It Was My Graduation Too!

It was 1996, I was graduating from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I worked really hard to graduate. I was one of those people who worked while in school. I drove a box paper route after mid-night, and I worked in a store in the evenings. I took 18 hours of masters level education my last semester of my third and final year. I will always remember my graduation. It meant a lot to me and my family. It was too bad that a bunch of immature, theological liberals decided to make a mockery of it.

Southern Seminary was going through a transition while I was there. My class was probably the most liberal class the seminary ever had. The first year class was probably the most conservative class the school had in forty or fifty years. Dr. Al Mohler became President during my first year. He was empowered by the trustees to make massive changes at the Seminary. He fired several professors because of their heresies. Many of those professors were at the graduation to try to embarrass the Seminary one last time.

Dr. Mohler also saw it necessary to remove the social work school from the seminary. To be an accredited social work school you had to take an amoral stance on abortion and homosexuality. This was not in the frame work of historic Christianity. My graduation was also the last graduation of the Carver School of Social Work at Southern Seminary.

During the graduation, every school was mentioned, and then each name was called. I applauded equally for every school. I knew that every person worked hard in every school to graduate. However, I did not stand and applaud for any school. This was when I was first assaulted. When the Carver School of Social Work was called I applauded. However, I did not give a standing ovation. The man standing behind me saw me sitting and decided to clap as loud as he could on my ear. I sat there and took it. I knew and he knew that if I responded he would get what he wanted.

Later on when the Seminary pledge was being made, 2/3 of my class got up and walked out. On the way out, an upset student decided to strike me on the back of the head. I did not respond. He knew and I knew that if I responded he would have got what he wanted.

As the graduation closed, banners were dropped from the balcony that read about the destruction of the School. I saw one person rush towards Dr. Mohler outside, and thankfully the President of New Orleans Seminary, Dr. Church Kelly, is a big man, because he literally took the man and shoved him away.

Simply put, my graduation is easily remembered. I was assaulted twice. I watched people walk out. I watched people chant slogans. I watched people drop banners. I listened as students coughed on purpose during the sermon. It was something to behold.

This is what has always bothered me about the theological left. They claim to be Christians, but their actions do not show it. It is one thing to protest the school. I believe protest is an honorable way to act. However, when you protest a one time event you then interfere with the memories of everyone. I find it completely unchristian to protest weddings, to protest funerals, or any type of ceremony. Do you have the right to do it? Yes, our right to protest is protected. The question is should a Christian protest these things. I would say absolutely not. When you protest a one time event you have decided that your political and theological views are more important than anything and everything else that is going on in the world. Those students forgot that it was my graduation too. It was also the graduation of many others who deserved to be treated better by their fellow students.