College suspends tenured professor Christians & Muslims “worship the same God"

[GMDino]

http://www.salon.com/2015/12/16/evangelical_college_suspends_tenured_professor_for_saying_christians_and_muslims_worship_the_same_god_echoing_pope/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Quote:Evangelical college suspends tenured professor for saying Christians & Muslims “worship the same God,” echoing pope

Wheaton College put the hijab-wearing Dr. Larycia Hawkins on administrative leave citing "theological implications"

An Evangelical Christian college suspended a tenured professor for insisting that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God,” echoing the pope.

Dr. Larycia Alaine Hawkins is an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, an Evangelical private liberal arts school in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She has taught at the school for seven years.

Last week, in the midst of a wave of anti-Muslim attacks and hate crimes, Hawkins announced that she would publicly wear a hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf, in solidarity with Muslims during the Christian season of Advent.

Hawkins said she asked the leading Muslim civil rights organization the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) “whether a non-Muslim wearing the hijab was haram (forbidden), patronizing, or otherwise offensive to Muslims,” and noted she “was assured by my friends at CAIR-Chicago that they welcomed the gesture.”

“I don’t love my Muslim neighbor because s/he is American. I love my Muslim neighbor because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity,” Hawkins wrote in a Dec. 10 Facebook post explaining her decision.

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book,” she added. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”

“As I tell my students, theoretical solidarity is not solidarity at all,” Hawkins explained. “Thus, beginning tonight, my solidarity has become embodied solidarity.”

Hawkins’ act of inter-religious solidarity went viral, and was covered in a variety of news outlets.

Her school, on the other hand, was not enthused by Hawkins’ finding common cause with Muslims.


In response to Hawkins’ comments, Wheaten College released a statement Wednesday afternoon notifying the public that it had placed her on administrative leave. The Evangelical school cited “significant questions regarding the theological implications of statements … Hawkins has made about the relationship of Christianity to Islam” in justification of its decision.

Wheaten College could not be reached for further comment Wednesday night.

In 2006, Wheaten attracted controversy for firing Assistant Professor Joshua Hochschild for converting to Catholicism.

More recently, in 2012, the conservative Christian college also filed a lawsuit in opposition to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate, under the Affordable Care Act, that the school must provide access to contraceptives in its health care plan or be subject to fines.

On Dec. 13, Hawkins wrote in another Facebook post that, since she began wearing the hijab to show solidarity with Muslims, she has “received pushback almost exclusively from other Christians.”

“The pushback has primarily centered on the claim that Christians and Muslims worship the same God,” she observed.

Hawkins pointed out that this position has been “held for centuries by countless Christians (church fathers, saints, and regular Christian folk like me),” and linked to an article exploring this question by Protestant theologian Miroslav Volf.

“Those of you who now count me apostate for daring to call fellow humans who happen to be Muslim my brothers and sisters,” Hawkins wrote, “I love you with the power of the love that saved me and keeps me and bids me do justice in my body.”

[*bfine32*]

It is true that Christians and Muslims worship the same god, as do the Jews. The huge difference is Christ. Muslims and Jews believe we are bound by the old laws; while Christians believe we are saved from condemnation from the old laws and seek Salvation through Jesus Christ.

Here is Wheaton’s (a private College) Mission Statement:
http://wheaton.edu/About-Wheaton/Mission

Quote:Our Mission

Quote: 
Wheaton College serves Jesus Christ and advances His Kingdom through excellence in liberal arts and graduate programs that educate the whole person to build the church and benefit society worldwide.

Now ask yourself what you would do with an employee that advocated a belief that goes directly against your organization’s Mission Statement and then blasted you on Social media when you informed her that the acts are contrary to your organization’s Mission.

[fredtoast]

(12-16-2015, 01:30 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Now ask yourself what you would do with an employee that advocated a belief that goes directly against your organization’s Mission Statement 

How does saying that Christians and Muslims worship the same god violate their mission statement?  Didn't Jesus preach that we should love the Muslims?

Wheaton College is the same bunch of hypocrites who cut off insurance to the students because they claimed it violated their morals, but kept the same "evil" insurance for all the faculty and staff. 

[*bfine32*]

(12-16-2015, 02:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: How does saying that Christians and Muslims worship the same god violate their mission statement?  

It does not and if that is all she was suspended for; then there is an issue.

Making inference from the Article she doubled down by wearing Muslim garb and then complained publically (facebook no less) that her organization was pushing back.

You cannot have a Mission statement that says through Christ and then having one of your employees advocating a religion that denies Christ.

I can respect a conscientious objecter and say we both love our country; he just cannot do it by following the rules of my organization and I cannot advocate the practice.

[GMDino]

(12-16-2015, 01:30 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It is true that Christians and Muslims worship the same god, as do the Jews. The huge difference is Christ. Muslims and Jews believe we are bound by the old laws; while Christians believe we are saved from condemnation from the old laws and seek Salvation through Jesus Christ.

