The Moody Bible Institute Loses its Way and its Former President


There was a news item today about the death of a huge figure in the history of the Moody Bible Institute. Moody is located in downtown Chicago and must be on some of the most valuable real estate in the U.S. The Institute itself has been through storms of controversy in recent years.

One controversy I remember is an allegation by conservative alums that the college was allowing liberal theology in the classrooms.  A house cleaning was demanded and some high level officials were forced out.

On-going controversies involve women at Moody. One young woman applied for the seminary school and was told it was not available for women. Moody falls under Title IX which prohibits discrimination of any kind. The young woman pressed charges and the matter went through several widely publicized phases. 

Another started with an enthusiastic young woman who loved her life at Moody. About 2020 she began to date a Moody male student. When he attempted a rape she broke off the relationship. But the man was possessed with her and began stalking her. She asked Moody authorities to help but they saw her as the problem. Several other female supported her. Moody has a strict dress code for women and reports behavior deemed inappropriate for women. 

A male professor told a reporter privately that Christain parents and high school women across the country may see Moody as a safe place for their college careers. It is no safer than any other college and its administration will is not sympathetic to women.

Moody closed one of its other campuses a few years ago. Recently it sold about eight acres of its downtown Chicago campus and says it will spend the money of maintaining existing buildings.  

Some years ago the enrollment at Moody was around 3,000 students. Its current number is not known. One would think its fame among far right Christians would make for good fund raising so it may be in business for a long time. Surely, however, as Christian numbers fall the path ahead for the Moody's of the education world will be uphill.   

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2024 at 11:35 AM

    I think you mean Title IX, not Title IV.

    Can you give citations for the 2 stories about the women? Or, are you just storytelling? Please provide a link to the dress code at Moody. Here is a link to Moody's recent enrollment stats:

    https://www.moody.edu/about/consumer-information/enrollment-and-graduation-statistics/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenSeptember 19, 2024 at 7:49 AM

      https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/11/8/21546780/moody-bible-institute-sex-abuse-claims-petition

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2024 at 12:31 PM

    I already read this article. I was asking for more information.

    Do you realize that, over the years, you have verbally and psychologically abused Christians? You are hateful towards other human beings. I think that you were abused by church members as a child. Instead of taking responsibility for your own issues through therapy, you have chosen to continue the abuse. How is this loving? How is this mature? I feel very sorry for you, Jon :(.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenSeptember 19, 2024 at 6:15 PM

      Thanks, Anonymous. You are following the now well established pattern of debate used by yourself and others. It's a widely used practice. If you feel you are losing a debate, get personal. That's OK. I'm comfortable with my case. If you are uncomfortable trying to logically or factually refute what I write, that is not a problem I can solve.

      Delete

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