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By Marlene Ankerberg
Dear editor,
“Dei sub numine viget,” is Princeton University’s motto. The Latin translation is “Under God she flourishes.” Many of America’s oldest universities were established as religious institutions. What happened to them?
Most of the people that made the decision to sublet the campus to a purveyor of obscene and offensive language, Snoop Dogg, would have heard the quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” May I suggest that you include someone from the history department before allowing anything like this again?
In the culture in which we are living, with its message transmitted through many media sources, we are in danger of being submerged in a message that is contrary to a Biblical worldview, and be totally unaware of how far we have fallen from Biblical orthodoxy. I would suggest rather than relying on a single person making a decision to allow this concert, this would have best been safeguarded through the checks and balances of an oversight committee where someone would have had restraining hand.
To say that I am disappointed with what has transpired at Bethel is an understatement. I am saddened, not for the reputation of my alma mater, but for the young men and women whose minds have been confused through this compromise. As an elementary teacher, I was made aware that any book on my classroom shelves, was viewed by students as having my stamp of approval. Snoop Dogg was a book on Bethel’s shelf.
As for Laurel Bunker’s declaration that any condemnation of the decision to allow Snoop Dogg to perform at Bethel is Pharisaical and not loving, let me quote from my preacher husband. “It is one thing to invite Snoop Dogg to your church to hear the message, it is another to let him “preach.”
Roy • Feb 25, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Agree with you 100 percent. I was just as outraged as you were. It has been some time since I graduated from Bethel but when I went there we all agreed to sign a lifestyle agreement. Mr snoop dogg in his music and his actions doesn’t even come close to adhering to any of these values. Thank you Marlene for saying what many people would not for fear of being labeled. I am sure Bethel will come up with some excuse but I am not buying it. Shame on you Bethel shame on you.