The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Dwight L. Moody was the American evangelist and publisher behind the Moody Church in Chicago, Moody Bible Institute and Moody Bible Publishers. He was one of the first big evangelists and had global influence. After he'd found some success, he returned to his birthplace of Northfield, Massachusetts, where he started a school for girls in the late 19th century. He also started a school for boys nearby.
The purpose of the schools was to educate generations of committed Christians to continue his evangelical efforts.
The town of Northfield grew considerably because of the school and because of his evangelical retreats he hosted. Homes and businesses sprang up. But over the years, Northfield went from being an overt evangelical training ground into a very liberal, elite prep school. It merged with its brother school Mount Hermon in 1971 and some famous graduates include White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, actress Uma Thurman, and the late literature professor and pro-Palestinian activist Edward Said.
The board of trustees ended up being unable to keep up with the two campuses and had trouble finding a buyer, selling it for $100,000 to the Green family of Oklahoma (known for their Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores). The Greens hoped to give it to the C.S. Lewis Foundation to launch a college with a Great Books curriculum.
The only problem is that it takes a great deal of money to maintain, much less thrive, on a 217-acre campus with 43 buildings. The Lewis folks never were able to raise the right funds and so the Greens set out to find a new taker.
I wrote about what happened for the Wall Street Journal, which you can read (behind the paywall) here.
Interest from Liberty University was met harshly -- with a national public relations campaign, meetings, and a petition drive to fight any transfer of property. From my story:
After Liberty was ruled out by the Green family, residents continued to worry. In April, at a meeting of the Northfield Campus Collaborative—established by the Northfield Board of Selectmen to improve communication between interested parties—resident Bruce Kahn "brought up the 'elephant in the room' which was the concern that an extremist Christian campus might polarize and upset the peace and tranquility of the town," according to meeting minutes. Resident Ted Thornton said it is a paradox that "we consider ourselves tolerant but we won't tolerate intolerance."
Hobby Lobby's representative tasked with finding a fitting recipient for the campus reminded the gathered that fear of outsiders can be expressed by liberals as well as conservatives, and should be discouraged.
My favorite quote came from another meeting, though:
At another public meeting earlier this year—one that included questions about the contenders' views on creation and same-sex marriage—a Northfield resident argued that "the religious tradition of the area welcomes people of many faiths, belief or nonbelief. There is potential conflict with those who follow more restrictive teachings."
Yes, such a "tolerant" view might be in potential conflict with those who follow in Moody's legacy. Funny tolerance, that.
Stop sign image via Shutterstock.
- Comment (25)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (13)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments:
May '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
I'm in a mood just now to find this story neither sad, nor outrageous, nor surprising.
It just makes me want to go back into my lab and continue work on a genetic hybrid combining the worst of the Locust, the Gypsy Moth, the Asian Long Horned Beetle, the Termite, and some of those Egyptian Flesh Eating Scarabs and setting them loose on the Liberals and Progressives.
Hang on, such a monstrous combination already exists. Its call the Liberal, also known as the Progressive.
And they are already on the loose. Been so for quite some time, I'm told.
May '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Just out of curiousity, why is the Green family as naive as the guy who owns Chick Fil-A?
The only reason I buy that land from those owners is to set up a Hazardous Waste Site.
Edited on December 31, 2012 at 3:46pmFeb '11
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
I know that town and school. During the 80s it had a big drug culture. During the 90s it had some forced "coming out" activities. Ironically, the people I know who went there are very conservative and no one is surprised that that community is so hostile to any viewpoint other than the "Progressive" one.
They are the type who would rather see the town die than compromise their beliefs. When I heard about the land acquisition and subsequent plan some time ago I was surprised, because the buyers picked one of the biggest hornets' nests to go into.
Forward!
Edited on December 31, 2012 at 3:49pmMay '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Were the people you know who went to Northfield conservative before they went there or did they become conservative while there, perhaps as a result of being there?
It would be interesting if all that "Tolerance" had the effect of converting students to the opposition.
No Caesar: I know that town and school. During the 80s it had a big drug culture. During the 90s it had some forced "coming out" activities. Ironically, the people I know who went there are very conservative and no one is surprised that that community is so hostile to any viewpoint other than the "Progressive" one.
