"I've Been Obeying Laws that Don't Exist!"

Dr. Scott Luley

Dr. Scott Luley received his M.B.A. and his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Luley helped establish Christian Leadership in 1980. Luley directs the Free Speech Project, works locally at Princeton and Rutgers Universities, and directs the East Region for CLM. He and his wife, Jan, have two sons.

"I've been obeying laws that don't exist!"

A Christian professor blurted the statement in frustration after one of our conferences. He realized he had been "intimidated" into silence by his secularized campus culture.

Christian Leadership recognized the need to clarify the legal freedoms all professors possess under our nations's Constitution and initiated the Free Speech Project in 1985. The project's purpose is to help Christian educators know (1) what is legal and appropriate in communicating one's faith, and (2) what to do when faced with opposition. The Free Speech Project offers workshops, materials, advice, and legal counsel if needed.

I encourage Christian faculty to participate in our Freedom of Religious Expression workshop, which we conduct in a video- discussion format. The workshop equips faculty to prevent problems and prepare for opposition they may face.

We have put this material together so Christians educators do not worry about possible challenges to their faith, but know how to respond instead. Our convictions or message will one day probably be challenged in today's politically correct campus climate. In fact, I'm often surprised by the number of those who believe they will not be challenged at all.

While other ministries deal with diverse issues, CLM focuses on higher education. The staff of CLM are specialists in what they do. Please take advantage of our expertise and the resources we have nationally- including our network of 14,000 Christian professors. We exist to serve you, the Christian university educator.

In another effort to assist faculty, I have initiated a Free Speech Forum (no longer functioning as of June 1999) on the Internet so faculty can interact on legal issues, questions about the gay and politically correct agendas, problems Christian faculty encounter and their solutions, and other stimulating topics. The reflector will not be limited to Christians and should therefore create a stimulating discussion.

If you would like to conduct a Freedom of Religious Expression workshop on your campus, please contact the CLM staff person in your area.

If you have any questions or comments concerning free speech matters, contact me.

Dr. Scott Luley
Free Speech Project
4 Silvers Lane
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
phone (609) 275-5960
fax 275-7337

email sluley@iclnet.org

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