Sunday, July 13, 2014

Dear Gordon Community,

As many of you know, there has been increased focus on Gordon resulting from the letter sent to President Obama for which President Lindsay was a signatory. As chair of the Board of Trustees, I am writing to address concerns over these recent events and to ask for your help, for we all know that communities are built and maintained through good communications and shared commitment.  

Like each one of you, I am deeply committed to Gordon College, as is every member of the Board of Trustees. Many are fellow alumni of Gordon, are parents of current students and alumni, and serve the institution faithfully week in and week out. We have a personal stake in the vitality of this institution, in the advancement of its mission, and in upholding the College’s integrity and reputation.

Because of these deep connections, it has been heartbreaking to see how quickly and personally our institution (and by association, all of us) has been mischaracterized and misunderstood. We have been distressed at the divisions and deeply saddened by the hurt that has been revealed through social media. Indeed, the entire institution has come under attack as the essence and ethos of Gordon has been maligned, with others attempting to define what it means to be a member of this remarkable community. 

First and foremost, Gordon College is a Christian liberal arts institution—one that is dedicated to the highest standards of academic inquiry and teaching excellence, to personal mentoring of our students, to a tradition of respectful dialogue, and—above all—one rooted in a deep commitment to Christ. This also reflects the outstanding legacy of Barrington College, which our institution carries in both spirit and heritage. An integral part of Gordon’s vision for the future will involve welcoming Christians from around the world; we hope to bring students and employees who come from differing cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives.  And that will require Gordon to continue doing what it has done well for 125 years—to be a place that is both loving and faithful. 

We are not interested in creating division within the church, and we deeply regret – as we know many of you do – that Gordon College has been thrust into the center of a political issue. This was absolutely not President Lindsay’s intent in adding his name to the letter to President Obama. He, like all of us on the Board of Trustees, is concerned about Gordon’s ability to hire for mission. That is why he signed the letter, and in that we support him 100%. 

Gordon has not and will not bar categories of individuals who want to work or study at Gordon, provided they can support and live by our statements of faith and of life and conduct. We believe those statements are vital to our unique mission as a Christian college, so preserving our ability to uphold them is fundamental to Gordon’s future.

Gordon has cultivated a reputation over the years as a place for thoughtful, faithful Christ-followers who model Christian compassion and understanding to those who share our convictions—and to those who do not. That remains unchanged. As is true in any Christian community, we do not all think alike, and we do not all agree on certain issues, but we work together to foster greater understanding and to approach those issues with the grace and the truth of the gospel.

We are blessed to live in a country with a diversity of people with many different belief systems—founded on sacred principles that allow for individual freedoms and religious liberty. We respect that others have standards of conduct that differ from ours. As a private, faith-based institution, Gordon establishes the set of standards and expectations for members of the College community who have voluntarily submitted to them, and the College adheres to those standards with a spirit of grace and a respect for all. They define what kind of community we seek to build, and we each hold ourselves accountable to them as a form of Christian discipleship. We approach this with humility, knowing that we all fall short in Christ-likeness on a daily basis.

At the same time, what distinguishes Gordon from many other colleges and universities is our shared commitment to upholding those ideals as an intentional Christian community. The leadership of the College remains committed in our mission and in the way we seek to live it out as a community. We realize that others have standards of conduct that are different from ours. We hope they will respect our commitments, even as we respect theirs. 

In the midst of this polarizing and public debate, we have sensed the pain felt by some members of our community.  On behalf of all of us in leadership at the College, I deeply regret that, and I ask you to join us in praying for reconciliation and healing. Our shared commitment as Christ-followers is to love one another, even across strong differences of opinion. I am proud of the way Gordon does that; it’s part of what makes Gordon “Gordon.”  But we also understand that we can do better in this regard. And going forward we will strive toward even greater love and grace in our community.

Over the coming weeks, President Lindsay and the Cabinet will be meeting with different Gordon constituencies to discuss some of the concerns that have been raised. They will then share what is learned in those conversations with the Board of Trustees. We intend to dedicate a portion of our meeting time over the next year to explore further how we can address some of the complexities surrounding the intersection of individual rights and community expectations. Finally, we have created a dedicated email address, community@gordon.edu, where you are welcome to send your questions or concerns.  We will do our best to respond as quickly as possible.

Let me close by asking you to join me in praying for Gordon. Pray that a spirit of unity will prevail. The good news is that ours is a God who redeems even the toughest of circumstances. Please pray that God would do that now, even as so many are watching to see how we treat one another. Let us not miss this moment to honor Christ in all things.

Sincerely yours,

Kurt Keilhacker
Chair, Board of Trustees

255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984-1899  |  978 867 4800  |  chairman@gordon.edu