An exclusive, private research institution located in the extremely affluent suburbs of Philadelphia recently promoted a seminar taking place at the school titled “A Womanist Path to Ending White Christian America.”
Villanova University claims to be a Roman Catholic institution founded in 1842, named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The school’s Center for Faith & Learning, however, boasts “opportunities for students and faculty of ALL faiths” so that students may “look at one’s life journey through introspection of the mind and the depths of the spirit.”
Under a section of the school’s website titled, “University Heritage,” which includes the detailed mission of the university as well as its description of “Catholic Values,” there is only one mention of Christ. This single mention is only in reference to his “life and teachings,” and carefully omits the Christian and Catholic belief that Christ is the Savior and Son of God. There is a larger emphasis on diversity, community, and celebrating people of “all faiths” and backgrounds than there is on the traditional Catholic faith.
This “Catholic” University is now hosting a Library’s Speakers’ Corner for a workshop surrounding “Ending White Christian America.”
“A troubling part of that reality is that white supremacy is grounded in Christian history, texts, ideas, and institutions. Is Christian faith possible apart from anti-Blackness? In this session, we will explore this question as we contemplate the meaning of the end of “White Christian America” We will study the liberative [sic] possibilities found in womanist theology, a discourse developed by Black women.”
“A Womanist Path to Ending White Christian America.”
It is worth mentioning that this event is not being coordinated by a fringe group on campus. According to the official announcement from the school, “This session will be facilitated by Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart. Reverend Naomi is an ordained minister, justice advocate, public administrator, and adjunct professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University.”
Not surprisingly, the event flyer includes liberal trigger words such as “racial violence” and “anti-blackness.” It also mentions the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd as a consequence of the American “white supremacist system.”
The flyer makes no mention of the fact that George Floyd served five years in prison for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, in which he threatened a pregnant woman with a firearm. There was no mention of the fact that, on the day of his arrest, he had used a counterfeit bill at a convenience store, consumed deadly amounts of narcotics, including fentanyl, and resisted arrest.
The flyer makes no mention of the fact that Breonna Taylor was involved with several known drug dealers and career criminals. There was no mention of the fact that officers found the dead body of a man named Fernandez Bowman inside a vehicle Taylor was renting at the time of her death.
The seminar’s promotional flyer regards these people as heroes, not as people who had flawed pasts. It must also be said that none of these undisputed facts justify their deaths. These are still tragic events, but should likely not be hailed as martyrs.
If a well-established, religious university wants to have a serious conversation about logic, racism, or white supremacy, it should at least be based on factual reality and truth. Several donors have understandably decided to end their contributions to Villanova following the school’s decision to make liberalism the primary religion of the institution.
This article first appeared on Turning Point USA.
