Everett Piper
Columns by Everett Piper
The anti-bigotry bigots at work
More "I can't tolerate your intolerance" from the anti-bigotry bigots. Published August 12, 2018
Knowing the difference between political posturing and a principled stand
As a university president, one of my obligations is to speak at various different church events. For 16 years, I have traveled the nation delivering talks on everything from religious liberty and academic freedom to the "snowflake rebellion" and the importance of the historical liberal arts model of higher education. Published August 5, 2018
Why one must love something bigger than himself
You know the story -- Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus. He ran in the foothills and forests of Greece, he joined with the fawns and dryads in the woodland sports as they ran in the fields and climbed the mountains. He was incredibly handsome. Published July 29, 2018
The audacity of Obama
This past week, Barack Obama delivered a speech where he said, "unfortunately too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth ... People just make stuff up ... We see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they're caught in a lie, and they just double down." Published July 22, 2018
Where Anthony Kennedy and Brett Kavanaugh diverge
"At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe and the mystery of human life." Published July 15, 2018
Sinners miss the lesson of the Gospel by fixating on sin instead of transformation
In his book "The Divine Conspiracy," Dallas Willard talks about what he calls the "gospel of sin management." He confronts the errors of both conservatives and liberals. He challenges the left and the right by saying both have missed the truth of the Gospel by ironically committing the same error: Fixating on sin rather than focusing on transformation. Published July 8, 2018
Suddenly, the left loves Leviticus
This week in the news: All of the sudden, the mainstream media, Hollywood, the liberal church, and other members of our national intelligentsia seem to care about what the Bible says. In particular, they appear to have suddenly acquired some affection for the Old Testament — a book that, heretofore, these proud members of the "smarter-than-thou" club have excoriated as laden with "hate-filled rhetoric." Published June 24, 2018
The despair of Anthony Bourdain
In the early 1900s, G.K. Chesterton spoke of the unavoidable consequences of denying God as our Creator and worshipping science above the sacred. Observing that the naturalists of his day were only too willing to turn their science into a philosophy and then impose their new religion upon all of culture with near fanatic zeal, Chesterton said, "I [have] never said a word against eminent men of science. What I complain of is a vague popular philosophy which supposes itself to be scientific when it is really nothing but a sort of new religion and an uncommonly nasty one." Published June 17, 2018
‘Reclaiming Jesus’ promotes a distorted Christian faith
A bit of news you may have missed over the past couple weeks was that of about 2,000 high-profile Christian pastors and church elders who, on May 24, marched on the White House. Published June 10, 2018
Demanding tolerance while refusing to show tolerance is folly
Delusion reigns in the mind of Lord Diversity and his minions. He demands tolerance while declaring he will not tolerate the intolerant. He requires openness of mind but closes his mind to all who disagree. His Majesty Diversity, after all, says it is true that nothing is true. He knows nothing can be known, he is sure that nothing is sure, and he is absolutely confident that no one can have confidence in absolutes. Published June 3, 2018
Surprisingly, Donald Trump has proved himself to be pro-life
Two years ago, as I sat in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court, I was crestfallen. Oklahoma Wesleyan's lawsuit against Obamacare and its unjust abortifacient mandate — a mandate that forced my university, under threat of law, to include abortion-inducing drugs in our health insurance package — hung in the balance. Justice Antonin Scalia had just died. All hope for a majority ruling in favor of our religious freedom seemed lost. Published May 27, 2018
Pursuing God, or petting goats
It is finals week at colleges and universities across the nation, and the University of Maine at Orono just announced a brilliant plan: It is providing a herd of goats for students to feed and pet in order to help them — presumably the students, not the goats — get through the stress of final exams. Published May 20, 2018
A professor’s prayer
Wednesday, May 3, was our country's National Day of Prayer. It was a day where millions of Americans gathered at various venues in various communities petitioning God for his forgiveness, protection and providence. Published May 6, 2018
What college campuses can reveal
D. Michael Lindsay, president of Gordon College, wrote recently in an article that he penned for The Gospel Coalition, "Every higher education institution has a [hidden curriculum]. It's not the catchy slogan emblazoned on campus merchandise, and it's not necessarily in an admissions counselor's spiel. Published April 29, 2018
Open season on Christianity and the Constitution
It's morning in America, and a look back on the week's news proves it is open season on Christians and the U.S. Constitution. Published April 22, 2018
Human decency is not about weapons, but about ideas that guide moral direction
The BBC News reported last week that the London murder rate has overtaken that of New York City: Published April 8, 2018
Fighting the darkness in search of freedom lights the way
In "The Silver Chair," the fifth book in the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, we follow three main characters, two children named Scrubb and Jill and a Narnian friend called Puddleglum, as they venture into a dark underground world in search of Rilian the Prince of Narnia who is being held captive by none other than an evil witch. Published April 1, 2018
How today’s identity politics is fueled by hypocrisy
Two weeks ago, I wrote a column titled "Conversations About Sex." In this article, I asked this basic question: If our culture has decided there is no such thing as an objective moral standard pertaining to sexual behavior then on what basis can we make any moral judgments about any behavior? Published March 25, 2018
The devilish details of Oklahoma’s religious freedom measure
On March 15, Oklahoma's Senate was scheduled to vote on SB 197, the Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act. This act sought to codify into law the rights and protections of all Oklahomans to express and practice their religion freely in the public square without fear of government penalty or government coercion. The Oklahoma Senate is composed of 48 members, 40 of which are currently Republican. Published March 18, 2018
How amorality thrives on college campuses
"The Lottery" is a classic short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. It's the tale of a rural, farming community in America of about three hundred residents. The town seems normal by all accounts as it prepares for a traditional, harvest-time event known as The Lottery. Published March 11, 2018
