######################################################### The Student Voice Issue 4, No. 3 1.17.1997 ######################################################### 342+ Readers ######################################################### The Student Voice: not for the intellectually challenged. ######################################################### Who We Are: The Student Voice is a weekly, on-line commentary and editorial page about the problems that are prevalent at Pensacola Christian College. As an institution that considers itself at the pinnacle of true Christianity, PCC ought to be willing to back up its practices with Scripture, but unfortunately, when one compares the "system" of PCC with true Christianity, PCC falls far short. Our purpose is three-fold: (1) To provide public exposure regarding the practices at PCC; (2) To compare PCC dogma with Scriptural principle, generally accepted societal behavior, and the law of reason; (3) By bringing about this exposure, to see PCC make some positive changes in the areas of discipline, communication with parents and students, church practice, ethical behavior, and educational philosophy. ######################################################### QUOTES OF THE WEEK "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." -Lazarus Long "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." - Andre Gide "The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice." - Abbe D'Allainval, Title of Comedy, 1726 "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." - James A. Garfield ######################################################### TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. I. A Cautionary Note II. Voice Announcements III. "New "Bank" Account Daily" By: Robert G. Lee IV. Essays A. "Churches That Abuse: A Study" [CHURCHES THAT ABUSE, by Ronald M. Enroth] By: Paul S. Perdue Page 2. V. "When I Was A Child" By: an alumnus VI. Your Comments ######################################################### I. A CAUTIONARY NOTE The Controllers at PCC have felt it necessary to control the information in which their students have access to, banning The Student Voice from all students and faculty, except for those who can be trusted to completely disagree with any fact put before them. Because we know that individual integrity before God requires a PCC student to obey the authority they have voluntarily placed themselves under, we encourage students at PCC NOT to read The Student Voice as commanded by the Administration. However, we do encourage you to have it sent to your parents, pastors, or friends who may then disseminate it and make you aware of the things at PCC which will undoubtedly affect you. To our knowledge PCC has not yet outlawed communication with parents. We at The Voice would ask that you take advantage of your higher education and endeavor into a quite novel activity, just like millions of other college students throughout the world do: using your mind. As a college roomate of mine used to tell me, "Use YOUR brain, and not mine." The Editors. ######################################################### II. VOICE ANNOUNCEMENTS >>> We would like to have someone send us copies of the information that students are required to sign at the beginning of each semester. We suggest that any students reading this also get copies for your parents so that they will know what the contractual agreement is between the students and the school. Please send this information to: Paul S. Perdue 8227 Crackling Fire Dr. Gainesville, Va. 20155 >>> We apologize for the delay in responses and back issues. Please bear with us. >>> If you would like any copies of back issues, please let us know. However, we would ask that you limit your request to 2 issues per request in order for us to be more efficient. Once you have received the two issues, then please feel free to request 2 more. Here is a list of Voice issues and other information: The Student Voice Introductory Letter Transcript of Dr. Horton's comments made about The Student Voice Issue 1, Nos. 1 - 4 Issue 2, Nos. 1 - 5 Issue 3, No. 1 ("Rules Compilation," Version 1) Issue 3, Nos. 2 - 3 Issue 4, Nos. 1 - 2 >>> We are in the process of putting together an "official" web page where back issues, the Rules Compilation and other interesting information will be displayed. Please stay tuned. >>> If you do not wish to receive The Student Voice, please drop us an e-mail and let us know. If you know of someone who would be interested in receiving The Student Voice, let us know. ######################################################### III. NEW "BANK" ACCOUNT DAILY If you had a bank account that credited your account each morning with $86,400, that carried no balance from day to day, allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and finally every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent - of course! Well, you have such a bank and its name is "Time." Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off - as lost - whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries no balances. It allows no balances. It allows no overdrafts. Each day the bank named "Time," opens a new account with you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. By: Robert G. Lee ######################################################### IV. ESSAYS "Churches That Abuse; A Study" By: Paul S. Perdue CHURCHES THAT ABUSE: HELP FOR THOSE HURT BY LEGALISM, AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP, SPIRITUAL INTIMIDATION, by Ronald M. Enroth [Zondervan Publishing House, 1992] "A central theme of this book is that spiritual abuse can take place in the context of doctrinally sound, Bible preaching, fundamental, conservative Christianity. All that is needed for abuse is a [leader] accountable to no one and therefore beyond confrontation." (p. 203) "Abusive religion substitutes human power for true freedom in Christ. Unquestioning obedience and blind loyalty are its hallmarks. Leaders who practice spiritual abuse exceed the bounds of legitimate authority and ‘lord it over the flock,' often intruding into the personal lives of members." (p. 235) "A key element of discernment, then, is the recognition that potentially abusive churches foster an unhealthy form of dependency, spiritually and otherwise, by focusing on themes of submission and obedience to those in authority. They create the impression that people just aren't going to find their way through life's maze without a lot of firm directives from those at the top." (p. 217) -------------------- Ezekiel 34:1-10 "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them." -------------------- What is it that most deeply concerns us at The Student Voice, as well as hundreds and perhaps thousands of others who have been touched in some way by the PCC system, both good and bad? What is it that concerns us about PCC? It basically boils down to the fact that the trends, while not necessarily the end product yet, at PCC parallel very closely the practices of other cults and abusive religious groups: aggressive authoritarianism, resistance to all criticism, teaching obvious scriptural error, maintaining a perceived moral superiority, etc. These are not simply "preferences" which we can all casually disagree on and not expect the system to remain a benign institutional phenomenon. CHURCHES THAT ABUSE, by Ronald M. Enroth is a book that should be read by everyone interested in this debate, regardless of which side of the fence you happen to fall on. It is simply that important. From the perspective of an institutionalized, formal religious practice, this book is a powerful expose on how overly authoritarian groups can destroy the individuality and spiritual discernment that God intended for us as Christians to possess and use. Authority is a requirement in all human endeavors, but when a human organization exceeds the rightful bounds of that authority, the results can be devastating. Power becomes the end result that feeds upon itself, and it becomes a ravenous cancer that eats away at the vulnerable and the undiscerning, those who are encouraged to swallow the institution's philosophy hook, line and sinker without a peep. Ronald Enroth has done a superb job in chronicling several abusive churches and religious organizations and pointing out the common themes that are common to these abusive practices. The problem I see is that there are numerous parallels with PCC. I am not stating the conclusion that "PCC is abusive;" but what I am stating is that there are many, too many in fact, parallels between the "system" and the "spirit" of PCC and these ultra-fringe abusive religious groups. I encourage you to question my words. I encourage you to read the book for yourself, and see if you don't draw the same parallels. One of the problems we get into is that we fail to see the forest for the trees. PCC has a lot of rules - so what? PCC may be overly authoritative - so what? Once you graduate, it's over - get on with it. But these are the insignificant trees that when we step back and see that these trees make up the proverbial forest, the perspective changes. PCC is not simply a small college down in the panhandle that has a strict environment. PCC is an organization that has many of the same philosophies of other radical religious organizations and cults that we look upon with derision, and PCC teaches this "system" and ideology to the thousands of teachers, pastors, evangelists, and school administrators that it graduates EACH YEAR. These graduates - fortunately not all of them - go out, then, and further promulgate this same philosophy at other churches and Christian schools. These churches and Christian schools then multiply this legalistic, neo-fundamentalist philosophy to thousands of others, and where does it stop? I know of people who are hurting and confused because of the treatment they received at PCC - you know, the place that has "Christian" tacked onto its name? But that is irrelevant to those who make the policy at PCC. The philosophy is "We have a right to pick and choose who we want, and we have the right to exclude who we want. Period." Well, this may be true, but let's not forget that