April 8th, 2015
To Dr. David Alexander, President of Northwest Nazarene
University, and to the NNU Board Of Trustees:
My name is Lisa Michaels.
I am an alumnus of NNU, having graduated in 2014 with an M.A. in
Spiritual Formation, and I am also a current student, working toward the M.Div.
through the Graduate Theological Online Education program.
I am writing to you concerning Tom Oord's dismissal from
NNU. As a previous student of Tom's and
a friend, I do not always agree with 100% of what he has to say, but that's not
the point. Tom is an example of a brilliant theologian who has spent countless
hours in study and thought, considering seriously who God is and what that means
in regard to spiritual formation. He has
been gracious in imparting knowledge to others, while living a life of love. I
learned so much from Tom in the class I had with him at NNU, even though our
understanding of theology is not identical.
In fact, I probably learned so much, because
of this diversity . Never did I feel like I had to conform to everything he believed in order to have
respectful, engaging, intelligent, and thought provoking dialogue. We need
professors like this, and just people
like this, who are willing to ask the tough questions and to allow them to be
asked.
In recent days, the Church of the Nazarene has faced several
situations that have been handled without the integrity or transparency that
should be reasonably expected from people in leadership positions who claim
that holiness is our distinctive doctrine.
What is holiness if it is not love for God and love for others?
I do not claim to know all of the details that accompanied
this decision, but it is my understanding that after twelve years of faithful
service, a tenured professor with senior status was laid off, via e-mail, while
on vacation. This is not love. It is also my understanding that this was
done at least somewhat unilaterally, without the full input or support of the
director of the GTOE program. I do not
have any inside information in this regard, but I cannot understand how Tom
Oord would be the faculty member who was chosen to be dismissed based solely on
enrollment and budget concerns, if the proper communication had been in place.
Further, it is my understanding that the original purpose of
our Nazarene schools was for them to be places in which those called to
ministry could develop in such a way as to spread the gospel. If there is a decrease in enrollment in the
graduate theological program, perhaps we should be considering why this is so,
as opposed to dismissing someone who is passionate about nurturing this call in
his students. I wonder if the program
could benefit from more resources as
opposed to less. In the financial plan
that was laid out in the letter you sent, it appears that the intent is to use
a large portion of the reallocated funds for marketing. Does it really make any sense to market for a
program that will be weaker because of this faculty change? Or is the marketing for other programs? Perhaps programs that you find more important
than sound theological education? Those
of us who are pouring thousands of dollars every school year into NNU's school
of theology deserve an answer to these questions.
Dr. Alexander, there are many people who are concerned that
this decision was made based on your personal vendetta, and the evidence, in
tandem with your lack of response, points to this. I think it is possible that you expected this
decision to be met with approval, because, perhaps, the loudest voices
surrounding you have been those who wish for the Church of the Nazarene to
devolve into another branch of the fundamentalist/reformed movement. Perhaps those of us who have seen this
happening in our own local contexts have been quiet for too long. You are mistaken if you think it is the
majority of Nazarenes who favor these kinds of changes. Rest assured, we are not going to be silent
any longer.
I love the Church of the Nazarene. I love NNU.
It is my school. If I'm
completely honest, it is my dream to one day be on staff there, or at least it
was until this past week. Now the
thought is a little frightening. Of
course, I understand that as soon as I click "send" on this message,
my name will probably disappear from the hiring process in which I have been
involved over the past two months. But
there are things that are more important than self interest. If there is one thing I have learned, above
all else, through my time at NNU, it is to embrace this quote from Robert
Mulholland's book, Invitation to a Journey, "Spiritual formation is a
process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of
others." This is how the Church of
the Nazarene needs to be evolving. This
kind of love is what Tom Oord teaches. I
fully support Tom Oord, and I am asking that you do whatever it takes to
seriously consider the voices of those who want nothing less than to see our
denomination embracing love.
Sincerely,
Lisa Michaels
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