Liberals in conservative Grand Rapids, MI, are in a state of shock and awe. President Bush gave the commencement speech last week at Calvin College, a small ultra-conservative religious college.

To our surprise, this was NOT welcome news--823 alumni, students, and faculty signed the following letter and took out a full page ad in the Grand Rapids Press to print it, and about 150 professors and staff took out another half-page ad with another (softer) protest letter. I've printed both below.

<FONT size="3">Students, faculty, alumni letter:</FONT s>
We are alumni, students, faculty and friends of Calvin College who are deeply troubled that you will be the commencement speaker at Calvin on, May 21st. In our view, the policies and actions of your administration, both domestically and internationally over the past four years, violate many deeply held principles of Calvin College.

Calvin is a rigorous intellectual institution, and a truly Christian one. Since its inception in 1876, Calvin has educated its students to use their minds and hearts to transform the world into a "beloved community" where no one is an outcast and all of God's children are cared for. Calvin teaches its students to work for peace and justice, and to be good stewards of God's creation.

By their deeds ye shall know them, says the Bible. Your deeds, Mr. President--neglecting the needy to coddle the rich, desecrating the environment, and misleading the country into war--do not exemplify the faith we live by.

Moreover, many of your supporters are using religion as a weapon to divide our nation and advance a narrow partisan agenda. We are deeply disappointed in your failure to renounce their inflammatory rhetoric.

We urge you not to use Calvin College as a platform to advance policies that violate the school's religious principles. Furthermore, we urge you to repudiate the false claims of supporters who say that those who oppose your policies are the enemies of religion.

Signed: (signed bv 823 alumni, students, faculty and friends of Calvin College


<FONT size="3">Emeriti-staff letter:</FONT s>

On May 21, 2005, you will give the commencement address at Calvin College. We, the undersigned, respect your office, and we join the college in welcoming you to our campus. Like you, we recognize the importance of religious commitment in American political life. We seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere. While recognizing God as sovereign over individuals and institutions alike, we understand that no single political position should be identified with God's will, and we are conscious that this applies to our own views as well as those of others. At the same time we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration.

As Christians we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort. We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq.

As Christians we are called to lift up the hungry and impoverished. We believe your administration has taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor.
As Christians we are called to actions characterized by love, gentleness and concern for the most vulnerable among us. We believe your administration has fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees.
As Christians we are called to be caretakers of God's good creation. We believe your environmental policies have harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment.

Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy, and we pray for wisdom for you and all world leaders.

AMEN!!!

Great Post - THANKS and double the Amen!!

That is what it's going to take; Christians realizing that Bush is something we have a lot of in Texas, a Sunday Christian. They go to church on Sunday and pray and sing the loudest, then the rest of the week, they put religion on their sleeve, but that's the only place they have it; they conduct their lives as though there is no God. I'll add my AMEN to the good people of Calvin College! May they be the start of something very, very big.

Thinking, Well informed,Christian People..They're the kind we need more of! Can you imagine how they feel when Duyba goes on about how everthing he does, as if it's Gods Will! I may not share their beliefs but I can kind of imagine how they must feel!