As part of its annual collaborative Augsburger Lecture Series, EMU has invited theologian and New Testament scholar Nicholas Thomas Wright to visit campus. Wright is scheduled to speak at six events on campus on Nov. 13 and 14, including a chapel gathering, two keynote presentations, a Campus Worship event, a Lunch Dialogue event, and a Q&A session. The purpose of the Augsburger Lecture Series is to host prominent evangelical speakers who will “address pertinent topics in the area of Christian evangelism and mission for the stimulation and development of a vision for evangelism and missions for the students, faculty and staff of EMU,” according to EMU’s website.
Since news of N.T. Wright’s scheduled visit has become public to EMU students, some students have expressed alarm, frustration, or outright disappointment in the university’s decision to host Wright because of his socially conservative views and controversial statements toward gay marriage and the LGBTQ+ community.
Over the years, EMU has taken strides to create a supportive and accepting campus environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community, making it all the more head-scratching for some students as to why EMU would choose to invite someone to campus with such contrasting views.
“I was unaware of those views when we invited him,” said Campus Pastor Brian Burkholder. According to Burkholder, EMU has since been addressing students’ concerns. “Once we knew there was concern, we invited N.T. Wright to have an open forum with students addressing his views on sexuality, sexual behavior, and sexual preference. He declined, saying that it is not his intent to speak on these themes. He wanted to stay true to the original invitation and stay focused on the lectures that he already was preparing.”
Despite some student opposition, Burkholder believes there is still “integrity in engaging with N.T. Wright on our campus because of his prominence as a New Testament theologian.
“The reasons for inviting him, I think, still stand. Prominent voice, prolific writer, many many people have found his perspectives to be helpful in the application of the Christian faith and culture.
“Is there this other side? Yes, there is. And that’s also true across the Church. So we acknowledge that there is harm and hurt in inviting him, but we didn’t invite him to speak in any way on sexuality, sexual preference, or sexual behavior, and we wouldn’t have.” Burkholder added that he supports engaging with people, like Wright, who have different points of view. “We would do well to acknowledge those differences, and engage with dignity and respect.
“Furthermore, we’ve never thought that every speaker we bring for Convocation or Campus Worship would be aligned with EMU on all issues.
“We’ve always imagined we would engage across differences. Personally, I don’t think the differences that we would have with N.T. Wright are at the level that we would not invite him, and choose not to engage with him, but that’s my personal opinion.”
Asked about what he would say to students who believe Wright’s views contradict EMU’s platform, Provost Fred Kniss responded, “My answer would be that this is a university, and views of socially conservative folks, even if they clash with some of our values, are aired.
“When there are controversial issues, people should be free to speak from all sides… That’s what a university does.
“The word [university] is based on ‘universal’ – we open our arms, and anything is fair game to talk about and debate.” He added, “People have to be free to discuss questions, even when they clash with the positions of the university.”
Putting aside Wright’s specific social views, Burkholder and Kniss hope that Wright’s experience and knowledge as a Biblical scholar and theologian will make for an enjoyable, productive lecture series for EMU students who are hoping to learn more about Christian evangelism and missions.
