Another Ebenezer: Camille Lewis, Independent Scholar
If you caught my Ebenezer series (which ended with this final post), you’d be interested to know that the final chapter, removed from my book under threat of termination, is now published in this month’s Kenneth Burke Journal under the title, “Publish and Perish?: My Fundamentalist Education from the Inside Out.” It includes an explanation of those events leading up to that chapter’s expunging.
May 15 2008 02:39 pm | Grace and Heal and Learn and Read and Speak and Write
May 16th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Congratulations. I am curious (and excited) to see what reactions this provokes.
May 24th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Camille, your writing is outstanding, you’re obviously well read and very bright.
But as a former BJU student perhaps 20 years preceding you, not an alumnus, I’m having a bit of a difficult time trying to understand how you, after all those years at BJU, can not understand why your remarks in the chapter above would not be perceived as threatening to BJU? Jim Berg has achieved icon status at BJU, and his books are bestsellers, resulting in significant revenue to the university. While I understand that your remarks in the chapter were a critique of the rhetoric Berg used in his book, the perception was, and perception is reality as far as a very suspicius BJU is concerned, that you were being critical of Berg’s theology and BJU was totally overlooking your argument. No one can criticize an icon in that atmosphere without repercussions. Weier was right that “No one will see the difference.â€
While they didn’t fire you directly, they deliberately made the environment so difficult you had no choice but to resign.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Hey, Paul! Nice to meet you.
I understand what you’re saying and that’s been said many times. It all comes down to the fact that I thought I perceived an attitudinal shift in BJU’s culture. I mean, BJU had pursued accreditation. We were regularly and strongly encouraged from the administration to publish. My expertise is religious separatist rhetoric — specifically BJU! On some level, it’s a no brainer that I WOULD publish!
Besides that, the faculty, staff, and student body had all felt that we were entering a kinder and gentler time at BJU. You still hear students and staff expressing this hope. We all thought things were different under the new administration. My experience proves, as you say, that nothing was really new at all.
If fundamentalism is going to grow and mature and serve the Church, it has to figure out how to accommodate academic and internal critique. It must become self-reflexive. My situation proves that it’s not ready yet for that. This isn’t a problem of my naivete as much as its a lesson for all fundamentalists rising toward our middle-age.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Hi Dr. Lewis,
I’m not sure if you remember me however it hasn’t been that long since I graduated so I’m thinking you might:)
I haven’t really kept up on the happenings at Bob Jones since graduating~so I actually heard for the first time this past week that you and your husband had resigned. And since you were hands down my favorite teacher at school I knew I had to read your blog:)
I just wanted to say thank you for writing about your experience. It was such an encouragement. I was especially curious to read “the chaper” And sincerely your critique of “When Trouble Comes” put into words so much of what I struggled with as a student. In particular the line “if the flesh is the greatest danger” then being human will always be a problem~ actually made me laugh out loud~ because it’s so true!
This post is probably long enough, so I’ll stop, but I just wanted to say thanks for sharing!
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Camille,
I don’t know what I could say that hasn’t already been said, but I do want to thank you for sharing your story so candidly. I always knew there were problems at BJU. I really wish they would end the hubris that they pass off as spirituality. I certainly understand your passion on the Facebook discussion groups. I hope God uses your story to help others realize that the best of people are people at best!