$300K Settlement

Mars Hill Graduate School sued for sexual discrimination.

Mars Hill Graduate School will pay $300,000 in a court-approved judgment to settle a harassment and discrimination lawsuit brought by one of its founders.

Heather Parkinson-Webb, the first female professor at the Seattle seminary, alleged that she was fired after filing for divorce and being granted a restraining order against Kirk Webb, another founder of the school, in 2005. In the lawsuit, Parkinson-Webb alleged that the school knew her former husband had an affair with a student, but failed to dismiss him. Webb, who later left the school, told CT he’d never had an affair.

“In my experience, there has been a pattern of harassment and retaliation that [the school] wouldn’t want exposed,” Parkinson-Webb said. “A lot of this is very painful, but I’m hoping it will do good for others who come after me.”

As part of the judgment, Mars Hill must provide Parkinson-Webb with a letter of regret and a letter of reference. The school must also “engage outside professionals to conduct diversity/anti-discrimination training for all employees on at least an annual basis for not less than three years.”

Mars Hill president Dan Allender said that Parkinson-Webb had not been harassed or fired, and that the school had agreed to a judgment simply to avoid further litigation costs. “I don’t know how to respond to such conjectures and accusations,” Allender said. “This is a tragedy for us that personal problems, in my view, have apparently been projected onto our institution and community.”

However, a former adjunct professor whose husband also co-founded the school, Suzanne Hudson, said she faced a similar situation to Parkinson-Webb’s in 2001. She said she was forced to resign after separating from her husband when he had an affair with a student.

Hudson said school leaders often blame women for marital problems. Also, she said at least two other male faculty members had affairs with students, and neither was disciplined.

“The school says fundamentalists are bad and evangelicals are bad because they don’t know how to express themselves sexually,” Hudson said. “But [the school] doesn’t teach good boundaries, things get over-sexualized and many lines become crossed.”

Allender denied that any faculty members at Mars Hill had affairs with students, though he declined to talk about any case except Parkinson-Webb’s. The school reviews diversity and sexual-harassment guidelines during its annual training, he said.

Mars Hill currently employs three female professors on its staff of nine full-time faculty members. CT spoke with the female professors, who said they felt no discrimination at the school.

“Speaking only from my own experience, I do not think I have been discriminated against by the school’s administration,” said New Testament professor Jo-Ann Badley, who has taught at the school since 2006. “I have found the work environment to be one where my opinions and contributions are welcomed.”

Mars Hill was founded in 1997 and enrolls around 250 students.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Mars Hill Graduate School is not affiliated with any church.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer also reported on the settlement.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Help for the Sexually Desperate

Carbonated Holiness

News

Sacred Harp Resurgence

News

Not Your Father's L'Abri

The Grace Escape

IRS Rules to Remember

California Dreams

Bookmarks

Why Evangelize the Jews?

Fiction from the Headlines

News

Bearing the Silence of God

Starter Books on Ancient-Future Faith

Death and Resurrection

Count Your Surprises

New Atheists Are Not Great

News

Why Culture War May Never End

Our Geopolitical Moment

Review

Haunting Salvation

News

Church in State

Porn's Stranglehold

'These Guys Are Really Screwed Up'

Review

Pushing Daises

What Makes a Church Missional?

News

News Briefs: March 01, 2008

Editorial

Hating Hillary

The 8 Marks of a Robust Gospel

News

Go Figure

News

What <em>Reveal</em> Reveals

News

Passages

News

Quotation Marks

Q&A: John Dilulio

A Kinder, Gentler Shari'ah?

News

Capital Doubts

News

Premeditated Mobs

News

Taliban Targets

News

Foreign Correspondence

News

Post-Mayhem Woes

View issue

Our Latest

Wire Story

Top ACNA Leader Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations

Following a string of scandals, the accusations against Archbishop Steve Wood come amid plans for the denomination to overhaul its abuse response.

The Russell Moore Show

 Listener Question: Should Communion Be Open to All Believers?

Russell takes a listener’s question about church membership and the Communion table.

Anti-Fragile Faith in Chaotic Times

Slow Theology highlights how a long obedience in the same direction grows.

News

Christian Colleges Object to Trump ‘Overreach’ on Higher Ed

The administration’s compact with universities would freeze tuition for five years and cap the number of international students, among other measures.

Will There Ever Be Peace in the Middle East?

An explainer on sectarianism, and how it keeps the region divided.

The Bulletin

Young Republican Texts, Anglican Split, and George Santos Released

Controversial Republican texts, Anglican Communion splits, and George Santos’s sentence is commuted.

Review

Do Evangelical Political Errors Rise to the Level of Heresy?

A Lutheran pastor identifies five false teachings that threaten to corrupt the church’s public witness.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube