By Emily Judd '19 M.A.R. White Christian nationalism in the United States is radicalizing, warns Yale Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Philip Gorski in the latest Yale Divinity School podcast episode.
Stories
Harvard Prof Asks Biden to Reform our Current Homeschooling Regime. Here’s the Problem With Her Proposal.
Government doesn’t know best. Families know best.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Many of you remember this time last spring when
Harvard Magazine published its interview with Harvard Law School professor, Elizabeth Bartholet, who called for a “presumptive ban” on homeschooling. The article went viral among homeschoolers and others who value educational freedom and parental rights. I immediately responded with an alumna letter to the editor and ultimately had the opportunity to debate Professor Bartholet live last June. Here are some things I learned from that debate.
Attacks on Christian Homeschooling Are No Longer Subtle
Commentary
Early in 2020, Elizabeth Bartholet, a professor at the Harvard Law School, became notorious for advocating a “presumptive ban” on homeschooling.
The 3 to 4 percent of U.S. parents who chose to educate their children at home would have to prove to educational authorities that “their case is justified,” and if they could not do so, have their children sent to public schools.
An article about Bartholet in Harvard’s alumni magazine, reiterating a position she had taken in a lengthy law-review article published shortly before, provoked a furor among parents and young people, some of them Harvard graduates, who had enjoyed successful homeschooling experiences.
This Week In Campus Insanity Vol. 42 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Getty Images Alex Nester • May 1, 2021 4:55 am
Welcome back to Campus Insanity, a weekly roundup of the craziest developments at our nation s 4,000-plus institutions of higher education.
6. Yale Sociology Prof Says Christian Homeschooling is ‘Vector of White Christian Nationalism |
5. Virginia Tech Student Forced Off Soccer Team for Refusing to Kneel, Files Lawsuit |
Former Virginia Tech University soccer player Kiersten Hening refused to kneel before a game in September for the reading of a unity statement. Hening s coach allegedly verbally attacked her during halftime and benched her. Hening left the team and is suing for damages.
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Many of the founding documents of the U.S. have taken on a scriptural level of importance in the country s civil religion. // Getty Images, Andrew Harnik/Pool photo
America, unlike some countries, is not defined by a common ancestry, nor is it tied to an official faith tradition. But it does have a distinct identity and a quasi-religious foundation.
Americans are expected to hold their hands over their hearts when they recite the Pledge of Allegiance or stand for the national anthem. Young people are taught to regard the country s founders almost as saints. The self-evident truths listed in the Declaration of Independence and the key provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights have acquired the status of scripture in the U.S. consciousness.