Calvin College President Wiebe Bohr has resigned after admitting that she was involved in communications with members of the campus community.
In response to reports of the allegations, the Calvin Board of Trustees said in a statement Monday that Bohr “engaged in unwanted and inappropriate communications and attention toward non-student members of the campus community.”
“While the report does not include any allegations of explicit sexual communication or physical contact, the alleged conduct is alarming and inappropriate,” the trustees added.
According to reports Christianity Today, university officials later explained that they had hired outside experts to evaluate the allegations. The review included a conversation with Bohr, a former oil company executive and son of a Christian Reformed missionary who was named president of Calvin in 2022.
“After being notified of the report, Dr. Bohr denied some of the allegations, but did engage in inappropriate communications that were inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and character expected of a Calvin College president,” the board said in a statement. I admitted that,” he said. . “Dr. Bohr subsequently offered his resignation, which the board accepted.”
At this time, Gregory Elzinga, Calvin’s vice president of advancement, will serve as interim president. The board said Elzinga is involved in the day-to-day management of the university and is “well-suited to provide effective and continued leadership during the board’s thorough search for the university’s next permanent president.” He is said to be in a good position.
A campus meeting between students and Elzinga is scheduled to be held this Thursday.
When Bohr became Calvin’s president, the school was under pressure to adhere to the rules of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, particularly the church’s teachings on sexuality. In 2022, this sect will control Congregations and church members must abide by the Church’s teachings on marriage and sex, which states that only sex between a man and a woman is permitted.
Calvin College openly admits LGBTQ students; attendfaculty and staff must uphold the teachings of the Church on this issue.
In response, several teachers said,GlavamenIt will give them the opportunity to express their church beyond church doctrine.
One Professor Calvin said that his contract was not updated He officiated at a same-sex wedding for an employee of a research center affiliated with the school, but later severed ties.
In the fall of 2022, Bohr told Religion News Service that the school will continue to welcome LGBTQ students to campus.
“I don’t want to be president of an organization that doesn’t welcome anyone,” Bohr said.
In a statement from the trustees, they said they “take our responsibility to provide an environment free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation very seriously and continually strive to respond promptly and thoroughly to allegations of misconduct.” “I will,” he insisted.
“We ask for prayers for the entire Calvin community, trusting that the Holy Spirit will comfort us all with God’s sustaining grace, now and in the future,” they concluded.
Image credit: ©calvin.edu
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
