Faith and Freedom

Wheaton College in Illinois said earlier this month that it’s initiating termination proceedings against Larycia Hawkins, the tenured associate professor of political science who wore a hijab during Advent and publicized her gesture in what she said was a message of solidarity with Muslims. The college said it would move to fire her, as she’d violated its Statement of Faith. Such statements are par for the course at evangelical Christian colleges. By signing them, professors voluntarily commit to living out the ideals of the institution. But what exactly does that mean?