#BOJOcentric Theory of the Universe

[wutbju]

And after the moment when he claims to talk "plainly" but he's actually exploiting the empathy of his audience, he goes on to call those outside fundamentalism, "Sonderkommandos."

He says at 4:25:

The Sonderkommandos would be those ... those Jewish people that would usher people kindly to their death, pretty gruesome death, actually. We are surrounded -- and I think, and this is one of the disadvantages of your generation -- you are surrounded by Sonderkommandos: men and women who are church leaders that are so interested in you liking them, that they are ushering you gently and happily to hell. And when someone comes and punches you in the face and says stop going this way, it makes us upset. We love our Sonderkommandos who are nice and sweet to us.

Wait. What? Do you see what he's doing?!?

First of all, he's comparing BJU's neighbors and even family to those working for the Nazis who usher people into the gas chambers.

Dude! You claim you taught logic. Did you know about reductio ad Hitlerum? It's a fallacy!

And then he compares being kind and gentle to ushering people to their death. And punching people in the face -- personal violence -- is honorable.

It's so twisted. It's not biblical. It's not like Jesus at all.

But BJU is at the center of their world, so....

[wutbju]

And last month Renton Rathbun preached on the "Failure of Dating in College."

Which we all know is going to be terrible. You can hear the BOJOcentric Theory of the Universe even in the premise.

He starts with the same Exploitation introduction:

And today is going to be a little controversial if you didn't hate me.

His text to explain "good" "dating" is Ephesians 5 which is not about friendship but marriage. So that's a problem, a big problem. Women don't submit to their boyfriends, dingus.

Start at 16:13:

So what some men do is they will push the young ladies towards sexuality through texting … through pushing them to want to try to get them to send them pictures or whatever it is. And let me tell you this, young men, if that's what you're doing, and if even if you think that's kind of funny… You know what? maybe this place isn't for you. I mean, if that's the kind of person you are, the kind of person we're looking for at Bob Jones University are men who want to be like Christ, not men who are trying to pressure women into degrading themselves so that you could have a little pleasure.

While he's talking overtly about sexting his resolution to it is a No True Scotsman fallacy.

But go back. He says that BJU is not "looking for ... men who are trying to pressure women into degrading themselves."

Renton, have you met any men at BJU? Have you read the GRACE Report? Have you read Bob Jones, Sr.'s "Modern Woman" sermon. There's a lot of degrading of women. It's pretty much the brand.

Secondly, wait. Men pressure women into degrading themselves?

Are you sure that's what you mean to say? That's a big tell there.

If I put a hat on my cat, am I pressuring my cat to degrade himself?

If I put a bowl of chocolate out on the floor, am I pressuring my dog to poison herself?

You see the problem with your statement? You can't let go of the fact that women are guilty of their own victimization, can you?

That's the very definition of exploitation, Renton.

[wutbju]

CW: sexual assault

Why am I going through all these BOJsploitation texts?

Because BJU has just hired a new spokesperson who is all shiny and hip....

But his primary message is BOJsploitation.

If you're outside what he's saying, you can giggle at it. If you at all empathize with his target/subject, you're going to feel exploited.

Renton Rathbun is this new shiny spox. He's the director of BJU's Center for Biblical Worldview.

Which is hilarious if you're outside BJU's universe. BJU sees itself as the Center of their Worldview? Um.... That's not a good thing.

We honestly used to call this the BOJOcentric Theory of the Universe.

Anyway, in a sermon two years ago at BJU's "CORE Conference," Rathbun preached on "God's Binary Box."

And right off the bat at 1:30, he exploits his audience. He's doing it simply to present himself as worldly-wise and sophisticated. It's to get his audience to believe him, and nothing more. And it's horrifying:

But my first introduction to … to someone who was a homosexual was when I was in the military, so I was there during the Clinton years when it was don't ask, don't tell. I knew that there was a guy on the floor below me in our barracks who had his own room. And so people, you know, the rumor was that he was a homosexual and the rumor was correct. But I remember that the guy across the hall from me was really upset over it. Later on in the year, the guy across the hall ended up raping that young man. So my first introduction to the world of to the homosexual world was the abuse of a homosexual. I'm saying this because I want you to understand what we're going to talk about is going to be very clear cut.

He moves on to say that there are two kinds of people in the world: boys and girls. Period. End of discussion.

The introductory example does nothing but shock. There's no other purpose to it.

He doesn't care that it's horrifying. He wants to horrify. That's his strategy. That's how BOJsploitation works.

[wutbju]

Jesus Christ was the greatest sensationalist who ever preached.

Bob Jones, Sr., May 23, 1921, Montgomery, Alabama

[wutbju]

This is from the current 2016-17 Faculty-Staff Handbook:

Church Attendance

Membership and regular attendance at a fundamental church is vital. BJU employees are expected to be exemplary in their church life as role models for our students. Therefore, like the university students, faculty and staff are expected to faithfully attend the services and activities of a local fundamental church.

For your reference, a list of like-minded churches with similar ministry philosophy that faculty, staff and students may attend is available on the intranet under the Life at BJU tab.

In order to align with the mission of BJU to our students, employees may not be members or regular attenders of churches not on the list. At the same time, we recognize that this list is not exhaustive and will become outdated from time to time. Therefore, before attending a church not on the list, faculty and staff are to check with the director of Ministry Training.

The religious affiliations of our employees are to be consistent with long-standing, well-known practices of BJU. BJU's general position on the doctrine of biblical separation is posted on its website at www.bju.edu.

Let’s unravel the statement in the employee handbook a little bit. We already know that no SBC, IFCA, GARB, and PCA churches are on the BJU “White List.”

Bob Jones University limits the churches which employees and students may attend. The church their employees attend must be:

fundamental

like-minded

similar ministry philosophy

consistent with long-standing, well-known practices of BJU

What isn’t included is anything related to orthodoxy or Jesus. It’s just all about Bob Jones University.

You cannot market to college-aged students at churches your own employees are forbidden to attend, Pettit. This is a no-brainer. You have to know this.

[wutbju]

The Open Letter to Arlin Horton from the BJU Bible Faculty, 22 May 1998, page 1. 

“Pain and dismay.” “Gratuitous and unprovoked attack.” Really? We used to call this the Bojo-Centric Theory of the Universe when we were on faculty. 

But the take-away sentence here is this: “We stand where we have always stood: in the mainstream of historic Fundamental Christianity.”

[wutbju]

This little warning from Gary Weier for the Bob Jones University employees didn’t come up in the scripted answer document. 

And we all know the answer -- because Bob Jones University believes that its view on education and the Bible is the correct one. Why go elsewhere? We used to call this the “Bojocentric Theory of the Universe.”

What did the faculty say to SACS, I wonder?

[wutbju]

No kidding. He really said that. In multiple places. In Indiana in 1913. In Missouri in 1921. In Miami in 1922. 

It was a regular trope.