Letter to the Editor: Another Opinion

By Mark Trail
Former Member of the Board of Trustees

Members of the Bryan Family: As I think about the recent events at Bryan related to the Board’s interpretation of the Statement of Faith and my subsequent resignation from the Board, I am compelled to offer these thoughts.  First, allow me to explain why I had to resign from the Board.  The Board, by formal motion adopted the subject interpretation, with the expectation that if one doesn’t believe the same, they should resign (the Board is held to the same standard as the staff).   The Board is a governing board and as far as I understand has the authority to take the action it took.  While I was able to, in good conscience sign the Statement of Faith before, I am unable to ascribe to the recent interpretation, and as a result I had to resign.   

So what do I believe?  I do believe that God created the heavens and the earth, and all those that dwell here, including mankind.  The problem for me comes when we start to say exactly how God did it, or didn’t do it for that matter.  We don’t really know, and it is reasonable to believe that He didn’t tell us everything.  For example, He didn’t tell us where Cain’s wife came from.  Please forgive the use of such a simplistic example, but we have to admit that the Scripture is silent on the matter.  We could assert that she was the daughter of Adam and Eve, but in doing so we’re adding to what the Scripture actually says; a slippery slope.

For those who don’t know, I am a graduate of Bryan—Class of 1975.  I learned several things while at Bryan, including: how to study the Word; how to think critically; and how to apply the scientific method.  All have served me and my family very well though life, and have been proud to call myself a Bryan graduate.

It is a fact that the word for “Adam” in Hebrew can have the meaning “mankind”; and “dust” can have the meaning “dirt” or “earth”, which contains many life forms and requires continued openness to what the original writings of Scripture actually meant.   We still have much to learn about whether there is any significance in our similarities with other species.  Given these considerations, it deeply saddens me to think that the rush to clarify the statement of faith offered by the Board could have an adverse effect on our dedicated staff’s continued employment.

Finally, we need to be very careful asserting that the Founders of the college meant something different than what they said.   I’ve seen no evidence to support that assertion.  I suspect that they took great effort to say exactly what they meant, very possibly understanding they didn’t know everything.  It’s not like the concept of evolution wasn’t known at the time.  To say otherwise, in my opinion, fails to respect their competence and commitment to be as clear and direct as they thought they could and should.

Please know that I do not hold myself out to be either a theologian or scientist; I’m just a simple believer working to understand what God intends and what He desires for my life.  My hope for Bryan is that you will remain open and diligent as you seek what God has for you in the future.