"Emancipatory Maximalists exercise a religious fervor intent on rooting out racism, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia. They aren’t keen on “persuading” their opponents. They wish instead to use coercive power to produce conformity to an unyielding dogma that regulates speech, artistic representation, and institutional policy. Speech that doesn’t conform to these concerns is “harm,” and “Silence is violence.” We must pursue “whatever it takes” to cleanse society of the “evils” that have been visited upon “the marginalized.” Such endangered communities will not be “safe” until every part of society has been brought into conformity with these goals. "
This is a problem????? Can we turn this on its head and say this should not be done and be okay with it? So we should be emancipatory minimalists? Is that anywhere in scripture? I seem to remember something or other about Jesus coming to set the captives free. Hmmmm...
Julie Moore's firing made my local paper this morning (I live about an hour away from Taylor U.). I kept thinking of the 2016 suspension and removal, after some sort of settlement, of Dr. Larycia Hawkins at my alma mater, Wheaton College. In Prof. Hawkins case, the faculty rallied around her for a variety of reasons, not the least was their alarm that a tenured faculty member wasn't given her due process involving the faculty senate.
These school administrations usually are surprised when they get pushback from within and negative press from without. I don't donate to Wheaton any more, and when the poor student worker calls every year to ask for money, I tell them why: I value academic freedom, and Wheaton--and Taylor--do not.
Also, I clicked all the way through to the original article by Jay Green in Current. The top of the page illustration is...a lot.
Thank you for sharing this history and perspective. There are the public cases of faculty struggles in Christian academic spaces but there are also several quiet stories of faculty who are weary and walk away quietly. I taught for 19 years at a conservative institution (for which I still hold high regard and affection), but quietly left last spring to go back to a high school classroom where I am encouraged to engage my students in critical thinking. As you note, hope is in Jesus and not in our institutions or even trusted colleagues.
It’s interesting that the students listed relationships as being important to personal faith. And thank God they have faith!
One of the amazing things I believe Jesus is doing right now is moving believers away from broken structures and communities of faith. And while it’s incredibly painful for so many deconstructionists to lose the community of churches, we are also ripe for a time of autonomy and growth.
The relationship with Jesus often takes me places I didn’t envision when in the Evangelical culture many years ago. There’s a vibrancy, depth of wisdom, and love deeper than I’d ever known. And he’s growing me all time!
While churches have historically failed people, Christianity has endured the abuse.
Perhaps we can non judgmentally encourage each others spiritual growth without relying on external theologies to dictate the construct. Jesus will show us, as he always had, how to course-correct. And how to grow in the intimacy of a truly personal relationship.
We can also find the relationships and spaces that celebrate God being God in all the delightful, deep and surprising ways we are are capable of engaging in.
Wow. I had no idea of the Nov article. That is some SERIOUS fragility. Might as well hang out a sign, “prophets (still) not welcome”. Evidently the marginalized need to just stay marginalized for some. But considering the historical Jesus of the gospels and indeed the consistent witness of all of scripture, I’d suggest it would be better (as indeed for us all) to reflect on how well one’s own views of and behaviors toward others reflect our claimed identity in Jesus.
Well said. My own denomination (not Evangelical) just recently fired two administrators at one of our universities for expressing support for LGBTQ+ people. I'm very disappointed by that. We're not where we should be.
Seems to me that Jesus might be considered to have “emancipatory maximalist” tendencies
"Emancipatory Maximalists exercise a religious fervor intent on rooting out racism, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia. They aren’t keen on “persuading” their opponents. They wish instead to use coercive power to produce conformity to an unyielding dogma that regulates speech, artistic representation, and institutional policy. Speech that doesn’t conform to these concerns is “harm,” and “Silence is violence.” We must pursue “whatever it takes” to cleanse society of the “evils” that have been visited upon “the marginalized.” Such endangered communities will not be “safe” until every part of society has been brought into conformity with these goals. "
This is a problem????? Can we turn this on its head and say this should not be done and be okay with it? So we should be emancipatory minimalists? Is that anywhere in scripture? I seem to remember something or other about Jesus coming to set the captives free. Hmmmm...
Julie Moore's firing made my local paper this morning (I live about an hour away from Taylor U.). I kept thinking of the 2016 suspension and removal, after some sort of settlement, of Dr. Larycia Hawkins at my alma mater, Wheaton College. In Prof. Hawkins case, the faculty rallied around her for a variety of reasons, not the least was their alarm that a tenured faculty member wasn't given her due process involving the faculty senate.
These school administrations usually are surprised when they get pushback from within and negative press from without. I don't donate to Wheaton any more, and when the poor student worker calls every year to ask for money, I tell them why: I value academic freedom, and Wheaton--and Taylor--do not.
Also, I clicked all the way through to the original article by Jay Green in Current. The top of the page illustration is...a lot.
Thank you for sharing this history and perspective. There are the public cases of faculty struggles in Christian academic spaces but there are also several quiet stories of faculty who are weary and walk away quietly. I taught for 19 years at a conservative institution (for which I still hold high regard and affection), but quietly left last spring to go back to a high school classroom where I am encouraged to engage my students in critical thinking. As you note, hope is in Jesus and not in our institutions or even trusted colleagues.
It’s interesting that the students listed relationships as being important to personal faith. And thank God they have faith!
One of the amazing things I believe Jesus is doing right now is moving believers away from broken structures and communities of faith. And while it’s incredibly painful for so many deconstructionists to lose the community of churches, we are also ripe for a time of autonomy and growth.
The relationship with Jesus often takes me places I didn’t envision when in the Evangelical culture many years ago. There’s a vibrancy, depth of wisdom, and love deeper than I’d ever known. And he’s growing me all time!
While churches have historically failed people, Christianity has endured the abuse.
Perhaps we can non judgmentally encourage each others spiritual growth without relying on external theologies to dictate the construct. Jesus will show us, as he always had, how to course-correct. And how to grow in the intimacy of a truly personal relationship.
We can also find the relationships and spaces that celebrate God being God in all the delightful, deep and surprising ways we are are capable of engaging in.
XXOO
Wow. I had no idea of the Nov article. That is some SERIOUS fragility. Might as well hang out a sign, “prophets (still) not welcome”. Evidently the marginalized need to just stay marginalized for some. But considering the historical Jesus of the gospels and indeed the consistent witness of all of scripture, I’d suggest it would be better (as indeed for us all) to reflect on how well one’s own views of and behaviors toward others reflect our claimed identity in Jesus.
Well said. My own denomination (not Evangelical) just recently fired two administrators at one of our universities for expressing support for LGBTQ+ people. I'm very disappointed by that. We're not where we should be.