Protests and prayer marked the first day of the spring semester at
Wheaton College after an acrimonious holiday break during which the
evangelical school pushed ahead with termination proceedings against a
tenured professor who said Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
Despite wind chills dipping below zero, several dozen students gathered
on the steps of the evangelical school’s Edman Memorial Chapel Monday
(Jan. 11) with signs reading, “Academic Rigor = Academic Freedom.”
Others chanted “Reinstate Doc Hawk” over the ringing of the chapel
bells.
Wheaton administrators did not permit media onto the suburban Chicago
campus to allow students to reconnect with the campus without
distraction, but a handful of reporters and photographers gathered on
the sidewalk just outside the gates.
Last week, the college confirmed it had started termination proceedings
against Larycia Hawkins who wore a Muslim headscarf during the Advent
period preceding Christmas as a sign of solidarity with Muslim
believers. Her case now goes to a faculty review board.
The political science professor, who has taught at Wheaton since 2007, also posted a photo of herself wearing a hijab on her personal Facebook page.
Wheaton has said it took issue not with the professor’s photo, but with
her justification for it. She wrote on Facebook, “I stand in religious
solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people
of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same
God.”
Hawkins stood by her belief that Muslims and Christians worship the
same God, something the college has said seems “inconsistent with
Wheaton College’s doctrinal convictions.”
On Sunday, Hawkins again took to Facebook, this time encouraging
supporters not to “demonize” Wheaton or its administration, but to
shower all concerned, particularly Provost Stan Jones, “with thoughts
and prayers and actions that emanate love, grace, peace, and if
necessary, forgiveness.”
Students still believe that reconciliation is possible by reinstating
Dr. Hawkins with tenure immediately, ending the termination process, and
issuing a public apology to Dr. Hawkins,” reads a statement from
students identified as “supporters of #reinstatedochawk.”
Both students and faculty dressed in “a sign of embodied solidarity”
with Hawkins, posting pictures of themselves wearing all black on social
media using the hashtag #ReinstateDocHawk.
The college responded with a statement, saying: “College leadership
continues to listen to the concerns of its students expressed through
social media, a peaceful demonstration and meetings with the
administration. While we appreciate this feedback, since this is a
personnel issue, the administration will continue to approach it through
the established process put in place to handle such matters.”
But it was not only students protesting. Wheaton psychology professor
Michael Mangis said “quite a few” faculty planned to wear their full
academic regalia to class – some, until Hawkins is reinstated.”
That doesn’t mean those faculty members all are taking a side, he said,
but simply expressing solidarity with a professor under siege.
Mangis had expressed his support for Hawkins in a comment on her
original Facebook post. An article published Saturday on the Time
magazine website suggested Mangis and Hawkins received a different
response from Jones, who admitted to Mangis privately that Hawkins’
statement was “innocuous.”
Mangis said race and gender may have played a role in Hawkins’ case,
however unintentionally. Hawkins is Wheaton’s first-ever tenured black
female professor.
“Wheaton has been so long entrenched in the white male American
evangelical group mindset, it’s hard to shake out of it,” Mangis said.
“Wheaton has to bring in fresh voices. It’s not right to say to the
fresh voice, ‘You don’t sound like a white male American evangelical.’”
Additional protests are expected to continue throughout the week.
Students are planning a sit-in in the offices of President Philip Ryken
and Jones, according to the release. Several faculty members also are
planning “teach-ins,” in which they will present information to students
about the college’s actions.
Emily McFarlan Miller is a contributor to RNS
Courtesy: Religion News Service
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