An Open Letter from Dr. Matt Olson of Northland International University
Dear Friends in Ministry,
Thank you for your demonstration of true friendship over these past few months. So many of you have called, emailed, and written me. Yes, God has been doing great things. Yet, when He does, the pot gets stirred. Conflict often follows.
What God has been doing among us…
I thought it would be helpful for me to share a few thoughts concerning recent events at Northland as well as our process of thought. My prayer each day is that God would give us grace to work through our present opportunities and challenges in ways that fulfill His purposes for us and that please Him most. Never has there been a more exciting day to prepare this next generation for Great Commission living or to advance kingdom causes!
January 2008: I began praying for God to do “greater things” here at Northland. It seemed to me that the church as a whole had grown cold with the works of men and was crying out for the works of God to be manifest. I prayed to that end:
- For God to give us vision and clarity for what He wanted at Northland.
- For wisdom in navigating from where we were to where we needed to be.
- For boldness and grace—as we knew the process would be difficult.
- For abundant provision.
- For His name alone to be magnified.
In many ways God has been answering those prayers and has blessed Northland beyond our expectations. We felt, however, that this was only the beginning.
August 15, 2010: I began a forty day journey of fasting and prayer for the works of God to be manifested and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I took this step of faith with some uncertainty—not really knowing how I would do or what God would do. I was certain that I was not content to coast through this final stretch of life and ministry without seeing God do something much more. I have been longing for “greater things.” Dr. Ollila, the administration, faculty, and staff joined me in this. I wish I could share all that has taken place. It has been an incredible time!
What I did not expect was the testing that would follow. Yet, now I realize this to be a familiar pattern in scripture and in history. So, we take it from the Lord and respond with strength and grace that He gives. Sometimes our motives and actions can be misunderstood and miscommunicated. I know that happens. I have always felt that the best response would be to communicate in a positive way. The following are a few points of clarification on what is happening at Northland:
1. The Way of Discipleship
We have superseded our demerit system with what we feel is a biblical model of discipleship. In reality, it is a re-commitment to a means of discipleship that has already been present at Northland. We just took away an artificial demerit system that was awkwardly laid on top of our student system of governance. Our standards and expectations remain the same. But, the way we confront and encourage is relational and the consequences practical. Quite honestly, it is a lot more work with this new way. But, it’s more biblical. And it already appears to be yielding better results. We see “The Way of Discipleship” in the spirit of Matthew 5 where Jesus “raised the bar” from the Old Testament law. We believe grace expects more—and deepens more. While we see our system as a “work in progress,” we have been very pleased with the responses of our students, faculty, and staff.
2. Our Music Philosophy
Philosophically, it is unchanged. Let me say it again…unchanged. What we have always been trying to do, and will continue to do into the future, is to make sure Northland’s practice of music (as with every aspect of the Christian life) is built principally on clear teachings from the Bible rather than on reactionary, extra-biblical reasoning that has proven to be troublingly insufficient when exported to cultures beyond American borders. We believe the Bible is sufficient to bring us to right and God-honoring positions regardless of time and culture. Even though we haven’t changed our music at a philosophical level, we are changing our music on a missional level. Where you will see changes is in our intent to expand our training to prepare students for worship and music globally. This only makes sense because, as you may have noticed, Northland International University has become more and more an international, global ministry with a passion to take the gospel where it is not proclaimed. Over 41% of the world’s population is still without a Gospel witness. This has become our students’ burden. Our Director of Fine Arts, Kevin Suiter, has recently informed us he does not believe he can take us forward in this way and thus has announced his plans to move on. We wish Kevin and Grace the best and thank them for the investments they have made here.
