Thinking for myself

A few weeks ago I got wind of the fact that a professor at CCU did not get his contract renewed for the next year. There was a very big uproar about it from the students (and even some faculty I think even if they don't admit to it). I never had the prof, but he was one of the ones at the forefront of getting the Global Studies major established a few years back.
According to his students he is very dedicated to making sure Christian students are encouraged to think, to form their own opinions, and challenge traditional thoughts and ideas. Which, according to CCU, is something they are dedicated to as well.
However, this past year they hired a new president. A new president who has served in Congress (both the House and Senate) and is very much a Republican. And in his time there, he has outlined Strategic Objectives that, after reading them, I am upset by the blatent political implications that seems to say to be a Christian means to be a Republican. While I don't disagree with all of what is included there is one point specifically that I do disagree with.

-Honor Christ and share the love of Christ on campus and around the world (ok)

-Teach students to trust the Bible, live holy lives and be evangelists (ok, as long as students aren't expected to just accept everything without being able to questions things as well)

-Be a magnet for outstanding students and prepare them for positions of significant leadership in the church, business, government and professions by offering an excellent education in strategic disciplines (ok)
-Teach students how to learn (good idea)
-Teach students how to think for themselves (even a better idea except apparently the faculty are not encouraged to do the same things)
-Teach students how to speak and write clearly and effectively (wonderful, great idea)
-Give students significant opportunities to serve our Lord while they are at CCU and to help them develop a lifetime habit of such service (ok again, not a bad idea, no problem)
-Impact our culture in support of traditional family values, sanctity of life, compassion for the poor, Biblical view of human nature, limited government, personal freedom, free markets, natural law, original intent of constitution and Western civilization (HOLD ON a SEC!!!)
-Be seekers of truth (wonderful! we all should be)
-Debunk "spent ideas" and those who traffic in them (I'm going to have to look into exactly what this means)
-Ask God to multiply our time and ability to the glory of His great name (fine, ok)
-Be a servant of the Church (as long as the Church is being a servant to God)
-Become a great university (ha! good luck with that one)

For quite some time, I have realized that I am leaning more and more to the left. Right now, I am still in the middle when it comes to politics. But I realize that when it comes to my faith I am more concerned with the problems that are going on in Africa, the problems in my own country, and many of the injustices that I see happening everyday that I believe Jesus would be concerned with. And that Jesus has called me (and everyone) to be concerned with.
I have no problem whatsoever with Christians being involved in politics. But I definitely believe that to be a Christian does not mean I have to be a republican or democrat. I feel like the statement I said hold on too, points directly to the idea that christianity is synonomous with the GOP. And if you look at a lot of the students coming into the university, they are not necessarily in that mindset. They recognize that although capitalism is an economic system that works, it has definitely been abused...it has caused the marginalization of people, it has contributed to the rabid consumerism (which I wholeheartedly admit that I fall victim to still and probably always will), and a lot of other things that I don't think Christ is really all that happy with.
I think many people today are questioning and challenging what "traditional" values are. Is it all about a family that consists of a mom, dad, kids, and a dog? Is it only all about certain things you do or don't do? Things are changing. And students coming in are aware of it. People running things, however, continue to fight it, convinced that if we challenge any seemingly American traditional values, we are challenging Christianity itself.

One of the problems the new president had with the professor had to do with capitalism. While the professor said time and time again he was not a socialist or anything, he also challenged some of the basic ideas of captialism. It seems that anyone who studies in depth GLOBAL STUDIES will start becoming more aware of what is going on in the world and realize, while we are a very powerful country, we are not always right. America (and everyone in it) contributes to the problem that plague our cities, our nation, and our world. Do I think that as an economic system, capitalism works? Yes. Do I think that it's good that people have the opportunity to better there lives by starting businesses and things like that? Yes. But I also know people have a responsibility to care about the people around them that aren't that fortunate.

I think the problem I have (as well as others) the most with the strategic objectives is the overtly political statements which point directly to Republican ideals. I have no problem with Christians being either Republican or Democrat but I don't like that there is the assumption Christians have to be a certain one or they aren't really Christians.

And I don't like that the university says they want to teach students to think for themselves and seek truth only to turn around and fire someone that is encouraging students to do just that.
It's like "seek truth" (as long as it's our version of it), and "think for yourself," (as long as it is the way we think).
And if you are not a conservative, Republican Christian, we don't want you here.