Racial Dating Policies at Bible Colleges

[Ransom]

I attended and graduated from Crown College. The administration there did not forbid interracial dating when I was there. I do remember some couples that were interracial.

Yes. Per the manual excerpt above, those were the ones with permission from Mommy and/or Daddy.

I do not believe that Crown College or Temple Baptist Church holds to this false doctrine. That being said, they may have put the requirement for permission in the instance of interracial dating because they anticipated possible problems arising when a child of someone holding to this doctrine begins dating against their parent's wishes. (I hope that sentence makes sense!)

Apparently that verse that says, "we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts," doesn't appear in their Bibles. And since it's an IFB college, we already know it's not occurred to them that adult students are capable of making their own decisions.

I think the rule capitulates to the biblical ignorance of some prejudiced people, and therefore I do not personally agree with it. But racism is not an institutional problem there.

Apart from it being institutionalized in the institution's handbook, you mean.

Why is this rule being tolerated? Because the students there do not have a problem with it.

The little darlings tolerate it and don't have a problem with it because they have been well taught not to question the Manna God, no matter what ridiculous thing he says or mandates. They've also been taught that you should obey all rules that they agreed to when they signed up. Which is fair enough, but now they lack the intellectual tools to recognize that some rules are evil and evil ought to be resisted, not tolerated.

If you're right, it's too bad that the administration, faculty, and student body apparently are all too cowardly to tell the bigoted crackers what they can do with themselves - which, if nothing else, would not be interracial.

 

[kaba]

In some ways I understand these rules. They are only trying to protect the girls. Also, if you know the rules before you go to the college....adhere to them, if you dont want to dont go!!

A ban on interracial dating isn't protection.  It's bigoted Christ-less racism.

I am not a bigot or racist, but I dont want that for my children. I am allowed to have that opinion, and it doesnt make me a hateful person either.

Want what?  Them to date someone other than Anglo? Do you know how violently opposed to the gospel that idea is?

violently opposed.......strong words

Yes.  They are... intentionally so.  Paul had strong words for Peter's racism too.

disagree

 

[praise_yeshua]

I think its just typical stuff people do to please certain people. I don't know why they would even want to get involved in such things. Then again, its something that is often part of wanting everyone else to be like us.... because we are JUST like Jesus.

 

[Ransom]

In some ways I understand these rules. They are only trying to protect the girls.

Protect them from what?

For the record, I highly doubt anyone here raises a serious objection to rules against couples being alone together, youth group leaders dating youth, or college students dating high school teens.

 

[Ransom]

There is no ban on interracial dating at Crown College. Interracial dating is allowed, and I remember interracial couples from my time there. The rule simply states that the couple must have parental permission.

What the rule simply states, is that because of the colour of their skins, some students require a special dispensation for something that others may do freely. That is still bigotry institutionalized in the rulebook.

 

[Ransom]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

 

[FSSL]

If the parents do not grant permission, the college would ban the relationship... or so the rule indicates.

 

[Boomer]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

I agree.

 

[Boomer]

I attended and graduated from Crown College. The administration there did not forbid interracial dating when I was there. I do remember some couples that were interracial.

Yes. Per the manual excerpt above, those were the ones with permission from Mommy and/or Daddy.

I do not believe that Crown College or Temple Baptist Church holds to this false doctrine. That being said, they may have put the requirement for permission in the instance of interracial dating because they anticipated possible problems arising when a child of someone holding to this doctrine begins dating against their parent's wishes. (I hope that sentence makes sense!)

Apparently that verse that says, "we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts," doesn't appear in their Bibles. And since it's an IFB college, we already know it's not occurred to them that adult students are capable of making their own decisions.

I think the rule capitulates to the biblical ignorance of some prejudiced people, and therefore I do not personally agree with it. But racism is not an institutional problem there.

Apart from it being institutionalized in the institution's handbook, you mean.

Why is this rule being tolerated? Because the students there do not have a problem with it.

The little darlings tolerate it and don't have a problem with it because they have been well taught not to question the Manna God, no matter what ridiculous thing he says or mandates. They've also been taught that you should obey all rules that they agreed to when they signed up. Which is fair enough, but now they lack the intellectual tools to recognize that some rules are evil and evil ought to be resisted, not tolerated.

