Steven Hankins, who was Dean of the BJU Memorial Seminary at the time. Dr. Bruce McAllister had been somewhat of a gatekeeper for years for the university approving or disapproving where students could attend church, conferences, and other para-church ministries BJU could partner with. He served in that unofficial capacity for both the administrations of Dr. Bob Jones III and Stephen Jones. Early on, Dr. Pettit began making those decisions himself as the President.
The position papers went through multiple drafts and revisions. Here are the final products that were approved by the Board and published in 2019:
Following the adoption of the church attendance policy by the BJU Board of Trustees, the approval of the Associations/Relationships Position, and the publication of the SBC Paper, the FBFI continued to be confrontational over cultural and ecclesiastical issues.
In the summer of 2019, Dr. Pettit was invited to speak at the National FBFI meeting in Denver, Colorado. The leadership of the National FBFI asked Dr. Pettit to hold a special Q&A with FBFI members who were interested in asking him questions. He agreed. Many of the same questions asked during the 2017 Charlotte meeting were asked by this group.
Just a few months later, Dr. Pettit invited some of the leaders of the FBFI (among them were Dr. Will Senn, Dr. Chuck Phelps, and Dr. Kevin Schall) to join him and the other executives in the administration in the fall of 2019 to discuss their concerns. They went over the papers together in lengthy discussions. Dr. Pettit guided the conversation to a fundamental question that was asked of both the administration and the FBFI leaders, “Do you consider the Southern Baptists to be disobedient brothers? Yes or no?” The administration, through its position paper, had already answered that question in the negative. According to those in the room, the FBFI leaders also couldn’t call members of the SBC “disobedient brothers.”
“Do you consider the Southern Baptists to be disobedient brothers? Yes or no?”
One. Two. Three. There have been three public negative confrontations with the FBFI and Dr. Steve Pettit, President of BJU. It's 2020. Now, the POBJU works at the pleasure of the BJU Board of Trustees. It's one thing to relentlessly critique the President. But was the FBFI trying to wield undue influence on the BJU Board of Trustees at the same time?
"The left hates BJU, and the right has no confidence. I encourage all the FBFI board members to send letters, make calls, and contact the administration. We don’t want to lose this school. We could lose this school. We’re going to have to work hard at this." -Dr. Mike Harding, FBFI Board Member/BJU BOT Board Member
Next BJU Papers: State of the University. A Fashion Show, Trevor Lawrence, and a FBFI Letter.
How sad!
Never met Dr. Pettit, but I begin to like him now... While a Timothy Student, for all the years at BJU, I was a member of Pleasant View Baptist Church, in Taylors, SC, a camp meeting Church. I remember on my Senior year presenting Dr McAllister my extension report! He almost faint. He could not believe that I, as a Timothy Student, was a member fully involved in a non-listed Church. I turned in the same report every semester. And during my 3 and a half years as an Undergraduate, I only was on Sunday morning services on campus maybe a half dozen times, perhaps less than that...