Like you, I'm not sure, in esp. Christian institutions, that faculty will ever be treated as more than employees who can be dismissed at will for (virtually) any cause. The institution (through its administrators) has a survival instinct that will sacrifice the faculty (the key component of the institution) rather than take on the hard task of dealing with controversy. It's clear that unwritten and sometimes unknowable lines on this or that topic or cultural(?) issue that should never be crossed create an atmosphere of fear and vigilance that works against true education. Faculty have to take care that they don't cross those lines, and that silences them, frequently.
I should add: if institutions actually created a statement of "non primary distinctions/beliefs but further items that you should not discuss in public or social media" or something such as that, it would at least be honest.
Thanks so much for your tireless work.
After all that we have experienced (and continue to experience) I cannot thank you enough for having this conversation. It is vital!
Peace to you friend!
Teresa
Thanks for these thoughts, John.
Like you, I'm not sure, in esp. Christian institutions, that faculty will ever be treated as more than employees who can be dismissed at will for (virtually) any cause. The institution (through its administrators) has a survival instinct that will sacrifice the faculty (the key component of the institution) rather than take on the hard task of dealing with controversy. It's clear that unwritten and sometimes unknowable lines on this or that topic or cultural(?) issue that should never be crossed create an atmosphere of fear and vigilance that works against true education. Faculty have to take care that they don't cross those lines, and that silences them, frequently.
Have you read Louis Menand's fairly brief piece on academic freedom? If you don't subscribe, I can email you a pdf: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/06/academic-freedom-under-fire
I should add: if institutions actually created a statement of "non primary distinctions/beliefs but further items that you should not discuss in public or social media" or something such as that, it would at least be honest.