Religious loyalty vs. academic freedom: BYU faculty sound off
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The campus of BYU-Provo. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images
Some professors are leaving BYU in fear of increasingly stringent evaluations of their loyalty to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a new investigation by the Salt Lake Tribune.
The intrigue: The exposé comes one week after the church-owned Deseret News published a story claiming that faith-based schools provide "more intellectual freedom than anywhere else."
Driving the news: In an effort to make BYU's religious culture more orthodox, church education commissioner Clark Gilbert told a group of prominent members that church leaders "will not stand for a contrary opinion by professors," and that he would "get them out."
What's inside: Gilbert characterized BYU professors as belonging to one of four categories of adherence to the faith's teachings, the Tribune reported:
- The "Faithful Core," who "teach with the Holy Spirit"
- The "Supportive Center," who support the church but not as enthusiastically "as church leaders think they ought to"
- The "Secular First," who treat nonreligious "truth" as equal to the gospel of the church
- "Open Foes," who publicly disagree with some church teachings
Catch up fast: BYU requires all students and staff to obtain an "ecclesiastical endorsement" from their clergy. Anyone who has been a Latter-day Saint may not obtain that endorsement from any other faith community.
- In 2022, the church began to require that clergy vouch for new BYU hires' agreement with leaders and affirm the candidate hasn't used pornography recently.
What they're saying: BYU is "not safe … for anyone who doesn't fit the orthodox mold," trumpet professor Jason Bergman told the Tribune. Bergman left Provo for Indiana University's prestigious music school.
The other side: In its story, the Deseret News covered a panel in which professors at BYU, Seton Hall (Roman Catholic) and Samford (Baptist) said fusing faith with scholarship was more "expansive" than a strictly secular approach.
- BYU enjoys a "climate of open inquiry," one psychology professor said.
Yes, but: A history professor who recently left BYU said female candidates were more likely to be "canceled" after approval by academic departments because they were "not a mission fit."
- A recently retired law professor said he was offered a part-time adjunct role but declined it because the review process was "creepy and Orwellian."
- Multiple adjunct faculty who support LGBTQ+ rights saw their contracts discontinued without explanation after BYU added a requirement that staff specifically support church teachings on marriage and gender.
What we're watching: Whether BYU can recruit or retain top scholarly talent as instructors weigh opportunities at competing schools that don't require fealty to a religious group.
- If not, BYU's academic reputation could suffer over time.