When a Person or Organization Stops Being Bananas for Jesus, They Become the Slippery Peel
What a difference a century makes. Well, technically, a century and a half, but still.
Dr. James McCosh was the president of Princeton University from 1868 to 1888. Before every senior graduated, he called the student into his office and prayed over them one by one. One year, a student refused, proclaiming his atheism.
Years later, a man found Dr. McCosh in a hotel lobby, right before he was to lecture, challenging him, “What is this I hear, Dr. McCosh, about your turning out infidels at Princeton?” He then told Dr. McCosh what this former student was doing, heading up a local high school with an atheistic mindset.
To cut the story short, that student eventually came to faith and returned to Princeton’s seminary to become a minister of the Gospel, but imagine what a world it was when it was considered unfortunate when Princeton turned out one “infidel.” I asked Copilot how many Princeton students identify as Christians today, and Copilot says about 34%, only 11% who are protestant. Princeton was founded by “New Light Presbyterians during the Great Awakening, a religious revival movement, to train ministers aligned with their beliefs.” Which means, at least ninety percent of today’s student body do not ascribe to Princeton’s original charter.
It’s not just Princeton. How happy would John Wesley be with today’s United Methodist Church? About as unhappy and unwelcoming as today’s United Methodist Church would be with him, I imagine!
Harvard University was founded in 1636, with a large bequest from John Harvard, a Puritan minister who donated a bunch of money and all his library to create a school to train Christian clergy in the New England colonies.
A fellow author told me that during her time at Harvard (in the 90s) she experienced some of the most anti-Christian sentiment she’s ever known, though there were encouraging “pockets of faith” along the way. I was at a Harvard commencement ceremony about a decade ago (of course not mine!) and one of the prayers was offered by an Imam.
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