Wheaton College prof fired for converting

[Ahimsa]

January 10, 2006

BY LESLIE BALDACCI Staff Reporter

A former Wheaton College professor who was fired because he converted to Catholicism found himself this week at the center of a debate about diversity and theological perspectives in private, faith-based schools. Faculty members at the west suburban evangelical Protestant college must sign a faith statement that the Bible is the final authority. Catholics follow the authority of Scripture and the pope.

Joshua Hochschild, an assistant professor of philosophy at Wheaton College for four years, became a Catholic on Easter 2004. He was dismissed last spring.

“I was sad to be leaving my colleagues and students and an institution I valued very highly,” said Hochschild, 33. “But I support in principle the right of the institution to have exclusive hiring policies. Not every institution is a liberal democracy…”

 

[JimG]

Wheaton College is a private Protestant college. A such, it is certainly entitled to require instructors to subscribe to its statement of Faith as a condition of employment. Mr. Hochschild was a Protestant when he began his employment with them, and he is no longer so. Nor can he, in good faith, subscribe to the required faith statement.

 

[exoflare]

Well, they may be bigots, but they are well within their legal scope here.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

exoflare:

Well, they may be bigots, but they are well within their legal scope here.

There is no bigotry in this at all; it’s a perfectly defencible & principled course of action.​

Why should Protestant students at Wheaton College be exposed to the dangers of being infected by an unProtestant religion ? The people who run it have a grave moral duty, binding under pain of mortal sin, to prevent so terrible a thing happening. It would be grossly irresponsible, grievously immoral in fact, to allow an ex-Protestant to teach Protestant pupils. They had a duty to expel him. So it is immoral and absurd for him to complain - he was not compelled to cease to be a Protestant; no one put a pistol to his head and threatened to kill him if he did not convert.

So the authorities are doing just as the CC used to - so Catholics should praise them for their moral courage in doing so, in a world which is said to be not much troubled about good morals. They have acted in a wholly admirable manner; I’m sure they did not want to lose a member of their teaching staff - he will have to be replaced, and that is bothersome at the best of times.

What would happen if a seminarian became a Protestant ? I can tell you one thing that would not happen - he would not be considered for candidacy, let alone be ordained a deacon; and very properly, given that Christianity as at present set up regards dogma as more important than people.

It would be amusing if a Pope were converted from Catholicism… he would not remain Pope, for sure ##

 

[Liberalsaved]

Hmmmm. This doesn’t seem very fair unless he was teaching his own beleifs where he should not be. But it is noteworthy that many people got fired from such jobs for just the opposite sort of beleifs for many years.

 

[Franze]

Well, I comprehend the college´s actitude.

 

[Timidity]

I am very pleased with the Professor’s mature attitude. No law suits, no complaining. Well done!

 

[Timidity]

Gottle of Geer:

There is no bigotry in this at all

Of course there is!

Bigot: One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. (American Heritage)
Gottle of Geer:

it’s a perfectly defencible & principled course of action.

Of course it is!

The two are not mutually exclusive!

 

[sandusky]

Timidity:

Of course there is!

Bigot: One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. (American Heritage)

Of course it is!

The two are not mutually exclusive!

And I suppose you are not all, or any of those things you listed in your definition?

Seems that you are exhibiting some of those traits now yourself

 

[Jaypeeto3]

Although I regard Protestantism as heresy,
I support what Wheaton College did. It is a Protestant school, kids have a right to know they will be being taught by Protestants since that is what they choose.

I only wish Catholic Universities today would follow the same course of action and not hire heretics (either from outside the Catholic church or heretics ((like Richard McBrien)) who are technically “within” the Catholic Church).

Love,
Jaypeeto3

 

[adnauseum]

Interesting.

I teach at a Catholic college and we have many fine protestants on the faculty. If I do my job well enough, their grotesque errors are seen for what they are.

Catholics trust that truth prevails.

 

[Church_Militant]

sandusky:

And I suppose you are not all, or any of those things you listed in your definition?

Seems that you are exhibiting some of those traits now yourself

Why don’t you read the post before you offer an insulting personal opinion like this?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gottle of Geer
There is no bigotry in this at all

Of course there is!

Bigot: One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. (American Heritage)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gottle of Geer
it’s a perfectly defencible & principled course of action.

Of course it is!

The two are not mutually exclusive!Granted the term bigot is a perjorative, but the fact is that the post you responded to was not condemning the action, but (as I do now) saying that Wheaton is within their legal rights to do what they have done

It is interesting that most Catholic colleges (that I know of…) do not have such a requirement. I do think that a Catholic school should keep its staff teaching in line with Catholic belief, else what reason to call it a Catholic school?
Pax vobiscum,

 

[adnauseum]

Church Militant:

I do think that a Catholic school should keep its staff teaching in line with Catholic belief, else what reason to call it a Catholic school?