these same people claim to be involved in a "ministry." A "ministry" is something that is characterized by those who "minister." A ministry is usually more inclusive than it is exclusive, but PCC has managed to ignore the generally understood aspects of a "ministry" and has chosen to exercise its prerogatives in an extremely un-ministry like way - you know, enforcing those rights which we supposedly do not have. But this is another topic for another time. . . . Consider what this book has to say about the following three areas of abusive religious practices: 1.) General characteristics 2.) The leaders 3.) People who criticize -------------------- 1. General Characteristics. There are several characteristics that are common to the churches and organizations profiled in this book, and oddly enough, many of them sounded frighteningly familiar. You see, a movement or an institution, as well as an individual, can be analyzed by what characterizes their actions. This is not a deep concept, but yet many seem to be blind to it when it comes to PCC. Consider these general characteristics: a. A control-oriented leadership/environment. "Abusive churches, past and present, are first and foremost characterized by strong, control-oriented leadership. These leaders use guilt, fear, and intimidation to manipulate members and keep them in line. . . . Many areas of members' lives are subject to scrutiny. Rules and legalism abound." (pp. 32, 33) "The control mechanisms employed by the leadership covered a broad spectrum of behavior including dress, diet, work habits, personal style or mannerisms, prayer, Bible study [devotions], fasting, entertainment, jobs, and whether or not to have children." (p. 138) [From a description of the Boston Movement, an abusive church in New England;] " Everyone's Christian life was under scrutiny by someone, assigned by some level of authority; each member was confronted with observed faults, issued counsel, and followed up; each was encouraged to know the true state of his soul, its sins and weaknesses, and to confess these openly and honestly to others who have ministry and authority over him." (p. 221) "Most abusive churches make use of some kind of reporting system or surveillance pattern to insure conformity with group norms." (p. 113) [From the 96/97 PCC Student Handbook;] "Every student is expected to maintain the standards of the College as well as do all within his power to encourage other students to maintain the standards. Students who know or SUSPECT that another student INTENDS to violate any rule of the school and do not ATTEMPT TO PREVENT the violation may be dealt with by the Discipline Committee." [emphasis added] (p. 12) A control-oriented leadership and environment is the most common characteristic of all the movements discussed. PCC has a very strong and control-centered leadership and structure, and without it, PCC would not have the "spirit" that it boasts to have. The cardinal sin on the campus of PCC is to cross paths with the leadership. That simply is not done. Why? Good question. b. A strict, regimented system. [From a description of Shiloh, an abusive organization that boasted of its Bible school;] "Male-female relationships were strictly controlled to preserve propriety. ‘To avoid the appearance of evil,' there was no touching of any kind between the sexes. . . the most minor flaws became the source of guilt and self-loathing." (p. 61) [Again, from a description of Shiloh;] "It mattered how you acted, how you talked, even how you thought and looked." (p. 62) [From a Sunday bulletin at Community Chapel;] "Remember, we are our brother's keeper. Please do your friends a favor when you see them making serious mistakes; tell your pastor or an elder so something can be done in time." (p. 114) [From the 96/97 PCC Student Handbook;] "With these goals in mind, the PCC policies are reinforced through a demerit system, which WE HAVE FOUND to be a reasonable system." [emphasis added] (p. 34) [From Dr. Horton's comments regarding The Student Voice;] ". . . PCC does not have to be like other colleges or organizations. Our distinctive [sic] is that we are different." A strict, regimented environment is one of the hallmarks of PCC. Most of you know what it is like to face the common, "Oh, isn't that the place with the pink and blue sidewalks?" sort of question when telling people that you attended PCC. No, PCC doesn't have to be like other colleges, and they don't HAVE to resemble true Christianity either. c. Inconsistencies in guidelines. [From a description of Community Chapel;] "We were told one thing and then what is done is totally opposite, and so you're trying to redefine terms to apply to something that is not real." (p. 43) [From a description of COBU;] "Implied guilt and Scripture twisting were often used to manipulate members." (p. 81) [Testimony of someone who came out of the No-Name Fellowship;] " ‘I lived in fear of correction, while Scripture tells us to embrace and love it.' Also, many of the rules and regulations were never actually spoken or articulated as a command. One simply