Bob Jones’ president apologizes

University leader says on Web site that past racial policies were wrong

By JOHN O’CONNOR - joconnor@thestate.com

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The president of Bob Jones University has apologized for past school policies that excluded black students and banned interracial dating.

A statement posted Thursday on the school’s Web site said those policies were based on societal beliefs and not Scripture.

The school admitted black students starting in 1971 and ended its ban on interracial dating in 2000.

Bob Jones University and race

An excerpt from Bob Jones University’s apology for its past racial policies:

“For almost two centuries American Christianity, including BJU in its early stages, was characterized by the segregationist ethos of American culture. Consequently, for far too long, we allowed institutional policies regarding race to be shaped more directly by that ethos than by the principles and precepts of the Scriptures. We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it.

“In so doing, we failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry ...

“On national television in March 2000, Bob Jones III ... stated that BJU was wrong in not admitting African-American students before 1971, which sadly was a common practice of both public and private universities in the years prior to that time. On the same program, he announced the lifting of the University’s policy against interracial dating.

“Our sincere desire is to exhibit a truly Christlike spirit and biblical position in these areas. ... The administration is committed to maintaining on the campus the racial and cultural diversity and harmony characteristic of the true Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”

3 notable apologies

S.C. has been involved in other newsworthy apologies regarding race. Here are three that made news.

January 1991

ATWATER APOLOGIZES

S.C. native Lee Atwater, who ran the presidential campaign of President George H.W. Bush, admitted stoking racial fears among whites to win votes.

“While I didn’t invent negative politics,” he said then, “I am one of its most ardent practitioners”

Feb. 8, 2003

ORANGEBURG MASSACRE APOLOGY

Gov. Mark Sanford formally apologized for the actions made by South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers in the infamous Orangeburg Massacre that left three students dead and 27 injured.

In February 1968, Highway Patrol troopers opened fire at a group of African-American students protesting outside a segregated bowling alley.

June 2, 2005

WACHOVIA APOLOGIZES

Wachovia, the largest bank in S.C. in deposits, apologized for profiting from slavery. Historians found that the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company and the Bank of Charleston — institutions that ultimately became part of Wachovia through acquisitions — owned slaves. Other banks doing business in S.C. also apologized.

“We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it,” the statement said. “In so doing, we failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry.”

School officials declined to comment further on the statement, but said BJU president Stephen Jones had been considering the idea and thought the time was right for the apology.

The university has an enrollment of about 5,000 students, and along with preparatory schools and affiliated churches, serves as a cornerstone of Greenville’s fundamentalist Christian community.

The university has long held political clout during South Carolina’s crucial early Republican presidential primary, with candidates having sought out the blessing of the school’s president.

In 2000, then-candidate George W. Bush stirred an uproar when he spoke at the school and did not criticize school policies, including the ban on interracial dating. Later that year, then-university president Bob Jones III rescinded the ban during a television interview with CNN’s Larry King.

Those controversies, said state Rep.-elect Dan Hamilton, R-Greenville and a 1998 graduate of the school, have lingered too long.

“It’s probably a long overdue statement,” Hamilton said. The statement “accurately reflects the sentiments of the vast majority of the school body.”

“Race relations were actually quite good when I was there.”

Lonnie Randolph, head of the S.C. NAACP, said the statement was a small step forward for equality.

“It’s amazing how long lies can live. No lie can live forever,” Randolph said. “It lets you know just how slow progress is to be.”

Randolph said he had met with Bob Jones III and believed he had some influence in Thursday’s statement.

The statement also satisfied Please-Reconcile.org, a group mostly composed of Bob Jones University alumni who were asking university officials to apologize for discriminatory policies.

“The statement is an excellent step in admitting past wrongs and expresses a clear, institutional commitment to true, biblical diversity in the body of Christ,” Tim Tsuei, an Oregon resident and 1989 graduate of BJU, said in an e-mail response to questions from The State. “We hope that the public will see a willingness to admit past wrongs, a commitment to true biblical practice and a new start in race relations at BJU. We understand that the consequences of sin cannot be erased overnight, but let me emphasize, as Christians, repentance is right whether or not other people are willing to forgive.”

Vaughn CroweTipton, Furman University chaplain, said there has been a long debate about whether the Bible condones slavery or discrimination. Most communities, he said, have decided biblical references to slavery were a reflection of contemporary culture.

“We can say ‘No, that was for them and not for us,’” CroweTipton said. Scholars and the faithful, CroweTipton said, are having a similar debate about the role of women in society. “We struggle to understand which of the texts we read are culturally bound.”

The school had used the Bible to justify discrimination in the past, such as in a 1998 letter to a writer who questioned the school’s ban on interracial dating. Then, school officials noted that God had created oceans to keep men apart, as well as ethnic, cultural and language barriers.

In Thursday’s statement, the school cited numerous Bible passages that supported the idea that all men were equal in Christ.

“As believers we are also committed to demonstrating the love of Christ daily in our relationships with others,” the statement said, “disregarding the economic, cultural and racial divisions invented by sinful humanity.”

Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.