The RenewaNation Review 2016 Volume 8 Issue 1 | Page 22

professor—a man who esteems himself as an enlightened   Unfortunately, my experience has taught me that the intellectual—encouraged students to mock creationism. ways schools manipulate students to meet their financial However, when I revealed to both him and my classmates goals and the ideological biases of many professors are that I was, in fact, a creationist and presented a list of 400 probably the least worrisome aspects of America’s collegiate respected scientists who espouse Intelligent Design Theory, system. Author J. Budziszewski points out, “Modern institu- he ignored me and refused to engage in discussion. A more tions of higher learning have changed dramatically in the aggressive expression of ideological bias occurred when my last half-century, and from the moment students set foot Native American Literature professor incessantly mocked on the contemporary campus, their Christian convictions Christianity for every maltreatment suffered by the Native and disciplines are assaulted.” 2 Sadly, this quote perfectly American communities. When I asked him to explain describes my time in graduate school. Although I’m fairly himself, he first refused to answer my question and then well-read in Christian apologetics and cultural criticism, yelled at me, accusing me of wanting special treatment. The my firsthand experiences revealed the surprising extent saga continued during the of higher education’s moral following semester when my degradation about which I had Appalachian Literature profes- been pathetically disengaged. sor exclusively assigned radical After all, it is one thing to read feminist novels that portrayed about something in a book, “We need to diligently train young men as abusive, uninformed but it’s completely different to people so they can detect error and jerks. In general, although actually experience it. courageously impact culture.” my cohort contains other   When I see groups touring professing Christians, I’m the my campus, I want them to only one who challenges my know that many of the profes- professors’ ideological biases. sors I’ve met encourage much However, in this last case, even of the behavior that parents the less conservative students fear. For example, I can point started to catch on to her pattern; one student realized that to the drag show that the school hosts each year to celebrate the professor wanted to “redefine the canon.” His astute diversity month, how nearly all my professors use profane observation is one that can be applied not only to one language in class, the rampant promotion of LGBTQ sexual- professor but also to college faculty in general. ity, and the numerous faculty members who promote drug   Rather than promoting the long-held tradition of free legalization. Last year, for instance, when a graphic pro-life intellectual inquiry or exposing their students to the best demonstration came to campus and exhibited photographs academia offers, leftist professors actually want to persuade of mutilated aborted babies, a large contingent of professors students to embrace their pet beliefs. The linguistics profes- protested by handing out flyers that mocked the exhibition. sor whom I mentioned earlier actually said that he had “a As usual, though, no faculty could be found to represent the missionary purpose” to persuade students to his opinion! issue’s conservative side. When a professor led an in-class During my time in graduate school, I have yet to meet a discussion questioning the pro-life position, I pointed professor who championed a conservative cause, but I have out that, as a person born to an alcoholic and a homeless met many who think Hillary Clinton is Christ incarnate, prostitute in 1975 (two years after Roe v. Wade), Planned that guns are inherently evil, and that abortion on demand Parenthood would have most certainly advised my mother is a righteous cause. When I see groups of hopeful parents to abort me. Did my narrative receive any credence from the touring my college campus, I want them to know that these faculty? Of course not. They are too devoted to ideology to are the people who will inform their child’s opinions for the consider the opposing opinion. next four years. These young people will repeatedly hear   Given the reality that the college’s authority figures offer liberal ideologies promoted by the most educated people little in the way of moral authority, is it any wonder that they know, and I doubt that many of these students are students feel little compunction to uphold any ethical stan- prepared for such a challenge. dards? The sad truth is that the school is overrun with nearly 22