knew from experience that something was a rule, and, if not adhered to, discipline resulted." (pp. 138, 139) [From a letter written by Dr. Goddard to a student who was asked not to return because he "did not conform to the ministry," no other reason was given, although specifics were requested time and time again;] ". . . I trust that you will be honest with yourself and your parents about this matter. I am sure that you know, in your heart, that our decision in this matter is right; you were not in harmony with PCC. I pray you will acknowledge this, accept the responsibility for your actions, and allow God to use this experience in your life to His glory." Contrast the U.S. system with that of PCC. In the U.S. legal system, the Constitution is the ultimate law, the ultimate STANDARD by which all legal matters are judged. It is specific, one knows what is required of him or her, and inconsistencies are corrected in public tribunals. The PCC "standard," although this is a terribly inaccurate description, for a standard is something specific by which actions can be judged, is that a student "conform to the ministry of PCC." This phrase has never been adequately defined, and if you ask 100 students what it means, you will undoubtedly get 100 different answers (unless 75 of them are "I don't know"). d. No checks or balances. [From a description of Community Chapel;] "I feel that this is one of the critical factors in the sad things that happened later [physical and emotional abuse]: no checks or balances with the rest of God's people, and no accountability to other men of God outside [their] own little circle." (p. 51) The epitome of an institution with no checks or balances is PCC. e. No criticism permitted. "Don pointed out that no negative criticism of the Community [Community of Jesus] was tolerated, a distinguishing feature of most totalitarian groups." (p. 167) "Members of all abusive churches soon learn that the pastor or leader is beyond confrontation. As one former member of an abusive congregation put it, ‘Since no one in the church was allowed to murmur and complain, or to disagree with the pastor, there were many, like myself, who suffered in silence lest we incur God's anger'." (p. 168) "Unwavering obedience to religious leadership and unquestioning loyalty to the group would be less easily achieved if analysis and feedback were available to members from the outside. It is not without reason that leaders of abusive groups react so strongly and so defensively to any [outside] criticism of their organizations." (p. 175) [From Dr. Horton's comments regarding The Student Voice;] "But Mr. X and his followers want all of you to join them in protesting against PCC. I am instructing the dean's and their staff to be highly sensitive, especially regarding participating or involvement in the underground ‘StudentV,' which is a means of protest against PCC. Those actively participating and involved in the underground ‘StudentV' will be dealt with according to the Student Handbook, page 36, and I quote, ‘participating in unauthorized petition, demonstration, protest or riot - 150 demerits.' I suggest very strongly that you stay away from any involvement with ‘StudentV.' If you know of anyone actively involved in this protest, you are responsible to report it to a residence manager - Dean Ohman or Ms. Crook so it can be dealt with." Criticism is a taboo at PCC, and anyone who has followed The Voice can attest to that. There are some cases that The Voice will be addressing in the near future that prove this to be true. Just so it can be understood, PCC allows no criticism. No criticism means unquestioning obedience to the authority, and no one but Jesus Christ deserves unquestioned obedience. You draw the parallel. -------------------- 2. The Leaders. While a control-oriented leadership has been addressed, it must also be noted that the leaders themselves have certain qualities that lend themselves to an overly authoritative and sometimes abusive nature. I know of numerous instances where Dr. Goddard or Dean Ohman will simply say that their hands are tied, they have to dole out the punishment. Now, they are either lying, or there is such a top-heavy control that if these men simply did what they know in their hearts is right, which is let the student off, then there is a very authoritarian leader at the very top. "If there is just one word to describe Don Barnett and his church, it would be ‘control' - autocratic control over the lives of the individual members." (p. 38) "Stewart [leader of COBU], however, was above scrutiny. According to Betty, ‘Stewart will only accept ‘corrective criticism' coming from a ‘right spirit.' Of course, he is the judge of ‘right spirits' and whether any criticism is truly constructive'." (p. 82) "Even though he says he allows differences of thought on issues, it's very difficult for him, really, to allow his leaders to view things differently than he does." (p. 84) "The source of legitimate Christian leadership therefore lies in ENTRUSTED AUTHORITY. The spiritual autocrat, the religious dictator, attempts