My Take…

I wanted to take a few paragraphs to give my thoughts on Eric’s article and respond to some of the reactions folks have had and will have.

I agree that this does not sound like a complicated issue. Homosexuality is wrong according to the Bible. Calvin is a Christian school. Therefore their professors should not be allowed to promote homosexuality. But the concept of academic freedom does make things trickier. I don’t fully understand it, probably because I’m not an academic. To me, academic freedom can sound like an excuse to be unbiblical. But it is a noble intention to protect “liberty of conscience” as Eric stated. At a place like Calvin that may mean that professors are allowed to oppose women’s ordination even though that may be the minority position there.

So academic freedom allows for some things we like and some things we don’t. Now before anyone writes a response here let me clear that I think homosexuality is a confessional issue. That’s what Eric was trying to point out. So, on the one hand, a Christian college will not settle every Scriptural issue. They will allow for diversity in some areas and on some issues. Maybe they allow for differing convictions on baptism or the millennium.  But on the other hand, for a Christian college, let alone a denominational school, to maintain its unique identity, it MUST rule some beliefs and behaviors out of bounds. If you have no fences you have no identity.

The question then is which beliefs and behaviors are within the acceptable range of diversity. I do not think homosexuality should be within the acceptable range at a place like Calvin: 1) because I believe the confessional standards of the denomination prohibit homosexuality and (2) because I believe homosexuality touches essential gospel issues (as I’ve argued on this blog many times).

Not being an academic and not being at Calvin, I don’t know if the Trustees went about their ruling in the best way. But I do agree that it would be proper and good for Calvin College to reassert that promoting or legitimizing homosexuality is out of bounds at a confessional, reformed school like Calvin. Academic freedom is important, but it does not trump all.