If you're right, it's too bad that the administration, faculty, and student body apparently are all too cowardly to tell the bigoted crackers what they can do with themselves - which, if nothing else, would not be interracial.

Touche

 

[Boomer]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

I did not intend to defend the policy. I was really just venturing a guess about why they have it.

I really don't understand why so many Christians have a problem with interracial marriage (By interracial, they mean white/African-American. Nobody seems to have a problem with white/Asian or white/Latino, or German/Irish). I have three children. If they choose to marry someone with different skin color, my only concern is that their spouse should be a real Christian.

 

[rsc2a]

In some ways I understand these rules. They are only trying to protect the girls. Also, if you know the rules before you go to the college....adhere to them, if you dont want to dont go!!

A ban on interracial dating isn't protection.  It's bigoted Christ-less racism.

I am not a bigot or racist, but I dont want that for my children. I am allowed to have that opinion, and it doesnt make me a hateful person either.

Want what?  Them to date someone other than Anglo? Do you know how violently opposed to the gospel that idea is?

violently opposed.......strong words

Yes.  They are... intentionally so.  Paul had strong words for Peter's racism too.

disagree

Then you should do a bit of reading in Galatians.

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

I did not intend to defend the policy. I was really just venturing a guess about why they have it.

I really don't understand why so many Christians have a problem with interracial marriage (By interracial, they mean white/African-American. Nobody seems to have a problem with white/Asian or white/Latino, or German/Irish). I have three children. If they choose to marry someone with different skin color, my only concern is that their spouse should be a real Christian.

Boomer, in my opinion that question is easy to answer. They don't. The question is "why do so many Americans have a problem with interracial marriage".

You are making a "Murican" mistake, actually a logical fallacy, by using the term Christian when you should be using the term American. I am Canadian, and IFB, I hold the same controversial positions that get argued here, KJV, standards, parental permission to date, etc, but I hold no position on interracial marriage and no Canadian IFB's do that I know of UNLESS they are a "missionary" from, you guessed it, America. Interracial marriages are common here among college students, among church members and among church staff.

Consider this, those "interracial dating" statements that we know exist in those and other colleges, are they applied to say a Filipino man and a Chinese lady? Or a Spanish lady and a Taiwanese man? Without digging too deep, I doubt it. They started in American historical cultural opposition to an African American man or lady dating a Caucasian man or lady and were expanded to only include a policy that is only instituted when one of the two people is, you guessed it again Caucasian.

I repeat, it is an American problem, not a Christian problem.

 

[Boomer]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

I did not intend to defend the policy. I was really just venturing a guess about why they have it.

I really don't understand why so many Christians have a problem with interracial marriage (By interracial, they mean white/African-American. Nobody seems to have a problem with white/Asian or white/Latino, or German/Irish). I have three children. If they choose to marry someone with different skin color, my only concern is that their spouse should be a real Christian.

Boomer, in my opinion that question is easy to answer. They don't. The question is "why do so many Americans have a problem with interracial marriage".

You are making a "Murican" mistake, actually a logical fallacy, by using the term Christian when you should be using the term American. I am Canadian, and IFB, I hold the same controversial positions that get argued here, KJV, standards, parental permission to date, etc, but I hold no position on interracial marriage and no Canadian IFB's do that I know of UNLESS they are a "missionary" from, you guessed it, America. Interracial marriages are common here among college students, among church members and among church staff.

Consider this, those "interracial dating" statements that we know exist in those and other colleges, are they applied to say a Filipino man and a Chinese lady? Or a Spanish lady and a Taiwanese man? Without digging too deep, I doubt it. They started in American historical cultural opposition to an African American man or lady dating a Caucasian man or lady and were expanded to only include a policy that is only instituted when one of the two people is, you guessed it again Caucasian.

I repeat, it is an American problem, not a Christian problem.

True. I was speaking strictly from an American perspective.

 

[praise_yeshua]

But it is not a ban. A ban forbids interracial dating. Their policy does not forbid interracial dating, but rather requires parental permission.

So it's not a ban, but it's a restriction, and it's still based on the same bigotry.

The only way for the school to escape that fact is to drop the permission rule entirely and aver that if it isn't affecting their studies or transgressing the Bible's sexual boundaries, student relationships are none of their business - they're between the students and their respective families.

I did not intend to defend the policy. I was really just venturing a guess about why they have it.

