Christian Belmont University Permits Hiring Faculty Of Other Faiths Or No Faith

Inside Higher Ed, Belmont University Permits Hiring Interfaith Faculty:

Belmont University has hired only Christian professors for most of its history, but university leaders announced Wednesday that faculty members of all faiths, or no faith at all, are now welcome to apply, representing a major policy shift for the private Christian institution in Nashville.

The university has been gradually softening in recent years to the idea of employing non-Christian professors. Last year, Belmont announced that it would allow Jewish faculty members for the first time, but only for positions in its pharmacy, law and medical schools, a move puzzling to some onlookers and celebrated by others as a step toward broader inclusivity.

Greg Jones, president of the university, said he sees the new, university-wide policy as a part of its Christian mission and a way to foster a “sense of hospitality and welcome.” Prospective faculty members have to be tolerant of the university’s religious practices, like prayers at the start of meetings, but they don’t have to be Christian to support Belmont’s “Christ-centered mission,” he said. This includes “key virtues about respecting each other as children made in the image of God” and “humility.”

“Belmont remains committed to its Christ-centered identity and will continue to primarily hire within the ecumenical Christian tradition,” he said. “However, the revised policy allows for the consideration of exceptional candidates from diverse faith backgrounds who demonstrate a strong commitment to our mission.”

He believes exposure to professors and students from different backgrounds can encourage fruitful interreligious dialogue which can strengthen students’ faith and prepare them for the diversity they’ll confront in the workplace and “secular pluralistic environments.” ...

Mark McEntire, a professor of biblical studies and president of the Faculty Senate at Belmont, said the shift felt “inevitable” since the university announced plans for a new medical school several years ago that he knew would require drawing on a broader pool of faculty applicants.

He also noted that the population of Nashville, and Belmont’s student body, have grown more diverse, and university leaders “want to serve and speak to our whole community.”

The current student population of about 8,872 students is 1 percent Jewish, 1 percent Muslim, 2 percent “other” and 8 percent students who identify as having no religion, according to data shared by the university. A fifth of students didn’t report a religious affiliation, while 52 percent are Protestant and 15 percent are Catholic.

Jewish and Muslim students in particular are both “growing populations” on campus, McEntire said. “They asked good questions,” including, “Why don’t I have any teachers that are like me? Those are good ways for them to push us.” In response to these shifting demographics, the university hired a rabbi earlier this year to serve as its first Jewish student faith adviser.

McEntire expects mixed reactions to the news of interfaith hiring from his colleagues.

“Faculty members probably fall into three groups on this,” he said, some who dislike the change, some who think it’s “exactly right” (he suspects they’re the smallest group) and some who want to “monitor” it.

Editor's Note:  If you would like to receive a weekly email each Sunday with links to the faith posts on TaxProf Blog, email me here.