[Annotated] Liberty of theological expression is challenged from left and right [spotted]

Bad news for Canadian conservative and an Ulster liberal

Here are two stories about religion, free speech and higher education in the United Kingdom. Both make troubling news for anyone who thinks that students should be exposed to a broad range of ideas, including some they won't agree with. One concerns a global celebrity, the other a man who is relatively little known outside his own specialist world. 

Jordan Perterson, a Canadian psychology professor and conservative culture warrior, revealed on March 20th that an invitation to take up a visiting fellowship at^[각주:1] Cambridge University had been withdrawn. The University's Divinity Faculty confirmed the decision in a laconic statement^[각주:2]: "We can confirm that Jordan Peterson requested a visiting fellowship, and an initial offer has been rescinded after a further review."

Mr Peterson had quite a lot more to say about the matter. He recalled that he had visited the British city of Cambridge last autumn and made a successful appearance at a famous debating society. He had also had some enjoyable conversations with members of the Divinity Faculty which made him think that collaborating with them might be beneficial for one of his longer-term projects: a series of commentaries on the Hebrew scriptures which had already attracted millions of followers. (With his pronouncements on self-help^[각주:3] and his appeal to relatively old-fashioned ideas about gender, the professor reaches far more people through the internet than will ever crowd into a lecture room.) He had some quite caustic things to^[각주:4] say about the decision to disinvite him^[각주:5]. 

"... It is deeply unfortunate that the authorities at the Divinity school in Cambridge decided that kowtowing to^[각주:6] an ill-informed^[각주:7], ignorant^[각주:8] and ideologically-addled^[각주:9] mob trumped participating in an extensive online experiment in mass Christian and psychological education. Given the continued decline of church attendance, the rise in atheistic or agnostic sentiment, the increasing irrelevance of theological education and the collapse in interest in such matters^[각주:10] among young people, wiser and more profound decisions might have been made." 

Ideologically addled or otherwise, the Cambridge University Student Union hailed news of^[각주:11] the dis-invitation^[각주:12], saying, "[Mr Peterson's] work and views are not representative of the student body^[각주:13] and... we do not see his [potential] visit as a valuable contribution to the University, but one that works in opposition to the principles of the University." Mr Peterson dismissed this statement as barely intelligible. 

As it is, the Cambridge Divinity Faculty has always encompassed a wide range of metaphysical beliefs, from^[각주:14] Christian to Muslim to agnostic^[각주:15]. At Queen's University Belfast, by contrast, the teaching of theology to undergraduates has at least until recently been delegated to^[각주:16] one Christian denomination^[각주:17]. The Union Theological College, a Presbyterian-run institution, has been responsible for delivering theology classes and hence for deciding who will teach that subject. A liberal-minded minister-cum^[각주:18]-academic^[각주:19], Laurence Kirkpatrick, has just been fired from his post at the institution where he has worked for 22 years. 

The Presbyterian professor has been in dispute with the college since a radio interview he gave in June 2018 when he said its teaching staff were^[각주:20] almost entirely elderly^[각주:21] and male ("we must look like escapees from^[각주:22] an old people's home") and also questioned the church's increasingly hard-line teaching on same-sex relationships. (At the time, Northern Ireland's Presbyterians were in the process of loosening links with their Scottish brethren^[각주:23] in protest at the latters's increasingly gay-friendly stance^[각주:24]. Mr Kirkpatrick said: "I'd be broken-hearted if anyone said I'd been bigoted against a Catholic or gay student.") This led to his suspension; in the last few days he has been formally dismissed. 

Apparently because of concerns about the way Mr Kirkpatrick was being treated, Queen's University suspended the introduction of new students to the college last December. That could be a step towards^[각주:25] the complete severance of^[각주:26] connections between the University and the theological outfit^[각주:27]. 

The professor said he was told by the college that he had been responsible for 'fracturing" its relationship with the university^[각주:28]. His radio interview had brought both the college and the Presbyterian church into "disrepute^[각주:29]", according to his letter of dismissal^[각주:30]. He has said he will appeal to the Employment Tribunal. 

What Mr Peterson and Mr Kirkpatrick have in common is that both have confronted boldly the reality that theology in its conventional form is of little interest to young people. They may have rather different ideas on how that lacuna should be filled^[각주:31]. But in both cases, there are people who do not want them to be given a hearing^[각주:32]. 

