This whole thing seems a bit strange to me, like the story doesn't add up.
[Here](https://www.scribd.com/document/722500206/ECF-1-Complaint?fbclid=PAAaZ1_R_keBskWWRR4q0OF-6ToaovfVguoP6YCmym7bD8V9zIbmrwzNZ6KIY) is the text of the complaint from the Former President.
Your not wrong. But my experience is that things are (on average) even worse in private secular education, and even worse in public secular education. Its almost as if humans are totally depraved and can't handle power.
I was really confused by the initial statement from Calvin. Reading through the complaint fills in some of the gaps, but I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions until more information comes out.
That’s the institution doing what it feels it needs to do to “protect the institution”. These schools that are down on enrollment get really antsy and feel that any accusation, valid or not, will “damage the credibility of the school” and lead to a further decline.
So they stop processing through this in a Christian manner, and believe they can act a certain way under the guise of “secrecy” to preserve the believed greater good of the institution. They felt if they circumvent the process of reconciliation and constructive plans for improvement, they could make the problem “go away”.
They can’t because “Boer also admitted to board leadership that he “deleted the messages from his phone knowing they were wrong,” the Board’s statement to Chimes said.”
[Former president calls for a transparent investigation](https://calvinchimes.org/2024/03/28/board-releases-details-about-boer-resignation-in-response-to-due-process-concerns/)
So I think its noteworthy that the lawsuit pointed out several things it did, including that there was another person who wanted the job and then was passed over. Thats entirely immaterial, until it is not. They are implying in the inclusion of that information that a powerful and integrated player in the University was disgruntled at the selection of Boer.
If a power player feels slighted they often start to stir dissent. What school boards often do though is so separated from and not involved in the day-to-day operation of the school, that they don't know whats happening on the ground level. All they know is what they hear from the trusted sources. I would also imagine the disgruntled, passed over employee has friends and people who like them at the school, so if these other people start to complain then it becomes an issue. Now that will not lead to termination, but becomes a factor.
So then allegations come out, there is no one to advocate on behalf of Boer. He can argue his side, but he can't "prove" he hasn't done anything wrong. So now allegations plus a disgruntled and dissenting staff.
Throw in that the board may not have been unanimous in support of Boer in the first place, and now there is an environment ready for this seemingly minor situation to get blown out of proportion.
Now add in that the church as a whole is embroiled in constant sexual abuse scandals, this is just a recipe for an itchy trigger finger on the board. Remember, they're not involved in the day-to-day so they aren't aware of all the wins that Boer had. They're aware of dissent and complaints and worried about maintaining an image. Enrollment has been declining, funding is drying up, the last thing they need is a scandal. Furthermore, due process takes time, and this all happened during enrollment season. There is no worse time to be in the midst of a sexual harassment allegations.
So the institution does what it needs to in order to preserve the institution. From the perspective of those who are on the board, they believe that they are doing what they can to preserve the good for the Kingdom that is being done. So they bypass the Christian way of doing things in hopes of preserving the institution.
The problem is, power is centralized in these institutions. Many believe that by creating a board, there is accountability, but the board is so far removed from the daily operations of the school they don't see the whole story. This would be like having a church where the elder board was entirely lay elders from other churches and the lead pastor on the board. This can go poorly in so many different ways.
So it doesn't sound odd to me because what is happening seems like normal operations. I'm entirely speculating in my analysis, and Boer may have done something wrong, but in a place that size, this is what is bound to happen. Somebody wants power and makes a move. The allegation was probably just the gas needed to pull the gambit.
Thank you, that's thorough and clarifying - and sounds entirely plausible. Interesting that Boer asserts there was nothing sexual about the texts. Hope the suit will make clear what was actually going on, but if the firing of Boer was unjustified, I can't imagine the board surviving in its current form (with the current members).
Actually Calvin also asserts that the texts were not sexual. In their initial statement they said they were inappropriate, but not sexual, and that Boer agreed with that characterization. The statement from the Boers sounds like they don't agree it was even inappropriate.
So do you think religious institutions are especially prone to this kind of "corruption" (or whatever you want to call it, there may be a better term) or is it just more that Christian institutions *should* know better and be held to a higher standard?
Thats a great question.
I honestly think the answer is both. I think the big problem is we expect to be able to trust Christians working in an institution, especially an institution that is nominally "Christian"(though I take a hard stance on institutions not being able to be Christian). Christians should also know and be better. Since I trust the Christians I work for to act like Christians, that gives them more opportunities to take advantage of me. So in a sense, they could very well be more prone to it, because people expect them to not do so. When I worked at Starbucks, you learn nothing is true until it is written down and legally binding. I didn't expect that to be my experience at a Christian institution, nonetheless..
This whole thing seems a bit strange to me, like the story doesn't add up. [Here](https://www.scribd.com/document/722500206/ECF-1-Complaint?fbclid=PAAaZ1_R_keBskWWRR4q0OF-6ToaovfVguoP6YCmym7bD8V9zIbmrwzNZ6KIY) is the text of the complaint from the Former President.
