It is often said that adversity does not create character, it reveals it. If this is true than it must also be true that adversity does not create flaws, it reveals them. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding the rejection of Dr. Alex Bryan as the next president of Walla Walla University exposed cracks growing in the foundation of our denomination, cracks that reach far beyond Walla Walla and do not bode well for Adventism as a whole.[1] Now I will admit that I am the least qualified to discuss the particular question of whether Dr. Bryan should have the position. However, the issues raised by how the board reached its decision are troublesome, setting aside any discussion of whether the conclusion was correct.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://spectrummagazine.org/article/column/2012/07/26/crisis-leadership