They are the type who would rather see the town die than compromise their beliefs. When I heard about the land acquisition and subsequent plan some time ago I was surprised, because the buyers picked one of the biggest hornets' nests to go into.
Forward! · 7 minutes ago
Edited 6 minutes ago
Apr '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
B goldwaters famous quote comes to mind.
Sep '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
So their position is, "We welcome all religions as long as you don't practice them religiously"?
If the Left can look at the 2nd Amendment and say you don't "need" that type of gun, it is no surprise that they can look the 1st Amendment and say you don't need that type of religion.
Sep '11
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Just another example of the basic fallacy of the "tolerance" mantra which has taken over our culture, including a lot of churches. It reminds me of the guy who said, "I can't stand intolerant people or the Dutch."
Edited on December 31, 2012 at 4:09pmJan '11
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
This is yet another example of taking one's own values and dressing them up in religious costume. Man seeing God as a projection of his own values. Or as a great Jesuit once said, it's like going to prayer and saying "Listen Lord, for your servant is speaking."
At some point, people began thinking that Christianity's greatest virtue is non-judgmentalism, buttressed by a juvenile interpretation of a biblical quote. It didn't take long for "don't judge others" to morph into "don't judge me." Then that slid into "no one has a right to disagree with my point of view." Tolerance soon became a general insistence, then a constitutional mandate, that everyone approve of everything I do. And then, that everyone else has to pay for it.
As a rule, in prayer, when you realize that your thoughts have led you to believing that you're right and everyone else is wrong ... that, by itself, is the sign that whoever you think you've been listening to, it isn't God.
Psychologists will tell you that the mind plays a lot of tricks.
The spirit does, too.
Aug '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Maybe a nice secular, humanist poetry reflection center would be more fitting. And they could have a separate door for each identifiable victim class.
Jun '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Why is it the word "extremist" only applies to conservatives?
Jun '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Spot on. In the liberal worldview morality informs religion and not the other way around. But then I'm used to seeing everything turned upside down when it comes to libs.
Dec '11
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
It seems the biggest sin (from the progressive point of view) that Christianity commits is its claim to exclusivity. Obviously a Jesus who claims to be the Way and the Truth and the Life and the only way to the Father simply must not be tolerated.
May '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Because we do not run the Debate.
Mind you, the Liberals don't run the Economy. Only Economic Policy, which is different.
Reality has a way of making its point that is uniquely effective. The Dust Storms did not care how hard working the people who tore up the Prairie Grass were. And Roosevelt could not stop them either.
California will face a Reckoning of its own making.
May '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Which quote?
May '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
They should sell it to a developer (pick the one that will build the mostest, tackiest, apartments and strip malls). They'll need the money for their fines and legal fees anyway.
Feb '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Sad to say that certain parts of America now seem beyond reach. Sometimes it is necessary to heed the advice: "when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet".
Sep '12
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I call Thornton's paradox what it is, hypocrisy. It's the intolerance of their so-called tolerance. It's also an abomination to everything D. L. Moody believed in, and Moody himself would have shutdown the Northfield schools he founded before allowing them to become as corrupted as they were.
Nov '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
From a NY Times article on the same subject:
Rewrite, redefine, whatever it takes to make the point I guess...
Nov '10
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Yes.
Mar '11
Re: The Intolerance of Tolerance (New England Edition)
Ah, yes, the famed Progressive "tolerance".
I do not call it liberal, for a true liberal would be, well, broad minded enough to accept people of various faiths in his community. He would not fear that his arguments were so impoverished that the very presence of a religious person somewhere, anywhere, would threaten the peace of his community. More to their shame because, once upon a time, liberals did believe that liberalism was a fighting creed: and in those days, they fought for the freedoms of association and religious liberty. Heritage squandered.
Incidentally, while I strongly disagree with this town's misguided knee-jerk leftism, I should say that procedurally I favor localism and federalism: if one town wishes to place a creche in its public square and the 1o commandments in its courtroom, God bless them and more power to them. If their neighbors want a holiday shrubbery (additionally, anyone wonder what the racial makeup of enlightened Northfield, MA is....) and entirely secular school system, fine by me.
Let the people of that community come up with the necessary funds. Let them be the arbiters of their own success or failure accordingly for the world to see.
Edited on December 31, 2012 at 9:34pm