Susan Diaz
Dear Northern Seminary Board of Trustees,
I chose to attend Northern Seminary four years ago (after retirement) because it was a place that valued me as a woman and welcomed me to prepare for ministry, academically and spiritually.
Lord willing, I will graduate this June (2023).
Today, however, I sit at my desk and wonder if the Lord is willing for me to complete this MA in New Testament degree at Northern.
Northern no longer seems a safe place, due to the reports of unethical and immoral actions of the former president and the Board which protected him. After months of waiting for the Board to wake up and speak up, I've concluded that every member of the Board is complicit in the acts of bullying, harassment, and retaliation enacted by the disgraced president.
You have broken the beautiful place that (I assume) you intended to help when you joined the board.
If you are on the board to do Tov (good) for Northern, there's still time to act. The Lord invites you to speak up for the powerless. If your silence has been misunderstood, if any of you have heard the cries of the wounded and are willing to speak up, please make your voice heard. Please URGE those members—who supported the president, who signed off on the letter praising him for his service to Northern, who were in favor of the retaliatory firing of one of the truth-tellers—URGE them to step down because it's clear that they are not seeking Tov for the Northern community.
Many have already given up and left Northern. Many are waiting for a miracle. I'm waiting for some of you to speak up and for God redeem the situation. I really want to graduate from the Northern I love. But the Lord is not willing for me to stay in a place where the powerful control the narrative and the wounded are silenced and cast aside.
You hold the "power" in this moment. God calls those with earthly power to give it away, to surrender it, like Jesus did. To use one's power and privilege to build the Kingdom, not break it down. What will you do with your power and position on the board? What do you have to say to us, the grieving community of Northern? Please speak up.
In Christ's Light,
Susan M. Diaz