3. Our Guest Speakers
We invited two speakers that have generated some questions.
a. Rick Holland. Dr. Holland is the Executive Pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where John MacArthur is senior pastor. Since we get many questions concerning John MacArthur and where he is in regard to fundamentalism, we decided that the best way to address this was to meet him face to face. In April of this year, Les Ollila, Doug McLachlan, Sam Horn, and I went to California and sat down with Dr. MacArthur, Rick Holland, and Phil Johnson (Executive Director of Grace to You). We had an excellent visit and found that while we did not agree on everything, we did agree on the most substantive issues of life and ministry. While we realize we function in different circles and with different constituencies, we appreciated what they were doing. I invited Rick to visit our campus to see what we were doing at Northland, meet with our Bible faculty, and speak in chapel. This was an opportunity to get to know one another and discuss significant issues of our day.
b. Bruce Ware. Dr. Ware is a professor at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville. He is a well-recognized teacher and author. We have invited him to teach half of an advanced-degree seminar on a specialty subject our leading pastors need to be fully versed in. Why? Because Dr. Ware has written so skillfully and authoritatively on this particular topic. This seminar is for experienced, mature pastors who are presently in ministry. We see this as appropriate in the academic context and the type of thing we have done in the past for the very same reasons. In fact, most seminaries bring adjunct professors in to address key issues that they believe helpful. Never has this been intended as a move to align with any other group.
We did not see that having these speakers would be a significant problem. Biblically, we worked through a process of decision making and felt these choices and the context in which they were made were consistent with what we have always believed. Knowing now that these decisions might be confusing, misunderstood, or miscommunicated, we would likely have planned differently. We have no desire to distract from our focus here or on the field of ministry.
We affirm that Northland stands in the historic tradition of Fundamentalism and is committed to remain as an independent, Baptist, separatist institution. We will do our best to serve the local church, which we believe is the primary institution ordained of God to carry out the Great Commission. We respect the autonomy of the local church, the priesthood of the believer, and individual soul liberty. We know that other Fundamentalists will develop different applications based on biblical authority and the principles that flow from it. We will do our best to defer to our brothers in Christ but refuse to be swayed by party politics, threats, and pressures. While deference brings unity, the fear of man paralyzes our ability to serve Christ. In the spirit of Galatians 1, we will serve Christ.
Sometimes I have to smile when I think about the politics in college ministry. Early on I found that I had to just keep it simple: do the right thing, keep a right spirit, communicate the best I can, and leave the results to God. That is all I can do. That’s what I will do. I am not disappointed with differing views and opinions or even challenges that come from healthy critics. These help me grow. What I do think needs to be confronted in our movement is the lack of biblical process in responding to one another when we have questions or disagreements.
We must keep our focus. A friend of mine shared this with me, and I found it to be a great encouragement:
Stick with your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs; do not fool away your time chasing the devil’s rabbits. Do your work. Let liars lie, let sectarians quarrel, let critics malign, let enemies accuse, let the devil do his worst; but see to it nothing hinders you from fulfilling with joy the work God has given you. He has not commanded you to be admired or esteemed. He has never bidden you to defend your character. He has not set you at work to contradict falsehood about yourself which Satan’s or God’s servants may start to peddle, or to track down every rumor that threatens your reputation. If you do these things, you will do nothing else; you will be at work for yourself and not for the Lord. Keep at your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected, misunderstood, or assigned impure motives; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends, and despised and rejected of men. But see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of your being until at last you can say, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”
If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to write or call me. I welcome that. We have never been more excited about our future than we are now. Doc O and I believe that God is moving in a very special way and that the evidence is seen in both the abundant blessing of God and in the attacks of the Devil. We have the greatest and most exciting opportunity in the world—preparing this next generation of servant leaders for Great Commission living. Pray with us as we move boldly forward for the cause of Christ.
Your friend and fellow servant,
MO
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Romanian’s also love the minor key….and they love hymns that are driven by Polka! I have a fun story to tell you some time…..not now….would hate to bring levity to the present thread.
Todd,
Great point….it’s the same point I made a few days ago. Matt will answer his email. He’ll call you back if you leave a message. He is a brother of charity and he is very willing to have personal exchanges with anyone that feels they need to do that. Especially leaders that might have a question or two.
Straight Ahead!
jt
Dr. Joel Tetreau serves as Senior Pastor, Southeast Valley Bible Church (sevbc.org); Regional Coordinator for IBL West (iblministry.com), Board Member & friend for several different ministries;
* Kevin Suiter is leaving. (I hardly think that minor keys and Russian songs were his objection!)
