Ben Holcomb
Though Pepperdine is a fine institution overall its strictness is its greatest downfall. Some of the rules enforced on and around campus cross the line when it comes to student rights. I took the time to sit down and read the handbook from cover to cover and came up with a few things that unsettled me. If you will…
Being a plain old Protestant I can’t help but feel uncomfortable when looking at some of the rules Pepperdine and the Church of Christ stand by. For one the University Church of Christ church services are instrument-free. This comes from a belief that worship should be as close to biblical times as possible. At my first service staring at two projection screens with PowerPoint’s on them (lit by the wondrous luminosity of a bunch of light bulbs…powered by electricity) the practice of this rule seemed a little absurd and loosely applied. Do we really think the riffs of a guitar or beats on a bongo displease God? I’d like to think he’s got bigger things to worry about.
Continuing with the subject the Pepperdine Church of Christ follows the Bible too literally. Of course everyone’s entitled to their own opinions but when those opinions seep over and affect the lives of others problems arise. The student handbook reads “It is expected that all students adhere to biblical teaching regarding moral and ethical practices.” Beyond this it goes on to say that the school “reserves the right to dismiss any person who violates these principles.” What the school forgets to take into account is the fact that the Bible says a lot of things that quite simply are crazy. The book of Leviticus is chock full of rules that nobody abides by today. Among them: banning round haircuts (19:27) tattoos (19:28) killing of those who participate in homosexual activity (20) stoning wizards (20:27) and killing those of differing religions (Deuteronomy 12:2-7). Now of course all of these rules are absurd but the point is the school shouldn’t pick and choose which laws of the Bible to follow or assign to their handbook for the student body to live out.
More to the point the majority of campus would probably complain primarily about the alcohol policies. Though underage drinking is a problem nationwide it happens on almost every college campus in America. It’s a fact of life. Establishing unjust rules only makes people find ways around them. Outlawing alcohol may lead to people going off campus to drink which consequently may lead to higher probabilities of drunk driving. Instead the school should work to establish safety measurements to protect students who choose to partake in such activities. And does anyone else think it’s unjust to make alcohol illegal on campus for people over 21? Even when they’re legally allowed to drink it everywhere else in the union? I understand the parameters which the school must obey to enjoy this campus but it’s wrong to restrict someone from doing something they’re legally allowed to do.
Finally the last major issue is the school’s view on sexual conduct on campus. The handbook holds the right to discipline anyone who participates in any form of sexual conduct outside of marriage. The words in the rulebook are very vague and open-ended leading one to interpret just exactly what that means. The opposite-sex hours in dorm rooms can become aggravating at times especially on the weekend. But the oddest part is that if you choose to break the rules and participate in “sexual activity and accidentally get pregnant, you won’t be punished. This morbid loophole is incredibly unfair and indicative of the biggest issue with campus strictness; instead of being naïve, why not promote your beliefs while at the same time working to protect your students in these situations? In essence, hope for the best but plan for the worst. Furthermore, the Student Health Center refuses to supply students with contraceptives, but won’t turn away those who become pregnant. The logic here is clearly twisted; we can’t support your decision to be sexually active but if/when you do we’ll help you deal with your life-altering circumstance. It’s almost like a chicken and egg problem, but in this case the order’s obvious yet the school’s completely backward.
I love Pepperdine. I think it’s the best school in the world. The strictness of the school pales in comparison to all of its positive elements. But, as long as these rules stand, students will lack the real life experiences and learning lessons that every other college student in America goes through.
Brendan Fereday
We absolutely need rules, and it’s better for us and the university that they come from the Christian faith. We are children who want our own way and expect the rest of the world to get in line with us. We think we are little gods who are beyond the rule of a higher power. This is a sure way to emptiness, despair and a lifetime of shadow when we were promised daylight. It is these Christian rules” that keep us from destroying ourselves. We are wrong to think the rules should cater to our college environment because the college environment is messed up. We are wrong to think faith-based rules are too harsh because we are messed up but God is not.
Rules are not that big of a problem. The issue becomes exponentially gnarlier when we toss in religion. C.S. Lewis explains this idea quite nicely using a fleet of ships. For the ships to sail successfully they must sail in unison not crashing into each other. They must have their internal mechanics working right and they must have a destination. We are the ships and according to Lewis it is government that keeps us from crashing into one another. The Christian rules of Pepperdine try to regulate how we interact with other students and they exist to ensure that our Christian community is protected to keep us from “crashing into each other.” It would be wrong for us to question Pepperdine’s prerogative to honor and protect its identity as a Christian community. Just as individuals have a right to protect themselves so do institutions. Furthermore in accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ it is Pepperdine’s responsibility to uphold moral living through faith rules. And it’s better for us; we may witness how radically differently Christians live compared to the rest of the world and how much love and grace and sincere fellowship there is in a Christian community. We may find God and discover our purpose. It depends on whether the Christianity that is being represented is real Christianity (which is not impossible).
We aren’t even asking the right question. We should not be concerned with the harshness of the rules but the motives for Christian rules in the first place. The harshness is frankly irrelevant. It is completely Pepperdine’s right to continue doing what they are doing. What we should be asking is if this university is using the rules to sincerely protect its religious identity and uphold Christian morals or is Pepperdine using the rules to impress a specific theological conviction or doctrine. God cannot be forced. He must be introduced. It is extremely dangerous when any authority attempts to conform people to a way of thinking (not to be confused with presenting faith). Humans are going to mess up no matter how good their intentions or clear their vision. Post-Reformation England saw unprecedented religious turmoil because the government attempted to conform religion. Their perverse and corrupt efforts eventually drove the nation to civil war and sent Protestants to America to seek religious freedom. It gets scary when an authoritarian power starts to define and conform your God but God will not be conformed.&nb
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I am personally more concerned with the ships. These two facets are of infinitely greater importance because they are the source of our outward actions. They are the real determiners of how we look how successful we are how much we love etc. When we attempt to merely fix behavior it is only covering up symptoms of a far greater and darker disease. If we decide to be hooligans it means we are sick in the heart and have chosen not to see the direction we were intended for— two issues that rules cannot resolve. If we are conforming outwardly but do not have hearts to match we have just put on a mask. We desperately need something bigger and more perfect than this world to rescue us from ourselves and resolve these two issues. The problem is if Pepperdine is attempting to impress religion upon us through rules without our hearts being in agreement. That only teaches us the dangerous skill of how to look religious one of the most deadly sins God calls out against in the Bible (Isaiah 1:13-15).
We need the rules here because we are fallen and immature regardless of how old we like to think we are. And Pepperdine is entitled to make those rules faith-based no matter how harsh they seem. We are in trouble if there is ever a point in our lives when we consider ourselves fully mature and all-knowing. It’s difficult because we can’t see the full picture yet. But again I think we should be more concerned with the ships.
