Dear Signatories of BASE (Biola Alumni Standing for Equality),
The BASE team (Dr. Jacob Daniel, Logan Zeppieri, Claudia Kalmikov, and Anthony Costello) wants to again thank you for your support of this petition. Below is the BASE team's e-mail addressing Dr. Barry Corey's response to the BASE petition. This response was sent on August 11th, 2020.
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Dear Dr. Corey,
Thank you for your response to our concerns over the teaching of Critical Race Theory at Biola. As a team we realize the tremendous pressures you are under to handle both the current health crisis as well as the crisis of culture that surrounds us. We pray that God will continue to guide you as you seek to maintain Biola's Christ-centered character and Gospel-focused mission. We also want to extend our thanks to Drs. Rae, Williams and Dean Schubert for the fruitful conversation on this crucial issue.
The crafters and supporters of the BASE petition feel that we have given voice to many alumni (now over 1,200) who are deeply distressed over what seems to be the intellectual source of real harm being done in our nation: Critical Race Theory. Ideas have consequences, and the consequences of CRT seem damaging to say the least. It is still our position therefore that this philosophy is toxic to a faithful and historical Christian worldview, and that, if left unchecked, will cause irreparable damage to any Christian seminary or school looking to proclaim the culture-shaping message of Jesus Christ. You have assured us in your two letters from July 20th and August 11th that this will not happen at Biola. We would love to say we have total confidence that this will be the case, and while we stay hopeful about seeing positive steps taken at Biola on this issue, nevertheless our concern about missional drift remains.
Further, in all fairness, it is worth pointing out that in referring to us as a "group that initiates petitions, lists demands, and gives timelines" that we find this language rather upsetting. We are alumni, donors, former employees, parents of former students and even prospective students, who have concerns about the mission of Biola and our future involvement with the school. We believe our conversations have reflected that identity, and nothing more or less than that. We are Biola supporters, not detractors.
As I (Anthony) read through St. Augustine's letters, I am reminded of the fervency with which he debated so many issues in the churches of his day; some merely issues of different cultures practicing differently, others more directly related to orthodoxy in belief and the universal testimony of the Church. In every instance I am struck by his profound desire to always preserve the unity of the Church, yet never at the sacrifice of truth. I believe that our calling is the same today as his then, and hope we have echoed the same sentiment in our petition and our letters.
In conclusion, we feel that the signatories and supporters of BASE should have full access to your letters. Since there will be no "conversations with any of the various petitioners" we therefore want to let you know we will be posting them as updates on our Change.org platform. We do this so those men and women who have courageously attached their good names to what in our culture today could at best be called an "unpopular" opinion, can see for themselves the discussion that has ensued on their behalf, and be made aware of Biola's position and the presidential response.
Sincerely,
Anthony Costello & The BASE Team