Wheaton College prof fired for converting
BY LESLIE BALDACCI Staff Reporter
A former Wheaton College professor who was fired because he converted to Catholicism found himself this week at the center of a debate about diversity and theological perspectives in private, faith-based schools. Faculty members at the west suburban evangelical Protestant college must sign a faith statement that the Bible is the final authority. Catholics follow the authority of Scripture and the pope. Joshua Hochschild, an assistant professor of philosophy at Wheaton College for four years, became a Catholic on Easter 2004. He was dismissed last spring.
More at http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-prof10.html#
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13 comments:
Wheaton is a very scary place. On the other hand, as a private college, they get to do stuff like this.
I understand their private status allows them to be freaks, but how would you view their graduates in the outside world?
This raises an interesting question: Is the college you graduated from an EEO-protected class? In other words, as an employer, can I just state categorically that I don't hire graduates from college X?
Not that I know of. We just went to a seminar on harassment, and in Illinois, I'm pretty sure that's not included.
And as a North Central grad who works at Millikin, I think that anyone from Wheaton is creepy.
Neo-Christians (or is that neandrathal christians?), Christian Conservatives or evangelical christians...whatever...believe Catholics are not really christians...something about being saved and invoking some Nazarene's name in salvation or something (disregard the fact that we read the same Bible). I can't wait for that day of judgement to come to see who was right and who got left behind. My feeling is classes will still be in session at Wheaton College when that day arrives and they'll be asking the eternal question: why?
BTW, why is the SunTimes printing crap from the Free Republic?
I guess the Scientologists and Moonies were busy.
I sent a note to the reporter asking whose idea it was to use Jeepers Freepers in the story.
I'm missing something. He worked at a College that was based on a specific type of faith. He knew going in what the rules were.
He broke them. I think Wheaton is creepy too, but I don't see why this is a newsworthy issue.
it is newsworthy, Khyle, that an accredited institution of higher learning did such a thing. While no one is claiming it was unlawful, or that Wheaton didn't have the power to do what it did, including the poor chap that was fired, it is a newsworthy event when a COLLEGE fires someone simply for professing a different faith.
It's a private faith based institution. Their expressed mission makes that obvious:
"Wheaton College exists to help build the church and improve society worldwide by promoting the development of whole and effective Christians through excellence in programs of Christian higher education."
I could see you arguing against that mission being associated with a college at all. But given what it is, I support their right to be exclusionary creeps.
Oh, I support their right too, but something can be quite proper and lawful--yet still crazy and newsworthy.
There also is the angle that he was the wrong kind of Christian. Again, more power to them, but it is still a story.
Is "exclusionary" tied to "creep"? If I had a party and invited the people I work with, would I be an "exclusionary creep" for not inviting you?
If I formed a club -- say for a group of single who want to meet other singles -- would I be an "exclusionary creep" for excluding married folks?
Exactly what are the parameters for your judgmental self-righteousness here? Or is it merely yet another example in a long line of self-superior piety?
Being exclusionary doesn't necessarily make one creepy. I have no problem with Wheaton excluding people on that basis - it's not considered protected by law (they couldn't fire a prof for being black, say). On the other hand, I find the whole rift between Protestants and Catholics creepy and pointless, but that's me. Also, the entire town of Wheaton is a little creepy.
The thing that keeps me from worrying too much about the effect on graduates is that Wheaton is accredited. There are schools that are exclusionary enough that they don't get accredited, and those places are downright scary.
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