Professor facing firing defends devotion to debate
Facing the loss of her job as a professor at Wheaton College, Larycia Hawkins on Wednesday defended her Christian faith and her devotion to the ideal of academic and spiritual debate.
Hawkins was notified Monday the suburban Christian college had taken steps toward firing her over remarks expressing solidarity with Muslims and her decision to wear a headscarf during the monthlong Advent season. But Hawkins struck a defiant tone as she addressed reporters from the pulpit of the church inside the Chicago Temple Building downtown.
Wearing her hair down and uncovered, and flanked by religious leaders from across the region, Hawkins both praised Wheaton College and questioned the school’s commitment to fostering discussion of faith and support for non-- Christians.
“I am flummoxed and flabbergasted by the events of the past two weeks,” Hawkins said, lauding the school for its standing among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges while maintaining a Christian mission.
“Wheaton College does liberal arts well, yet I am left to ponder: How well does Wheaton College treat its employees who dare to challenge students and peers to stand with, not merely for, people outside the Christian faith?”
The Christian college of 2,400 students in west suburban Wheaton, best known as the alma mater of notable evangelist Billy Graham, announced Hawkins had been suspended last month, claiming statements Hawkins made in a Facebook post that Muslims and Christians “worship the same God” conflicted with the “statement of faith” the school requires all faculty to sign each year. A political science pro- fessor, Hawkins had been the first African-American woman granted tenure by the school and had clashed previously with the college administration.