Community, Academic Freedom, Human Responsibility

I will always obey your law. I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts. – Psalm 119:45

Everything has a purpose, an outcome. What is the purpose of Freedom? What is the purpose of Academic Freedom? Purposeful freedom is authentic; it fulfills; without a good purpose, Academic Freedom is academic -- moot and academic.

These notes are side-commentaries taken from the ‘Family Devotional Study Bible’, the book that has fully nourished my spirit, soul, and body for 52 years. This is about Freedom, Academic Freedom, and Community, from a perspective of humility, authenticity, and service, from the creator of Community and the author of Freedom. This is not about religion, this is about Human Rights and Responsibility.
– Bob Calida 1/30/21

Academic freedom and Romans 13:1-7: Submission to authorities:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good and receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. Because of this you also pay taxes for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

INSIGHT:

Down-to-Earth Problems
When Christians disagree about what’s right and wrong

“Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.”

“Too often religion is viewed as something for those who retreat from the real world. When there is nothing else to do, then is the time to ask abstract questions about God. Such a notion would surely have exasperated the apostle Paul. To him, religion was worthless unless it made a difference in how people lived. Therefore, he concluded the most concise theological book in the Bible with a down-to-earth discussion of contemporary problems.”

REVOLUTIONARIES AND WEAKER BROTHERS
“The issue of Politics surfaces in Romans (13:1-7). How could a Christian relate to government? In Paul’s day when Christians lived under Nero’s tyrannical regime, that question was hotly debated, as it still is in our revolutionary-oriented era.”
“Christians in Rome were disagreeing on what was proper behavior for a Christian. One person was sure another was sinning, but that “offender” was convinced his accuser was hopelessly narrow-minded. Who was right? The specific issues change with each culture, but Paul’s guidelines on the proper attitudes apply to all.”
“Paul did not live as an intellectual recluse. He applied his theology to life, practicing what he preached. In fact, the lofty book of Romans was written while he was out raising money for famine victims in Jerusalem.”

WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_freedom#:~:text=Academic freedom is a moral,those that are inconvenient to
Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have the freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts (including those that are inconvenient to external political groups or to authorities) without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment. While the core of academic freedom covers scholars acting in an academic capacity - as teachers or researchers expressing strictly scholarly viewpoints -, an expansive interpretation extends these occupational safeguards to scholars' speech on matters outside their professional expertise.[1][2] It is a type of freedom of speech.
Academic freedom is a contested issue and, therefore, has limitations in practice. In the United States, for example, according to the widely recognized "1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure" of the American Association of University Professors, teachers should be careful to avoid controversial matters that are unrelated to the subject discussed. When they speak or write in public, they are free to express their opinions without fear of institutional censorship or discipline, but they should show restraint and clearly indicate that they are not speaking for their institution.[3] Academic tenure protects academic freedom by ensuring that teachers can be fired only for causes such as gross professional incompetence or behavior that evokes condemnation from the academic community itself.[4]
The authentic practitioner of Academic Freedom is one who is aware of and faithfully pursues the purpose of Freedom -- to serve the Community with the best of what he has, without restrictions or self-limitations. It is never a license nor an excuse to justify attempts to weaken or destroy duly instituted government