Some Point Loma Nazarene University alumni are raising concerns about the Christian university’s dean of students, alleging he told student leaders that identifying as being “in Christ alone” reflected “white privilege.”
What?
The controversy centers on PLNU Dean of Students Jason Cha, whose 2023 dissertation at Azusa Pacific University is titled “Raging Waters of Whiteness: Addressing White Evangelical Racism in Higher Education.”
Be informed, not misled.
The College Fix says Cha’s dissertation examines the “lived experiences of diversity professionals addressing whiteness at Christian colleges” through frameworks including “critical race theory, critical white studies, and evangelical postcolonial studies.”
Cha became PLNU’s dean of students in March 2025. In this role, he oversees several areas of student life, including multicultural and international student services, new student engagement, and residential life.
Two of Cha’s most prominent critics are PLNU alumni Lidiya Harvey and Isabella Simmons, who say his hiring reflects the university’s broader progressive direction.
In late August, Harvey and Simmons published a joint Instagram post alleging that during an official 2025 student leadership training, Cha told students that if their identity was “in Christ alone,” they “have white privilege.”
They cited student leaders who attended the fall leadership training as their source. Their eight-page slideshow also shows a picture of Cha, who is Asian, wearing a “Jesus Wasn’t White” T-Shirt, and flags his dissertation.
It also shows a picture from the 2026 presentation by Cha focused on “white people engaging racial justice,” as well as a speech he gave in 2020 titled “Whiteness as Witness: Re-conceptualizing Diversity in Christian Higher Education.”
This "backslide" began quite some time ago.
Jennifer Kabbany, the Fix Editor, published this last November:
Point Loma Nazarene University is facing criticism for refusing to recognize a Turning Point USA chapter, one example of what several students and alumni say represents the institution’s ongoing divergence from its evangelical roots.
The controversy has come to a head after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, when students said they sought to host a memorial on campus.
The students said they were forced to ban outside community members from attending the vigil and prohibited from advertising it. What’s more, informal memorial items such as flowers and photographs were removed, they said.
This crackdown prompted an alumnus to gather examples of other concerns about the school from students and alumni — and the complaints poured in — primarily centered on concerns that the private, San Diego-based college allows faith deconstruction to fester.
Some students and alumni reported they’ve been marked down for referring to God with masculine pronouns and claimed the lyrics of the famed Chris Tomlin worship song “Good, Good Father” were once changed to “Good, Good Parent.”
One student said she was given an assignment to identify all the inconsistencies in the four Gospels, and has had theology professors who suggest there are more ways to get to heaven than just Jesus, what’s known as pluralistic theology.
The university recently hosted popular deconstructionist Liz Charlotte Grant, author of “Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible.”
Reached for comment, a university spokesperson did not address the specific allegations on social media, but pointed The College Fix to a recent written statement saying the claims have “often been false or misleading.”
Rather than address them one by one, according to the statement penned by President Kerry Fulcher, school leaders are reaching out to concerned alumni and donors for one-on-one conversations.
But a current senior at the school told The College Fix in a telephone interview this week that the social media posts offer an accurate reflection of the situation at the university. A Biblical studies minor, she said she’s been taught the Bible is largely a book of stories.
“Over time I have gotten more and more frustrated seeing my friends question their faith in an environment where they should be strengthening their faith,” she said, asking to remain unnamed for fear of backlash from peers or administrators.
The student said she has been involved in a pro-life ministry on campus and in the past has been harassed by staff while trying to spread her message. The group has also been denied approval to chalk pro-life messages on campus, she said.
Meanwhile, she added, not only was a TPUSA chapter denied approval — events that have taken place on campus include a “No Kings” protest, “pronoun pin making,” and “decolonizing yoga.” The school also has several pro-LGBTQ student groups.
“There is an inconsistency with the way they treat their liberal students, and the privileges those clubs get,” she said. “This whole thing is bigger than the Turning Point USA club. It’s becoming more about faith and [PLNU] being inconsistent with their values.”“Our calling is not to win arguments on social media but to live out the truth of the Gospel with faithfulness and integrity,” he wrote.
Yes, it's consistent with the Nazarene teaching.
I'm not a Nazarene, but I've had many close friends over the years who are.
None the least is the late Dr. Les Parrott III, who was a pastor, president of one of the Nazarene universities, head of the Nazarene denomination, and close friend to me.
The Nazarene Church has given us James Dobson and H.B. London, both good former friends of ours.
I certainly don't speak for Dr Parrott or any of them, but I can assure you they would have had none of this.
And neither should the good Nazarene Christians who helped build their churches and their schools.
Some years ago I served as "Special Assistant to the President" at Seattle Pacific University.
SPU was a product of the same kind of mission and vision, only with the Free Methodist Church.
While it was only beginning at SPU at that time, it reflected some of these same issues, including the LGBTQIA demanding equality with the biblical Christian clubs.
Takeaway
President Fulcher says, "I also want to be clear that students who hold conservative views are valued members of this community,” he added. “There are conservative chartered clubs that are able to participate fully in the shared life of our campus. I’m committed to supporting these students with the same spirit of respect, consistency, and hospitality that guides how we care for all student organizations at PLNU.”
Sounds pretty benign to me.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Bold. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful.