I had three majors in Undergrad when I graduated in 1982 from Marion College. One of those three was a Religion-Philosophy degree. This meant taking classes in theology, and philosophy. As I recall my Bible courses counted towards this degree as well. In the Religion-Philosophy pool one had to swim with the Professorial sharks named Dr. R. Duane Thompson, Dr. Wayne Caldwell, and Dr. Malcolm Ellis. The Secretary of the Department was Maxine Haynes. (I only remember Mrs. Haynes because she was assigned every year with giving every graduate of the Religion-Philosophy program two adjectives to describe them for the Religion-Philosophy graduation ceremony. Of course they were supposed to be flattering for the students as they were honored before their family. I remember because one of Maxine’s adjectives for me was “improving.” Talking about being damned with feint praise. All these years later, I have no idea what Maxine’s second adjective for me was. All I remember about that ceremony is that she had complimented me by saying I was “improving.” I guess it could’ve been worse.) Maxine had put me in the fine wines category. Imagine how much I’ve “improved” since then. 😉
Anyway, I’ve gotten ahead of myself with that memory. My memories center most around Dr. R. Duane Thompson. Now keep in mind that Dr. Thompson was teaching Philosophy at an explicitly Christian University and all the time what was coming through in his classes was pure Existentialism. Dr. Thompson had more of the smell of Camus, Sartre and Heidegger about him then he had the smell of Christ. Of course, at this age I was to young to get all of what Dr. Thompson was pushing. A good deal of it was hazy. However, it all became clearer to me years later when I went back and re-read those textbooks that were assigned in my “Existentialism,” and “Aesthetics,” classes. Thompson was big into Phenomenology which is an aspect of Existentialism. I remember one of the courses had an off campus student in it and one day she, quite literally, had an existential experience. Everything that Thompson had been teaching suddenly coalesced for her and she was so excited over the epiphany that could barely stay in her seat. I remember thinking that someday Thompson would be held accountable for how he had led her astray with his Existentialism. “Giddy” hardly does justice to her effervescence that day, and Thompson sat there like a Cheshire cat with a grin from ear to ear.
I didn’t do well in Thompson’s classes. Remember, I’ve already told you that I was, on the whole, not a good student until my last three semesters. If I got by with a “C” in Thompson’s classes I counted myself blessed. A funny fact about Thompson’s classes was that fact there was never more than six or seven students in the class. Dr. Thompson’s classes were very intimate and it was hard to hide and hiding in class was something I had worked hard at practicing. I was a student’s whose zip code was always in the back row practicing the art of last one in and first one out.
Despite Thompson’s heresy of Existentialism there can be no doubt he was an intelligent man. However, it has been my experience that some of the smartest men I’ve ever known have also been some of the most unwise people I’ve ever known. Dr. Thompson was just such a man. He was intelligent in so many respects and yet his Existentialist worldview found him on the other side of wisdom.
Dr. Wayne Caldwell was the chap who taught me my first “theology,” (two Semesters) as well as Bible courses in the Johannine writings as well as the synoptic Gospels (one Semester each). Dr. Caldwell was a kindly man who had a grandfatherly type of approach. I never had a great deal of interaction with him but when I did he was always even-handed. I did well in his theology courses. Of course he was teaching Arminian theology (our Textbook was John Miley’s systematic Theology) but at the time for whatever reason I really took to Theology and showed aptitude. In this course I excelled. I would excel eventually in other courses but this was one of the first courses where I found the material to be comparatively comprehensible. Most of the course was taught in terms of how we were different than the evil Calvinists. Indeed, most of my blue books (test booklets) are an apologetic against Calvinism with Dr. Caldwell’s comments complimenting my test answers for their thoroughness. I graduated being a thorough-going opponent of Calvinism. Dr. Caldwell indoctrinated us well and it took me a decade to get out of that Arminian box.
In terms of humorous memories and Caldwell I remember coming into class late once wearing a pair of jeans that was significantly torn from the knees to the ankles. He was not amused and I wasn’t amused at his lack of amusement. Of course I understand now his way of thinking. He was from a different generation and my attire was a sign of disrespect in his way of thinking. Looking back he was correct. However, in my defense, I just couldn’t bring myself to be part of the polyester pants ministry student’s club. Those chaps were so tight they squeaked when they walked. I was (and remain) more free styling in my lean into life. Although I took a large number of classes with those chaps who would go on to be Wesleyan Ministers I never ever fit into their mode of being and for that we are both thankful. I just couldn’t go through life being “good,” and working to be seen as “respectful.” I had more of John Dillinger in me than John Wesley.
The other memory of Dr. Caldwell was the time he marked me down on a major paper because the typist I paid to type my paper spelled my first name with two “t’s” instead of one. He wrote on the paper, “I’ve never seen you write your name with two “t’s” before but I suppose you know best.” Yet, despite his admission that I knew best he still docked the paper. I didn’t know who to be more peeved at, the stupid typist or a chap who was so anal that he had to mark down a major paper because some stupid typist couldn’t spell. Ah well … it could’ve been worse.
