Eastern Orthodoxy Task Force Report

As a member of the Eastern Orthodoxy Task Force, I have received many inquiries related to the controversy over the presence of Eastern Orthodox faculty at Biola. In particular, I have been asked to make available the Task Force report, as well as its summary. I am happy to do so. I believe that these documents will be enlightening to those who wish to understand the theological issues involved.

Our report is primarily a compendium of primary source quotations with some commentary by us as to the compatibility or incompatibility with Biola University's statement of faith. In the interest of fairness and scholarly integrity, we examined those sources that our Orthodox colleagues recommended as particularly representative of the Orthodox tradition. Furthermore, the Task Force also consulted with prominent Eastern Orthodox theologians outside of the Biola community to further insure that the sources cited are highly representative of the Orthodox communion. We read everything we were advised to consult and believe that we have interpreted these sources accurately and fairly.

I have made available the full Task Force report (which is somewhere around 80 pages in printed form), as well as an approximately 8-page summary of that report. By clicking the appropriate link below, the documents can be viewed on screen or downloaded. The files are in Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) format. If you do not have the software to read Adobe Acrobat files it is available free at www.adobe.com/acrobat.

In addition, I have posted a resolution of the Biola Board of Trustees, dated June 1, 1998. This resolution provides official clarification of the Biola doctrinal statement on some of the issues in question.

I place no restrictions on the distribution of these documents. However, if you should pass them on to another party be certain that the documents have not been modified in any way.

--Dr. Alan W. Gomes (Member, Eastern Orthodoxy Task Force)