Wheaton College today announced that it has rescinded Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian’s title of Professor Emeritus as the result of an investigation that revealed “additional allegations of inappropriate and unprofessional misconduct.”
In an email to faculty, staff, and administrators, Wheaton College President Philip Ryken said that the college had reopened its investigation into allegations concerning Bilezikian after Willow Creek Community Church announced that Bilezikian, a co-founder of the church, had “behaved inappropriately toward a female congregant.” At that time, the college also invited people to share any information or concerns by contacting the college at [email protected].
Ryken said that through this process, the college learned of more allegations. Wheaton then interviewed “parties and witnesses,” gathered written documentation, and invited Bilezikian to respond to the allegations. Ryken called the process a “painful situation in which some of our alumnae stepped forward to share experiences from the past that prompted a wide range of reactions, including anger, hurt and confusion.”
Based on the information learned through the investigation and the recommendation of Wheaton’s administration, Ryken said the Wheaton College Board of Trustees rescinded Dr. Bilezikian’s title of Professor Emeritus “effective immediately.”
“We recognize that some members of our community may experience difficult emotions in the wake of this decision,” Ryken said. “To that end, the Provost will be following up with an e-mail to faculty and staff, on behalf of Interim Dean of Student Wellness Dr. Toussaint Whetstone, with suggestions for how to engage and care for students and colleagues who may need support.”
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About three weeks ago, I reported allegations by two Wheaton College graduates that Bilezikian had sexually harassed and/or abused them during the 1980s-90s. One of those alumna said she reported her allegations to Wheaton in the 1990s, but the college never responded.
Earlier this week, Bilezikian released a statement in which he denied the allegations against him and asserted that both Wheaton College and Willow Creek had publicized accusations against him without contacting him.
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15 Responses
Thankfully Wheaton’s leadership finally prevailed in doing the right thing! ????
Listen lady Wheaton College is corrupt. I know what’s going on behind the scenes. I used to work there. They fired me for preaching against homosexuality. They have a web page called onewheaton that proves they oppose the bible and contradict their own doctrinal statement and student handbook. If I had a good enough attorney they would be in trouble for their lies. They are lying again. This guy didn’t do it. I don’t believe witnesses from 40 years ago stepped forward to say something. How did they come to that decision? Why aren’t the accusations public and specific?
You’re scary.
GBGB, (1.) Please reveal yourself and provide us your name so that students, staff and others that heard you preached against homosexuality and was fired for this reason can support and substantiate your claim. (2.) You are mistaken that OneWheaton website is sanction by Wheaton College (WC). Please refer to this website’s homepage and find the following: ” ©2014 OneWheaton. All Rights Reserved. Not affiliated with or sponsored by Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Duh.” (3.) If you believe that WC is a demonic institution, why did you work there and how long were you employed at WC? Any followers of Jesus Christ would have quit; if it taught any other gospel “than Jesus crucified.” (1 Cor. 1:23a) but this is a stumbling block to the fools (1 Cor. 1:23b GJ paraphrase). You don’t go to Julliard to be an engineer or MIT to be a musician; why would anyone wish to attend or teach at WC if you did not want use your life as a living testimony “for Christ and His Kingdom.”
“Listen lady”? This is how you begin your attempt to persuade others of your point of view? Somehow I doubt you were fired for having too much Christian character.
Only God knows a man’s heart and only through prayer and fasting will God reveal a man’s heart to us. Before accusations are to be made, let him/her who has no sin cast the first stone.
Soul Queen, that isn’t going to cut it. He has preyed upon women for at least 4 decades. We have an obligation to stop people like this. We owe it to both past AND future victims to listen to them. Wheaton failed to protect them or to listen to them.
Rubbish. Not many were in positions this wolf was in to take advantage of in his nefarious and wicked predatory schemes. Category error seems to be fused into disoriented evangelicalism.
Soul Queen, Jesus also told the woman to “Go and sin no more”. Just as Dr. B had as sign in his office “Better to burn than to marry” (opposite of 1 Cor. 7:9); he twisted John 8:11 to mean “Go and sin much more” ; affecting both Wheaton and Willow’s campuses. As a teacher and mentor; he trained his disciple Bill Hybels to follow in his footsteps quite well. I don’t need to fast and pray as this continuous pattern of sinful behavior speaks for itself.
@Soul Queen – how about this – “1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. (20) Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.” The criteria of 2 or 3 witnesses has been met. There has been no repentance, so now it is time to “rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.” In other words, bringing out something like this that has been hidden is to serve as a warning to others and a heart check.
The witnesses are from decades ago….doubt that it is even possible for these people to just show up and makes these statements. On The other hand the college faces charges if they had the incident reported and didn’t do anything about it until now. Wheaton college is worse than a heathen school. Demonic. They have a website called onewheaton that shows they go against their own doctrinal statement and student policy by having hundreds of lgbtq students and staff. Hypocrites. Lovers of money. They will fall eventually. We will all see it.
GBGB… If you are going to comment further, you must give your full name and not hide behind an anonymous account.
The ignorance of the whole of what the scriptures actually say is a bane in Western Christianity today. The idolatry of Christian celebrities is clearly an evil that the Word warns us against. The lack of the fear of the Lord is a great chasm and people wanting to defend the wolves in the flock is simply indefensible. We must return to the Lord and stop this rebellion. We are soon going to feel the effects as the Lord does get angry and he does discipline His people. So do not be surprised when a great storm overtakes us. It is already on the way…
I do not hold Dr. Bilezikian or Bill Hybels in high regard. There must have been a culture presented to prey on women. Repressed memories are true memories. Let the truth prevail.
Not surprised at Dr. B and Hybels, theological apostasy often goes hand in hand with moral apostasy. By that I mean their discarding of Biblical teaching on the role of women.