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The American Association of University Professors, which doesn't like faith statements but supports religious colleges' right to use them, also says written codes are better than unwritten ones. "We said early on that if an institution is going to place limits on academic freedom, they should state what those limits are," associate general secretary Jordan E. Kurland told the Chronicle. "That's been the AAUP's main scrape with these institutions over the past few decades. [Professors] didn't know what they were not supposed to say until they said it."

The AALE's Wallin says his group has "no objection at all to faculty being required to sign a faith statement … and we have several schools where that's the case." But, he says, "if you take a look at the faith statements, normally they're very general." But what if a school doesn't want to define itself generally? The AALE's decision suggests it would be happier if Patrick Henry had a faith statement that broadly supported a biblical account of creation, then kept the six-day stuff quiet. Patrick Henry's "Statement of Biblical Worldview" is too limiting even for many evangelical scholars, but that's precisely its point.

Ironically it is the AALE, not Patrick Henry College, that fails to note its limits on academic freedom. Nothing in its Liberal Learning Assessment Standards suggests that teaching creationism outside theology classes is unacceptable; the school only found this out in its rejection letter. Its curriculum standards, cited in the letter, only call for "basic knowledge of … the physical and biological sciences."

The college's faith statement does not limit this discussion. It calls for faculty (who must "hold excellent professional credentials and be well-versed in the scientific method") to teach about evolution, and "to fully discuss the scientific evidence for the theory of creation—both pro and con."

It seems to be the AALE that needs to reexamine its written membership rules. But it's also worth remembering that AALE is a voluntary association. Its denial of accreditation is no more a form of censorship than Patrick Henry's "Statement of Biblical Worldview." Now that the AALE's limits on academic freedom have been revealed, the college does well to seek accreditation elsewhere.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also appearing on our site today:

Christian College Denied AccreditationAgency troubled that Patrick Henry College teaches creationism in biology classes.

A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article looked at whether Christian colleges' faith statements violate academic freedom.

In a letter to Patrick Henry College, American Academy for Liberal Education President Jeffrey D. Wallin took issue with the school's Statement of Biblical Worldview.

The college website has posted the school's Notice of Intent to Appeal and the full 54-page appeal.

Patrick Henry College press releases and articles on the matter include:

Patrick Henry College denied accreditation for creationist views (May 10, 2002)

Accreditation vote postponed (Winter 2001)

News articles on Patrick Henry College include:

Patrick Henry's First Graduates—The Washington Post (May 26, 2002)

Religious college denied accreditation, creationism a factor—CNS News.com (May 16, 2001)

Academy Declines to Accredit Va. College—The Washington Post (May 11, 2002)

Higher Yearning—The Washington Post (Nov 27, 2001)

Cash Purchase Expands Campus—The Washington Post (Jan 25, 2001)

College Faces Test of Its Own—The Washington Post (Oct 2, 2000)

Dorm Life Delayed—The Washington Post (Aug 10, 2000)

Education Evolution—The Washington Post (Apr 16, 2000)

Founders Plan Virginia Campus To Train a Christian Vanguard—The Washington Post (Sep 26, 1999)

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July 8 2002, Vol. 46, No. 8