I Told You So . . .
By Joe E. Trull, Editor
No one likes to say, "I told you so." But if it were not so sad, I would. Or maybe I just did!
First, Louisiana College (Baptist) president Rory Lee ordered two books removed from the college bookstore-Scott Peck`s A Road Less Traveled and A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. Evidently some students found "objectionable materials" in the books (reportedly curse words and a sex scene), used as supplemental reading in a values course. I`ve not read Gaines` book, but half the preachers I know have read and quoted Scott Peck in their sermons. What`s next? Chaucer ? Hemingway ? Certain parts of the Bible?
This event led the LC trustees on last December 2 to establish a policy change, requiring approval of all textbooks and supplemental reading by department chairs and the vice president of academic affairs. Although the President and Trustees are putting the best "political spin" possible (an election year helps) saying they were trying to provide "accountability," the truth came out in the fine print.
Trustee Fred Malone said the new policy "falls in line with the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message." When asked to quote chapter and verse, officials noted the statement in the BF&M called for "proper balance between academic freedom and responsibility." It then states the freedom of a Christian teacher is limited by "the preeminence of Jesus Christ, the authoritative nature of Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists." Duh! When you use a creed as a club, you don`t need to make it sensible.
There it is. I told you . . . no, I`m not going to say it.
In almost all institutions of higher education (as was true at LC), each professor is responsible for developing course content, selecting textbooks and reading material, and determining other requirements. As professional educators, their training and research prepared them for that. And, they are responsible. Academic freedom meant administrators and trustees should not interfere and control the teaching process. Why? Because their limited knowledge of the subjects taught and their political bias would inevitably lead them to ban any books or teaching that was contrary to their own likes and dislikes.
The faculty at LC, by a vote of 48-8 responded: "We regret and disagree with the recent effort by the board of trustees to establish a policy of censorship of the LC faculty. Such a practice violates the current college policy of academic freedom, limits the education of students, damages the reputation of the institution, hinders recruitment efforts, . . . inhibits the ability of the college to function, demeans the faculty, students, and the administration, and is inconsistent with the American tradition of higher education."
The Religious Right has inordinate influence over most conservative churches in Louisiana. It has manipulated the majority of Southern Baptists into believing that the only way to restore conservative values is through coercion, manipulation, and control. Thus, a document is created which can force conformity to "traditional values," thus restoring an idyllic age of the past which really never existed.
Editor To Visit Campuses and Communities
During 2004 and 2005, the editor is planning to visit colleges, seminaries, and communities to promote the Journal. At the schools he will speak to classes and chapel services on Christian ethics subjects such as ministerial ethics, clergy sexual abuse, the gender debate among Baptists, etc. He will also distribute Christian Ethics Today to students and professors in order to increase readership of the Journal.
The visit will include discussion about the Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition of Ministerial Ethics: Moral Formation for Church Leaders, published this month by Baker Academic of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Co-authored by the editor and James E. Carter, the book has become a standard text in the field.
The editor also hopes in these communities to meet with pastors and lay leaders who are supporters of the Journal. One goal of our Journal is to enlist 40-50 churches who will give $500-$1000 annually to the budget of Christian Ethics Today, which would underwrite one-half of our present budget of $65,000. Your prayer support for this endeavor is requested and appreciated.