Dr. Caldwell, in our Bible classes would have us do massive notebooks on the books of the Bible we were studying. I still have fat notebooks on John’s writings and the Synoptic Gospels. Of course this was all very preliminary stuff but still much needed as building blocks for future work in Scripture that would be pursued in Seminary and then in the ministry. The ubiquitous pencil that is behind my ears comes from these days of using colored pencils to color code loose leaf study bibles for Caldwell’s class.
Looking back, I am disappointed that in my Religion-Philosophy degree I got Existentialism and Arminianism as Christianity. It was a disservice to Christianity and a disservice to the students. Fortunately, my History and Poly-Science degree rescued the shaping I was getting from my Religion-Philosophy degree work.
Dr. Malcolm Ellis taught Ethics. It was the only course I took from him. The clearest thing I remember about Ethics is showing up to class one day without knowing we were having a major exam. I showed up completely unprepared. I somehow scuffled a “C.” I have always had the ability to shovel the BS when needed and I shoveled enough on that exam to make it look like I knew a little bit what I was talking about. Another interesting aspect of the “Ethics” course was that a major part of the grade was based on a 25 page paper on some aspect of Ethics. As I told you earlier I was taking an Aesthetics class from Thompson which also was requiring a major paper on some aspect of Aesthetics. So, naturally, I did what any fan of Tom Sawyer would’ve done. Instead of laboring over two major papers I wrote one paper titled “Ethics in Aesthetics,” and turned it as my final paper for each class. Ellis gave me an “A.” Thompson failed me because the paper was 24 hours late but still managed to write on the paper that it was a quality paper that would have gotten a good grade had I handed in on time. Small satisfaction that. To this day I see the irony in the same paper acing and failing two different courses. It was likely God’s justice for me trying to be clever and get out of work my handing in one paper for two major required assignments.
However, as revenge is a dish best served cold eventually there was a final assize with Thompson for failing me for being 24 hours late in turning in my paper. A couple years later when on the cusp of graduation in 1982 someone came up with the brilliant idea of bricking Thompson’s office door shut thus barring him from his lair and so from about 0130 – 0430 on one evening several Marion College students entered into McCaan chapel by skulduggery– all of whom had the same warm affection for Dr. Thompson — and there, where Dr. R. Duane’s office was, and with the use of quick dry cement, and recently purchased 200 bricks, Dr. Thompson’s doorway was bricked shut. The quick dry cement was mixed up in a waste basket. Several trowels worked feverishly and upon completion his door was bricked shut. Left behind was a heater unit facing the then new brick wall so as to accelerate the pace of quick dry cement. Rumor later was heard that when the secretaries showed up for work that morning they were quite beside themselves and all in a twitter that where Dr. R. Duane Thompson’s door once was there now existed a brick wall. By all accounts it took some time for maintenance to tear down someone’s version of the Berlin Wall. To this day it remained a mystery as to why Thompson’s door was chosen.
I also received a number of credits for the Religion-Philosophy degree from another Professor who also weighed in greatly on my other degrees so I’ll save him for another entry.
A word should be said about my classmates in the religion-philosophy degree. As I said they belonged to a different world than I. I always felt bad for those guys because these 20 year olds really had the pressure on them. They were being told they had to be entirely sanctified before they would be allowed to take a pulpit and going into the Wesleyan ministry was the direction that most of them were moving. This led inevitably to a good number of these guys claiming to be entirely sanctified (which means one is sin free) all the while they themselves knew that was an entirely bogus claim. All of this led to creating a great degree of self-righteousness and hypocrisy in those students going into the ministry. I didn’t have that problem. I was glad to admit that I had no business getting any where near a pulpit at that age. Save for God’s grace I’m still sure I should not be near a pulpit.
So, happy Anniversary Marion College (Indiana Wesleyan University) and thank you for the Religion-Philosophy degree. You will be glad to know that I kept pursuing philosophy after graduating under-grad. I kept reading the books. I kept examining the errant presuppositions of Western Philosophy from the time of Descartes’ cogito forward. I think I could carry on a pretty decent conversation with Dr. Thompson 40 years later were he still alive (he passed away in 2009). However, I would be begging him to repent by the time we finished. His Existentialism really did him no good and was of no help to his students.
He knows that now.
Addendum — Doing a little probing I just discovered that Dr. R. Duane Thompson did graduate work at Butler University in Philosophy when the famous Calvinist Dr. Gordon Haddon Clark (my favorite Christian Philosopher) was the Chair of the Butler University Philosophy Department. Now, I can’t help but wonder if their paths ever crossed. Now that would’ve been a fascinating conversation.
