An email to the Dean of the Olivet University in San Francisco about Ulfkotte 7/12 [EN]
07-12-2009
Huib in 2009, Christian Fundamentalism, Germany, Olivet University, San Francisco, USA, Udo Ulfkotte, Ulfkotte, [EN]

'Ölanbetung": Einer der anti-islamischer "Pinns", die Ulfkotte verkauft im Internet.I know many people who are not unlucky about Mr. Ulfkottes emigration to the United States Of America. But for the risk, that it is not true at all.

2003, Ulfkotte swore, that he would never more live in Hessen, as the regional security services stalked him there too much. 2008, Kopp Verlag pretended that Ulfkotte and his family had moved to a "christian mountain village" in order to escape Muslim terrorists. But summer 2009, Ulfkotte is still in his Wetzlar (Hessen) home, tending his fish ponds, as proved by the Kopp Verlag video about "Vorsicht Buergerkrieg", that shows Ulfkotte behind a lecture desk before his garden. (Videos removed from YouTube by Kopp Verlag, that wishes to commercialise them.)

Is Udo Ulfkotte "living" in San Francisco, as Kopp Aktuell pretends in November 2009? Anyhow, he seems to be in Germany, preparing a video about "lying journalists" (never a dull moment with Udo...). "Politically Incorrect" (PI) is sure, that he is giving a series of lectures at US evangelical schools about "geistige Landesverteidigung" (Moral Defense Of The Country). Even the PI commenters flock had their doubts about that. But the PI direction replied, that they had "a confirmation from Udo Ulfkotte himself".

We are not going so easy about Ulfkottes affirmations. We want to see proof. Scrutinizing the Olivet University website and its announcements for the 2009/2010 courses, we couldn't find any mention of Ulfkotte. Either, the Californian evangelicals are hiding their German liability, or, Ulfkotte is not engaged there at all. Or, presumably, Ulfkotte is giving extracurricular lectures on a contract with the German "Evangelikaler Rat" to a number of sister schools in the US.

For the appellation "University" for schools and academies like the Olivet institution is lightly misleading. The many different Protestant denominations in the US created during the nineteenth- and twentieth centuries each their own bible schools for would-be preachers. Olivet is one of them. Under the Bush (2) presidency, the theological departments of those schools were allowed to call themselves "university". But the ICT- and Journalism-departments remained "academic" ("Hochschule" in German). As Ulfkotte is not known for his theological competences, nor for his ICT-savvy, he must, if he is really engaged at Olivet, be at the Journalism academy. The Journalism school at Olivet has as its stated mission: "Send Christian Journalists into a heathen world. And Gods Word will prevail!" I have no problem with that. In a honest contest, we'll see, what prevails.

But Ulfkotte? Is he really committed to "divine design" in biology and history? Is he really against abortion and homosexuality? Yes, he is, when we are dealing with Muslim fundamentalists. But when it comes to "Western Culture" and "rationalism", he favors a neutral attitude to those debates. Ulfkotte adores the Californian futurist guru Celente, an ace with Kopp Verlag, who rejects openly a Christian approach.

All this, made it necessary, that we contact the Olivet University in SF, in order to get some more information:

To the Dean of Olivet University, San Francisco, California

Mr. Ulfkotte from Germany pretends that he is teaching at your university.
In your curriculum, I couldn't find any mention of it.
Mr. Ulfkotte is a very controversial person in Germany. As a former Islamic convert, he wrote a novel (Gencode J, 2000), developing an imaginary racist Israeli worldwide conspiration to eliminate all mankind, but the Levites.
More than once, we were able to prove that Mr. Ulfkotte was lying about his whereabouts and about people who he pretends are supporting or employing him.

FYI:

Mr. Ulfkotte pretends that he is living in San Francisco now. Allowing to a message on the racist German website "Politically Incorrect", he is about to start a lecture tour at evangelical schools in the US, teaching about "Geistige Landesverteidigung" (moral defense of the homeland).
We do not know if either is true.
A source in English on Mr. Ulfkotte and his most recent book is: David Vickrey, on
Dialog International, German-American Opinion: Politics and Culture (posted July 19, 2009).
The blogger says, he asked you for an interview with Mr. Ulfkotte. Apparently, he did not get a reply.
Your eventually non-replying to this letter will be considered as a confirmation of your condoning of Mr. Ulfkottes acts and opinions.
In that case, we will have to inform a broader public of your association with Mr. Ulfkotte and his ideas.
We hope that your information on this issue, will enable us to stop worrying about the possible intoxication with false theories of your students.
May God bless you with wisdom and measure,
Yours,
Huib Riethof, Brussels
Civis Europae Initiative

Meanwhile, Mr. David Vickrey writes me to say that the Dean of the Olivet Institution

confirmed that Ulfkotte was a guest lecturer there (teaching a one –week seminar). 

Which confirms my supposition, that Ulfkotte has been an extracurricular lecturer over there. If the PI-information is right, Ulfkotte will be giving seminars at other bible schools in the US. Apparently, he doesn't like to speak about it (Vickrey):

I did not  get a chance to interview him when he was there in October.

I am very sorry that I have interfered with Davids efforts to get more information about Ulfkottes whereabouts in the States and the Olivet perception of their German guest. I should have contacted him first.

That is why I sent another mail to the Olivet Dean:

To the Dean of the Olivet University, San Francisco

Mr. Vickrey of Harvard wrote me a mail with copy to you, to the effect, that I was wrong, to suppose that you did not reply to his proposition to interview Mr. Ulfkotte on the occasion of Ulfkottes seminar in October of this year in San Francisco. You did. But Mr. Ulfkotte was not available for an interview.
I sincerely regret, that I interfered into your relations. I should have asked Mr. Vickrey first.
As I understand the situation, Mr. Ulfkotte gave a one-week seminar in San Francisco in October of 2009, that has been, one way or another, sponsored by the Olivet University.
Or not. For I could barely imagine, that you would associate your institution with a volatile person like Mr. Ulfkotte.
We do not know, if you have planned other associations with Mr. Ulfkotte. We sincerely want to warn you against the consequences.
Assuming, that you do not intend to engage Mr. Ulfkotte in other seminars, we worry about his plans to lecture at other US evangelical institutions.
I would like to discuss that problem with you, or your colleagues.
We know that Mr. Ulfkotte badly needs the money that is connected with his US lecture tour.
But we cannot forget, that the same Mr. Ulfkotte extorted money from completely innocent bloggers by way of "advocacy" in recent years.
I would be glad to settle this issue with you and your congregation.
Sincerely yours,

Huib Riethof

That's it. We'll keep you informed!

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