I have written some about tenure and the lack of tenure at many independent schools; I am happy to say that Houston Christian offered me a nice contract with financial incentives that will keep me here. Furthermore, this is the first contract I have received that extends beyond one year. Actually, I signed and returned my contract on time with little thought to leaving…. The temptations over the years have been tempting. I really like the direction the school is moving in; I have no doubt that we are on the brink of being one of the leading independent schools in the city of Houston. Still, the tenure issue has long bothered me. Edward Gilbreath posted the blog piece below and here at his blog addressing the issue of tenure at a conservative Christian college. I have blogged on the tenure topic here. Many would like to end the tenure review process; however, I say it should be expanded and used more. Here is an interesting article on how Baylor has cut back on tenure but at the expense of women.
Where have you been, my Reconciliation Blog peeps?! Once again, I’m learning about a hot topic way late in the game. You’re supposed to be telling me about this stuff, especially now that I’m away from the pulse of evangelical happenings (i.e., Christianity Today). Anyway, have any of you been tracking the story of Calvin College faculty member Denise Isom? Isom, who is African American, is an assistant professor of education whose request to worship at a predominantly black Baptist church was denied by the Calvin board. Check out this CT story for all the grisly details. When my coworker LaTonya Taylor brought this story to my attention, I had to read it several times before I could really believe it. Was I missing something? Apparently not.
Isom’s ordeal saddens and angers me. It has elements of some of the worst “Reconciliation Blues“ stories that I’ve ever heard, both before and after writing the book. How could something like this be happening at a contemporary evangelical college, especially one with such a forward-thinking reputation as Calvin?
When I read the CT article, I was reminded of a question that was posed to me by an African American faculty member of another Christian Reformed school. She asked, “Is racial reconciliation truly possible on an institutional level?” She was frustrated by the words of one of her college’s administrators who told her matter-of-factly that the school’s board of trustees would always be made up of those who were movers and shakers in the Christian Reformed denomination, that someone who didn’t fit this profile wouldn’t even be considered. To this woman’s mind, that was the same as saying “White males will be the only people considered for board membership at this college.” And this was at a school that had expressed a strong desire to become more racially and culturally diverse. Good luck with that.
The Calvin College board ruled that upholding its denominational requirement for tenure-track faculty was crucial to the school remaining a Reformed institution. They wrote in a statement: ”Nearly all Christian colleges and universities that distanced themselves from their founding denominations and theological traditions eventually also drifted away from being Christian in any meaningful way.” This line of reasoning seems to assume a superiority over other denominations and implies that the Baptist beliefs of Isom’s church will somehow undermine the mission of Calvin College. Yet, like that other Reformed school noted above, Calvin proclaims a commitment to racial diversity.
The American evangelical church acknowledged and (for the most part) rejected its practice of overt racism long ago. But something sinister still lurks within our institutions. Could denominational and theological tradition be one of the last barriers to true racial reconciliation among evangelicals today? A quote in the CT article from Olivet Nazarene University president John Bowling makes me wonder:
Any Christian college or university has an obligation to remain loyal to its core values and constituencies and to maintain theological coherence. To override those commitments could be a disservice to the university in the long run.
In my opinion any theological tradition that cannot take into account the realities of the culture in which that theology is being lived out and make adjustments where tradition clearly falls short, lacks the grace and love that God is calling us to. “So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified” (Rom. 15:7).
I did find several excellent posts from other bloggers who were on top of this story. This one from Rachel at her blog, Momentary Trace, is poignant and insightful. And this report from The Grand Rapids Press offers a somewhat hopeful update.
3 Comments
April 12, 2008 at 9:10 am
Well, it is my hope thyat tenure continues to serve all of us wee. Still, the systen must be fixed. I read that article last week by Inside Higher Ed that you linked to your blog. Issues such as the one at Baylor spells legal matters. Teachers are forced to wait years belore learning their fate.
I cannot believe you and others operate on a year to year base. Congrats. on the multi year contract.
April 13, 2008 at 3:23 am
wow… so much to comment on! so little time to put my thoughts into words. i’m so glad your year-to-year job security is over and done with. you work hard and should be rewarded for it! no system is ever perfect but there must be a better way…
as to the racial diversity issues- without having read any of the details of the links you provided (sorry i’m on momentary leave from scrubbing floors! and a child could interrupt me at any second) how frustrating! we live on guilford college campus and racial/religious tolerance is ALWAYS a topic of discussion. and there are always two sides to every issue- every issue, the big and small ones. but the bottom line is this, are we as Christians more concerned about making everyone else walk our chalkline- what we think is the right way( believe our doctrine, go to our church, think my way)- or our we doing as Christ commanded us and living our lives in such a way as to glorify Him so that others are drawn to Him by our example? IF we are living in such a way as to bring glory and honor to His name then all of this becaomes a non-issue because He is the maker of all of us and He will lead us down the path to reconcilliation through His love and His Holy Spirit will accomplish the healing in our hearts and more people will be drawn to Christ and His love and compassion instead of the nasty divisive bickering that is taking place all around us and dirty-ing the Name of Christ because this we do “in His Name”! shame on all of us for not loving our neighbor as Chist loved us- unto death.
my husband took a job early in our marriage with a specific denomination that required us to attend a certain church- a church which we did not completely agree with doctrinally. we knew this ahead of time and still took the job. therefore, we had to fulfill this part of his contract because we knowingly accepted the terms. however, the job did not last long because we ultimately could not abide. they felt that if we did not attend their chosen church, we would “muddy the waters” of the publication he worked for. but really, no amount of us going to their church instead of ours made us change our beliefs. we simply chose to leave and go elsewhere where we were free to chose our own church. so here’s the two sides of the issue. this is america- they have rights to make requirements of their employees before hiring. we also have rights. we can leave any unsuitable employment situation. but if we had come to a mutual satisfying agreement that involved compromise everyone could have grown and benefitted. we could have learned from each other and we could all have grown deeper in our relationship with the Lord and gotten to know more of the wonderful diversity that is the body of Christ. we are not all hands, we need feet too:)
racial discrimination is wrong. but how many other ways do we judge each other???? it happens to me all the time. how many different ways to we use our self-righteous condescending attitudes to look down on those who are different from ourselves? and people get hurt because of it. rich/poor. intellectuals/the uneducated. men/women. young/old. people of different faiths. working moms/stay at home moms. the list goes on…. everyday i meet people who have been ostrasized (did i spell that right?) and hurt by the hateful words and actions of those around them.
so here’s the end of my soap box rant:) are we as Christians, living as Christ would have us live? do we love everyne as He does?
April 14, 2008 at 6:16 am
“The Calvin College board ruled that upholding its denominational requirement for tenure-track faculty was crucial to the school remaining a Reformed institution. ”
I find this comment here to be in contrast to the whole system of tenure. Religious colleges have always defined tenure in a different way. I am surprised many have tenure seeing that they put so mant restrictions on faculty members.
Kwater – sounds like your husband understands why a degree of freedom is so important.