to COMPEL subordination; the true Christian leader can legitimately only ELICIT followership." (p. 211) ". . . authoritarian leaders are ecclesiastical loners. That is, they do not function well or willingly in the context of systematic checks and balances. They are fiercely independent and refuse to be part of a structure of accountability. . . . Yes, sometimes they will point to a board of elders or its equivalent, but more likely than not, this turns out to be a faithful inner circle of clones that implicitly accepts all that the leader sets forth." (p. 219) "Power that elevates a leader beyond contradiction. . . will lead both the leader and the followers down a road marked by broken relationships, exploitation, and control." (p. 237) Like it has been stated before, what goes on at the bottom of a hierarchical structure is evidence of the substance of that hierarchy's leadership. Dr. Horton is a man who I believe has been called by God to do a great work, but there needs to be an understanding that there are people to consider, the bounds of authority which even he is under, and a pattern of leadership that Christ has set up. As has been stated before by Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." --------------------- 3. People Who Criticize. The Student Voice is perceived to be Enemy #1 by PCC based on the simple fact that we are not afraid to criticize what needs to be criticized. An opinion is an opinion, and an idea is an idea. Instead of engaging in a healthy debate over ideas and policies, PCC has chosen to try to eliminate The Voice by instilling fear into the heart of any student who reads it [please refer to "Fearocracy II" in Issue 4, No. 2]. But if one can truly understand the big picture and the PCC ideological trend, this should come as no surprise, and it should be rather disturbing. a. An attack from Satan. [From the leader of Shiloh's response to negative and critical exposure of his abusive practices;] "[Satan] has used godless editors and reporters to write up the most sensational and glaringly false statements concerning this work. . . ." (pp. 67, 68) [From the same leader of Shiloh;] "Sandford interpreted every criticism as a demonic attempt to destroy the kingdom of God." (p. 70) "When authoritarian churches are subjected to what they perceive to be negative press, they invariably interpret the results as the ‘work of Satan.' This is true even if the report appears in a Christian periodical, or when Christian observers are quoted." (p. 177) "Criticism, whether its source is Christian or secular, sincere or superficial, is always viewed by fringe churches as an ‘attack' - and dismissed as more evidence of Satan trying to discredit a ‘good Christian work'." (p. 178) [From Dr. Horton's comments regarding The Student Voice;] "He [satan] comes as an angel of light and mixes truth with just enough error with truth to mislead us." [From Dr. Horton again;] ". . . remember, the devil also sugarcoats his lies, deceptions and twisted reasoning; and as young people you need to be aware that the devil hates every work of God that stands for truth and righteousness, and he tries in every possible way to undermine and destroy God's Word. The devil always works through people just as God works through people." [From Dr. Horton again;] "Now I need to share with you a recent attack that satan is making on this institution. We're accustomed to satan's attacks. We've had them over the years." [From Dr. Horton again;] ". . . the devil likes to do his work under cover. . .." b. Rebellion. "When the Boston Movement is confronted with their wrong teachings, its practice is to attack the character and life of the questioner by claiming that he has ‘sin in his life.' Such terms as ‘prideful,' ‘independent spirit,' and ‘rebellious' are used in answer to the inquirer. The Boston Movement believes that being ‘independent' or ‘critical' is sin." (p. 124) "Pam [a member of C-U Ministries] knew that even when she desired to stand and say, ‘This is crazy!' or, ‘I don't agree!' we would have been disciplined for disrupting and coming against authority." (p. 140) [From Dr. Horton's comments regarding The Student Voice;] "In doing so, he [editors of The Voice] piously promotes rebellion against the policies of the college. . ." [From Dr. Horton again;] "But PCC will not retain students who promote a spirit of division, discord or rebellion." [From Dr. Horton again;] "I Samuel 15:23 states that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. . . ." In other words. . . in other words, God considers rebellion as bad as witchcraft." [From Dr. Horton again;] "Mr. X teaches rebellion against PCC and against the principle that our Lord Jesus taught in Matthew 6:6." -------------------- Well, there's more, but the point should be clear. Criticism is always chalked up to rebellion or satan, with little, if any, introspection and never any actual consideration of whether or not the substance of the criticism has any merit. That would be unthinkable. In closing let me state that I think PCC in some ways exercises