Controversy Over Baylor Lariat Editorial Critical of Catholic Church

From Bob Allen of Associated Baptist Press:

WACO, Texas (ABP) — A Baylor Lariat editorial critical of the Catholic Church’s newly revived practice of indulgences brought a strong rebuke from a prominent Catholic professor at the world’s largest Baptist university. The Feb. 27 editorial in Baylor’s student newspaper criticized several Roman Catholic parishes in the United States for beginning to issue indulgences as part of a larger campaign to make Catholics more concerned with their spirituality.

The student newspaper called indulgences — acts of contrition that Catholics believe help mitigate the punishment for sins — “a dated solution to a problem that needs a modern-day, innovative strategy to truly raise awareness of sin and reconnect people with their religion and their God.” The editorial earned mention on the Catholic Culture website and prompted a letter to the editor from Francis Beckwith, a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University. Beckwith made headlines in 2007, when he resigned as president of the Evangelical Theological Society and announced that he had converted back to his original Catholicism.

Read the rest here. Here’s a snippet from the Baylor Lariat article:

Indulgences first made their modern-day appearance in 2000, under the leadership of Pope John Paul II, in observance of the church entering its third millennium of operation. He also declared indulgences in 2004 and 2005 for the year of the Eucharist. Indulgences have been offered a total of 12 times since 2000. With all these separate issuances, non-Catholics may perceive that the religion is resorting back to the Medieval Catholic church. After all, the formal title of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses is “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” Medieval Catholicism is assumedly something the Church would want to put behind them. The Spanish Inquisition and the Crusdaes brought human rights violations the Church would probably rather not draw attention to. It’s curious that Catholic leaders are promoting something reminiscent of their darkest hour.

Several professors have responded to this editorial here, here, and here. A couple of students have responded here.  And according to this professor, the ASSOCIATED Baptist Press story above is factually inaccurate on one point. Thus far, the Lariat has not published a response in defense of the editorial.

I really don’t have a critique to offer regarding the substance of this editorial.  Obviously, we Baptists don’t do indulgences and I’m not exactly an expert on Catholic history/theology.  This philosophy professor does make some good points here.

A couple of comments:

I’m not the most regular reader of the Baylor Lariat.  During my undergrad years at the University of Georgia, I was a read the Red & Black independent student newspaper each and every day while taking the commute via the UGA bus from the student parking lots to the campus.  But the Baylor Lariat just doesn’t compare to the daily Red & Black.  So, I tend to get my Baylor news elsewhere.

All that said, I’m sure that the Lariat in recent years has published more than a few cartoons and editorials in recent years that have offended someone, somewhere.  Op-Eds and Cartoons tend to do that - they offend and they especially offend those who like to be offended.

I’m regularly “offended” by opinion pieces in various secular and religious publications.  Occasionally, I’m even offended by an op-ed at the Associated Baptist Press.  Ted Nugent’s trash column in the local Waco Tribune regularly makes my blood boil.  That’s the nature of editorials.  In the past, I’ve probably enjoyed too much being offended by editorials, talk radio quacks and the loud-mouths on Cable.  During college, I even suffered from an addiction to Fox News!

But if one is looking to establish a pattern of anti-Catholic rhetoric in Baylor’s student newspaper, I’m sure that person will have some success.  Similarly, if a dyed-in-the-wool Southern Baptist was looking for a pattern of anti-SBC rhetoric in Baylor’s student newspaper, I’m sure that person would also have some success.  I’m rather certain that my Southern Baptist friends would be offended on some level by this January 29, 2008 piece from the Baylor Lariat’s Editorial Board.

Given that Baptists make up roughly 40% of Baylor’s student body and that the overwhelming and I mean OVERWHELMING majority of those 5500 or so Baptist students are members of churches that affiliate with and financially support the Southern Baptist Convention, I’d say this shows that the Baylor Lariat Editorial Board is more of an Equal Opportunity Offender than anything else!

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