An Open Letter to our Readership

Dear Readership,

We deeply appreciate the number of response we have received on the article “Lecture from non-Christian devalues message.” The Crown strives to represent the many views of the Redeemer student body, and we hold ourselves accountable to you. The document which describes this relationship is “The Constitution of The Crown.” In article three of the document, it reads:

The Crown shall be a medium for the open expression of the responsible opinion of Redeemer students. Responsible opinions stimulate discussion and growth in the community, while attempting to avoid purposeless dissension.

Our intention, in printing this article, was to allow “open expression”, for a set of like-thinkers in the Redeemer community. The views expressed in this article reflect a relatively unpopular mindset at our institution, and some of the language can be read as hateful. While that may not have been the author’s intention, the harsh language caused other students to aggressively disassociate the student body from such views. Some of the responses have generated discussion, while others have been less helpful. As a result, we at The Crown would like to make an effort to redirect the conversation in a more meaningful and life-giving direction.

In light of the Social Justice Conference, Stephen Lewis’ lecture, and student response so far (including the article, “Lecture by non-Christian devalues message”), how should Christians approach the topic of justice? Should it reflect an Old Testament model of law or should it reflect a more modern approach?  What values should Christians hold in common on the topic of justice?

In your response, I would like to direct you to three different pieces of writing. First, take a second look at Syd Hielema’s devotional for last week, which was meant to prepare us for Lewis’ lecture. Second, Dr. Koyzis has written an article, which I have posted online, that deals with the relevance of Old Testament law today.

The last thing I would like to direct your attention to is our newly adopted comment policy, which comes from The Fulcrum, a student paper from the University of Ottawa. Our policy now states:

The Crown reserves the right to edit or remove any comment that:

· is libelous, threatening, obscene, or constitutes hate speech

· directly and deliberately insults other posters

· is promotional or commercial in nature

Furthermore, The Crown reserves the right to reproduce the comment in the print edition of the newspaper.

This policy is a guide, designed to help our comments to read more like an academic discussion, and helps us as editorial staff to moderate comments more easily.

Hopefully this will encourage a more responsible and helpful discussion that strives to be true to the entire biblical message.   On behalf of The Crown and myself, thank-you for your continued encouragement and support.   We look forward to your response!

God bless,

Jordan Burgsma, Editor-in-Chief

The Crown reserves the right to edit or remove any comment that:

• is libelous, threatening, obscene, or constitutes hate speech
• directly and deliberately insults other posters
• is promotional or commercial in nature