An Open Letter to Bob Jones University - March 2015
Content
March 2015
An Open Letter to Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University,
We are deeply grieved by your response to the GRACE Report. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul calls us to
godly sorrow, which leads to repentance. Our Bob Jones University education taught us that sorrow
without repentance is worthless and that repentance requires a 180 degree turn – an about face – a
stance that clearly, unequivocally communicates determined change. What we see in your response
to a substantive two-year investigative report is, instead, shallow words backed largely by inaction.
We refuse to tacitly affirm your response.
Over two years and countless hours were invested by wounded souls who poured their hearts into
the GRACE Report, detailing how Bob Jones University treated victims of sexual assault – not just in
the past, but in the current student body. The Report powerfully documented our stories and
ultimately wove together a tapestry of our lives displaying not only our greatest heartaches, but
also our greatest hope: The hope that, through our stories, healing and change would be achieved.
That hope was shattered by BJU’s official response.
As members of the Abuse Response Task Force, we were asked to be the voice for the hundreds of
victims impacted by the GRACE Report. This Task Force, which consisted of 1 representative of
GRACE, 2 representatives of BJU, and 2 survivors who had participated in the GRACE investigation,
was formed to review the contents of the GRACE Report, develop a list of recommendations, and
help transform the university into a safe, healing, truly spiritual institution (GRACE Report pages
23-24). We personally sat with you for days, pouring out our hearts and our personal stories. We
provided a face to the stories described in the GRACE Report. We took this responsibility seriously
and believed that BJU would take the hard, but necessary steps to change. We are angered that the
official response was an attack and blatant disregard of the Report’s recommendations. We are
saddened that, despite days of meetings and impassioned conversations, our voices were not heard.
Working with BJU on this committee came at an enormous cost: We were forced to relive one of the
most painful chapters of our lives because we believed that BJU truly wanted to make things right.
Your response has triggered intense shame at our alma mater, repeated nights of lost sleep,
agonizing prayer, and a demand that we cannot remain silent. Although we have little hope of
seeing lasting, deep-rooted change at the university, we must communicate truth that is being
ignored and omitted. We remain committed to our responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless and
to cry out for justice and accountability at BJU. True healing can occur only when we are willing to
speak boldly for truth, no matter the cost.
Apology
“If we confess our sins...” The university has not provided a humble, transparent confession of
wrongdoing. Instead, public statements minimize, obfuscate, and blatantly misrepresent facts. Why
have no public apologies come from those who were implicated as causing harm? We also urge the
many university individuals mentioned in the GRACE Report, albeit not by name, to show true
repentance and apologize to those whom they have hurt. The university modeled that public sin
warrants spiritual probation and a season of intense accountability. “If my people, who are called by
My name, will humble themselves and…turn from their wicked way…” We believe that our God,
who loves and cherishes His children, is also grieved by this situation and will not bless the school
until humble repentance is present.
While some statements from the university sound good to the general public, they are couched
within blame-shifting phrases like, “those who felt or perceived” which puts the onus back on the
victim. Instead of apologizing for our feelings, own up to the full impact of your actions! The
qualifying phrases have no place in a humble apology. We realize that “some were helped” by the
individuals named in the Report, but that does not in any way nullify their responsibility towards
those they have harmed. If one student had verbally bullied a student in the manner that was done
to hundreds of victims, that student would have been immediately disciplined and most likely
asked to leave campus. We ask that you hold your faculty, staff, and administrators to the same
standard and take appropriate action. Because their actions caused public damage, we believe the
actions the University takes in regards to these individuals should be public as well.
Listening
You referenced speaking with “one victim” and stated that she left BJU “disappointed, deeply hurt,
and confused.” In meeting with you, the victim specifically described damage caused by the
counseling received at BJU—damage so extreme that she was left “suicidal” and her “faith was
shattered.” Your minimizing words show that you do not yet grasp the damage caused and the longterm impact that has resulted as a consequence of the University’s actions. This is not the deep,
heart-felt listening that the GRACE Report recommends. If those 300 pages of agonizing detail of
our trauma were not enough to compel you to change, then what will? When the very counseling
methods that caused the damage and the same individuals who perpetrated such damage are still in
employ at BJU, how can any victim trust you?
The GRACE Report is filled with accounts from survivor after survivor who state direct damage as a
result of the counseling they received at Bob Jones University. Your counseling, those who
counseled, and the system that enabled it are flawed and have had devastating effects on many
lives. We ask you to pause your counseling program and learn from the ones whose lives have been
negatively impacted by it – the survivors. It is time for you to become a student. Listen. Truly listen
to the victims. We are your best teachers. This is not a time for you to self-repair and certainly not a
time for you to lead.
We strongly implore you to outsource ALL sexual assault counseling. Due to the extensive damage
your actions have caused, we believe that you should assist with the counseling expenses of those
who were harmed by the University. This is but a small show of faith that you recognize the
consequences of your actions and are willing to do what you can to help those who were harmed to
rebuild their lives.