* Rick Holland is coming. (No…He’s not a missionary to some strange culture. He’s an American pastor…trying to reach youth through a Resolved Conference (Resolved.org) You can see the drum sets in the back ground on the website’s main page. Also, see the CD’s they are selling…no comparison to the Northland of which I have known.)
I am well aware that Dr. Olson has clearly discussed the international aspect of NIU. I know he has talked about other cultures. However, his use of missional INCLUDES some American changes to adapt to our culture. You can say I’m reading between the lines…but time will tell.
John Uit de Flesch
[juitdeflesch] You can say I’m reading between the lines…but time will tell.Hi John,
Time will tell what?
[Louise Dan]I understood the context of your comment to be that the changes being made are necessary because the previous policies were perhaps sinful in nature and required repentance of some kind. A comparison was made between Northland’s reworking of their policies and the old interracial dating policies at BJU.[Aaron Blumer] The previously broken link several mentioned is working now.Matt Olsen says, “Our Director of Fine Arts, Kevin Suiter, has recently informed us he does not believe he can take us forward in this way and thus has announced his plans to move on.” He says this in the context of their music changes. That is CONFIRMED.[LD] SOMETHING has changed with music, enough that their music director is quitting because of it.Unconfirmed.
I don’t think this is a valid comparison. All we know is that
Even though we haven’t changed our music at a philosophical level, we are changing our music on a missional level. Where you will see changes is in our intent to expand our training to prepare students for worship and music globally. This only makes sense because, as you may have noticed, Northland International University has become more and more an international, global ministry with a passion to take the gospel where it is not proclaimed.We don’t know exactly what this means yet, or at least I don’t- but on the surface it doesn’t sound scandalous. If Mr. Suiter wants to leave over those changes, that does not of itself indicate that the changes are immoral or unethical or unBiblical. If he feels he is not suited for the new paradigm, then it’s good of him to admit it and leave- but implying rancor without some substantiation is an unconfirmed speculation. If someone knows what specific form these changes will take, then by all means- a clarification on that point would be helpful.
If someone believes they were treated unfairly while at Northland, and that the changed policies vindicate them somehow, they are certainly free to approach the administration with their complaint and resolve the issue Biblically. But if one signs on the bottom line to attend a college, then they should not complain about being held to the standards of that college. If one attends an institution or church knowing that you disagree with and will not comply with their doctrinal statement or rules of conduct, then that person has issues that have nothing to do with whether or not the college’s policies are right or wrong.
Time will tell what?Time will tell if his “missional” is only as his words describe it (to reach OTHER cultures), or if it is also as the actions describe it (with the Fine Arts Director leaving, and with Rick Holland coming.)
John Uit de Flesch
we are changing our music on a missional levelNo matter how these sorts of changes get described, the result always seems to be a trap set on stage. ;)
A year and half before that, I attended a pastor’s meeting where the speaker played a Soundforth and a Patch the Pirate cd and then proceeded to explain that fundamentalism had compromised in music.
On top of this, another new storm will probably brew because BJU released a new Ken Renfrow Christmas CD which includes “we need a little Christmas” and “silver bells.”
Explaining a music position in this current environment is a frustrating thing to do. Even if you strongly believe your position is rooted in the Bible, there be a whole lot of pouncing going on.
[juitdeflesch] While the idea of Russian songs and minor keys no doubt has a connection to “missional music”, Matt Olsen’s definition of missional can be further understood in the following actions:drum sets in the background? That settles it! ROFL
* Kevin Suiter is leaving. (I hardly think that minor keys and Russian songs were his objection!)
* Rick Holland is coming. (No…He’s not a missionary to some strange culture. He’s an American pastor…trying to reach youth through a Resolved Conference (Resolved.org) You can see the drum sets in the back ground on the website’s main page. Also, see the CD’s they are selling…no comparison to the Northland of which I have known.)
I am well aware that Dr. Olson has clearly discussed the international aspect of NIU. I know he has talked about other cultures. However, his use of missional INCLUDES some American changes to adapt to our culture. You can say I’m reading between the lines…but time will tell.
