If these interminable greetings and obscure musical interludes have not put us to sleep, we're eager for the inaugural address of Dr. Drew Faust, the first female president of the the oldest university in America. Her address will be almost six, single-spaced, type written pages, consisting of 3,377 words. (As a frame of reference, the sermon at the Hangar Bible Fellowship on November 10th was 3,277 words and the sermon last Sunday, Nov. 17, came in at 2,306 well-crafted words.)
During her speech, Dr. Faust alluded to the great motto of Harvard, "Veritas" ("Truth")." However, that was only part of Harvard's original motto. The original motto was, "Veritas Christo et ekklesiae" ("Truth for Christ and the Church"). You can still find this motto at various places around the campus such as dormitories and one of the libraries.
On the Harvard crest containing the original motto, you'll find three books, the top two are face up, while the bottom book is face down, signifying the limits of human reason and the need for God's revelation.
In 1869, due to Unitarian influence, the motto of Harvard became, "Veritas," and the three books are now facing up. This was and is a classic case of Romans 1:18, the suppression of truth in unrighteousness. By 1869, Harvard had become the enemy of Christ and His church (cf. Matthew 12:30).
THE SPEECH
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) was so impressed with Dr. Faust and her inaugural speech that he had it included in the "Congressional Record."
In her address, Dr. Faust said,
"The “Veritas” in Harvard’s shield was originally intended to
invoke the absolutes of divine revelation, the unassailable verities of Puritan
religion. We understand it quite differently now. Truth is an aspiration, not a
possession. Yet in this we—and all universities defined by the spirit of debate
and free inquiry—challenge and even threaten those who would embrace
unquestioned certainties. We must commit ourselves to the uncomfortable
position of doubt, to the humility of always believing there is more to know,
more to teach, more to understand."
I know you caught it--the new president put a cone of silence around the old motto, but did refer to its intent "to invoke the absolutes of divine revelation." She went on to state that we understand things differently today; we understand that we can't possess absolute truth, even though truth is something we aspire to have. So, since we can't possess absolute truth, the university must commit itself to "the uncomfortable position of doubt."
But then she goes on, "[W]e . . . challenge and even threaten those who would embrace
unquestioned certainties."
So there it is, a throwing down of the gauntlet if ever there was one: Parents, send your student to Harvard and we'll challenge and even threaten his belief in unquestioned certainties (i. e. absolute truth). Upon graduating from Harvard, your student, if the school has reached it goal, will receive a "Bachelor of Arts in Doubt," regardless of their chosen major. In other words, Harvard is the place where faith goes to die.
So there it is, a throwing down of the gauntlet if ever there was one: Parents, send your student to Harvard and we'll challenge and even threaten his belief in unquestioned certainties (i. e. absolute truth). Upon graduating from Harvard, your student, if the school has reached it goal, will receive a "Bachelor of Arts in Doubt," regardless of their chosen major. In other words, Harvard is the place where faith goes to die.
IT WAS NO ALWAYS SO
In the fall of 1764, George Whitefield, itinerant evangelical English preacher, gave a commencement sermon at Princeton
University, then a place of evangelical learning which he described as a
“blessed nursery, one of the purest in the universe.” Many would laugh at the idea of an evangelical pastor giving a
commencement address at one of today’s elite colleges because the Ivy League schools are today distinguished by
secularism and outright contempt of
Christianity. (Was Billy Graham ever invited to bring a commencement address to Yale or Harvard?)
If George Whitefield were alive today and Harvard were to invite him to bring a commencement address, we would think that he would be regarded as a retrograde bigot and demonstrations would break out on the campus.
If George Whitefield were alive today and Harvard were to invite him to bring a commencement address, we would think that he would be regarded as a retrograde bigot and demonstrations would break out on the campus.
BUT TODAY
Take a look at some of the commencement speakers at our prestigious universities this year: Jay Leno, John Kerry, Shonda Rhimes (the creator of "Scandal," "Gray's Anatomy,", and "Private Practice"). Susan Wojcicki, the Chief Executive at You Tube, spoke at Johns Hopkins. Going back to 2011, Conan O'Brien addressed the graduates at Dartmouth. (They said he was "hilarious.") Is there a biblicist in their midst? I didn't see one.
TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY
A family sends its carefully nurtured youth to Harvard, not knowing that the intent of the school, according to its president, is to "challenge and threaten the unquestioned certainties" in which they raised her.
But is not turn about fair play? It seems that they can "challenge and threaten" all they want, but unholy havoc breaks loose when any one dares to challenge and threaten the cherished ideas of a university. Even a Harvard professor has noted the difference.
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Ruth R. Wisse, professor of Yiddish Literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard, wrote about the limited debate and rising opposition to free speech occurring on college campuses.
She observed, “Universities have not only failed to stand up to those who limit debate, they have played a part in encouraging them. The modish commitment to so-called diversity replaces the ideal of guaranteed equal treatment of individuals with guaranteed group preferences in hiring and curricular offerings.”
What is evangelism? What does the gospel of grace do? Do they not challenge and threaten (through discussion, dialogue, and persuasion, never through force or manipulation) the unquestioned "certainties" of the unbeliever, e. g., his "certainty" that all religions are the same; his "certainty" that there is no God; his "certainty" that good works earn him a place in heaven; his "certainty" that the unaided mind can come to the truth apart from divine revelation.
Jesus, Paul, John, Peter and the Apostles went out to challenge and threaten the "certainties" of the world system and the rest is history, basically the history of the Western World.
On October 12, 2007, President Drew Faust put a cone of silence around the old motto and the shield of Harvard University. She committed the school to "the uncomfortable position of doubt."
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."
A family sends its carefully nurtured youth to Harvard, not knowing that the intent of the school, according to its president, is to "challenge and threaten the unquestioned certainties" in which they raised her.
But is not turn about fair play? It seems that they can "challenge and threaten" all they want, but unholy havoc breaks loose when any one dares to challenge and threaten the cherished ideas of a university. Even a Harvard professor has noted the difference.
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Ruth R. Wisse, professor of Yiddish Literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard, wrote about the limited debate and rising opposition to free speech occurring on college campuses.
She observed, “Universities have not only failed to stand up to those who limit debate, they have played a part in encouraging them. The modish commitment to so-called diversity replaces the ideal of guaranteed equal treatment of individuals with guaranteed group preferences in hiring and curricular offerings.”
What is evangelism? What does the gospel of grace do? Do they not challenge and threaten (through discussion, dialogue, and persuasion, never through force or manipulation) the unquestioned "certainties" of the unbeliever, e. g., his "certainty" that all religions are the same; his "certainty" that there is no God; his "certainty" that good works earn him a place in heaven; his "certainty" that the unaided mind can come to the truth apart from divine revelation.
Jesus, Paul, John, Peter and the Apostles went out to challenge and threaten the "certainties" of the world system and the rest is history, basically the history of the Western World.
On October 12, 2007, President Drew Faust put a cone of silence around the old motto and the shield of Harvard University. She committed the school to "the uncomfortable position of doubt."
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."
"......the unaided mind can come to the truth apart from divine revelation". --This conclusion does not take into account the effect of sin in a fallen world. Man's mind is finite (Limited). Therefore his logical thought progressions may seem very intelligent. However, there is a problem. . . . . . God's way of thinking is not necessarily logical. Therefore man needs His divine revelation to understand the full picture clearly.
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