“One Little Hour”

When I was an impressionable 9th grader at Bob Jones Academy my parents were notified in a faculty staff meeting that the upcoming University opera needed more extras for the production of Verdi’s Aida. Since I was, and proudly remain, a nerd, the idea of trying out appealed to me. Thankfully the audition consisted only of measuring the girth of my torso and legs. Of course, any schmo who happened to share my post-pubescent hunkiness was equally qualified to be an extra, but that did not diminish my happiness upon being accepted.

My role in Aida, a Romeo-Juliet retake set in pharaonic Egypt and written in the 19th century for the opening of the Suez Canal, was that of a ceremonial soldier for the Egyptian court. Apparently archeologists had recently discovered that Egyptian fashion sense dictated rainbow colored headgear and the equivalent of ancient miniskirts for the army. This outfit may have been sensible in a desert climate, but required substantial amounts of makeup to cover the pasty white legs and arms of a legion of pants wearing BJU-ans.

Some poor chump had to spend hours before every dress rehearsal and performance spraying dozens of extras with brown makup. Understandably a volunteer was hard to find. But when the time came for our makeup, there stood Stephen Jones, ready to serve us. After hours spraying us down he would take extra time to chat with us and impress us with his awesome Uno skills.

His willingness to do something unnoticed and clearly unpleasant made a strong impression on me. One of Dr. Bob Sr’s quotes comes to mind: “The most important light in the house is not the chandelier in the parlor. It’s that little back hall light that keeps you from breaking your neck when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”

A single impression of another is insufficient to judge that person’s character. But every time I observed Stephen Jones, from the first time I met him in 7th grade until the day I graduated from college, confirmed a humble spirit often lacking in leadership. We as Americans typically elect, appoint, promote, or prefer leaders who get results, tell us what to do, and whom often have Type A personalities. Stephen Jones is not a Type A leader. Thankfully the Bob Jones hereditary monarchy has served the school well by allowing relatively stable transitions from one President to the next and some level of continuity. Stephen probably wouldn’t be President but for his last name, but I for one am glad God chose him to be a Jones.

Stephen does not seem to be the most outgoing person by nature, yet he constantly attempted to be a blessing to the students and staff he came in contact with, even going out of his way to speak at society prayer meetings and studentbody functions. Once again, that attitude indicates a man willing to set aside his personal preferences for the sake of others, an admirable leadership quality in any book.

Stephen’s humble spirit showed up in his preaching emphasis and style. Without dampening the fervor of his convictions, he typically avoided an “in your face” rhetoric. I was most impressed by Stephen’s committment to ardent orthodoxy and a humble tone during the weeks leading up to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Soulforce demonstration in Greenville. The week prior to the arrival of Soulforce, Stephen preached a series of messages in chapel discussing a Biblical approach to homosexuality in general and Soulforce specifically. Rather than simply blasting homosexuals with fire and brimstone, Stephen clearly laid out the Biblical case for monogamy and heterosexuality (his debate training in high school was apparent). He didn’t conclude by condemning their sin. His message was one of hope, that they would find Christ. He assigned each prayer group in the dorms a name and bio of a Soulforce member and instructions to pray nightly that Christ would show them their sin and need of a Savior. I also appreciated when Stephen emphasized that homosexuality should not be treated as some sort of special sin less deserving of forgiveness than any other “socially acceptable” sin (another post specifically on this topic is deserved). There was even a call for personal examination. Why should we be so quick to self-righteously condemn their sins while ignoring our own designer sins?

Another series of chapel messages by Stephen also hit home. He spent time in chapel outlining a major shift in the disciplinary system at Bob Jones. The difference was more one of changed emphasis rather than any change in outright belief. Simply put, the disciplinary system at BJU started to shift from a retributive toward a restorative philosophy. Rather than punishing someone for doing something wrong, a retributive concept, the Dean of Men and Women became more restoration focused.

For example, in the past many guys, including myself, were very afraid of getting in trouble for their struggles with lust. The impression, right or wrong, was that even guys who turned themselves in and asked for help would be in trouble and expelled. Stephen emphasized in his messages that the point of the disciplinary system at BJU was to encourage Christlike growth. If a student was willing to come for help with any sin problem than the Dean of Men would counsel, not cudgel. Stephen said that students would no longer be “in trouble” for asking for help. The rubber met the road when a close personal friend confessed his struggles with lust and pornography to the Dean of Men and he was given not a demerit slip, but an invitation for one-on-one weekly counseling with the Dean himself. Stephen Jones deserves at least some credit for that change in emphasis, perhaps a result of his years as a student in the dorms and also as a Dorm Supervisor.

In short, Stephen Jones is a credit to my alma mater and more significantly a credit to the cause of Christ. Stephen is no longer a “little back hall light,” but his humble spirit may make him a glorious chandelier.

PS - This little ode to Stephen that I have written is rather hagiographic…I’ve practically beatified the man. But before you request canonization and start veneration let me assure you that Stephen will probably make plenty of odious mistakes during his tenure at BJ. No one is perfect, not even a direct descendant of the Founder!

PPS - Here is the link to the sermons Stephen preached before the Soulforce protest: http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?currPage=2&keyword=Dr%2E%5EStephen%5EJones&SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&AudioOnly=false&SortBy=added