Secular student groups rapidly expanding

The Chronicle of Higher Education [subscription required] has a piece on the rapid growth of a network of groups for secular students, all affiliated with the Secular Student Alliance. Some of these groups are found on religiously affiliated campuses.

The national group expects clubs to be naturalistic (holding that natu­ral things are the only ones humans can understand), economically neutral, civil-rights-minded, and nondiscriminatory. Beyond that, individual groups have a lot of freedom.

The article explores in some detail the club at Cal Lutheran, looking at the experiences of several of its members and the reactions of the larger Cal Lutheran community.

U.S. Bishops Condemn Book by Creighton Theologians as ‘harmful’

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement describing as “harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life” the book The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology (Georgetown University Press, 2008), authored by Todd A. Salzman, chair of Creighton’s theology department, and Michael G. Lawler, a professor emeritus in theology. The book presents views that different from traditional teaching on premarital sex, homosexual acts, contraception, and artificial insemination.

The bishops conclude in part:

Professors Lawler and Salzman present their book as a  quaestio disputata, as an examination of a disputed question in  the way of  the medieval universities (4).  The scholarly disputations of the Middle Ages, however, took place in a framework provided by Catholic faith, requiring a recognition of the authority of Sacred Scriptures and authoritative Church teaching and a knowledge and appreciation for the Catholic theological tradition.  The authors of  The Sexual Person, by contrast, base their arguments on a methodology  that marks a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition.  Consequently, it is not surprising that they reach a whole range of conclusions that are contrary to Catholic teaching.  The Committee on
Doctrine wishes to make it clear that neither the methodology  of  The Sexual Person  nor the conclusions that depart from authoritative Church teaching  constitute  authentic expressions of Catholic theology.  Moreover, such conclusions, clearly in contradiction to the authentic teaching of the Church, cannot provide a true norm for moral action and in fact are harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life.
(Here is the Bishops’ full statement.)

The prize-winning book has been generally well-received by academics (see, for example, the list of endorsements and review excerpts at Georgetown University Press).

More after the break.

Ad Placed by Marquette and Seattle University Faculty Asks Marquette to Reoffer Jodi O’Brien Dean of Arts and Sciences Position

In a full-page ad in Monday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel nearly two-hundred faculty members from two Jesuit institutions—Seattle University and Marquette University—condemned Marquette’s decision to rescind an offer to Jodi O’Brien to become Marquette’s dean of arts and sciences, “condemned the involvement of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and other outside influences in this decision,” and stated “that the appropriate response to the current situation is for the offer of the Deanship of the College of Arts and Sciences to be extended again immediately to Dr. O’Brien with an apology.”

Details and links after the break.

Trinity U in Texas will keep ‘Year of Our Lord’ on its Diplomas despite some student protests

Inside Higher Ed reports the trustees affirmed continued use and insisted that it was not fair to characterize the dispute as one between Muslims and Christians.

Noted evangelical scholar of the Old Testament fired for endorsing evolution

Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik reports on the firing of Bruce K. Waltke, an evangelical scholar of the Old Testament at the Reformed Theological Seminary, for a video he made for BioLogos Foundation in which he endorsed evolution and warned that when evangelical Christianity denies evolution it makes itself look foolish to the rest of the world.

"If the data is overwhelmingly in favor of evolution, to deny that reality will make us a cult … some odd group that is not really interacting with the world. And rightly so, because we are not using our gifts and trusting God’s Providence that brought us to this point of our awareness," he says, according to several accounts by those who have seen the video.

Jaschik’s report offers different perspectives from the participants, including a joint statement issued by Waltke and BioLogos (see also an earlier statement), and comments from the Michael Milton, president of the Reformed Theological Seminary’s Charlotte campus and interim president of its Orlando campus, where Waltke taught. Jaschik also offers a useful overview of some the reaction to the firing. His article could serve to tee-off a faculty discussion on the issues of academic freedom and institutional identity.

Jewish groups seek protection for Jewish students

According to its press release, the Anti-Defamation League, together with several other Jewish organizations, has written a letter to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,

…urging him to interpret existing law to ensure that Jewish students are protected against anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation and discrimination on campus.

The League urged Secretary Duncan to clarify the authority of the Department’s Office for Civil Rights to protect Jewish students who are threatened, harassed, or intimidated on their campuses because of their religion or ethnic identity.

The ADL said that it had “significant concerns about harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on college campuses – including in the context of heated debate over Israel.”

[Anti-Defamation League via Inside Higher Ed]

Erskine College and accreditation

The ongoing story of Erskine College and its denomination’s attempt to “reassert” control is rapidly becoming a classic case study in how relations between a church-related college and its church can become dysfunctional and destructive. Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik has the story about how the church’s latest moves may put the college’s accreditation in jeopardy.

Church control over Erskine College (cont.)

As reported last week, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) commissioned a study of its Erskine College (South Carolina) that concluded that the college was hurt by “irreconcilable and competing visions.” The report urged that the church and board take a more direct and independent role in directing the college.

According to The Index-Journal of South Carolina, the general synod of ARP has now replaced fourteen of the college’s thirty-member board. In June the interim board will be succeeded by a new, restructured board, and the college bylaws will be revised.

The Index-Journal article reports on the change and offers some reactions from the retiring president, Randall T. Ruble:

"No changes in administration, faculty or staff are being made,” President Randall T. Ruble said in a statement. "I wish to assure students that they will continue to receive the same good service they have come to expect and that our outstanding academic program will remain unchanged. This change is a governance matter.”

Ruble said it was his understanding the current board had not measured up to the standards of the ARP commission that investigated the college. During the meeting, Ken Wingate, who spoke on behalf of the general synod, talked about the board’s negligence in oversight of administration and finance, Ruble said.

"I have worked well with the current board and don’t see a lot of reason for (this) to be done,” he said.

Several faculty express concerns that the changes may compromise  faculty academic freedom and Erskine’s reputation for quality.

[The Index-Journal via Inside Higher Ed]

Do Catholic Colleges help Catholic students remain Catholic?

Another post providing an overview of the recent Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) study on how Catholic Colleges may affect the beliefs of Catholic Students.

Northwestern College in Minnesota debates its Christian identity and whether its president is weeding out religiously conservative professors and trustees

Northwestern College in Minnesota, which had Bill Graham as its president from 1947 to 1953, is caught up in a controversy over faculty demotions and accusations of backsliding on its Christian identity.

A group of students and alumni have accused the college’s president of weeding out conservative professors and trustees. For his part, president Alan Cureton reportedly apologized to faculty for “messages that he didn’t intend to communicate.” Two reports, commission by the trustees, have attempted, unsuccessfully, to defuse and end the controversy.