Racial Slurs toward Obama at Tennessee Temple

For those who haven't heard, the university where I teach youth ministry courses, Tennessee Temple, made the local Channel 12 news last night because a student wrote a racial slur (a variation of the "N" word) about President-elect Barack Obama recently. You can view the clip yourself here.

I spoke with my students about it this morning and felt the need for someone to respond with what my university is really all about and inject a little truth in love in the process. I've copied my post to Channel 12 below which you may end up seeing on other online news sources. Please feel free to comment or tell Obama I'm praying for him today.

ORIGINAL COMMENTS AS POSTED AT NEWS 12 Chattanooga:

Racial Slurs toward Obama at Tennessee Temple

Submitted by Dillon Burroughs (not verified) on November 13, 2008 - 12:41pm.

I teach at Tennessee Temple and need to share a couple of comments on this Obama racial slur debacle.

First, Tennessee Temple has made significant gains in minority student enrollment and involvement in recent years and has a clear desire to increase diversity on its campus.

As a school, it is improving in its fight against racism. If it wasn't, I would not teach there. If it stops improving, I will personally quit my job so an African American professor can teach in my place. I care that deeply about ending racism.

Second, Tennessee Temple consists of hundreds of students from many cultures and maturity levels. Sometimes students do dumb stuff like call the President-elect N*#%&.

I'll apologize for the whole school on this one and say I'm sorry it happened. Every person I know on Tennessee Temple's campus is sick that this event took place. We are students and faculty who love Jesus and love people, including Barack Obama.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding who wrote the comment, whether white, African American, or otherwise, it was highly disrespectful and inappropriate.

It ultimately doesn't matter whether a student did it to get attention or whether the offender was white or African American. The fact is that a student wrote a highly inappropriate comment about our nation's President-elect. That sucks and should not continue.

So guilty student, whoever you are, stop making yourself, your school, and Jesus look like redneck racists and Klan member wannabes by your racial slurs.

Instead, let's agree to pray for our nation's new leader and do all we can to help promote the love of Jesus.

And stop calling people Nigga because Jesus hates racism. Plus, I think He even likes good grammar.