Easy to say in theory, hard to put into practice.

For example, do you allow discussion of Teilhard de Chardin? Karl Rahner? Hans Urs von Balthasar?

Many on these forums say no, and surprise, the same people believe themselves to be the “true” Catholics. Yet I assure you, even our great Pope finds truth in what these theologians have to say.

Mark me down as being decidedly against your purge.

 

[Reepicheep]

The college has the right to specify that its instructors belong to the denomination whose doctrines they’re expected to teach.

They have the right to dismiss someone who has now joined another denomination, the teachings of which contradict their own.

Unless Exoflare is using a definition of “bigot” that differs from the one Timidity posted, or unless we have widely differing ideas of what “intolerant” means, the college is not showing bigotry at all.

Picture a Catholic religous school being told they must accept an instructor who insists on teaching the students that Catholcis worship the Virgin Mary, and make her equal to Jesus. Wouldn’t we say the school has the right to fire him, and protest anyone accusing the school of “bigotry” for wanting to do so?

 

[exoflare]

Reepicheep:

The college has the right to specify that its instructors belong to the denomination whose doctrines they’re expected to teach.

They have the right to dismiss someone who has now joined another denomination, the teachings of which contradict their own.

Unless Exoflare is using a definition of “bigot” that differs from the one Timidity posted, or unless we have widely differing ideas of what “intolerant” means, the college is not showing bigotry at all.

Picture a Catholic religous school being told they must accept an instructor who insists on teaching the students that Catholcis worship the Virgin Mary, and make her equal to Jesus. Wouldn’t we say the school has the right to fire him, and protest anyone accusing the school of “bigotry” for wanting to do so?

Did they say the professor was actually teaching these new beliefs of his to the students?

 

[Reepicheep]

exoflare:

Did they say the professor was actually teaching these new beliefs of his to the students?

Doesn’t matter. They have the right to set their policy in this matter. Their policy is that faculty members must accept certain statements of doctrine, and sign an agreement that they do so. The professor’s beliefs have changed, so that he cannot in good conscience say that he still believes everything in that statement.
They are within their rights to say that he cannot stay, if he cannot sign the statement of belief.

 

[Church_Militant]

adnauseum:

Easy to say in theory, hard to put into practice.

For example, do you allow discussion of Teilhard de Chardin? Karl Rahner? Hans Urs von Balthasar?

Many on these forums say no, and surprise, the same people believe themselves to be the “true” Catholics. Yet I assure you, even our great Pope finds truth in what these theologians have to say.

Mark me down as being decidedly against

your purge.You mistake my meaning.

Never said anything about any “purge”.

I have no issues whatever with discussions of the folks you mention.Yet in those places where they stray from correct Catholic teaching it should be pointed out and perhaps discussed so that it is understood as such. I do think that Catholic schools should teach from a Catholic perspective without apology. No Catholic school should be CINO. It is a waste of time and leads to messed up Catholics that don’t know their faith, though I grant that people (like myself) make an effort to know their faith when they decide to. Still it should be available and a priority in our schools.
Pax tecum,

 

[a_cermak]

Hmmm, I attended a Catholic college (Loyola University in Chicago) and had several instructors who were not Catholic. Some of them were very good instructors. For instance, for Old Testament and Judaism, I had Rabbi Fishman. It made sense to me to have a Rabbi teach those courses. For New Testament I had a Lutheran prof. He was very good. As for my major area of study, mathematics and computer science, I have no idea what religion any of the profs were. The same goes for instructors in literature, philosophy, history, physics, and fine arts. Unless they wore specific religious garb (like the Jesuits and the one OP sister), it never came up in class.

So unless this teacher was teaching Theology, I’m not sure why they fired him, though they do have the legal right to so do, unless they’re receiving government funds in any way (e.g. student loans) that might open a new kettle of fish.

Amy

 

[a_cermak]

Sorry dup post.

 

[exoflare]

Reepicheep:

Doesn’t matter. They have the right to set their policy in this matter. Their policy is that faculty members must accept certain statements of doctrine, and sign an agreement that they do so. The professor’s beliefs have changed, so that he cannot in good conscience say that he still believes everything in that statement.
They are within their rights to say that he cannot stay, if he cannot sign the statement of belief.

Okay, I didn’t know about the statement the professor signed. That’s fair enough.

I still think they’re bigots though.