I really don't understand why so many Christians have a problem with interracial marriage (By interracial, they mean white/African-American. Nobody seems to have a problem with white/Asian or white/Latino, or German/Irish). I have three children. If they choose to marry someone with different skin color, my only concern is that their spouse should be a real Christian.

Boomer, in my opinion that question is easy to answer. They don't. The question is "why do so many Americans have a problem with interracial marriage".

You are making a "Murican" mistake, actually a logical fallacy, by using the term Christian when you should be using the term American. I am Canadian, and IFB, I hold the same controversial positions that get argued here, KJV, standards, parental permission to date, etc, but I hold no position on interracial marriage and no Canadian IFB's do that I know of UNLESS they are a "missionary" from, you guessed it, America. Interracial marriages are common here among college students, among church members and among church staff.

Consider this, those "interracial dating" statements that we know exist in those and other colleges, are they applied to say a Filipino man and a Chinese lady? Or a Spanish lady and a Taiwanese man? Without digging too deep, I doubt it. They started in American historical cultural opposition to an African American man or lady dating a Caucasian man or lady and were expanded to only include a policy that is only instituted when one of the two people is, you guessed it again Caucasian.

I repeat, it is an American problem, not a Christian problem.

Its probably more of a South Eastern American issue than a American problem. I know many IFBs that are very "hung up" over interracial marriage.

I'm pretty certain Moses marrying a Ethiopian/Cushnite and Miriam getting leprosy because she spoke against Moses....... settles the matter.

 

[T-Bone]

Just wondering does anyone else see that we are not talking about Youth Camp...we are talking supposedly about adults who are going to a supposed institute of higher learning where they are preparing to lead congregations.  When do they get to be grown up?

 

[AmazedbyGrace]

Its probably more of a South Eastern American issue than a American problem. I know many IFBs that are very "hung up" over interracial marriage.

I'm pretty certain Moses marrying a Ethiopian/Cushnite and Miriam getting leprosy because she spoke against Moses....... settles the matter.

I disagree that it is a south eastern American issue. I included a link to a IFB Bible college in Southern California (West Coast Baptist College) where they consider interracial (African American / white) relationships exotic and an example of being unequally yoked.

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

Just wondering does anyone else see that we are not talking about Youth Camp...we are talking supposedly about adults who are going to a supposed institute of higher learning where they are preparing to lead congregations.  When do they get to be grown up?

In talking to the Dean of students at an IFB college not long ago, this topic came up in a more roundabout way.

In the era we live in, the maturity level of people is getting lower compared to their respective age. Most of the colleges we see today are/were either started when that maturity level was different, or are modelled after one that was.

In days gone by, 17,18,19 year old young men and young ladies came to an institution of higher learning to deepen their understanding of theology and "practicology" (practical ministry). They came because they wanted to, often at great personal sacrifice and expense. They were already mature young men and women.

However, our Christianity is a reflection of the culture we live in, and as our culture got less mature, so did our Christian young men and young ladies. Spurgeon pastored at 18. Most young men today at 18 are not mature enough to go to college let alone pastor.

I asked him (edit: the dean that is, not Spurgeon) if in order to combat this it might be a good idea to not accept students until they are 20. See, rather than change the model, they instituted rules. Bible Colleges became the equivalent of Christian Boarding Schools. Bible College dating is generally not an experience of mature young men and women with their own moral and practical convictions getting to know others that they might find life's mate, it is (generally) a carnal, hormone driven, worldy, high-school looking mess of peer pressure and emotional drama. Supervised carnality. One of the driving factors is immature young adults, or rather prolonged adolescence.

So, rules get oriented as the need applies.

Why permission at all? Well, because "College Student Joe" is immature, a serial dater, and the girls he dates are too immature to see it. If we don't impose rules on Joe, ain't gonna be long before we gotta have a shotgun wedding.
Why parental permission? Two reasons, after the mess of "free love" there was resurgence of "courtship" over "dating". Really, most of this was a bit of a semantic-al argument in an effort to get young men and young women to stop the carnal hormone driven mess and to use practical means to vet potential suitors. Asking parents, asking those in Biblical authourity (I know this gets abused) is just good sense. As I pastor, I know things about people that make me a good resource if you want to know the character of someone you intend to date or perhaps marry. Those things are not meant for me to lords it over anyone, but are meant fro me to help them practically. The other reason is that wise parents could put the brakes on their adolescent adults.

