HILLSDALE, MI – Hillsdale College is revisiting its communications policies after the mass distribution of a controversial email advertising a prayer gathering “for God to give the Justices and the courts wisdom” as the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates same-sex marriage.
The all-campus email to students, faculty, staff and some alumni was written by a student, college officials said, but distributed by Peter Beckwith, Hillsdale College chaplain, on Tuesday, May 5.
“Just to give you a heads up, ugly things are happening in the Supreme Court right now,” the email reads. “Justice Anthony Kennedy is seen as the ‘swing vote’ and, if that is the case, he will have the power to legalize same-sex marriage NATIONWIDE! Yeah…I do not even think we can imagine the effects this could have on our nation, the church and families.”
The email invited recipients to a prayer gathering later that day being organized by a student organization the email did not identify and college officials declined to name.
The gathering, the email said, was a time to pray “for God to give the Justices and the courts wisdom, courage and discernment, for evil to be revealed and destroyed, and for a heart of love and sound mind.”
The message did not sit well with Hillsdale College leaders who responded with their own mass email to those who received the original communication.
On Wednesday, May 6, Provost David M. Whalen wrote, “The tone and language of the email did not properly represent our commitment to thoughtful inquiry and civil discussion as necessary to the pursuit of truth. We have a long history of treating all students with love and respect, and our Honor Code requires our students to do likewise.”