1. visiting ; [형용사] (명사 앞에만 씀) (교수가) 객원의 [본문으로]
2. laconic ; 1. 간결한, 간명한, 말이 간단하고 요령 있는(concise, using few words). ;; 2. 쓸데없는 말을 하지 않는, 간결하게 말하는, 간단명료하게 쓰는. ;; [ADJ] If you describe someone as laconic, you mean that they use very few words to say something, so that they seem casual or unfriendly. [본문으로]
3. self-help ; [U] 자립, 자조(自助) ;; [NOUN] [oft N n] Self-help consists of people providing support and help for each other in an informal way, rather than relying on the government, authorities, or other official organizations. [본문으로]
4. caustic ; 2. 신랄한, 비꼬는 ; 3. 통렬한, 매서운, 신랄한(biting, sharp). ; 유의어 scathing ;; 미국∙영국 [ˈkɔːstɪk] [본문으로]
5. disinvite ; [타동사] …로의 초대를 취소하다 [본문으로]
6. kowtow ; [자동사][V] ~ (to sb/sth) (비격식, 못마땅함) 굽실거리다 ;; (중국식으로) (…에게) 고두(叩頭)의 예를 올리다, 머리를 조아리다[to]; 아첨하다. ;; [VERB] If you say that someone kowtows to someone else, you are criticizing them because they are too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority [본문으로]
7. ill-informed ; 지식이 불충분한, 잘 모르는, 소식[정보]에 어두운, 인식 부족의 ((of))(opp. well-informed) [본문으로]
8. ignorant ; 1. ~ (of/about sth) 무지한, 무식한; 무학의 ;; 2. (비격식) 무지막지한 ; 유의어 uncouth ;; [ADJ] [oft ADJ of/about n] If you describe someone as ignorant, you mean that they do not know things they should know. If someone is ignorant of a fact, they do not know it. [본문으로]
9. addled ; 썩은; (머리가) 혼란해진. [본문으로]
10. 본문에는 mattters 로 오타 [본문으로]
11. hail ; 1. 환호하며 맞이하다; <사람을> (…이라고 부르며) 맞이하다 ((as)) ;; 2. …에게 인사하다; 환영하다, 축하하다 ;; [VERB] [usu passive] If a person, event, or achievement is hailed as important or successful, they are praised publicly. [본문으로]
12. disinvitation ; [Noun] The withdrawal of an invitation. [본문으로]
13. student body ; [집합적] (대학 등의) 학생 총수, 전학생 [본문으로]
14. metaphysical ; [형용사]1. 형이상학(形而上學)의, 순수 철학의. ;; 2. 형이상의, 실체 또는 그 본질에 관한, 비물질적인, 무형의(unsubstantial, incorporeal). [본문으로]
15. agnostic ; [명사] 불가지론자 ; 참조 atheist ;; [NOUN] An agnostic believes that it is not possible to know whether God exists or not. Compare atheist. [본문으로]
16. be delegated to ; ~로, 에게 위힘하다 [본문으로]
17. denomination ; (격식) 1. (기독교의) 교파 ;; [NOUN] A particular denomination is a particular religious group which has slightly different beliefs from other groups within the same faith. [본문으로]
18. cum ; [전치사] (두 개의 명사를 연결하여) 겸 [본문으로]
19. academic ; 1. 대학생; 학구적인 사람; 대학 교수. [본문으로]
20. teaching staff ; 교수진 ;; staff 을 복수로 받은 것을 확인 [본문으로]
21. elderly ; [형용사] 1. (사람들이) 연세가 드신(old보다 정중한 표현) ;; [ADJ] You use elderly as a polite way of saying that someone is old. [본문으로]
22. escapee ; [명사] (격식) 탈옥수, 도망자; 탈출한 동물 ;; [NOUN] An escapee is a person who has escaped from somewhere, especially from prison. [본문으로]
23. brethren ; [pl.] (구식) 1. (종교 단체의) 신도들, (남자) 교우들 ;; 2. (같은 사회에 사는) 사람들 ;; [NOUN] You can refer to the members of a particular organization or group, especially a religious group, as brethren.;; 미국∙영국 [ˈbreðrən] [본문으로]
24. latter ; (pl. the latter) the latter (둘 중에서) 후자; (나열된 것들 중에서) 마지막 ;; [PRON] When two people, things, or groups have just been mentioned, you can refer to the second of them as the latter. ;; 미국∙영국 [ˈlætə(r)] [본문으로]
25. a step towards ; ~로 가는 단계, 첫걸음 [본문으로]
26. severance ; [sing., U] (격식) 1. 단절 ;; 2. 고용 계약 해지, 해고 ;; [NOUN] Severance from a person or group, or the severance of a connection, involves the ending of a relationship or connection. ;; 미국∙영국 [ˈsevərəns] [본문으로]
27. outfit ; 2. 용품; 장사 도구, 도구 한 벌; (여행·탐험대의) 장비 한 벌 ;; 3. 마음의 준비, 소양(素養); 능력, 체력 ;; 4. [집합적] [구어] (사업에 종사하는) 일단(一團), 조직, 기업, 회사; (군)부대; 탐험단, 여행단; 공원(工員)의 일단 [본문으로]
28. fracture ; [자, 타동사] 부수다, 깨뜨리다(break); (뼈 따위) 부러뜨리다, 부러지다, 삐게 하다 ;; [VERB] If something such as a bone is fractured or fractures, it gets a slight crack or break in it. [본문으로]
29. disrepute ; [U] 오명, 악평 ;; [PHRASE] If something is brought into disrepute or falls into disrepute, it loses its good reputation, because it is connected with activities that people do not approve of. ;; 미국∙영국 [ˌdɪsrɪˈpjuːt] [본문으로]
30. dismissal ; 1. 퇴거, 해산. ;; 2. 해방(liberation) ; 퇴학, 퇴회(退會), 제대, 면직, 해고(discharge) ; 해고장(狀). ;; 3. (법률) 각하, 기각(rejection, repudiation). ;; [NOUN] [oft with poss] When an employee is dismissed from their job, you can refer to their dismissal. [본문으로]
31. lacuna ; [명사] pl. -nae[-niː] 또는 la·cu·nas (격식) (글·생각·이론 등에서) 빈틈 ; 유의어 gap ;; [NOUN] If you say that there is a lacuna in something such as a document or a person's argument, you mean that it does not deal with an important issue and is therefore not effective or convincing. [본문으로]
32. be given a hearing ; 심문을 받다 [본문으로]