On Feb. 24, President Philip Ryken expressed regret in an email addressed to faculty and staff, taking responsibility for the “recent social media posts that have been widely regarded as politically motivated.” Before promising to review the college’s social media policies, Ryken reaffirmed the institutional commitment to non-partisanship, “helping our students engage in vigorous, principled, civil and open discourse on public issues, from the vantage point of Christian conviction.”
At this time, the Board of Trustees has committed to pray and fast.
He then addressed the Dear Colleague letter published by the Department of Education two weeks ago barring colleges that get federal funds from considering race in admissions, hiring, financial aid and any other college programs, and recent executive orders affecting education. Ryken says the college administration is “seeking to understand the full and true implications of each order or colleague letter and coordinating our response with the best and latest legal advice.”
Finally, he emphasized that the college will not be changing its “well-established” principles, including commitments to the Statement of Faith, Community Covenant and Christ-centered diversity.
This message encouraged Keith Johnson, the undergraduate chair of the Bible and theology department, because of the promise it conveyed: to remain dedicated to the same principles that all faculty members also sign onto. He believes that this indicates an acknowledgment of the pain that professors and students have experienced after being “unfairly and inaccurately criticized.”
“Many faculty are sad for our students. They have been put in a position of hearing some alumni claim that they are not as gifted, qualified or faithful as students used to be,” he said. “I find that insulting on their behalf. Our students are amazing — among the best I have ever taught, and their faithfulness inspires me every day.”
Aubrey Buster, associate professor of Old Testament, also said that she hoped students would see that Bible and theology faculty remain committed to the beliefs outlined in Wheaton’s Statement of Faith the same as before the recent online accusations on social media or in the news that may suggest otherwise. She explained that she and the Bible and theology faculty desire to “grow students’ faith, not undermine it.”
A message from Ryken like this “is not a new statement in response to a crisis,” said Michael McKoy, department chair of politics and international relations, who, like Johnson, was encouraged by the email but not surprised.
“That’s who President Ryken is, and that’s who Wheaton is,” McKoy said.
On the morning of Tuesday, Mar. 3, Ryken and the Board of Trustees sent out an additional email to all students and alumni with the subject line “Wheaton’s Steadfast Purpose” and addressed the “many communications from alumni and friends questioning our commitment to our historic mission.” In it, the 1877-1888 College Catalog was cited to emphasize its encouragement of independent thinking, saying that students “are not expected to adopt without question the views of either textbook or teacher, but to think for themselves.” The message concluded by welcoming constructive criticism and calling for prayer.
Although Wheaton’s institutional commitments remain the same, the controversies online have begun to affect campus life.
The planned “Faith and Feminism: Christian-Muslim Dialogue on Gender and Tradition” lecture put on by The Center for Applied Christian Ethics (CACE) was first moved due to security concerns and later canceled. Assistant Professor of World Religions Alexander Massad announced that the lecture was canceled because of antagonistic posts online that undermined the confidence and perceived safety of the event.
William Wolfe, a former senior official in the Trump Administration and a self-described Christian nationalist, had mocked the lecture in posts on X as evidence for Wheaton being “woke.”
“This then brought direct criticism against one of our speakers and made the speaker no longer feel comfortable or safe coming to campus,” said Massad.
Massad apologized to students who had gathered for the Feb. 25 lecture, saying “bad faith actors” online had taken from the students an opportunity to learn what it means to “be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, deeply rooted in Scripture and engaging with people of other religious traditions as a way of glorifying God and being honest with your pursuit of Christ.”
“I wanted you to learn that things that happen on the internet have real-world consequences,” he said, before praying for students, speakers and the campus. “Discussions that happen outside of your power, unfortunately, impact your ability to pursue a Christ-centered education here on campus.”
By Kara Grace Hess, Features Editor; and Noelle Worley, Staff Writer
Claire Taylor contributed to this reporting.