Matthew Richards
Musical Characteristics
Russia’s folk music follows the pattern of her history. In its rhythm, melody, and polyphonic treatment can be seen the basic Slavic element and the contributions of Byzantine and Mongolian cultures. Although other Slavic nations show decided influence from Northern and Western Europe, Russia, until the nineteenth century shows surprisingly little.
Melodies and dance steps owe their rhythms not to regular divisions of beats into measures but rather to the flow of the poetic meter. Thus, alternations as 3/4 with 2/4, 4/4 with 5/4 and 7/4 with 2/4 are common in many songs.
It has been said too often and by experts who should know better that Russian music is characteristically in the minor key. This is not true. The melodies, simple in structure, are roughly divided into major and minor, medieval church modes, ancient pentatonic, and uncertain modality (combinations of many modes).
Tchaikovsky’s remarks on the nature of Russian fol songs are worth quoting here. In a letter to Tolstoy acknowledging the receipt of some songs he wrote: “I must frankly say the songs have not been skillfully treated, and thereby all of their original beauty has been lost. The chief fault is they have been forced into a formal rhythm. Besides this the greater part of these songs is written in the cheerful D-major scale, and this does not agree in the least with the tonality of true Russian Volklied, which is always of an uncertain tonality, so that one can only compare it with the old church modes.”
The khorovod or the basic dance-chorale song is sung a capella, for all festive occasions, is the Russian folk polyphony. No doubt it has its roots in primitive Byzantine church music and thirteenth century Znameny chant, which apparently was written in two parts. First, one voice sings the melody, then other voices join in to sing varients of the same melody in free association, thereby creating a kind of counterpoint.
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The above gives some idea of the differences between what musicians trained in the “classic Fundamentalist school” and the native Russian mode.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
[JohnMatzko]You say that like it’s a bad thing. :) Remember 100 years ago people were saying the same things about the piano, a bar instrument shot through and through with evil connotations. Surprising how quickly the change happened; all it took was the changing of the guard when the new converts saved in the camp meeting revivals (with the sound of pianos in the background) found themselves in positions of leadership 20 years later.we are changing our music on a missional levelNo matter how these sorts of changes get described, the result always seems to be a trap set on stage. ;)
[mounty] Remember 100 years ago people were saying the same things about the piano, a bar instrument shot through and through with evil connotations. Surprising how quickly the change happened; all it took was the changing of the guard when the new converts saved in the camp meeting revivals (with the sound of pianos in the background) found themselves in positions of leadership 20 years later.I thought it was because it dawned on someone that the piano was a stringed instrument :D
The dissertation on Russian music is fascinating, but can we pretend just a bit harder that we are staying on topic? ;)
[Susan R] SNIPThe dissertation on Russian music is fascinating, but can we pretend just a bit harder that we are staying on topic? ;)Sorry for not expanding on my quote :(. My point is it looks like Northland is going to shift their music to deemphasis ethnocentric Revivalistic Taboos which have crept in to Fundamentalist musicology. IF this is the case, they may be looking for a head of their music department who has a more knowledge of international music.
Please note the conditional and tentative phrasing of my last sentence.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
that being said, I am very concerned by the need for many in the Fundamental realms to have the approval or dialogue with Neoevangelicals. While I may appreciate John McCarther’s books and may even quote them from time to time in my sermons, there must be a clear understanding of separation from him. This must be explained from the pulpit in a loving, biblical way. Dr. Mark Minnick in one of my classes helped me as a younger man to understand this very fact. He stated, “no more believers will be in heaven because Billy Graham compromised.”Bro,
There is quite a huge difference between the conservative evangelicalism of John MacArthur and the neo-evangelicalism of Billy Graham. John MacArthur does not join with liberal mainliners and RC’s in his evangelistic efforts as Billy Graham did throughout his entire evangelistic ministry. In fact, MacArthur doesn’t tolerate them whatsoever.
I also have disagreements with John MacArthur, but not nearly enough to take an all or nothing approach to separation with him.
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