For some time now, Vanderbilt University officials have been scrambling to downplay their hostility to religious liberty by claiming there is nothing to be concerned about.  They insist they are “merely enforcing pre-existing rules,” but that is a ruse. They contend that it will be “business as usual.”  Professor Carol Swain and other standing against school officials are not swayed by this posturing. They see this action as a usurpation of power in clear violation of the Constitution of the United States. To deny any organization the right to select leaders who truly embrace their core beliefs hardly seems like business as usual.

Despite the onrush of resistance against his policies, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos chooses to dig in his heels. He jettisons any notion of fairness and democracy in order to shut down all active debate. Case in point: Recently the Chancellor suddenly and arbitrarily rescheduled a town-hall meeting intended to provide a public forum for discussion of this matter.  Seemingly, to constrain the public outcry, he selected one of the smaller conference rooms available on campus to serve as the site for this meeting.  Oddly, the Chancellor had a “schedule conflict” (this in spite of the fact that it was he who set the date), so three complicit subordinates were tasked with defending the official “party line.”

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On January 19, I had the honor of introducing Dr. Carol M. Swain to the audience attending The Areopagus Forum.  Professor Swain is considered by many to be the boldest spokesperson on behalf of Christianity in the academy today.  She has issued a clarion call to Americans to stand up and speak out against anti-Christian bigotry. She challenges us to “Be the People” our Founding Fathers expected that we would be—especially when this abuse of power is directed against our religious liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

During the Forum, Dr. Swain shared a disturbing story of an ongoing confrontation underway in her own backyard at Vanderbilt University.  Under the guise of enforcing so-called pre-existing universities policies, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos seeks to force Christian organizations to “toe the line” with a prevailing political correctness that, by any measure, has run amok.  Ostensibly, this means to operate in a manner consistent with the University’s anti-discrimination policies, but the reality is quite a different story.

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