Here is Wheaton’s (a private College) Mission Statement:
http://wheaton.edu/About-Wheaton/Mission

Now ask yourself what you would do with an employee that advocated a belief that goes directly against your organization’s Mission Statement and then blasted you on Social media when you informed her that the acts are contrary to your organization’s Mission.

But she did not do that.

She wore the garb and explained why.  She said they worship the same god and made no reference to Jesus.

But it also seems like the leaders of said school are not very tolerant of much outside of their strict belief.

[*Nately120*]

Hmm, religious organization at odds with religious person because religious person points out religious people being at odds with other religious people.

[Belsnickel]

This should come as no surprise. This school is also involved in the ACA lawsuits regarding birth control coverage and decided to terminate their insurance to students as a result. Wheaton has become known for controversy amongst higher education these days.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith do not. To say Christians, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith worship the same god goes against the Christian faith.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

While Arthur W. Pink is a Calvinist, this is still a good book if you would like to try and understand the Godhead.

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Gleanings_Godhead/godhead.htm

[Belsnickel]

(12-18-2015, 10:37 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith do not. To say Christians, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith worship the same god goes against the Christian faith.

I don't follow that logic, since the concept of Jesus being the Messiah is predicated on the OT and the worship of the God of Abraham. If Christians do not worship the same God then the OT would not be applicable and in order to understand the NT is must be read in conjunction/context with the OT.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

(12-18-2015, 11:00 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I don't follow that logic, since the concept of Jesus being the Messiah is predicated on the OT and the worship of the God of Abraham. If Christians do not worship the same God then the OT would not be applicable and in order to understand the NT is must be read in conjunction/context with the OT.

Is Jesus Christ God? 
A Christian will say yes, Jesus Christ is God. The Jew and Muslim will call Jesus Christ a Prophet or teacher or Rabbi...not God. Therefore, we do not worship the same god.

Christians worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit or Ghost, one God in three persons.

I can't think of an analogy to help me out. I posted a great book on the Godhead if any want to read and try to understand it. It's very long though and detailed, it will make your eyes bleed, lol.

[Belsnickel]

(12-18-2015, 11:21 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Is Jesus Christ God? 
A Christian will say yes, Jesus Christ is God. The Jew and Muslim will call Jesus Christ a Prophet or teacher or Rabbi...not God. Therefore, we do not worship the same god.

Christians worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit or Ghost, one God in three persons.

I can't think of an analogy to help me out. I posted a great book on the Godhead if any want to read and try to understand it. It's very long though and detailed, it will make your eyes bleed, lol.

If it is not the same God of Abraham, though, then there is a loss of legitimacy to the idea of Jesus being God made flesh. It's a paradox, really. The theology I grew up with and that which my current denomination holds, is that we worship the God of Abraham, which is the same God of the Jews and Muslims. To me, without acknowledging that we, as Christians, worship the God of Abraham as well, we cannot embrace the OT, which is what is needed to back the claim of Jesus as our Lord.

[Rotobeast]

I think we all worship the same God.
The Jews and Muslims just do not believe that God extended himself from Heaven to the earth, in the form of Christ.

[Belsnickel]

(12-19-2015, 08:28 AM)Rotobeast Wrote: I think we all worship the same God.
The Jews and Muslims just do not believe that God extended himself from Heaven to the earth, in the form of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

FTFY.

[Rotobeast]

(12-19-2015, 08:40 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: FTFY.

Sorry, it's early and my goofy phone is being difficult. 
I had to edit another post 4 times.

[BmorePat87]

(12-19-2015, 08:28 AM)Rotobeast Wrote: I think we all worship the same God.
The Jews and Muslims just do not believe that God extended himself from Heaven to the earth, in the form of Christ.

This perfectly sums it up. If we agree that the God of Abraham was first the God of the Jews, then the argument that they do not believe in the same God as Christians because Christians believe Jesus was God in the flesh (the Son) would suggest that the Christians invented a new God and no longer believe in the God of Abraham.

That sounds stupid, right?

[*bfine32*]

(12-18-2015, 10:37 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith do not. To say Christians, the Nation of Islam and the Jewish faith worship the same god goes against the Christian faith.

It does not go against my Christian faith. What does go against my Christian faith is not following the belief that the only was to the Father is through the Son. I think people have a hard time grasping this concept because they view God as a human being. 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

(12-19-2015, 01:50 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It does not go against my Christian faith. What does go against my Christian faith is not following the belief that the only was to the Father is through the Son. I think people have a hard time grasping this concept because they view God as a human being. 

You are talking about the "Path".

You all make sense and I may be confusing "Path" with "God" so I will talk with my pastor tomorrow and get straightened out.

[Belsnickel]

(12-19-2015, 02:29 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: You are talking about the "Path".

You all make sense and I may be confusing "Path" with "God" so I will talk with my pastor tomorrow and get straightened out.

Different denominations follow different theologies on this. What makes sense to you is what makes sense to you, also. Your relationship with God and how you understand him is your relationship to interpret.