As regular readers of my daily rants know, I’ve been hard on the fake “Christians” who dominate MAGA and are most accurately characterized as Christian Nationalists. I have also been emphatic in noting that Christian Nationalism bears little resemblance to the Christianity practiced by several of my friends and some of my family.
I recently had an experience that underscored my conviction that real Christians are very different from the theocrats who currently (mis)use the name.
My husband and I go to our time-shared condominium in Litchfield, South Carolina for a week each July, and we usually drive there. As I have gotten older–and as retirement has given me more flexibility–we’ve broken up that thirteen-hour drive into three days, and added interesting stops along the way. The first of those stops has usually been in Berea, Kentucky, where we stay at the historic Boone Tavern on the lovely campus of Berea College.
Berea College, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a truly remarkable institution. It is academically excellent. It was founded in 1855 on a work-study model, to serve Appalachian youngsters who could not afford to pay tuition, and it continues to draw preferentially from that area. Most students still graduate without debt thanks to the school’s practice of offering “Tuition Promise” scholarships to all enrollees. (The average debt of those who do leave with academic debt is $4,712, and the most common debt of students who do have debt is $1000.) Fifty-eight percent of the first year students in 2021 were the first in their families to attend college; 29% of that class were African-American and 14% were Hispanic.
Religiously, the college identifies as Christian:
Berea College commits itself to stimulate understanding of the Christian faith and its many expressions and to emphasize the Christian ethic and the motive of service to others. Berea College welcomes people from all religious and non-religious backgrounds, because of our Christian commitment, not in spite of it. (Emphasis theirs)
Berea and Oberlin were the first two colleges in the U.S. to accept both women and Blacks as students, and this year, I was interested to discover that among Berea’s fifteen residence halls is “a gender-inclusive option for students who identify as transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming.”
I knew much of the school’s history prior to our most recent stay, but a conversation with the server in the bar prompted my observation that the institution is truly Christian–without the quotation marks.
The woman mixing my drink (yes, they have alcohol on the premises) responded to my verbal appreciation of the college with a reference to its history. In 1904, Kentucky’s legislature passed the Day Law, a measure aimed directly at Berea’s inclusion of Black students. The law made integrated institutions illegal in the state. According to the server, Berea proceeded to obey the law by sending all of its then-enrolled Black students to Oberlin, and paying their tuition there.
I was astonished, and when I went up to my room, I googled the issue to see whether she had embellished it. Sure enough–in the wake of the Day Law, Berea had sent Black students either to all-Black schools or to Oberlin, and had paid their tuition. It evidently continued that practice until the law was repealed in the early 1950s.
(As an aside, the server was also extremely dismissive of JD Vance and his purported emergence from Appalachia…I liked her a lot!)
But back to the question of “real” Christianity.
The founder of Berea College was a man named John Gregg Fee. According to Wikipedia, Fee and his colleagues believed that “God made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” and that belief became the school’s motto.
One of the school’s original bylaws stated that “This college shall be under an influence strictly Christian.” but–unusual for the time– the term ‘Christian’ was not defined in terms of baptism or other theological tenets.
It was assumed that Christians would be marked by ‘a righteous practice and Christian experience.’ For Fee and his abolitionist supporters, slavery, sectarianism, and exclusion on the basis of social and economic differences were examples of ‘wrong’ institutions and practices that promoted schism and disobedience to God. These sins, left unamended, would prevent Berea from being a place of acceptance, welcome, and love.” Therefore, character became the chief qualification for admission, placing education within reach of all who desired its benefits.
Wouldn’t it be lovely if today’s publicly pious “Christians” emphasized character and loving-kindness? America under that definition of a “Christian Nation” would be a place of “acceptance, welcome, and love.”
Unfortunately, those traits are utterly foreign to Trump and MAGA…
Excellent! What a great piece of knowledge to carry me into this day, thank you Professor! It is a reminder that there are people and institutions that actually practice what is preached in the pulpit.
Ah yes, “Christian” without the quotes. Because WWHD (what would Hitler do) doesn’t have the ring
Sounds a lot like the Unitarian Universalists, emphasizing the walk over the talk, embracing all who want to join in on “acceptance, welcome and love” as well as the Golden Rule, found in ALL religions.
Thanks for that heart-warming piece, Sheila. I am convinced there are many more like it out there; we depend on people like you to bring them to the surface for our sanity and faith in the best our country has to offer.
Shiela, you made my day! What made your story so compelling is that your source was not ‘the woman at the well’, but a bar tender offering more than a mixed drink. There is more to Appalachia than what we may have been led to believe. Berea is the American story we want to believe in. Like a great nature photographer, f8 and be there. Thank you, Sheila.
Thanks, take more vacations. being on the road most of my life has also found the history of the past , education beyond books and trivia. ive found in small towns places where plaques and metal signs made tribute to a few, and many who did right for all. i believe that foundry is not as busy as it sould be. hopefully that will change now…
one issue, the NABJs interview with trump. though its now done, I believe it was a good move to allow the head bigot yell and scream racism,in the midst of the joirnalists,that we need now more than ever. keep this pace up and trump wont have a prayer in hell…
My first experience at Berea was a dance camp held at the school during Christmas break. I was not excited to go. After that amazing experience at that AMAZING school, 15 years ago, I go every year. If every school in our country operated as Berea does, we would have a truly unique country. And we need to start a movement!!
What a bright ray of light in an increasingly dark world.
I had the opportunity if attending an Elderhostal Week (aka today it is Road Scholar) at Berea College many years ago. It is a truly special place.
Thank you Professor
Thank you so much for sharing this delightful information that started my day on a happy note.
