The triumph of hope over experience?

Green Mountain College in Poultney VT closed in 2019 due to insufficient funds. Now, a traveling Pentecostal preacher from Florida has announced on Facebook (from Disneyland) that he’s gonna make it into a Christian fundamentalist college in the least religious state in the nation.

The whiskey magnate Raj Bhakta bought the campus in 2020 and has donated it to Tommie Zito, a Florida evangelist who plans to turn the campus into the gospel-preaching Z University.

“While the deal may be a good one for Zito and his team of fellow evangelists, Bhakta estimated in previous reports that it would cost $200 million to restore the campus — which includes dormitories and dining spaces, athletic fields, a gymnasium, and a pool — along with at least $1 million annually in operating costs.”

What’s the business model?

“Asked how he would pay to keep the campus going, he said “it’s a faith journey.” In addition to targeting large donors, he’s relying on businesses, churches, and “mom-and-pop givers” to support the school’s mission, he said.

 

“Cook, the library director, said whoever takes over the property will need to have deep pockets to pay for building maintenance as well as utilities, including heat. 

 

“That’s probably one of my biggest questions, if it is changing hands,” Cook said. “Does the new owner have a good understanding of the condition of the property, and have the ability to fix it as it should be fixed?”

As a former Christian, I recall the admonition "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12

The Lord helps those who help themselves, I guess. When I look at the enormity of human suffering superintended by the Christian deity, I have to wonder why He would valorize a small New England college. 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/08/metro/vermont-christian-university-green-mountain/

 

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