My Business Guide

A misunderstanding concerning Christianity at Luther

Date 12/9/2004 12:00 AM | Topic: Letters to the Editor

My comments appearing in the Nov. 18 issue of Chips were meant to convey my personal view that the Christian worldview is not the dominant worldview on Luther's campus. I still hold that belief.

I apologize to the entire Luther community, however, for the vehicle by which my personal view was shared. As a Christian, I should have met one-on-one with people (members of the Administration, Campus Ministry, and the Religion/Philosophy department) to express my concerns directly to them. This would have been Biblical and would have provided the opportunity for meaningful dialogue.

I also apologize for my quote characterizing Luther College as a "wolf in sheep's clothing." The statement reflects my (unintentional) careless choice of words. I owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues in the Religion department (Bob, Karla, and Jim) for educating me as to the literal meaning of the metaphor: wolves that disguise themselves in order to devour sheep, with malicious intent.

My misuse of the metaphor impugns the motives and integrity of my colleagues in the Religion and Philosophy department. People may find it hard to believe, but it was not my intention to insult anyone. My intended meaning for the metaphor was "Luther presents itself one way, when in reality, it is something different." People may not agree with that statement, but that was the intended meaning.

To the students at Luther, I hope you will search for the truth (it exists) and continue to grow in your faith. Paraphrasing Paul Copan in the book That's Just Your Interpretation, Christians recognize they are not superior to non-Christians. God's gift of salvation through Jesus is nothing for which we can take credit. Martin Luther pointed out that telling the good news about Jesus is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

I invite anyone on campus who wishes to discuss faith issues to stop by my office and chat.

In closing, I want to compliment Jacque Smith for the quality of her reporting in the two-part series on Christianity at Luther and other colleges. I take full responsibility for the quotes she used, apologize for the misunderstanding created by some of the quotes, and ask the community to forgive me for approaching the subject in the wrong forum.

Jesus is Lord,

Tim Schweizer, Professor of Management

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