Recommendations
We feel your statement that BJU has not broken any laws was, at best, disingenuous. Christians are
called to a higher responsibility. Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct
oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” When someone experiences
abuse (whether in the past or present) compassionate human beings are propelled by love; we are
motivated to do everything possible to ensure victims are safe, protected, and cared for. Whether or
not the law requires a report does not eliminate the need to help the hurting by providing resources
to heal and pursue justice. Just as physical healers are often within a non-believing medical
community, emotional healers (i.e. professionals trained in this area) are often found outside of the
university. Does BJU choose the letter of the law, without compassion? Or the law of love when
caring for the wounded? We wish our university leaders were being the hands and feet of Jesus, but
we are grieved, seeing this as another moment when BJU is turning away from abuse victims.
Our experiences, along with many others in the GRACE Report, led us to believe that the general
campus philosophy was to hide, rather than expose abuse in order to somehow protect the cause of
Christ. In contrast, we believe transparency helps the cause of Christ. Calling out sin, abuse, and
wrong-doing in Christian churches is something the Apostle Paul modeled. If BJU follows the GRACE
recommendations and demonstrates right actions, this institution can be transformed.
Our purpose in writing this letter is to bring healing to the university culture. We need to move
forward in a God-honoring manner. Countless victims have had their lives impacted for years –
resulting in deep and ongoing sorrow, physical illness, relational impact and spiritual questioning.
How can you, as spiritual leaders, hide behind organizational platitudes and surface “changes” and
call this protecting your students and leading them to Christ? Is your loyalty to your constituents or
the body of Christ as a whole? Will you become true leaders who face the truth even when it is
uncomfortable? Leaders who recognize that your responsibility is relational, not just positional?
Leaders who stand with the students you are called to serve?
We now present our voice publically and plead with you not to betray the hope that was
established in the meetings. We are passionate about how you, as an institution, respond to this
issue. We are not vague stories in a footnote. We are people who are valuable and loved by God. Yes,
we were abused, but that is only a piece of our stories. We testify firsthand that, if victims are
believed and supported along this journey and provided with healthy, trauma-focused counseling,
all of us have the potential to experience thriving, amazing lives. We can be a tremendous gift to the
Body of Christ and to the future of Bob Jones University. We are worth the effort.
Bob Jones University, will you take the hard steps to do right by speaking out against abuse,
condemning known perpetrators, comforting the wounded, advocating for the defenseless,
providing the finances for victims to receive necessary counseling, and specifically calling out the
people within your institution who have done wrong?
Respectfully,
The Survivor Representatives from the Abuse Response Task Force
An Open Letter to Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University,
We are deeply grieved by your response to the GRACE Report. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul calls us to
godly sorrow, which leads to repentance. Our Bob Jones University education taught us that sorrow
without repentance is worthless and that repentance requires a 180 degree turn – an about face – a
stance that clearly, unequivocally communicates determined change. What we see in your response
to a substantive two-year investigative report is, instead, shallow words backed largely by inaction.
We refuse to tacitly affirm your response.
Over two years and countless hours were invested by wounded souls who poured their hearts into
the GRACE Report, detailing how Bob Jones University treated victims of sexual assault – not just in
the past, but in the current student body. The Report powerfully documented our stories and
ultimately wove together a tapestry of our lives displaying not only our greatest heartaches, but
also our greatest hope: The hope that, through our stories, healing and change would be achieved.
That hope was shattered by BJU’s official response.
As members of the Abuse Response Task Force, we were asked to be the voice for the hundreds of
victims impacted by the GRACE Report. This Task Force, which consisted of 1 representative of
GRACE, 2 representatives of BJU, and 2 survivors who had participated in the GRACE investigation,
was formed to review the contents of the GRACE Report, develop a list of recommendations, and
help transform the university into a safe, healing, truly spiritual institution (GRACE Report pages
23-24). We personally sat with you for days, pouring out our hearts and our personal stories. We
provided a face to the stories described in the GRACE Report. We took this responsibility seriously
and believed that BJU would take the hard, but necessary steps to change. We are angered that the
official response was an attack and blatant disregard of the Report’s recommendations. We are
saddened that, despite days of meetings and impassioned conversations, our voices were not heard.
Working with BJU on this committee came at an enormous cost: We were forced to relive one of the
most painful chapters of our lives because we believed that BJU truly wanted to make things right.
Your response has triggered intense shame at our alma mater, repeated nights of lost sleep,
agonizing prayer, and a demand that we cannot remain silent. Although we have little hope of
seeing lasting, deep-rooted change at the university, we must communicate truth that is being
ignored and omitted. We remain committed to our responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless and
to cry out for justice and accountability at BJU. True healing can occur only when we are willing to
speak boldly for truth, no matter the cost.
