I graduated from Gordon College back in 1989, and at that time the school did not allow dancing on campus, loud rock music, or visiting students of the opposite sex without having our dorm room door open. These were some of the rules we understood and agreed to when we went there as students. The core of the school is its Christian values and the steady adherence to Scripture as its guiding light founded as a missionary school by A.J. Gordon. I loved learning about the God of the Old Testament and what the New Testament means for Christians who follow Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
For me, the Christian aspect of the school was what drew me there and that was what I relied on to get me through to graduation. My experience was one of academic learning while drawing closer to God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ's presence in my life. Although Gordon excels as a Christian liberal arts school teaching Science, Math, Political Studies, Bible, etc., it does so with the understanding that God's Spirit has been the omnipresent power in shaping history. I felt comfortable on campus although I was one of a handful of minority students on campus at the time. I had the privilege of studying there and recently visited for my 25 year reunion. I did see the controversy revolving the school in the school Tartan newspaper and I had been reading the developments in the Boston Globe. Personally I feel the school should continue to rely on its Christian tradition, while letting the faculty assist in bringing about a more harmonious outcome that respects the principles on which the school was founded. Its freedom to follow its religious morals of conduct and values should be respected and at the same time not be negatively criticized for it. People may feel the need for change of the schools policies, but some sense of living a life worthy of Christ's calling is best experienced at a place where true Christian fellowship abounds. If the school's faculty trusts in God's will, not led due to the pressures of social norms, then the school will progress in its founder's tried and true message to spread the good news of the Gospel within its community of faith and beyond. I had a good experience of love and acceptance there.