The Shafting of Frank Beckwith (con’d)

_{William Dembski

April 1, 2006

Intelligent Design}

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Here’s an article from today’s Baptist Press:

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=22949

And check out the following image and caption from yesterday’s campus paper, the Baylor Lariat:

Frank Beckwith Protest

Correction: Beckwith is an associate professor.

Comments

From the article (quoting Beckwith): "'I have such a wonderful life, with a terrific family, a beautiful and loving wife, wonderful friends, and a support group of brothers and sisters both inside and outside the church that would be the envy of anyone,' Beckwith said. 'I have been remarkably blessed. So, last weekÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s [tenure] news pales in comparison to the grace and gifts that have animated my life and will continue to do so long after the memory of this time has faded.'" Not only is Beckwith an accomplished academic, but he's a first-class gentleman as well. First, Baylor shuts down the Polanyi Center and ousts Bill. Now their giving Beckwith the cold shoulder by denying him tenure. So much for academic freedom! When I was considering where I wanted to go to college, I had Baylor on my list; I'm sure glad I didn't choose them!crandaddy_{April 2, 2006
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I have attended two seminars at which Beckwith and Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason spoke, and I have met them both. I have also read two of Beckwith's books. He is extraordinarily bright and articulate -- a first-rate intellect. He is also extremely personable and a very fine gentleman. I would wager that those who denied his tenure are not within orders of magnitude of Beckwith's character or intellect.GilDodgen_{April 1, 2006
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SChen Let me know when you have an email address. You might want to try enlisting Governor Perry's support as he himself has come out in favor of teaching ID. One word from the governor's office would probably be all it takes to make this right for Professor Beckwith. The good people of the State of Texas wouldn't like this one little bit if they're made aware of it.DaveScot_{April 1, 2006
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Sue and Ricardo I want to encourage you to follow through on your professional goals. Yes, it is a fact that being a conservative and/or Christian makes just about everything harder in professional life. This is especially true in the professions of academia, law and journalism. I can speak from painful experience, having been shown the door of one law firm in which I was one of only seven Christians (at least visible Christians) in a firm of nearly 400 lawyers. The fact that it is harder for us does not mean we should not enter the fray. Just the opposite is true. The dismal spiritual state of our professions makes it all the more important for us to jump in. Some advice: 1. DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get a persecution complex. It will be difficult for you. Deal with it. No one ever said it would be easy. 2. Come to terms with the following reality: Because it will be more difficult for you, you must work harder and smarter. Your goal should be to demonstrate a level of excellence that no one can ignore or gainsay even in a hostile environment. Consider the example of the prophet Daniel. 3. There will be setbacks. Keep going; the reversals are temporary. When I was shown the door at that law firm (very prestigious, with offices all over the world), I was devastated. This is going to sound like a clichÃƒÂ©, but it is true. With well over a decade of perspective, I now know it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It allowed me to take advantage of opportunities (like running for office) that would have never been available to me if I had stayed. Best wishes to you.BarryA_{April 1, 2006
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I am also considering becoming a professor but I will not be stirred by the back hand of the university's system of exerting control and power over what it wishes. I know it sounds hard and I will definetely meet resistance but that should not be a determinate of who gets to say what just because they are holding all the keys (Matrix pun). Yes, it is true that the story of those with fresh or longstanding held views are rejected by those in power but this should not be a deterent to your future career. Look throughout history and those who changed the world did so in the face of the established system. Well, thats my pie in the sky for today. Ricardorpf_ID_{April 1, 2006
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DaveScot, We do not yet have an email address to voice our displeasure over this. But a graduate student who is friends with Dr. Beckwith and I are planning on fighting for his tenure. We have gotten Baylor to agree to review his tenure again. Currently, this grad. student and I are working on on campaign to fight for Dr. Beckwith. I will release more information soon. Sue, Continue to consider being a professor. This is, of course, your decision, but I would encourage it. Even though the antagonism is high, we need solid professors like Drs. Dembski and Beckwith. The antagnoism against such professors should not be a stumbling block for us but we should turn it into a battle cry. Just a note, for everyone's knowledge, Baylor University did not release a reason for Beckwith's denial of tenure. It is high skeptical that the alumni of the university were behind it. This was one point that Mr. Fuller got wrong in his letter.SChen24_{April 1, 2006
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From Fuller's letter:"...Baylor 2012, Dr. Beckwith's ideology has somehow offended a few of Baylor's more influential alumni,Ã¢â‚¬Â " You know, it must be really nice to live in a world where you never have to be offended. The alumni need to get over it. At most schools, they have too much power anyway. SChen24, your last paragraph is an excellent point. Personally, I am reconsidering wanting to become a professor. I have heard waaaaay too many bad things about it (if you are a Christian and conservative, that is). The Francis Beckwith story is added to the list.sue_{April 1, 2006
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Do you have an email address for Texas residents to voice their displeasure over this?DaveScot_{April 1, 2006
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The Baylor freshmen who wrote a letter to the editor of the Lariat (Baylor University's newspaper) unfortunately had several of his facts wrong in his letter to the editor. He also conducted a protest in which he threw red paint on his body and laid as a dead man infront of the Baylor president's office with a sign that read "Stop John Lilley [the Baylor President] from killing free speech." This extreme demonstration was condemned by the Intelligent Design Undergraduate Research Center (IDURC) which is also opposing (see official statement: http://doubtingdarwin.blogspot.com/2006/03/chen-distances-self-idurc-from-protest.html) and also by the Tenure Beckwith group at Baylor. This should be a reminder that we should support people like Francis Beckwith, but we should watch our own actions in doing so. If we find the university to be childish in rejecting such acclaimed professors like William Dembski and Francis Beckwith, we should not be childish in opposing the university.SChen24_{April 1, 2006
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From the article: Ã¢â‚¬Å“Out of the class of faculty members under consideration, he was the best-known and the most public symbol of [former President Robert] SloanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s vision,Ã¢â‚¬Â [a] student wrote March 27. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Either the university would allow those who pushed Robert Sloan out to take further revenge on one of his prize academic recruits or it would ensure that the decision was made objectively and fairly based on job performance. Regrettably, we now know which path Baylor chose.Ã¢â‚¬Â Well, really, we already knew that. The question for historians will be whether newly elected President John Lilley was worried more about losing funding from "Baptist traditionalists" (who like a provincial Baylor) or illusory "academic respectability" bestowed by nationally entrenched Darwinian fundamentalists or both? But for now, who cares? Provincialism and mediocrity suits the school. Too bad.GlennJ - Houston_{April 1, 2006
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