Apology
“If we confess our sins...” The university has not provided a humble, transparent confession of
wrongdoing. Instead, public statements minimize, obfuscate, and blatantly misrepresent facts. Why
have no public apologies come from those who were implicated as causing harm? We also urge the
many university individuals mentioned in the GRACE Report, albeit not by name, to show true
repentance and apologize to those whom they have hurt. The university modeled that public sin
warrants spiritual probation and a season of intense accountability. “If my people, who are called by
My name, will humble themselves and…turn from their wicked way…” We believe that our God,
who loves and cherishes His children, is also grieved by this situation and will not bless the school
until humble repentance is present.
While some statements from the university sound good to the general public, they are couched
within blame-shifting phrases like, “those who felt or perceived” which puts the onus back on the
victim. Instead of apologizing for our feelings, own up to the full impact of your actions! The
qualifying phrases have no place in a humble apology. We realize that “some were helped” by the
individuals named in the Report, but that does not in any way nullify their responsibility towards
those they have harmed. If one student had verbally bullied a student in the manner that was done
to hundreds of victims, that student would have been immediately disciplined and most likely
asked to leave campus. We ask that you hold your faculty, staff, and administrators to the same
standard and take appropriate action. Because their actions caused public damage, we believe the
actions the University takes in regards to these individuals should be public as well.
Listening
You referenced speaking with “one victim” and stated that she left BJU “disappointed, deeply hurt,
and confused.” In meeting with you, the victim specifically described damage caused by the
counseling received at BJU—damage so extreme that she was left “suicidal” and her “faith was
shattered.” Your minimizing words show that you do not yet grasp the damage caused and the longterm impact that has resulted as a consequence of the University’s actions. This is not the deep,
heart-felt listening that the GRACE Report recommends. If those 300 pages of agonizing detail of
our trauma were not enough to compel you to change, then what will? When the very counseling
methods that caused the damage and the same individuals who perpetrated such damage are still in
employ at BJU, how can any victim trust you?
The GRACE Report is filled with accounts from survivor after survivor who state direct damage as a
result of the counseling they received at Bob Jones University. Your counseling, those who
counseled, and the system that enabled it are flawed and have had devastating effects on many
lives. We ask you to pause your counseling program and learn from the ones whose lives have been
negatively impacted by it – the survivors. It is time for you to become a student. Listen. Truly listen
to the victims. We are your best teachers. This is not a time for you to self-repair and certainly not a
time for you to lead.
We strongly implore you to outsource ALL sexual assault counseling. Due to the extensive damage
your actions have caused, we believe that you should assist with the counseling expenses of those
who were harmed by the University. This is but a small show of faith that you recognize the
consequences of your actions and are willing to do what you can to help those who were harmed to
rebuild their lives.
Recommendations
We feel your statement that BJU has not broken any laws was, at best, disingenuous. Christians are
called to a higher responsibility. Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct
oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” When someone experiences
abuse (whether in the past or present) compassionate human beings are propelled by love; we are
motivated to do everything possible to ensure victims are safe, protected, and cared for. Whether or
not the law requires a report does not eliminate the need to help the hurting by providing resources
to heal and pursue justice. Just as physical healers are often within a non-believing medical
community, emotional healers (i.e. professionals trained in this area) are often found outside of the
university. Does BJU choose the letter of the law, without compassion? Or the law of love when
caring for the wounded? We wish our university leaders were being the hands and feet of Jesus, but
we are grieved, seeing this as another moment when BJU is turning away from abuse victims.
Our experiences, along with many others in the GRACE Report, led us to believe that the general
campus philosophy was to hide, rather than expose abuse in order to somehow protect the cause of
Christ. In contrast, we believe transparency helps the cause of Christ. Calling out sin, abuse, and
wrong-doing in Christian churches is something the Apostle Paul modeled. If BJU follows the GRACE
recommendations and demonstrates right actions, this institution can be transformed.
Our purpose in writing this letter is to bring healing to the university culture. We need to move
forward in a God-honoring manner. Countless victims have had their lives impacted for years –
resulting in deep and ongoing sorrow, physical illness, relational impact and spiritual questioning.
How can you, as spiritual leaders, hide behind organizational platitudes and surface “changes” and
call this protecting your students and leading them to Christ? Is your loyalty to your constituents or
the body of Christ as a whole? Will you become true leaders who face the truth even when it is
uncomfortable? Leaders who recognize that your responsibility is relational, not just positional?
Leaders who stand with the students you are called to serve?
We now present our voice publically and plead with you not to betray the hope that was
established in the meetings. We are passionate about how you, as an institution, respond to this
issue. We are not vague stories in a footnote. We are people who are valuable and loved by God. Yes,
we were abused, but that is only a piece of our stories. We testify firsthand that, if victims are
believed and supported along this journey and provided with healthy, trauma-focused counseling,
all of us have the potential to experience thriving, amazing lives. We can be a tremendous gift to the
Body of Christ and to the future of Bob Jones University. We are worth the effort.
Bob Jones University, will you take the hard steps to do right by speaking out against abuse,
condemning known perpetrators, comforting the wounded, advocating for the defenseless,
providing the finances for victims to receive necessary counseling, and specifically calling out the
people within your institution who have done wrong?
Respectfully,
The Survivor Representatives from the Abuse Response Task Force