It made me wonder if Berea College has an employment requirement similar to both Huntington University and Grace College in northeast Indiana. They both claim to be Christian or Christ-centered institutions and demand that potential employees sign a document stating that they commit to being a Christian.
Nope, Berea College has no such demand. This is one more example that Berea College truly ‘walks the walk’ that they claim.
I wasn’t around during the Reformation, but church splits have occurred several times over the years. Maybe this is another split in the works that won’t be “noticed” until history books are written about these times. Maybe they’ll say that our country faced two schisms that we had to survive, one in the Christian Church and one in our political structure.
One of the “sides” will be the entitled, whose faith is that their god made them special and entitled to special treatment both on earth and in heaven. The other will be those who follow the politics of the country’s founding documents and the religion of the bible, both of which teach humility, service, and equality.
I won’t be here to know if this possibility is historical.
That’s barely over a five hour drive from Indy, Sheila! I’ll have to try shortening my driving trips from eight hours to five each day. 😉
We are seeing a split in Christians as well because of the right-wing MAGA nuts who really don’t understand Christ himself. Christ was not a punishing figure and didn’t rule over the land with Christian dogma. There was no Christian religion during Christ’s time on Earth. However, these simple realities escape MAGA Christians.
After reading Berea’s Wikipedia page, it’s always been a diamond in the rough. The Founder John Fee was granted the land by the wealthy politician abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. I thought the name sounded familiar – the great boxer Muhammed Ali was named Cassius Marcellus Clay just like his father. They were both named after the land donor that started Berea. Even though Clay was a powerful abolitionist, the boxer said it reminded him of slavery prompting the name change.
MAGA Christians are still posting the Olympic Opening Ceremonies photo of the Last Summer and claiming it mocked Christianity and was blasphemous. Other Christians are posting photos and paintings of Donald Trump posing in Christ-like scenes (like hanging on a cross with a MAGA hat) and asking if these are mocking Christianity and blasphemous. LOL
These right-wing reactionaries need to be held to account more often by their neighbors so they’ll get back in the caves from which they came. Stop turning the other cheek and call these critters to account. The silent majority can’t be silent anymore. Denial isn’t an option.
Berea is a special place and the graduates of Berea that I know are wonderful stewards of our world. I recommend reading “God’s Politics,” by Jim Wallis. We just have to try every day to love and be
Good neighbor if we are trying to follow the teachings of Jesus.
* Supper
It’s nice to see that there are “Real Christians” out there. Too many people have come to the conclusion that all religions are bad, because what we see on media are money grubbing hypocrites focused on the “prosperity gospel” which doesn’t exist.
Quakers believe that there is “that of God” in everyone. Their guiding principles are represented by “SPICES”: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
We have bumper sticker on our car that says “The Hippies Were Right.” It has drawn a bit of “What were they right about?” on occasion. My wife’s answer has been “Everything.” Mine has been “Love and acceptance, you know, basic Christian concepts.”
Peggy, you are right, not all religions are bad, but they do tend to create the dichotomous “Us” and “Them,” which is bad.
Sheila, this post is uplifting, takes me back to my UU days, and calls to mind a sad little story my UU minister told: He’d just attended an ecumenical meeting, and was on the way out when he said to a Catholic priest that he was happy to see that they were all working for the same end (or some such) when the priest firmly stated “No, were are not!” This fellow was, apparently, deeply into “Us” and “Them,” or “We” and “You.”
A true, real Christian doesn’t have to wear it on their sleeve or shout it from the rooftops. Their actions will let people know.
Although I’m Jewish, I’ve read both parts of the Bible, more than once. What Jesus wanted his followers to do was not to worship him (I would imagine he’s appalled at the very notion, because he believed in god, and only one god), but to treat others well—ALL others. In other words, the Golden Rule.
I did not know these things about Berea. Thank you for the enlightenment.
Did Butler College, Indianapolis, begin on a similar understanding of Christian faith and practice? Founded in 1855, as far as I know. Enrollment open to women and Black People, too?
Sweet. Thanks Sheila.
Thanks, Sheila, for your continued excellence. I’ve enjoyed your writing for years.
My granddaughter and also a dear friend both graduated from Berea. Another granddaughter graduated from Oberlin. They are both excellent institutions and very welcoming to all. Thanks for giving them this spotlight..
Sounds like a wonderful place. Thanks for sharing your travels and endeavors on a daily basis. Your in-depth searches are thought provoking, eye opening and promotes understanding of other viewpoints. Your blog reminds me of the Greek method of “Dialecta” to probe and understand our reality in dialogue and questioning opinions in a rational way.
You can not legitimately be, or call yourself, a Christian and support the un Christ like political hacks calling themselves republicans or MAGA. The two are polar opposites and certainly not nearly the same
The biggest problem is that there are only a handful of religious followers that are performing acts of “God-like” behavior. The golden rule. Ya’know? There are honest to goodness amazing people that have nothing but good intentions inside them. I’m blessed with a remarkable spouse that is one of those kind souls. He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve, he just lives it.
The shouty hateful language spewed by MAGA cult members turns most people off. Inclusive and acceptance of “everyone” no matter your station in life is what helps humans survive. I’m convinced that there are enough evil people that would destroy us all to get their own way. Tax the Churches!
Years ago while on a road trip with a friend, we stopped in Berea, Ky. It was a snowy afternoon and at the invitation of a mutual friend who was spending time doing an internship there.
It was midway between Indy and our destination so we spent the night at the Appalachian resource center. At that time it was a fledging concept.
If it ha a religious connotation, I was unaware of it.
My memory simply recalls a friendly outreach and a philosophy that humans and nature must work together for the survival of both.
I also learned a different way to serve tofu.
I’ve been asking people lately that claim to be Christians, which Christian. The Jesus like Christian or the Maga Christian?