BJU May be Censoring More Students

Not long ago I covered the entire Do Right protest. As part of that coverage I highlighted a story where Bob Jones University tried to censor the student heading up the whole protest. Around that same time Bob Jones University announced that they were seeking regional accreditation. As part of regional accreditation we highlighted one possible change regarding how BJU treats students. It isn't about what the students cannot do it is about what the students can do.

The institution publishes a clear and appropriate statement of student rights and responsibilities and disseminates the statement to the campus community.

As I said before the handbook does not address student rights. And I believe the nature of this statement is about protecting fundamental rights. Rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of academic thought. Something that was clearly violated by threatening the Do Right group.

But it appears that BJU may be doing this again. Recently I found a twitter account called Stuff Bojes Like (@StuffBojesLike). The account is clearly satire and as a former BJU student it is pretty funny, and not the least bit wrong or threatening. I think I would have found this funny even when I was a good tie wearing "follow the rules" Fundamentalist student at BJU. In other words this is designed to get some laughs and move on with your day. There was no agenda and it likely wasn't meant to take down Fundamentalism or BJU. Every generation has joked about Bojes since the beginning of time. It is what we do, and there have even been veiled skits poking fun at Bojes during student body chapels during my time. The account is now closed, but I did manage to grab some of the better tweets.

‎"Build faith. Challenge potential. Follow Christ. Never leave. #bju2012"

‎"Im not conforming to this new system. Tradition is how our role. This school will always be the Opportunity Place in my book. #goingliberal"

‎"Here at BJU, we serve as a hospital where we reject those who are too sick. We only accept the healthiest patients. #Mark2_17"

‎"Kinda nervous about the singing style of the upcoming artist series. #AfricanSpiritual"

"Passion is one step away from lust. #lucarini"

‎"Do you ever hear #StuffBojesSay? Just put that in your hash tag and we may retweet. But only if it checks & doesn't have Keith Getty in it."

‎"Do you ever hear #StuffBojesSay? Just put that in your hash tag and we may retweet. But only if it checks & doesn't have Keith Getty in it."

‎"I lead 3 different extension ministries. #whatnow #humble"

"I have a sovereign grace song stuck in my head. Any verses I can dwell on to purify my heart?"

"Sometimes, I use 3G on my phone to go to blocked sites like Homestar Runner. #ashamed :("

"I don't know what this whole "liberal arts" thing is...I thought we were Republican! #StuffBojesSay"

They are pretty innocuous, and actually quite funny and clever, but most importantly it is just humor. The author didn't say anything inappropriate he/she is just saying things the way he/she sees it. It is free speech, it is the expression of free thought. This is the type of thing any educational institution should applaud and encourage. However, like any satire it is bound to rub some people the wrong way even if it shouldn't. And it appears that it must have rubbed the BJU administration the wrong way. Today the creator of this twitter account left the following message.

"In the making of this account, my primary intention was satiric humor in reference to the "Boje"…..(cont.)…..but it has become something I never intended. I apologize for abusing this platform. As of today, this account will be closed…."

@StuffBojesLike, you did nothing wrong. You used the platform exactly as it was intended. You spoke your mind, and there should be no shame in that. You shouldn't have to silence your thoughts because someone else doesn't like them. Not only is that entirely un-American, but it is un-biblical as well. People have been cracking jokes about Bojes since the beginning of BJU. It is a meme that has traversed every generation since as far back as anyone can remember, and even without this account people will continue to tell these same jokes. You were only saying what everyone else was thinking. And you should not tolerate someone guilting you into taking this account down, they don't have that right. But, I certainly don't know all the details. I can only tell what my thoughts are after reading your final tweets and closing your account. You need to do what you need to do. While no one has the right to guilt you into closing the account, I don't have the right to guilt you into opening. May God bless you in your education journey. Be safe my friend.