The Dean of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology has weighed in on the debate over the Bush Presidential library’s being built on SMU’s campus (see my previous posts). In a lengthy presentation (read it here), the Rev. Dr. William B. Lawrence clarifies the extent of the faculty’s opposition to the Bush Library. The Presidential Library includes three components: (1) the library itself, which will include the important historical documents from Bush’s presidency, (2) a museum, with artifacts from Bush’s presidency, (3) and a policy institute that reflects Bush’s brand of conservatism.
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SMU Professor in Favor of Bush Library
Dr. James Hollifield, a professor of political science at SMU, does not jump on the bandwagon of faculty protests against the Bush Library to be built on SMU’s campus. “It is legitimate for anyone to criticize the president and his policies, but it is presumptuous for us as scholars to say that we know in advance and with certainty what the legacy of a sitting president will be . . . faculty members are not disconnected from the politics of the moment” (‘The Biggest Man on Campus’ – NY Times). I think Dr. Hollifield has wisely reserved judgment and has taken the long view. That is precisely what I was…
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Bush in My Backyard
No, President Bush isn’t really in my backyard, but it looks like his Presidential Library will be. According to the New York Times, Dallas’ Southern Methodist University will likely be the site for the president’s future library and museum. Unfortunately, some of SMU’s faculty are resisting the prospect of a Bush library on their campus. Two anti-war professors from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology have co-written an opinion editorial in the campus newspaper opposing the library. After weighing the benefits of having the library on their campus, they ask this question:
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Methodist Ministers Muzzle Museum
I’ve already written about the Methodist professors who are opposing President Bush’s library that is likely to be built on SMU’s campus (see previous post, “Bush in My Backyard”), but now a group of Methodist ministers have also joined the fray. These ministers stand against the library’s being associated with SMU because they perceive President Bush to be an anti-Christian President. One of the protesting ministers is quoted in the Dallas Morning News saying, “I think that George Bush has been in his presidency so inconsistent with fundamental Christianity that he should not be associated with a Methodist university. Methodist means decency and this man has not been decent†(source).