Free Speech Is Essential for a True Education

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By Dr. Joe Renfro

Freedom of speech was established in America from the very beginning of our nation, as the first amendment of the Bill of Rights establishes the freedom of speech.  True education revolves around the  practice of freedom of speech, but the progressive thinking in academia, more so in colleges and universities, has been promoting attitudes, rulings, and attacks that have sought to curtail what they esteemed to be antiquated thinking—that characteristic of the right that has generally promoted a Biblical morality and understanding of the world.  Free speech is essential for a true education!

The Rasmussen Report, “Americans Say Colleges, Universities Discourage Freedom of Speech,” April 18, 2019 report stated from a national telephone and online survey found that forty-nine percent of American Adults believe there is less freedom of speech on U.S. college campuses than there has been in the past.  Just sixteen percent say there is more freedom of speech in colleges these days, but twenty-six percent felt that way three years ago. Twenty-five percent say the level of freedom of speech is about the same. This relates much to the attacks against Christian witness in the fields of education.

According to a Pew report, seventy-seven percent of Americans described themselves as religiously affiliated in 2014, down from eighty=three percent in 2007, much of this to be caused to the so-called, “Diversity Delusion,” that actually obliterates truthful evaluations of varying ideologies and very often speaks evil of traditional, historical beliefs as being antiquated.

It can well be said that: Christianity has come under immense scrutiny to the point of flat-out persecution. The leftist mobs at many of our universities and college have sought to yank out, stem and root, any reference to God, the Bible, and Christianity from our schools, courthouses, libraries, and so much more. The attacks against Christianity from 2007 through 2014 have been particularly noticeable throughout America and particularly in our colleges. Part of the progressive understanding of free speech was to allow it only from their worldview.

Freedom of speech was established in America from the very beginning of our nation, as the first amendment of the Bill of Rights establishes the freedom of speech.  True education revolves around the practice of freedom of speech, but the progressive thinking in academia has been promoting attitudes, rulings, and attack and seek to subdue what the esteem to be the antiquated thinking of the right that has promoted a Biblical morality and understanding of the world.

But academia has traded true education for so-called “social justice” here in America.  An example of this is well illustrated in an article from Culture War News, entitled “But one college just did the unthinkable” (March 31, 2019), as it observes that New York University recently hired an unethical and dishonest journalist to teach a very biased “journalism” course.  This course is to be very much biased against right wing thinking, and is a real example of the battle against free speech in academia, as there was not a course presented for example about the right wing thinking based on the values of the Judeo-Christian world view.

According to the school’s undergraduate journalism course list, the class will provide student journalists with a thorough grounding in far-right and white-supremacist movements in the United States, briefly examining their history and delving into their sprawling present incarnations.”  Yes, the freedom of speech has been increasingly limited to the freedom of speech against traditional values and very much promoted for the progressive thinking.

In the March 2019 issue of the Whistleblower magazine, David Kupelian, gave an excellent observation about progressive thinking, which is the soil from which the progressive speaking develops, He said that:

The left’s educational agenda infects not just subjects like politics, religion, culture, history, government, philosophy, psychology, and other social (soft) sciences,  Even the   STEM fields –science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—are as journalist Heather Mac Donald has documented in “The Diversity Delusion.” under the withering attack for not being sufficiently diverse.”  This is causing them to change their qualifications and standards of teaching so as to increase the number of females, blacks, and Hispanics.  And that in turn results in a downgrading in scientific innovation and America’s traditional dominance in these fields.

It is great to have teachers and students from all ethnic diverse backgrounds, and it should be promoted, but it should never be promoted at the expense of true education and educational standards.  It is not educational to have a teacher who can’t speak fluent English in American schools, just for the case of establishing diversity in the faculty.

In the early years of schooling in the primary secondary schooling from the early grades all thought high school, there is the social justice theme, and what can be a categorized as this “Diversity Delusion.”  It is fine to draw from all categories of people and to appreciate the achievements of all groups in the learning process.  But the focus is often taken from the actual objective content and slanted toward the quest for the social justice platform.

The concept of what has been called “hate speech” has been very much in vogue at this time. Under the guise of speech codes, safe spaces, and trigger warnings, many universities have tried to restrict free thought, impose total conformity, and shut down the voices in support of the historical faith that was basic to the founding of our nation.

Yes, even evangelical students have been reprimanded for sharing gospel tracts or witnessing to other students about their faith in Christ.  This was a curtailment of free speech on the campuses!

Judeo-Christian values and thinking that the leftist thinkers often classify as “hate speech” are and always have been basic to the formation of this nation and the representative democracy established by our forefathers. Why is unacceptable to promote these values, while to other side as well promotes their values undeterred.

