Tag: Union University

Evangelical Groups Differ on DACA

Wendy Wilson

A group of evangelicals organized by Russell Moore is calling on Congress to allow DACA recipients to become eligible for status as legal residents or citizens. Meanwhile, another coalition of evangelicals, which includes Eric Metaxas, is urging Congress to put Americans first, along with those who have applied to enter the U.S. legally. Moore is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). In a statement released Thursday, 51 signers expressed support for the goals of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begun with an executive order by former President Obama. President Trump has rescinded the order but has given Congress a chance to act. DACA allows young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children and who meet certain criteria to temporarily live and work in the U.S. Around 800,000 have received DACA status and nearly 690,000 are currently enrolled. DACA recipients are known as “Dreamers.” “We support the underlying policy aim of DACA because we believe this is a special category of immigrants who are not legally culpable, who in most cases have no home other than the United States, and who are a blessing to their communities and to their churches,” reads the statement…

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Ryan Anderson of Heritage Foundation Gives Lecture on Religious Liberty at Union University

Wendy Wilson

Religious liberty is a fundamental human right, one that even Americans who aren’t religious should value, Ryan Anderson of The Heritage Foundation said at Union University earlier this month. Anderson spoke at the Southern Baptist school in Jackson, Tennessee, Sept. 12 as part of an annual Constitution Day lecture series, according to a school news release. Constitution Day is celebrated Sept. 17 and honors the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Religious freedom is guaranteed in the First Amendment. “All of us have a human right to be able to seek out the truth about God on our own, come to conclusions about the truth about God on our own, and then live our lives in conforming with that truth as we understand it,” said Anderson, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Anderson said there are limits to the right of religious freedom if it is used to harm others or infringes on their rights. It gets complicated in issues such as same-sex marriage and gender identity. What’s important is to remember that people can disagree without being bigots and that government coercion isn’t the answer, Anderson said. “There is anti-gay bigotry in the United…

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Union University Faces Backlash From Alumni Over Faculty Signing Nashville Statement

Wendy Wilson

  More than 400 Union University alumni have signed a letter of protest over the president and three faculty members signing the Nashville Statement, an evangelical declaration that upholds traditional marriage and describes homosexuality and transgenderism as sinful. Union University is a Southern Baptist school in Jackson, Tennessee. The letter of protest illustrates the challenges faced by conservative religious institutions as they seek to continue being an influence at a time when progressive ideas are becoming entrenched in the culture. Signed by recent graduates as well as some who graduated decades ago, the letter calls the Nashville Statement “a declaration of bigotry and condemnation that is a far cry [from] the faith, hope, love, and acceptance we were taught was the hallmark of the faith of Union University.” The Nashville Statement was approved Aug. 25 at a meeting of evangelical leaders in Nashville and was named for the city in keeping with a historical Christian practice of naming doctrinal statements for the places where they were written. Many of the initial signatories were Southern Baptists. The Union University alumni letter takes issue with various aspects of the Nashville Statement, including a section that says faithful Christians cannot agree to disagree about homosexual behavior…

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Bryan College, Union University Honored For Beautiful Campuses

Wendy Wilson

Two Tennessee schools earned spots in the top three in a ranking of beautiful Christian college and university campuses. Bryan College in Dayton was #2 and Union University in Jackson was #3 on the list of the “50 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities 2017” compiled by Christian Universities Online, an independent resource for prospective students and their families researching Christian higher education. The #1 spot went to Dallas Baptist University in Texas. Schools included in the ranking are members or member eligible of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Schools were evaluated based on continuity of campus, architectural style, signature buildings and natural setting. Bryan College, located north of Chattanooga, has around 1,500 students, 1,400 of them undergraduates. “Set on a large rural campus, Bryan College is nestled in the beautiful Tennessee mountains and features a contemporary architectural style that favors clean lines,” says an article on the Christian Universities Online website. Rudd Auditorium, the signature building, is “a unique and beautiful structure,” the article says, adding that the three arches in front are depicted in the school logo. “Located next to Chickamauga Lake, Bryan College borders the Dayton Municipal Park and the campus flows well with its…

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