THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511120115
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 146 lines
Regent University has been trying to recast its image and broaden its reach, but nobody there imagined it would become a star in the big-time secular press.
Yet the Christian graduate school, founded by Pat Robertson, is the subject of the cover story in this month's issue of Atlantic Monthly, a leading intellectual magazine with a circulation of 400,000 .
The author of the article, Harvey Cox, a liberal theologian from Harvard University, visited Regent last spring. He found a campus far less rigidly conservative and more open to debate than he expected.
``Regent, it appears, is not so much a boot camp for rightist cadres as a microcosm of the theological and intellectual turbulence within what is often mistakenly seen as a monolithic `religious right' in America,'' Cox writes.
``. . . If there is a `line' at Regent, which would presumably be a mirror image of the political correctness that is allegedly enforced at elite liberal universities, it is not easy to locate.''
Most faculty members, he writes, distance themselves from fundamentalism and ``are pragmatists who accept religious pluralism.'' And, he says, students and professors showed more political diversity than he expected, one eagerly telling Cox that he worked to defeat Oliver North in North's Senate run last year.
Though Regent's students and administrators fault Cox on a few theological points, many proudly see the story as proof of the 17-year-old university's coming of age.
``It positioned Regent as an emergent young university, which has some issues to wrestle with as it tries to stay in touch with its evangelical roots and yet engage society in a meaningful way,'' said George Selig, the provost.
Even Cox's visit - he was invited to speak about the Pentecostal movement - signals the shift in Regent's philosophy in the past few years.
More and more, the university is reaching out to groups that haven't always agreed, or felt comfortable, with evangelism or Robertson.
Todd Wilkowski, a law student, said these efforts have created a vibrant community. Christians - including Catholics like himself and Pentecostalists - are ``all coming together, not in complete agreement. But there are many things we can bring to the table and share with each other.
``Oftentimes many people are afraid of change, but change that glorifies the Lord and brings us closer to understanding the truth - that's change we need to look forward to and embrace.''
Yet some students say that in the move to the mainstream, Regent has lost its soul, what makes it unique in American higher education.
Many of the skeptics are in the law school, whose dean and founder, Herbert W. Titus, was fired two years ago. To his opponents, he represented a doctrinaire conservatism that stifled debate. To his admirers, he was the champion of biblical supremacy, keeping the university on its mission.
Without him, law student Jim Mischel said, most classes have been diluted of their biblical content and are almost indistinguishable from courses in secular law schools.
``I had to go off and study Titus on my own because I wasn't getting the biblical perspective,'' Mischel said. ``I'm not sure what the vision of Regent is anymore.''
But even Mischel's comment illustrates the freedom that many of the 1,400 students feel on campus.
``We can have vocal disagreement with what's being taught,'' divinity student John Byron said. ``We're not here being spoon-fed with an outline that's supposed to be memorized.''
Sometimes the dialogue gets political: Is the death penalty a good idea? Is the federal government responsible for providing welfare to the poor? Almost always, there's more than one viewpoint. And almost always, they come from biblical interpretations.
On affirmative action, for instance, opponents at Regent have argued that it violates the biblical precept that all people are created equal, said Dawn Carlson, a government student.
Yet the Bible also offers precedents in support of special treatment for the disadvantaged, divinity student Garry Hanvey said: Leviticus commands those who ``reap the harvest'' to leave the ``corners of thy field'' and some grapes in the vineyard for the poor.
But as Cox points out, some other subjects are less open to debate. Joe Kickasola, a film student, says there's little argument at Regent about abortion rights or the immorality of homosexuality. ``The reason is, some things in Scripture seem more clear than others,'' he said.
The variety of viewpoints has been matched by a push to broaden the university in other areas:
Race. Law student Terence Malloy, who is black, says he's seeing a greater desire by the law school to recruit African-American students. ``They're talking about moving in the right direction,'' he said. ``I think their heart's in the right place, but I don't know how much they've put into action.'' However, Malloy himself is being sent to colleges in Virginia and North Carolina to promote Regent - though he acknowledges he must overcome some hostility to Robertson in the black community.
Eleven percent of Regent's students are black, up from 8 percent three years ago, President Terry Lindvall said. He says the percentage will go up in the next few years as the university increases its recruitment efforts and scholarships.
Catholicism. Selig, the provost, says some Catholics used to feel unwanted at Regent. But Regent now ``openly embraces our Catholic brothers,'' he said.
Five percent of the student body is Catholic, Lindvall said. A Catholic Mass is held every Wednesday, and a few weeks ago Regent began a club for Catholic students.
Speakers and programs. Cox wasn't the only speaker invited to Regent whose views didn't necessarily jibe with those of evangelicals. Last fall, Catholic Bishop Walter F. Sullivan spoke of his support for gay rights.
Next month, Regent is sponsoring a series of seminars - given by two Regent professors and a New York rabbi - on Jewish and Christian views of Jesus. ``Even with our Jewish friends, we are asking: `What is it that connects us?' '' Lindvall said.
``We're not sitting in an ivory tower,'' said Kelly McElveen, a journalism student who edits Focus, a student magazine. ``It's our job to communicate biblical truths to people who may be Christian or may not be Christian. . . . By inviting people like Harvey Cox, it's to understand what those who disagree with us say.''
Federal aid. For the first time, Regent has applied to participate in the federal student aid program, Lindvall said. Loans should be available by next fall.
In the past, he said, Regent feared that participation would open the door for government meddling in university policies. But he said other Christian colleges in the program haven't had problems. Plus, the American Bar Association has suggested this would be a good way to increase minority enrollment in the law school.
What hasn't changed for students is their commitment to serve God and Jesus Christ.
During a two-hour discussion with 13 other students last week, Mischel's comments on the religious void in his law classes sparked a mini-debate.
Carlson, the government student, said that in her school ``all the professors still believe biblical integration in class is very important.'' But in some schools at Regent, she said, ``I've heard they've about given up on the biblical perspective.''
But most students said they were satisfied with the religious foundations of their classes. Malloy, for instance, said that from evidence to torts, his professors have not overlooked the biblical underpinnings of the legal system.
Hanvey, the divinity student, said: ``We're still trying to uphold biblical values. Is this glorifying to God? Is this as close to God's will as revealed in Scripture?
``That's what sets us apart. We're seeking to please God in every decision we make.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by TAMARA VONINSKI, The Virginian-Pilot
Regent University law student Jim Mischel says most classes have
been diluted of their biblical content and are almost
indistinguishable from courses in secular law schools.
KEYWORDS: REGENT UNIVERSITY by CNB