Freedom of speech and expression, therefore, may not be recognized as being absolute, and common limitations or boundaries to freedom of speech can relate to libel, slander, obscenity, pornography, sedition, incitement, public security, perjury, etc.  But justifications for such include the “harm principle,” which was proposed by John Stuart Mill in his work,  On Liberty, which suggests that: “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” The idea of the “offense principle” is also used in the justification of speech limitations, describing the restriction on forms of expression deemed offensive to society, considering factors such as extent, duration, motives of the speaker, and ease with which it could be avoided.

Yet, it is sad to see how speech that can be classified as conservative has in the past few decades has been subdued. As speech codes have been established on many campuses, so as not to offend certain groups by speaking what they have termed “hate speech.”  These are ways and subjects of speaking that can be classified as promoting racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, etc. But all these terms are very much subjective as to what each really is.

Yes, violence can result from something said, but rather it develops from the response of individuals or groups to what was said. What might be hate speech to one group might be the gospel truth to another true for both the left and the right!   But it is interesting to see that it is not the right-side protesting, so much as the left.

Daniel Jacobson, a professor of philosophy at the University of  Michigan observed that:

Freedom of speech has been severely criticized at many American universities. Meanwhile, such prestigious transnational institutions as the United Nations and the European Union have endorsed censorship of hate speech, as well as denial of Holocaust and climate change, and even blasphemy. Those trends are antithetical to classically liberal ideals about both the freedom of speech and the purpose of the university.  John Stuart Mill thought higher education should not tell us what it is our duty to believe, but should “help us to form our own belief in a manner worthy of intelligent beings.” He added that “there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine,” regardless of its falsity, immorality, or even harmfulness. The classical liberal argument for free speech has historically been championed in two distinct ways. First, the Founding documents of the United States recognize freedom of speech as a natural right. Second, alternatively, that right might be grounded in utility, meaning its acceptance best promotes human flourishing.  (by Daniel Jacobson, “Freedom of Speech under Assault on Campus,” Politico, August 30, 2016)

The Lord Jesus spoke during his earthly ministry spoke to the multitudes, and he had the religious establishment that wanted to keep him quiet.  But he went on and spoke, and the common people heard him gladly.   The Apostle Paul spoke to the intellectual thinkers on Mars Hill and presented the message of Christ. The Bible says in Acts 17:32-34 that: “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’  So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” Freedom of speech is innate in the Christian message.  Our forefathers who drew up our Constitution saw the importance of freedom of speech, and this is why it is supported by the First Amendment.

But there is opposition to this with the leftist attack against freedom of conservative speech, as an article from Culture Watch-April 18, 2019 affirms, “All colleges are not caving into the progressive call against conservative thinking.  America’s colleges, infested with whiny, left-wing student radicals and activist faculty who throw a fit any time they see an opportunity to try and silence conservatives…Sadly, not even evangelical Christian colleges are immune to the Left’s campaigns to snuff out traditional Christian values and silence conservative voices.”

When Taylor University, an evangelical Christian school, invited Vice President Mike Pence, a dedicated evangelical to speak at their commencement this year, 2019, the leftists at the college threw a fit, launching a Change.org petition.  They wanted the school’s leadership to cave and dis-invite Pence.

Student radicals even trotted out for media interviews, attempting to justify their ludicrous attempt to silence the Vice President with scripted statements like how the university “should be ashamed…I am physically shaking…I feel personally attacked.”  They classified allowed the Vice President to speak on   campus as being “hate speech” being approved by the college.  The liberal left was “offended,” and because of this the Vice President was to be dis-invited, they felt. However, nothing was said about what the conservative students might have felt, if and when a leftist speaker was invited.

However, Taylor’s leadership rebuked the brat activists stating the school “is an intentional Christian community that strives to encourage positive, respectful and meaningful dialogue.” So the school stood firm saying, “We look forward to hosting the Vice President.” Praise God!

There is a battle going on for free speech, as the left has basically controlled what speech was acceptable in academia, but there are signs this could change. This would be good if it does.

But much of the future depends on how we stand, something conservative spokespeople have been reluctant to do, for fear of losing their tax exemption. The 1954 Johnson Amendment passed by Congress stated that non-profits (read: Christian churches and organizations) could not speak in favor of any political candidate. Thus, Christian pastors and Christian spokesmen have shied away speaking publicly. This needs to change! Free speech is essential for a true education. We can analyze all, for Christ is the truth, and he withstands and is amplified in all scrutiny.

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