Thread by @JeffreyASachs

All true. And as @sarahemclaugh points out, this comes (believe it or not) in spite of Falwell’s explicit commitment to free speech.

More generally, it is problematic how little concern is ever raised about free speech issues on religious campuses. A few thoughts on this. 1/

https://twitter.com/jtlevy/status/1155606142221004800

First, here’s a good discussion of this from FIRE. I don’t agree with much of it, but it gives you an insight into the issues at play. 2/

thefire.org/is-speech-supp…

Now, the obvious move here is that these schools are upfront about their doctrinal expectations and, unlike eg Yale, do not promise free speech. So no problem, right?

Wrong. 3/

Whatever these schools claim to offer, students frequently enter with wildly different expectations. Liberty is a good example of that. Students just aren’t informed about what diets of expressive freedoms they will have. That’s Problem #1. 4/

Problem #2: School policy changes, with big implications for students and faculty. Two years ago, Pacific Union (I think) adopted a new, more conservative credal statement and made all existing faculty affirm it. A few refused. They were fired. 5/

Problem 3: It’s one thing for these schools to demand students adhere to a particular code or creed. It’s something else entirely to rob them of their expressive freedoms tout court. Worse still, they are permitted to cite the former as alibi for the latter. 6/

There are real problems with the state of free speech in religious universities, but they’re perfectly designed to fall through the cracks. Secular liberals don’t think they matter enough to mention, and religious cons are content to look the other way. A recipe for neglect. 7/

Which is a massive shame and a failure of both advocacy and journalism. Unfortunately, I don’t see it changing. Nobody has the incentive. 8/8