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***This is the seventh part of a lengthy series exposing the undeniable falling away from Dordt University’s biblical roots. The first parts highlighted speakers who wrote a book about how “white evangelicals” have “corrupted a faith” and “fractured a nation,” said American exceptionalism is a myth, believes the American church was built on white supremacy, disputes the virgin birth, shill for the secular Left, and says same-sex relationships can be “holy.” Now we will take a look at the track record of Chief of Staff and Dean of Chapel, Aaron Baart. Baart, along with President Erik Hoekstra, have led Dordt down the road away from basic, biblical belief and toward a much more secular worldview.***

My first personal interaction with Aaron Baart was a meeting at a local coffee shop. The meeting came about after I had talked with a few Dordt students following a Rick Santorum presidential campaign stop in Sioux Center.

The students asked Santorum a few hard-nosed questions. And they also asked that if it isn’t the government’s job to care for the poor, then whose responsibility is it?

Santorum was shocked students at Dordt — a Christian college — would ask such a question when it has such an obvious, Christian, answer.

I talked with those students after the event to thank them for asking questions, even though it was likely we disagreed. Then the conversation turned toward marriage equality, immigration, abortion and the typical topics.

It lasted well over an hour — maybe closer to two.

But at one point, they saw Baart and said maybe we should invite him over to join us.

At the time I said it was unnecessary because we were doing a capable job of conversing between ourselves.

But after our conversation, I thought about it. I realized there was only one reason they would want to invite Baart into the discussion — because he would agree with them.

And, knowing what they said they believed, I had a hunch it wouldn’t be good.

I then arranged a sit-down conversation with Baart at the coffee shop and learned my hypothesis was pretty spot-on.

For example, maybe not marriage for same-sex couples, but how about civil unions?

There’s never been a just war in the history of the world.

Socialized medicine works. 

I could go on, but you get the picture.

Since then I’ve kept close tabs on what Baart puts out for public consumption. And it’s gotten worse, not better.

It all leads to this series.

In the coming days and weeks, a pretty clear picture will emerge on what Baart believes and how he is attempting to pull Dordt away from its biblical heritage. In many ways, he is succeeding.

Even after the controversies, he was recently promoted this past summer.

I can already tell you what the excuses will be.

“Oh, that’s taken out of context.”

“Oh, that’s not exactly what he meant to say.”

“Oh, well, Facebook only had a thumbs up or a thumbs down feature at the time.”

“Yeah, but he relates really well to the students and the students really like him.”

There’s a good chance 90 percent of what Baart preaches and teaches is good. But if I told you 10 percent of the Skittles in a bowl were poisonous, would you eat any? In order to be a “false teacher,” not EVERYTHING taught has to be false. Rat poison isn’t 100 percent poison, but it’ll still kill a rat.

The list of excuses has been exhausted. Because it keeps happening over, and over, and over.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

The fact that Baart gets promoted by the current administration only cements the idea that people need to know what is happening at Dordt.

They may not care. They may not believe it.

But they’ll never again be able to say they didn’t know.

 

Author: Jacob Hall

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