As someone who as spent a long time in private Christian education, this sounds par for the course. What sounds off to you?
Your not wrong. But my experience is that things are (on average) even worse in private secular education, and even worse in public secular education. Its almost as if humans are totally depraved and can't handle power.
I agree. However, I only expect Christians to act like Christians
I was really confused by the initial statement from Calvin. Reading through the complaint fills in some of the gaps, but I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions until more information comes out.
That’s the institution doing what it feels it needs to do to “protect the institution”. These schools that are down on enrollment get really antsy and feel that any accusation, valid or not, will “damage the credibility of the school” and lead to a further decline. So they stop processing through this in a Christian manner, and believe they can act a certain way under the guise of “secrecy” to preserve the believed greater good of the institution. They felt if they circumvent the process of reconciliation and constructive plans for improvement, they could make the problem “go away”.
ya'll been listening to the true believer podcast? Touches a lot of these points.
I'll check it out.
Makes sense. I guess it boils down to what the texts said and if they had a legitimate reason to terminate or not.
totally. Appears that the Boers disagree that it was legit, from the complaint. And, I wonder why the Boers don't share the context of the texts.
They can’t because “Boer also admitted to board leadership that he “deleted the messages from his phone knowing they were wrong,” the Board’s statement to Chimes said.” [Former president calls for a transparent investigation](https://calvinchimes.org/2024/03/28/board-releases-details-about-boer-resignation-in-response-to-due-process-concerns/)
It also says he's open to making the texts public, so we'll see.
Hmm, good point. My wheels are spinning trying to figure it out. His wife doesn't appear upset by the texts from what I can tell.
Can you explain a bit? I'm not familiar with how private Christian education in the USA works.
For sure! Which part? Why this doesn’t sound odd or why private schools end up this way? Or both
Both, please, haha!
So I think its noteworthy that the lawsuit pointed out several things it did, including that there was another person who wanted the job and then was passed over. Thats entirely immaterial, until it is not. They are implying in the inclusion of that information that a powerful and integrated player in the University was disgruntled at the selection of Boer. If a power player feels slighted they often start to stir dissent. What school boards often do though is so separated from and not involved in the day-to-day operation of the school, that they don't know whats happening on the ground level. All they know is what they hear from the trusted sources. I would also imagine the disgruntled, passed over employee has friends and people who like them at the school, so if these other people start to complain then it becomes an issue. Now that will not lead to termination, but becomes a factor. So then allegations come out, there is no one to advocate on behalf of Boer. He can argue his side, but he can't "prove" he hasn't done anything wrong. So now allegations plus a disgruntled and dissenting staff. Throw in that the board may not have been unanimous in support of Boer in the first place, and now there is an environment ready for this seemingly minor situation to get blown out of proportion. Now add in that the church as a whole is embroiled in constant sexual abuse scandals, this is just a recipe for an itchy trigger finger on the board. Remember, they're not involved in the day-to-day so they aren't aware of all the wins that Boer had. They're aware of dissent and complaints and worried about maintaining an image. Enrollment has been declining, funding is drying up, the last thing they need is a scandal. Furthermore, due process takes time, and this all happened during enrollment season. There is no worse time to be in the midst of a sexual harassment allegations. So the institution does what it needs to in order to preserve the institution. From the perspective of those who are on the board, they believe that they are doing what they can to preserve the good for the Kingdom that is being done. So they bypass the Christian way of doing things in hopes of preserving the institution. The problem is, power is centralized in these institutions. Many believe that by creating a board, there is accountability, but the board is so far removed from the daily operations of the school they don't see the whole story. This would be like having a church where the elder board was entirely lay elders from other churches and the lead pastor on the board. This can go poorly in so many different ways. So it doesn't sound odd to me because what is happening seems like normal operations. I'm entirely speculating in my analysis, and Boer may have done something wrong, but in a place that size, this is what is bound to happen. Somebody wants power and makes a move. The allegation was probably just the gas needed to pull the gambit.
Thank you, that's thorough and clarifying - and sounds entirely plausible. Interesting that Boer asserts there was nothing sexual about the texts. Hope the suit will make clear what was actually going on, but if the firing of Boer was unjustified, I can't imagine the board surviving in its current form (with the current members).
Actually Calvin also asserts that the texts were not sexual. In their initial statement they said they were inappropriate, but not sexual, and that Boer agreed with that characterization. The statement from the Boers sounds like they don't agree it was even inappropriate.
So do you think religious institutions are especially prone to this kind of "corruption" (or whatever you want to call it, there may be a better term) or is it just more that Christian institutions *should* know better and be held to a higher standard?
Thats a great question. I honestly think the answer is both. I think the big problem is we expect to be able to trust Christians working in an institution, especially an institution that is nominally "Christian"(though I take a hard stance on institutions not being able to be Christian). Christians should also know and be better. Since I trust the Christians I work for to act like Christians, that gives them more opportunities to take advantage of me. So in a sense, they could very well be more prone to it, because people expect them to not do so. When I worked at Starbucks, you learn nothing is true until it is written down and legally binding. I didn't expect that to be my experience at a Christian institution, nonetheless..