Wheaton College Exposes Intolerance By Firing Professor.

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Wheaton College is moving to fire a tenured professor, Larycia Hawkins.

In educational circles becoming tenured is a really big deal. It means that one must do something truly egregious to get fired. So one might wonder what would sort of transgression would cause a college to fire a tenured professor. Would the professor have to commit some sort of felony or gross malfeasance or perhaps get caught in some sort of devious sexual act with a student? In the case of Wheaton College getting rid of tenured African American professor, Larycia Hawkins, the transgression is none of the above. Prof Hawkins is being let go because she committed the unpardonable act of displaying religious tolerance!

Specifically, Professor Hawkins is being let go because she because of her statement, in reference to Muslims, “As Pope Francis said last 2016-wheaton-college-LaryciaHawkins

week, we worship the same God.” To the uninitiated, it might seem ironic that only a religious institution would fire someone for displaying the noble attribute of tolerance. But I’ve had some experience in this realm and have seen firsthand, not only the results of this mentality, but also some of the lessons to be gained from understanding it.

Several years ago I was called upon by a couple of African American students to give a guest lecture at their Christian college on the subject of spirituality. I started the lecture by explaining that the two fundamental tenets of spirituality are that we are all more alike than we are different, and that most people’s religion is an accident of birth: most Muslims are Muslims because they were born in a Muslim country and most Christians are Christians because they were born in a Christian land. Both statements are pretty basic and readily agreed upon by reasonable individuals. Yet as I continued, I could feel the classroom becoming increasingly angry and hostile. During the question and answer period I was finally able to coax out the source of their hostility, and when I did it gushed forth in torrents.

It turned out that by proclaiming the oneness of all humanity, I was also unwittingly (or perhaps wittingly) attacking their core belief that they, as the Chosen People, were superior to everyone else. I was somewhat taken aback that a class on spirituality would be so upset at the fundamentals of spirituality so I asked what they had been studying. They all held up a book on fighting evil spirits. It turned out that their idea of spirituality was to fight evil spirits!

As the discourse continued, I learned that these Caucasian children had a completely different Jesus than the one worshipped by the African American community. The African American community has a soft sweet usually blond Jesus, brimming with love and forgiveness. These people worshipped what I call the G. I. Jesus, one tough American Jesus who took no stuff from nobody and would destroy anyone who would not get with the program.

All of which brings me back to Prof. Hawkins. In echoing the pope’s affinity for the Muslim faith, Prof Hawkins was demonstrating that all too rare intersection of spirituality and religion. In firing her, the administration demonstrated that all too common commodity: religion without spirituality. Spirituality seeks oneness harmony and understanding. It is based upon inclusion and empathy. To be spiritual is to be connected: to oneself and the rest of humanity. The great Howard Thurman, who often served as Martin Luther King’s spiritual advisor, once said, “I always look for my own scent when I meet another man.” This is the kind of understanding that precludes wars and most conflicts.

Politics and morality are indivisible, just as religion and politics are. Religious institutions not grounded in spirituality have, throughout history, been found to be on the wrong side of moral/political issues, from slavery to genocide.

Admittedly as a private religious educational institution, Wheaton College has the right to hire and fire whomever they wish. And I certainly do not equate firing of a professor with the atrocities that have been committed throughout history in the name of the church. I am saying that in a world of constant ongoing conflicts, the religion of exclusion as practiced and taught by places like Wheaton College are part of the problem and not the solution. But I have to give them credit for one thing: in asserting that Prof Hawkins religion is somehow different theirs, they are absolutely correct. Hers is grounded in spirituality.

Staff Writer; William Griggs

One may connect with this talented writer over at; http://WilliamGriggs.Net. You can also pick up his “newly” released novel entitled: The Megalight Connection.

Brenda J. Fascetti says:

September 15, 2016 at 12:41 pm

The reason is that MORE black people smoke is simple: COMFORT FOOD. There are MORE black people in poverty. Cure the poverty problem and cure the addiction.

William Griggs says:

January 16, 2016 at 10:41 pm

Did you read the same article I wrote? My emphasis was on spirituality, not race. WHy are you arguing on something that wasn’t there?

Carlos Chapa says:

January 16, 2016 at 3:28 am

Wheaton College’s policies are not based on “spirituality” (a word you mentioned about ten times) but on Christian principles. The top priority of this school has to do with the promotion of Christian values and teachings, according to their own understanding of what the Bible says, which doesn’t change with age or culture. This is not a race issue, nor it’s about public relations either; this is about preaching and practicing the word of God. I am glad that we live in a country where she can still say whatever she wants to say without jeopardizing her own life as many women do in other parts of the world. In fact, in other parts of the world, she wouldn’t have been able to attend even high school. Also, I myself come from a part of the world where you’d see Brown Jesuses in Christmas ceremonies, and nobody (that I recall) thought race had any relevance on teaching and living the word of God. Yes, I understand that this is a website which has a strong African American audience, and sometimes topics on race can be relevant and important in terms of social justice, but still this Wheaton incident doesn’t have to be viewed from a racial angle. In my case, for instance, here in the United States, I volunteer in a Spanish speaking ministry in a local jail, and there Hispanic inmates are always asking me about showing them the Passion of the Christ (with Spanish subs). The only objection I had myself was about the Biblical veracity of that particular movie (in this example), but so far it had never even occurred to me to object because the actor was a While male. I couldn’t possibly care less if the actor was Black, Asian or whatever. What is important is doctrine, for me, and I know for Wheaton College too.