Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
1 John 4:1
Since the launch of the For Wheaton movement, President Ryken, the Board of Trustees, several faculty members, and a few alumni have insisted that what is taught in Wheaton College's classrooms, chapels, events, and other campus programs is consistent with the Statement of Faith and other institutional commitments grounded in biblical moral imperatives. For example, in a public letter dated March 3, 2025, President Ryken writes:
All Wheaton employees affirm annually and adhere to our clear, biblically-grounded doctrinal and evangelical Statement of Faith, as well as the moral principles in our Community Covenant, which clarifies the promises that all students, faculty, and staff make to one another before God while living or serving on a residential campus (Institutional Commitments). These biblical imperatives include charity, truth-telling, the value of all human life from conception to death, chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, and care for the poor and marginalized (Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Cor. 6:18; Heb. 13:4; Gal. 6:10).
Ryken continues:
Wheaton College unapologetically affirms a Christ-Centered Diversity Commitment to uphold Christian unity (John 17:20-23; 1 Cor. 1:10), embrace ethnic diversity as God’s design for humanity (Gal. 3:28-29; Eph. 2:1-22; Rev. 7:9), and practice righteous racial reconciliation as we all participate in God’s redemptive purposes in Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we pursue peace, reconciliation, and justice according to the principles of Scripture (Ps. 89:14, Mic. 6:8). This biblical approach to righteousness is rooted in the character of God which stands far apart from secular ideologies, policies and practices.
To be sure, these words describe many members of Wheaton's faculty and staff. But not all.
We do not expect perfection. As sinners in a fallen world, we are mindful that we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2). But there is a clear difference between ordinary stumbles and corrosive patterns of teaching that distort the Gospel and undermine the faith of students. President Ryken and the Board of Trustees bear responsibility to guard against such teaching. But they have not been vigilant. As a result, lies have infiltrated many classrooms, and students have been confused and led astray.
Members of the Wheaton community have raised such concerns privately with the administration for years, only to be ignored. As such, For Wheaton is publishing concrete examples of drift on an ongoing basis so that current and prospective students, parents, alumni, and friends of Wheaton College can judge for themselves whether the administration has been sufficiently attentive.
(This student requested their name and the specific date be withheld due to concerns about potential blowback from the faculty and administration.)
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