Did KXYL's James Williamson (Brown County Republican Spokesperson) keep this from his "students" ?

Published on Friday, May 20, 2005 by the Detroit News
President's Visit Stirs Dissent at Conservative Calvin College
by Laura Berman
 The president may have been expecting a warmer welcome from Calvin College than he'll get Saturday.

An Open Letter to the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush
On May 21, 2005, you will give the commencement address at Calvin College. We, the undersigned, respect your office, and we join the college in welcoming you to our campus. Like you, we recognize the importance of religious commitment in American political life.
We seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere. While recognizing God as sovereign over individuals and institutions alike, we understand that no single political position should be identified with God's will, and we are conscious that this applies to our own views as well as those of others. At the same time we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration.
As Christians we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort. We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq.
As Christians we are called to lift up the hungry and impoverished. We believe your administration has taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor.
As Christians we are called to actions characterized by love, gentleness, and concern for the most vulnerable among us. We believe your administration has fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees.
As Christians we are called to be caretakers of God's good creation. We believe your environmental policies have harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment.
Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy, and we pray for wisdom for you and all world leaders.
--Concerned faculty, staff, and emeriti of Calvin College

He's delivering a commencement speech to 900 graduating students.
It's a liberal arts school that defines its mission as "developing the Christian mind," and requires what its spokesman, Phil de Haan, calls "an allegiance of faith" from its faculty, and theology studies from its students.
But 100 members of the faculty and another 40 staff and former faculty members have signed an open letter of rebuke to the president that's scheduled to appear as a half-page ad in the Grand Rapids Press on the day of the president's speech.
While welcoming the president, the letter delivers a carefully worded critique of administration policies from a Christian viewpoint. It calls the Iraq war "unjust and unjustified," expresses dismay at policies that "favor the wealthy ... and burden the poor," challenges policies of intolerance toward dissent, and environmental policies that are at odds with being "caretakers of God's good creation."
The letter signers view the occasion of the president's speech as a teachable moment.
"People have been saying that the president's visit will put us on the map. But there are some maps we don't want to be on," says David Crump, a Calvin professor of religion who helped draft the letter.
Crump says that news of the open letter has gotten response from around the country. It's tapped into what he sees as "a silent majority in the Christian evangelical community that resents the Christian vocabulary being hijacked by the religious right."
Crump and Randall Jelks, a history professor, told me they view the president's appearance as an occasion to register dissent -- in a respectful and honorable and Christian way.
"We are guided by Christian conviction. ... John Calvin wasn't an easy pushover kind of guy, either," says Jelks. "He was a reformer."
The letter is one way to register the fact that even in the heart of Christian America, religion does not dictate politics. It reminds Americans that even at a conservative Christian school, where religious values are paramount, people have different social, political and cultural views.
It's a way, the professors say, to counter stereotypical thinking about Christian institutions.
They are insistent on a tradition of liberal thought, grounded in religious belief, that suddenly feels positively 19th century.
And while news of the letter has raised the ire of some alumni, others have been surprised and even delighted to see a diversity of viewpoints on campus, spokesman de Haan said.
The administration may not be thrilled by open dissent -- but it's not planning retribution, either.
And de Haan pointed out that 200 faculty members did not sign the letter.
"Within the bounds of our religious faith, we argue a lot at Calvin. That's what makes us unique," said Jelks.
At Calvin College, they're warming up an idea that used to be as American as apple pie -- dissent delivered with respect.

© 2005 The Detroit News
source: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0520-27.htm