Over at Inside Higher Ed, there’s been a bit of a back and forth debate over the plight of orthodox Christians (be they Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical protestant, or other) in the academy. Arguing that Christians face unusual challenges, Wheaton’s Timothy Larsen draws on his own story and the story of another student to make a larger point about the academic environment.
Kalamazoo College’s Adam Kotsko penned a response to Professor Larson, arguing in essence that in the battle between evangelical protestants (he skirts over the role of Catholics and other Christians) and the academy, the fault lies with evangelicals. However, in his invective-filled column, something is notably missing — evidence. Where is the actual evidence of evangelical misconduct? How does he deal with the evidence Christians present against the academy? To be sure, Professor Larsen didn’t lay out a comprehensive case either, but at least he had something — anecdotal though it was.
Over at NRO, I made my case against Professor Kotsko’s piece and provided links to just a small slice of the evidence that Christians (students and professors) all too often face a truly hostile environment on campus. Just once, I’d like to see a mainstream academic directly confront the evidence. Please, tell us where we’re wrong, where the research is deficient, or where the problems Christians face on campus pale in comparison to the problems faced by others. Let’s start that kind of dialog . . . because hearing, for the one millionth time, how nameless, stereotypical evangelical students allegedly can’t think clearly about evolution just doesn’t quite constitute a response.
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