abusive practices by maintaining spiritual and psychological control far beyond what Scripture would permit or what is realistically needed. However, this must be done to maintain the "Mr. Clean" image of PCC, one which continues to net PCC millions of dollars each year through A Beka Books. The two are intricately tied together, and if the image fails, so does the business venture, according to the official thinking. CHURCHES THAT ABUSE is must reading. You can either read it, or you can continue to hide your head in the sand and pretend this doesn't exist. It's as if grown adults are putting their hands over their eyes in an attempt to make it all go away. "It doesn't really exist, Student V; please stop showing us what we don't want to see!" cry those in blissful ignorance. Well, it's time to wake up and smell the coffee, folks. ########################################################## V. "When I Was A Child" By: An alumnus When I was a child, I understood as a child; Someone thought for me and told me how it was. Now as a man, I like to think for myself, And sometimes question another's "Because." Those who rule over me often know best, But there are many times when I disagree. I'd like to be able to discuss my concerns Without fear of some penalty. A place that allows no criticism at all Hardly treats adults with respect. Perhaps, they want to think they can do no wrong, And are afraid to introspect. ########################################################## VI. YOUR COMMENTS [We are not sure who this is from. - eds.] Thank you for publishing the views of saints both inside of and outside of PCC. Often times I just scan your text for comments from the readers. Thanks for making it possible for the embittered to see their anger redirected, and that your support group atmosphere can help us laugh at The System. God will be the judge of PCC works, and you seem to have the desire to help the school see its folly before that end. God bless you. G---, Clearwater, FL --------------------------------------------------------- [This is a comment from a current student who is blaming The Voice for effectively shutting down PCC's e-mail system. - eds.] Dear Paul I understand that you revealed your identity in one of you recent news letters, so I figured I would use your real name. I would like to thank you for giving us a new phone system at PCC. It seems that because of you PCC has decided to install a digital phone system. With a digital phone system, the students can no longer use thier modems to access e-mail and internet (At least until I find a way). They are doing this because of the news letter that you were sending to students. You thought you were helping students, but you not. Now hudreds of students who used e-mail to communicate with family memebers no longer can. So much for the good that you were doing. Once again Thanks A Lot, for nothng Sincerely A---- [We weren't aware that The Voice had that much influence; but if this is true, it demonstrates a true fear and immaturity by the PCC administration. - eds.] --------------------------------------------------------- [This is another response to the professor who managed to criticize The Voice while admitting having never actually read it. - eds.] And in response to the misguided, narrow-minded, naive PCC professor, I can only accuse him of being too dependent upon PCC to meet his/her every need. And while we're on this subject - that's ANOTHER issue I'd like you to address in the future. SECURITY is the only thing keeping the greater majority of staff/faculty clinging to the mother PCC's ankles. I realize I'm being sarcastic, but I'm also *very* right on this point. They're all co-dependent, opinionless, spineless drones who settled around the PCC icon simply because they were too afraid to trust God and go somewhere else, probably into the ministry He had TRULY intended for them. They are willing to let themselves be manipulated and walked on just so they can feed their families? And they really believe that they are free to live a fulfilling, rewarding Christian life? No, I think that they are aware only of how warm the blanket is, how good the milk tastes, and how wonderful the pacifier feels in their mouth. I'm not saying that they are all out of God's Will - for me to do that would be to give in to the very argument they use against us. I'm sure that God is pleased that they are doing what they feel is best in order to use their talents the best way they believe possible. But, y'know, I wonder how much more they might have done had they had more faith in a God who supplies all needs according to His riches. That's all for now. Thanks for the support. C--- [Well, we don't know about that. . . . - eds.] --------------------------------------------------------- [This is a comment from someone about something, but we're not quite sure what it is. - eds.] we give up our rights when we accept salvation. if you did not want to submit to the rules and consequences of breaking those rules-you should have attended elsewhere. once you join a place (ex: marines, my employement