At first I thought this was all a misunderstanding that could be sorted out between reasonable parties. If I could explain to the administration that doctrinal statements are an important part of religious expression””an ancient, enduring practice that would be a given for respected thinkers like Thomas Aquinas””then surely they’d see that creedal communities are intellectually valid and permissible. If we could show that we weren’t homophobic culture warriors but friendly, thoughtful evangelicals committed to a diverse, flourishing campus, then the administration and religious groups could find common ground.
When I met with the assistant dean of students, she welcomed me warmly and seemed surprised that my group would be affected by the new policy. I told her I was a woman in the ordination process, that my husband was a PhD candidate in Vanderbilt’s religion department, and that we loved the university. There was an air of hope that we could work things out.
But as I met with other administrators, the tone began to change. The word discrimination began to be used””a lot””specifically in regard to creedal requirements. It was lobbed like a grenade to end all argument. Administrators compared Christian students to 1960s segregationists. I once mustered courage to ask them if they truly thought it was fair to equate racial prejudice with asking Bible study leaders to affirm the Resurrection. The vice chancellor replied, “Creedal discrimination is still discrimination.”
LOL. Nice to know Kendall even took a vacation from READING T19 let alone posting! Kendall, the elves beat you to this, posting it while you were away! 🙂
But nonetheless, it’s an important article and it would be good to have more discussion of this. I saw that Anglican Mainstream posted this with a short editor’s note, which asked some good questions. Here’s what the Anglican Mainstream folks commented:
[blockquote]Editor’s note: If Christians are intelligent and nuanced, winsome not shrill and aggessive, middle-of-the-road not too conservative, engaging with culture not condemning and withdrawing from it, using discussion based on reason not argument based on emotion – if we are like this, we will win over the culture, or at least be given respect and space for ourselves to continue to believe and act as we have always done. Right?
It’s worth reading this article carefully, and asking a) on what basis are Christians accused of discrimination? b) where is this kind of thing happening near us? and c) are there things the church can do or say to preserve Gospel freedoms?[/blockquote]
Lol–I sorry; still consider it an important article–ed.
LOL! Glad your vacation was a great one, Kendall+! It is a wonderful article and thought I recognized it and then wondered why my comment was not there…. Of course, Karen B figured it out. Yep. Still a wonderful article for all of us to really think about and ponder.
Sadly, Vandy has not been a *comfortable* place for Christians for decades. I was a student there in the 1980s. It was better back then even though Christian groups were small. Chancellor Heard would never allowed such a ridiculously discriminatory policy as this!
OOPS! Sorry, comment #2 is actually me, SC Blu Cat Lady. My apologies. I was a student at Vandy but my hubby never studied there.