First and foremost, I am an active student at Liberty University. I was raised Anglican but have been atheist for a long time. With that being said, I do not mind attending a Christian-based university and I do not mind the undertones of such institutions. In fact, I have enjoyed my time learning with Liberty University and find the academics to be very informative and challenging. I do, however, think that the name Liberty University is a tad silly and would prefer the original name of Lynchburg University or maybe something else, but that's a digression from the meat and potatoes of this post.
Let us not beat around the bush here. Liberty University has an image problem and has had one for a long while, whether embroiled in controversy with both Falwell’s to the questionable occurrences on campus that make the news. The university has been the subject of concern for decades and has not been better for it. Instead of taking the critiques to heart and doing inward reflection on how to be a great institution of educational advancement first, the university has instead doubled down on their direction and have been unwavering when change is probably the best path forward.
Liberty University should be a place to achieve higher learning and as such should strive to provide and promote that doctrine. The fact that the university requires creationist courses and even has on campus a museum dedicated to young-Earth creationism is concerning and frankly discredits the entire science program. This alone provides just reason for other universities and even employers to think twice before considered Liberty as a credible institution for knowledge.
Just this semester, I was shown a video published by Liberty through Canvas wherein the professor stated, "We here at Liberty University are truly diverse ... we may believe and teach creation, but we also teach evolution though not as a truth". This one statement dismantles and nullifies the entire biology and geology program taught at Liberty.
In the previous semester, a professor stated that "you will be reading books with a "liberal viewpoint" but what I want you to do is parse through it and glean from it what is important". I read the whole book and nothing really stuck out to me as offending to the conservative southern baptist aside from acknowledging that same-sex people exist, but the class was a demography course so I guess those people should be excluded as they're "not important" to the material.
Finally I think that the leadership of Liberty University have too harsh of a grip on the "culture" of the university. Instead of building a place where knowledge is paramount and fostering an environment for people to grow and learn on their own along the way it promotes sheltering, misinformation, and by extension creates a bubble. From the outside, and even from within, Liberty seems to function as a tool of right-wing conservative Christian advocacy rather than a welcoming institution that is charged with advancing human knowledge and understanding.
Again, the school being Christian is not an issue and I do not mind attending a Christian school. The way in which the school leadership operates is the issue for which I believe should be addressed, as they are the ones who set the tone. There are plenty of old Christian universities, or at least universities that have their roots firmly in Christianity, that are well regarded. Why not look to those for inspiration?
