Bob Jones University, a private fundamentalist Christian school founded in 1927 in northwestern South Carolina has apologized for racist policies including a one-time ban on interracial dating that wasn’t lifted until nine years ago and along with that the schools unwillingness to admit black students until 1971.
The school says its rules on race were shaped by culture and not on the word of God, the Bible according to a statement on the university’s web site.
“We failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry. Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful,” the statement said.
It was nearly twenty years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling found public segregated schools were unconstitutional that the university started admitting black students. In March 2000 the interracial dating ban was lifted and the policy not long after became an issue with the Republican presidential primary that year. George W. Bush, the candidate then was criticized as he spoke at the school during one of his first campaign stops in the state.
Stephen Jones, Bob Jones University President made the decision to issue the apology because the school still receives questions about their views on race. The South Carolina NAACP welcomed the statement according to civil rights group.
Lonnie Randolph, President of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said “It’s unfortunate it took them this long, particularly a religious, faith-based institution, to realize that we all are human beings and the rights of all people should be respected and honored.” Three years ago when Jones became president he asked the civil rights leader not to hold the decisions made under his father and grandfather against him according to Randolph. Bob Jones is the great-grandson of the school founder, Bob Jones and he followed his father, Bob Jones in 2005.
I had to attend a seminary 4 decades back, which followed the same pattern like Bob Jones Univerity. Now, when I pass through that campus, I feel to cry; while watching the desolated campus of millions of dollars worth buildings. As Christians, we are prone to attack other relgions and their traditions, but we have failed miserably to find out our own mistakes. It is a good sign that Bob Jones University came to the right sense and repented about it, at last.
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Bob Jones University, a private fundamentalist Christian school founded in 1927 in northwestern South Carolina has apologized for racist policies including a one-time ban on interracial dating that wasn’t lifted until nine years ago and along with that the schools unwillingness to admit black students until 1971.
Christian Web News - SBC International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin is making a strong case for change within his denomination as he gets ready to walk away from the command of its missions arm following 17 years of service.
Christian Web News - Parents are being urged by a national coalition of organizations committed to preserving parental rights in public education, restoring academic integrity to public education, and removing partisan political protests from the classroom to call their children out of school on the Day of Silence if their school is permitting students to refuse to speak in class.
Christian Web News - A new survey found that not even half of churchgoers in America plan on inviting non-churchgoers to Easter worship service this year.
Rev 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. 
