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October 01, 2009, 02:12 PM ET
Calvin College Faculty Asks Trustees to Withdraw Memo Against Gay Advocacy
Calvin College's Faculty Senate voted, 36 to 4, this week to ask the Michigan institution's Board of Trustees to withdraw a memorandum saying that faculty and staff members should not advocate homosexuality and same-sex marriage, the Grand Rapids Press reports. Faculty leaders say the memo limits academic freedom and the board disregarded principles of shared governance by distributing it without faculty input. The board's president, Bastian Knoppers, told the paper that the trustees of the college, affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, have an obligation to uphold that church's position. Nevertheless, he expressed willingness to continue talks with faculty leaders.
Comments
1. arnoldas - October 01, 2009 at 04:10 pm
It seems rather late in the day for the Trustees to change the terms and conditions of employment. If the Trustees had taken seiously their mission to uphold the church's position, they would have warned (advised?) prospective faculty and students of such limitations of academic freedom.
Conversely, it behooves prospective faculty and students to find out the rules of the game before accepting employment or admission to religiously oriented institutions.
2. ehawthorne - October 01, 2009 at 05:39 pm
Why do believers feel so comfortable praying for the souls of murderers and rapists and whatever and not giving equal rights and dignity to their fellow men and women who are homosexual and do no more good or harm than anyone else? What values do you hold. Doesn't the bible say anything about bigotry?
3. lslerner - October 01, 2009 at 10:57 pm
There are colleges and then there are religious schools that call themselves colleges. Everyone who attends one of the latter knows what s/he is getting into -- students, faculty, administrators. If one is not willing to put dogma over reason and compassion, they are just the place. For others, going there is just plain dumb -- as dumb as the trustees themselve.
4. lslerner - October 01, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Whoops! Delete that "not"!
5. mmullins - October 02, 2009 at 11:17 am
Calvin's faculty is right to stand up to the bigotry that this memorandum advocates. Didn't the puritans come to America because of intolerance? Aren't the Dutch Reformed direct descendants of this religious sect? Let freedom ring!
6. arnoldas - October 06, 2009 at 09:59 am
Dear mmullins,
You imply that the Puritans endorsed the idea of toleration. Not exactly. They came so that they would be free to apply their own brand of intolerance on others. Ask Roger Williams about this.
The Mass. Bay Colony demanded that all government office holders be members of the Church in good standing, so that the 'tolerant' Puritans had a functioning theocracy.
Religious freedom (toleration) was established by First Amendment to the Constitution but it applied, at first, only to the federal government, not the states.
One man's bigotry is another's principle. If the policy on homosexuality had been made clear, as I said above, as a condition of employment, no faculty can argue against the reiteration of the policy. If the policy had not been made clear and has been newly issued, the Trustees have no case.
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