Faith on View

19 Department of Health Violations at Louisiana College

There is a lot of virtual ink being spilled over the current Calvinism controversy at Louisiana College. What has largely been ignored is the deplorable state of leadership at the college. The facilities are is …

I have mentioned previously, in posts about the current Calvinism controversy, that in 2011 as a faculty member, I wrote an open letter to the constituency of Louisiana College. At the time, I felt that the discussion …

There has been a lot of fuss recently about Calvinism and Louisiana College. The administration has notified three faculty members with Calvinistic leanings that they will not receive contracts. As a result, three students blogged …

Martin Performing Art Center at Louisiana Christian University

The whisper in the wind is that President Joe Aguillard will soon be removed as President of Louisiana College. Some think it will happen in today’s board meeting while others believe he will hold on …

I first met Heath in 2011 after I released my open Letter of Concern about Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University). He was, and still is, on the Board of Louisiana College. Needless to say, we didn’t always agree when we spoke about the college. But, he was the only member of the board who would talk to me and despite our disagreement he always treated me with respect and concern. It only is because of people like him that I have any hope that Louisiana College will correct its path. He wrote the powerful piece below last summer and I saw it on his Facebook just today. I hope you enjoy the read and appreciate the heart behind it.

The End is Near…for real though

By Heath Veuleman (2013)

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and had a moment of Dougie-Howser-free-flow-of-conciousness, so let’s have at it. A few years back my best friend said, “Hey, let’s start a business.” So we did. Because he was an entrepreneur and I knew a little about healthcare, we founded the company in the healthcare sector. I still mosey around in the healthcare sector of our company. Day in and day out I’m in hospitals and clinics around Louisiana and Texas. Because we have some larger behavioral health hospitals as clients, I get to interact with organizations who take care of people who are at the most vulnerable points in their lives. And because of my work, certainly not because I have any prize to offer, I’m on a couple of boards here and there. One of the boards represents and entity of a religious, evangelical, denomination. As I often do, often times to no fruitful benefit, I begin to let my mind wander. When I think about the patient’s – the people – I interact with at these clinics and hospitals, and how it compares to some of the my other work – like the boards, I begin to have a heartache.

At the end of the day, when my epitaph is being written, I want people to say one thing about me: that guy Heath was crazy, but all he wanted was for everyone to know that God liked them, not just loved them. When I see people who are sick and vulnerable, these people who are weak and tired, at the end of their rope – my heart compels me to sit beside them and, maybe, not even talk, just to be there.

Dr. Scott Culpepper asked me to post his open letter to the Board of Trustees at Louisiana College. Dr. Culpepper and I were both on Faculty at Louisiana College and had many similar experiences. You …

Joe Aguillard in a suit with his hand in his pocket

There are two quotes that really drive my thinking about Louisiana College these days. The first is the famous quote by German pastor Martin Niemöller in relation to his life in Germany during the Nazi rise to …

Sadly, a war over Calvinism has been brewing in the SBC for a long time. Louisiana seems to have decided to be the main battle ground for this war. Last year, forces within the SBC that want to wage this war put forward “A Statement of Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation” to be voted upon at the national convention in New Orleans. The statement was introduced to the world at SBC Today by Eric Hankins who is a pastor in Mississippi and son of Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins. Both David Hankins and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelly were signatories on the statement. There were fears among some that the statement would become a litmus test for employment of religion faculty at the state convention owned Louisiana College.

After the national convention, fervor over the issues subsided as there seemed to be a clear message of unity coming from the national SBC leadership. However, Louisiana College President Joe Aguillard has recently thrust the issue back into the spot light. Aguillard released a position paper on Calvinism in which he states, “My love for all Baptists including Calvinists, does not constitute our approval of its being advocated at Louisiana College.”