Consider No Evil: Two Faith Traditions and the Problem of Academic Freedom in Religious Higher Education

Even casual acquaintances of the Bible know that the Truth shall set you free, but in the pursuit of that Truth in higher education--particularly in Christian or Jewish seminaries--there are often many casualties suffered along the way. What happens when faculty and students at religious academies butt heads with senior staff or dare to question dogmas or sacred cows that the institution cherishes? Consider No Evil examines seminaries affiliated with two faith traditions--Christian and Jewish--and explores the challenges, as well as prospective solutions, confronting those religious academies when they grapple with staying true to their traditions, as they interpret them, while providing an arena that incubates honest and serious scholarship. When students ask me about truth, I always send them to the religion department. In the future I will point them to Consider No Evil, a work that has contrived successfully to carry water on both shoulders. This is an important book, well written, thoughtfully providing an insider's view of historically private institutions. I recommend it for students of higher education in both secular and religious institutions. --Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, University Professor and Emeritus President, The George Washington University Consider No Evil' is a gift to scholars, clergy, and students alike. It provides historical, social, and personal context to clarify the thorny issues surrounding academic freedom at religious institutions of higher learning. With great nuance and insight, Withrow and Wecker promote transparency and forthrightness as a means of avoiding tension between scholars and their institutions. --Joshua Stanton, Assistant Rabbi, Temple B'nai Jeshurun, New Jersey In Consider No Evil, Withrow and Wecker act as spiritual guides in the complex, fraught, and persistently influential world of religious education. Using their own orthodox religious training as a springboard, the authors start a much-needed conversation on the tension inherent in the religious goal of transmission of tradition and the educational goal of the unobstructed search for truth. Consider No Evil should be required reading for all who study, teach, or preach within the hallowed halls of seminaries, yeshivas, and divinity schools. --Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Senior Religion Editor, The Huffington Post Brandon G. Withrow is an assistant professor of the history of Christianity and religious studies and director of the MA in Theological Studies program at Winebrenner Theological Seminary. He is the author, most recently, of Becoming Divine: Jonathan Edwards's Incarnational Spirituality within the Christian Tradition (Cascade Books, 2011). Menachem Wecker has reported on religion and education for the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Chronicle of Higher Education, Religion News Service, Jewish Daily Forward, National Catholic Reporter, Arab American News, and others. He was previously the education reporter at U.S. News & World Report.

Brandon G. Withrow is lecturer in religious studies at The University of Findlay, Ohio. His latest books include, Consider No Evil: Two Faith Traditions and the Problem of Academic Freedom in Religious Higher Education (2014), Becoming Divine: Jonathan Edwards's Incarnational Spirituality within the Christian Tradition (2011), and Katherine Parr: A Guided Tour of the Life and Thought of a Reformation Queen (2009). His contributions have appeared in The Huffington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. He lives in Perrysburg, OH where he spends his days cycling, gardening, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Menachem Wecker has reported on religion and education for the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Chronicle of Higher Education, Religion News Service, Jewish Daily Forward, National Catholic Reporter, Arab American News, and others. He was previously the education reporter at U.S. News & World Report.