religious schools?

[anon]

one of the jobs on the employment service says "Applicants should be in sympathy with the mission of a college of the Lutheran church (ELCA), which entails a commitment to academic freedom and openness to discussions about the relationship of faith and learning."

I looked it up and the E in the ELCA actually stands for "evangelical"

So...what does that mean effectively in terms of getting/having a job there? I'm an atheist and did not grow up in a christian faith, and my research is very, well, NOT socially conservative. Does that mean I shouldn't even bother with this job?

Even though they say there is academic freedom, does that mean I would have problems teaching about things in my liberal manner, from the administration or the students? The specific job posting is for a gender and sexualities job, and I can't imagine teaching a gender class and NOT including things like GLBT issues...and apart from that my research tends to come down on the 'liberal' side more often, and deals with some controversial topics, so would that be a problem come tenure time?

Just trying to figure out if I should bother or not...seems like it would be a perfect fit otherwise, and it's a shame to not apply considering there will probably be very few gender jobs out there, but the religious (and especially the 'evangelical') thing makes me hesitate.

[sup]

Don't waste your time. Although they wouldn't usually say it in a job ad, schools like this often require signing a statement of faith or at least some serious probing of your spiritual life. Even if you were fine with lying about your atheism, I doubt your upbringing would grant you enough knowledge of the subculture to be able to "pass." I went to an evangelical college that emphasized combining faith and learning and professors were expected to integrate religious perspectives into all the courses they taught, whether it was Anthropology, Chemistry, or Beginning Volleyball. Good luck teaching GLBT issues in an environment like that!

Hope this helps...

[anon]

so would that be true for all religious schools or just evangelical protestant schools?

I have a few friends who work at a catholic "jesuit" college and one who works at a jewish college, and none of them are religious at all, and they all seem to be doing ok. I think one of them at the catholic college mentioned signing a statement of faith, but said that other then that it's just like any other college.

[noname]

I think it's a matter of person preference. Personally, I'd stear clear of evangelical Christian schools. However, Catholic schools are fine for me. In fact, most Catholic, especially Jesuit, universities are quite liberal on inequality issues, as social justice tends to be emphasized in Catholic and Jesuit teachings. I interviewed at two Catholic universities and did not see any red flags of the religious affiliation in faculty or students. In fact, I found there their emphasis on social justice to be quite attractive. Both deans also emphasized that academic freedom was not affected by their religious affiliation.

[sk]

Don't forget that there is a lot of variation in the beliefs of evangelical protestants as well. Evangelical Lutherans will have a quite different set of beliefs than many other evangelical protestants.

I just spent a bit of time looking over the positions of the ELCA (they have a section of Social Statements which have been approved by two-thirds vote of their memberrs), and I would imagine that if you're otherwise interested in the position, it would be worth your time as well.

Here's the page on Sexuality:

www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Messages/Sexuality.aspx

[travelbug]

I agree with what others have said. I think it really depends on the school itself, even more than the particular religious tradition. I did a post-doc at a Jesuit university, and was pleasantly surprised by the socially liberal and progressive atmosphere there. But I have also heard from acquaintances about other Jesuit schools that are much more conservative.

[damastes]

There is a fair degree of overlap between ECLA, United Church of Christ, & Episcopalian churches. A number of their churches ordain gay/lesbian clergy, & they are very oriented towards social justice. Very different than Liberty University, Southern Baptists, etc. in terms of adhering to a fundamentalist belief structure.

Checking the school's 'Statement of Faith', as sk has done, is good way of seeing if the position is a good fit. Given the market, I hate to pass up applying to positions where I could see myself teaching.

[socbaker]

I teach as an adjunct in a Jesuit school, and my religious values have never come up, though something in my application material did talk about values and Catholicism and such. I have discussed hot-button issues like abortion and never heard a peep. I would definitely not corss a school off my list because of a religious affiliation until I had definitive information that indicated it would be a poor (or unethical) fit.

[anon]

Basically echoing what others have said, don't prejudge the school. "Evangelical Lutherans" have about as much to do with the general sociologist understanding of "Evangelical Christianity" as the "United Church of Christ" has to do with the "Church of Christ."

Instead, do your research (as you should do with any school you are considering applying to). This can include asking faculty or staff at the school exactly what the school is like and what is expected: Will you have to sign a statement of faith? Is it expected you will have the same religious background as the school specifically (same denomination) or generally (Christian/Jewish/etc)? What is the general political tenor of the campus?

[sup]

Let me backtrack on my initial gut reaction to your question where I said "don't waste your time." *Of course* I agree with the later comments, especially the one directly above that recommends doing your own research and not prejudging the school. With the market as tough as it is, it can't hurt to check into all your options. Contacting someone at the school is an excellent idea; learning about a possible statement of faith would be my first priority. ELCA is indeed different from many evangelical traditions (just read their statement on Palestine/Israel for confirmation of that), so this *could* be worth your time.

[anon]

Also, if you are worried such inquiries might hurt your chances of landing the job, contact someone from a relatively unrelated department or administrative unit, use an anonymous email address, and/or call and don't give your name.

Students can also be a great source of information - they may not know about signing statements, but they may know the religious makeup of the students at the school (schools which have a religious tradition but where most of the students are not of that tradition are fairly common and in such cases I think it is usually the same for the faculty) and will have an impression of the politics of the campus.

But, again, this is really just part of the general bag of tricks for getting the real dirt on any school.

[anon]

Despite having "Evangelical" in their title, ELCA is actually usually classed as a mainline Protestant denomination, i.e., fairly moderate to liberal.

The more "evangelical" (and/or conservative) Lutheran churches include the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, etc.

For more info on evangelical denominations, see here:
www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/evangelical.asp

and for mainline denominations, see here:
www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/mainline.asp

[curious georgietta]

Apply, take it as seriously as you would any other application. If you get an interview go on it and do your best. Don't ask probing questions about religion at that time. If you get an offer then bring up questions then. Having an offer is worth more than not having an offer. You don't want to ask questions that may lower your chances of getting the offer.

[C221]

I wonder if taking a position at a right-of-center religious school due to the necessities of the market will limit one's career. Thoughts?

[3FWGJ87]

Most extremely right-of-center religious schools (e.g., Liberty University) will probably not even have a soc department.

That said, I think the answer is yes, but I'm not sure how much religious views are the causal factor. Most religious schools tend to be more heavily focused on teaching, advising, and service. It would probably be more difficult to be prolific research-wise at such a place compared to a more research-oriented university, which would likely ultimately hinder career mobility. This would be the case at any teaching college or university. I like to believe that if someone was at such a place and did manage to do good work, there would be room for mobility. But I suspect there may still be prejudices (very unfair in this tough job market) that could affect hiring. Either way, I think a person would really have to prove themselves, even more so than someone who was already at the university where they wanted the job. A bit of a Matthew effect, so to speak.