Bob Jones Curriculum

Question:
I have heard references to a "Bob Jones Curriculum' and associated teaching materials. Is this any relation to the Bigot Bob Jones that almost cost Bush the election last year?

Answer:
Before I begin, let me apologize in advance. I am very tired. I have tests to grade. I have grades to post. I have about a dozen things on my agenda that needed to be done yesterday, but won't be done for a while!

And I don't mean to sound snappish, but I get tired of having to face this issue time and again.

Without getting into the whole debate again .... (look up Bob Jones University on the the internet for the posts on this website. We discussed it pretty heavily there).

The Bob Jones Curriculum are produced by Bob Jones University. They are excellent materials and have good support. You could hardly do better than by using these materials.

The Dr. Bob Jones Sr., Dr. Bob Jones Jr., and Dr. Bob Jones III have been identified by some as bigots because of the interracial dating policy at Bob Jones University, as well as because of their intolerance for a watered-down gospel and unsound doctrine produced by the ecumenical movement.

It is beyond the scope of this posting -- and of my patience at the moment -- to go into the background of these items. Certainly there were problems at the school, and there were issues that justly deserved criticism. However, if you do not understand the history behind the issues, you cannot adequately judge them.

It must be noted that the policy forbidding interracial dating does not exist at the school any more. The school does its best to defend the faith as it sees it, and tries to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in all it does. You may not agree with all they do, but I would bet that your life and my life are not nearly as productive or beneficial to others as theirs have been, and I would bet that you have faults of your own that are probably as heinous as the sin of "bigotry" that you note about them. As I do. We just can't see them because we are so close to them.

If you are not a bigot yourself, take the time to check them out and learn the facts. No, not just some few things the media gives you, but all of the facts. Now the facts are not all pretty, but they do show that God can take imperfect people and use them for His glory. Even when the imperfections are rather large. And be willing to measure yourself by the same measure you measure them with, for according to Matthew 7:1-2, you will be.

Another thing the facts will show is that the school is not racist.

As for the curriculum, it shows their desire to serve God with their whole heart. It shows their desire to be balanced in viewpoint. The curriculum is good. Quite frankly, most other curriculums can't touch it for breadth, depth, or accuracy.

Whatever you decide to do curriculum-wise, please try to take the time to understand them. Most people are content to make snap judgments based on half-truths. Don't be one of those.