Odds and ends floating around my head and my computer as I clean house today (my parents are coming to town):
* There’s an interesting opinion column that appeared earlier in the week about Southern Seminary’s decision to lay off maintenance employees and contract with a company called Sodexho to provide these kinds of support services. (Most workers were hired by the new company.) The C-J is not, shall we say, ideologically enamored with the seminary and vice versa, but they raise an interesting question.
Apparently, Sodexho is a very gay-friendly company that provides domestic partner benefits, including Pride Week on the corporate calendar, and providing tolerance and diversity training to employees. Their handbook includes a statement that the company “strategically align [our] organizational structure to embrace all diversity inclusive of gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender employees, so that value is added.” The columnist, who certainly is no fan of SBTS, wonders if Southern has sold out its convictions to save some money on maintenance. Mohler et. al. insist that this is not the case, but that, instead, it is a matter of stewardship that allows the seminary to concentrate on its mission: religious education. I would think that the seminary got provisions that such practices would not be carried out here. Nevertheless, what do you think?
* I got an email from a publicist with Grace Hill Media (a mass email to bloggers in their database) urging us to write about and try to save CBS’s “Joan of Acadia,” which is apparently in danger of cancellation. I’ve never seen it, but apparently it is about a teenager (Joan) who hears messages from God.
We’re supposed to be encouraged that God is a regular character on the show. The email acknowledges that many people argue that God is not portrayed in a way that would be terribly accurate from a biblical perspective, but argues that such a portrayal is better than God being completely absent as in most other shows. I’m not so sure…
What do you think? Should we care that Joan of Acadia might get cancelled? Have you seen it? Does it provide a good springboard for spiritual conversation, or only contribute to confusion about God?
UPDATE: Dr. Mohler and the seminary issued a statement to students regarding the Sodexho issue that informs us that, in fact, there are written provisions that Sodexho will honor the behavioral expectations that Southern specifies for campus employees. I figured as much. Mohler also argues that, in the business community, it is nearly impossible to avoid doing business with companies that have or support the kinds of policies described. Again, that’s a valid point.