Aleshanee, you said "who an adult dates.. or marries...should be their own business....... ", true, but an adult who is in Bible College, with their parents paying for it, dating "everything in a skirt that walks by", is not an adult, they are an adolescent.

Those here who recognize the problem are guilty of the same error as we mark adulthood by a numeric age as opposed to a maturity level. If we instead measure maturity instead of numeric age, we would stand a chance of getting the problem out of the Bible College and keep it at home where it belongs.

 

[ItinerantPreacher]

Its probably more of a South Eastern American issue than a American problem. I know many IFBs that are very "hung up" over interracial marriage.

I'm pretty certain Moses marrying a Ethiopian/Cushnite and Miriam getting leprosy because she spoke against Moses....... settles the matter.

I disagree that it is a south eastern American issue. I included a link to a IFB Bible college in Southern California (West Coast Baptist College) where they consider interracial (African American / white) relationships exotic and an example of being unequally yoked.

While West Coasts mindset may be more progressive than others, they draw students from all over the  US and as a result they cater to "Southern" mentalities.

 

[T-Bone]

Just wondering does anyone else see that we are not talking about Youth Camp...we are talking supposedly about adults who are going to a supposed institute of higher learning where they are preparing to lead congregations.  When do they get to be grown up?

In talking to the Dean of students at an IFB college not long ago, this topic came up in a more roundabout way.

In the era we live in, the maturity level of people is getting lower compared to their respective age. Most of the colleges we see today are/were either started when that maturity level was different, or are modelled after one that was.

In days gone by, 17,18,19 year old young men and young ladies came to an institution of higher learning to deepen their understanding of theology and "practicology" (practical ministry). They came because they wanted to, often at great personal sacrifice and expense. They were already mature young men and women.

However, our Christianity is a reflection of the culture we live in, and as our culture got less mature, so did our Christian young men and young ladies. Spurgeon pastored at 18. Most young men today at 18 are not mature enough to go to college let alone pastor.

I asked him if in order to combat this it might be a good idea to not accept students until they are 20. See, rather than change the model, they instituted rules. Bible Colleges became the equivalent of Christian Boarding Schools. Bible College dating is generally not an experience of mature young men and women with their own moral and practical convictions getting to know others that they might find life's mate, it is (generally) a carnal, hormone driven, worldy, high-school looking mess of peer pressure and emotional drama. Supervised carnality. One of the driving factors is immature young adults, or rather prolonged adolescence.

So, rules get oriented as the need applies.

Why permission at all? Well, because "College Student Joe" is immature, a serial dater, and the girls he dates are too immature to see it. If we don't impose rules on Joe, ain't gonna be long before we gotta have a shotgun wedding.
Why parental permission? Two reasons, after the mess of "free love" there was resurgence of "courtship" over "dating". Really, most of this was a bit of a semantic-al argument in an effort to get young men and young women to stop the carnal hormone driven mess and to use practical means to vet potential suitors. Asking parents, asking those in Biblical authourity (I know this gets abused) is just good sense. As I pastor, I know things about people that make me a good resource if you want to know the character of someone you intend to date or perhaps marry. Those things are not meant for me to lords it over anyone, but are meant fro me to help them practically. The other reason is that wise parents could put the brakes on their adolescent adults.

Aleshanee, you said "who an adult dates.. or marries...should be their own business....... ", true, but an adult who is in Bible College, with their parents paying for it, dating "everything in a skirt that walks by", is not an adult, they are an adolescent.

Those here who recognize the problem are guilty of the same error as we mark adulthood by a numeric age as opposed to a maturity level. If we instead measure maturity instead of numeric age, we would stand a chance of getting the problem out of the Bible College and keep it at home where it belongs.

I believe I agree with you...so if they are not mature enough to make adult decisions, then they are not mature enough to be in Bible College.  We can't be for graduating a bunch of immature babies to lead our churches...oh wait maybe that's the problem!

 

[FSSL]

I believe I agree with you...so if they are not mature enough to make adult decisions, then they are not mature enough to be in Bible College.  We can't be for graduating a bunch of immature babies to lead our churches...oh wait maybe that's the problem!

... and we end up with a bunch of pastors who take the college rules and apply them to their churches.