It is heating up at ASU. The ASU Religious Studies Department is working to block me from teaching REL 270 Introduction to Christianity. This is a class I have taught many times over the last 24 years (all at secular colleges/universities). I am an expert in this subject and field.
Help me get the word out about what the ASU Religious Studies Department is doing. Please share this article. I’ll be on the Seth Leibsohn show today at 4:05 (Pacific) at 960AM (link below for online listening).
Let me provide a little context. I'll try to keep it quick and to the point. At ASU, we are redoing our general education requirements. General education requirements ensure that an engineering student also takes a humanities class. You can anticipate that they are super important to the various humanities degrees at ASU.
One thing that we must do is to write a new syllabus for any class seeking a new general education designation. I have been asked to do this for two of my classes, "Introduction to Christianity."
As part of the process, we must send this syllabus to any other school or college that also teaches it for their agreement. This isn't always followed. I teach REL 321 Religion in America for my school at ASU West, but the Tempe Religious Studies Department went ahead and got it a new designation without consulting us.
So here is the story: With the initial support of my school's director, I sent my updated REL 270 syllabus to the Religious Studies Department in Tempe. They told us they don't really teach that class (meaning they really don't have a stake in it), but they do want to see the syllabus to approve or disapprove. They returned it with a few suggested changes.
One of the changes was simply an insult aimed at me. They asked for proof that I teach it as a class about Christianity and not as a class promoting Christianity. I have been teaching this class or one at ASU for 24 years. I am fully aware of the difference. But they ask the one outspoken Christian guy this question. Do they ask every LGBTQ+ professor who teaches gender studies if they are promoting their sexual philosophy? No, I don't think they do. It is a way to single me out, to let me know that I am being watched. It is workplace discrimination based on religion.
Anyway, I made those changes. They contacted us today and said they will not support the syllabus. My school's director is defending their position.
Here is a list of their reasons. For many of these, I can only conclude that they did not actually read the syllabus I sent.
I didn't provide critical thinking opportunities in class. Reply: My syllabus explicitly lists critical thinking assignments. It uses the phrase: critical thinking.
I don't have lessons on the Mediterranean or world or North African Christianity. Reply: My syllabus has an entire lesson on Rome (encompassing the Mediterian world), and I spend time on Augustine and how he (as an African) shaped Christianity. I like Augustine so much I would have thought that the problem would be that I spend too much time on him.
I need more about global Christianity. Reply: That's perfectly fine. It is correct that Christianity is a global religion that has made important changes all throughout the world. Let's add that in!
Here are their real issues:
I cannot teach that there is a Biblical Worldview—not that there is one, and that is true, but I can't even teach that there is one. I've never met a scholar who says that the Bible does not teach specific beliefs about reality that distinguish it from other religions.
They say I have a focus on "Western Civilization," and that's a problem for them. Yes, they put it in quotes. They seem especially preoccupied with preventing "Western Civilization" from coming up.
They say the syllabus is "supersessionist" about Christianity replacing Judaism. The syllabus says nothing like that. They draw this from the fact that I called the Old Testament the Old Testament. And it is an Intro to Christianity class, not an Intro to Judaism or the Torah class. These are perfectly fine classes, but that's not this class.
I teach that there is a "Christianity" rather than "Christianities." This is the old universals vs. particulars debate. In Religious studies, it was popularized by scholars like Bart Ehrman and textbooks that had titles like "Christianities" and "Hinduisms." No scholar should be forced to adopt this view.
I don't include sociological and anthropological critiques of Christianity.
That I must include decolonizing philosophy as I teach Christianity.
I need to focus on the "dark corners" of Christianity. The main theme in Christianity is sin and redemption, the entire course includes the "dark corners" of the human soul.
I will defend any of these points in public debate. There is a Biblical Worldview; there is "Christianity. " An Introduction to Christianity class should study the Christian scriptures, which they call the Old and New Testaments. As a philosopher, I include many more cities of Christianity than just the anthropological and sociological, and I reject decolonizing philosophy and critical theory. Will ASU professors publicly defend their claim that I cannot teach those things?
Help me get the word out about what the ASU Religious Studies Department is doing. Please share this article.
I'll be on the Seth Leibsohn Show at 4:05 p.m. today (960 a.m.) to discuss it. Tune in!
https://960thepatriot.com/radioshow/the-seth-leibsohn-show