place) you agree to their rules. they expect the rules to be followed. L---- --------------------------------------------------------- [This is a comment from the parents of a PCC student. - eds.] Paul, Your recent newsletter was great. I must say though that I am continually amazed at the lack of a few of those that write who either have not read the newsletter or read it without an open mind (i.e. the professor and Peter Flint to name a few). These are supposedly adults who have college educations to boot that hold to such weak theology. I can say, unequivically, that I thank God for a father who taught me never to believe anything until I prove it through the studying of the Word of God. He continually challenged me in my teen years to not even debate with him until I had scriptual proof to back my statements or opinions up. I continue to pray that PCC would have that kind of wisdom in setting their standards and rules. Continually lifting you up in prayer, Parent of PCC student --------------------------------------------------------- [This is from a staff couple. - eds.] To whom it may concern, We are not interested in what you have to say. The Lord let me have a wonderful four years at the college, meet my husband, and gave us work in the ministry there. Please do not send any of your trash to our computer. A--- --------------------------------------------------------- [This is a comment from an alumnus. - eds.] Mr. Perdue, I have written you in the past...and will continue. I do not agree with those who write to say you are tearing down PCC. I feel they are saying its "us agianst them". I understand you are trying to improve the life of a student at PCC. I agree. My 4 years at PCC were not happy ones. I only stayed for that degree and I likes my job. Dorm life was worse than living on the streets. I was there before PCC. I thought PCC would teach me how to live a Christian life amoung the world. They taught me how to offend the unsaved and how to stick out like a sore thumb to the unsaved. I learned real Christianity from the few "real" Christians that God brought into my life. I married a wonderful man from PCC...he was on the black list. Once kicked out and returned a year later. Never to be let into the good graces. (Now in full-time Christian service for the last 14 years). I was saved off Campus my Jr- year. I knew I needed to be saved for years but could not be saved through PCC system. (See former letter). The gentleman that led me to the Lord was a graduate from PCC. A great one....presidential honors...preacher boy...PCC down to the toenails.....he once told my husband (before I met him) that he would never amount to anything and be nothing for the Lord. I just found out this man (evangilist and preacher since early 80's) left his PCC graduate wife and 4 kids for a affair with a church member.........I cried.....I respected this man. I felt he was a real servant of the Lord dispite the stict influence of PCC. He lived a good life. My point-I see so many students that either left or was kcked out of PCC, or graduated without agreeing with PCC "outside" beliefs and the "attitude". These people are the ones in the Lord's srevice today and leading todays youth down the correct path. I see so many PCC "great grads" not even attending church. Let alone working in the service of our Lord. I just feel that PCC works more for the correct look by students than the correct heart. Anyone can get through 4 years at PCC....saved or not...it takes only will power not to be outdone by the rules. But what does that leave.....another soldier not fighting in Christ's Army. I would love to see statistics on graduates and/or former students. What is the divorce ratio compared to the general population. How many attend church regularly? How many are in full time Christian work that studied for that? I would think the stats would be high...but I fear many are not and I believe the divorce rate is equal to the national average. I guess my point is has PCC made a difference with all their rules and restrictions in every day life? If the answer is no...then it is time PCC changes and starts preparing their students for real life not PCC life. Isn't that a part of education? I paid four years for a college education. I recieved great book training but PCC failed to prepare me to live in a unsaved world equipped to reach people who aren't familiar with Christ or the Bible. Keep up the work you are doing. Forgive my writing...I am horrible at typing and my words come faster than my hands type. I paray for you and PCC. Don't let people who think change is evil and change or pointing out areas of neccessary improvement are ungodly and spiteful. This country would not be here if it wasn't for godly men changing the way people think. ########################################################## The Student Voice is: Paul S. Perdue lupos Please feel free to voice your thoughts, stories, and opinions. Thank you for reading The Voice! ########################################################## THE STUDENT VOICE, PCC's alternative newsletter