Divinity Student Wins Exemption from Seminary’s ‘Anti-Racism’ Indoctrination

A divinity student at Princeton Theological Seminary has won an exemption from the school’s “anti-racism” training sessions, which he considers indoctrination. Backed by the Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA), Timothy Keiderling received an exemption after he convinced the school that the so-called training was in conflict with his beliefs. Princeton professor Robert P. George heads the AFA and advised Keiderling.

George told Keiderling that he and his AFA colleagues were “eager to support and help you in every way we can, including by making fully available financial resources to ensure that your contractual or other academic freedom rights are strictly respected by PTS. Although it is a private institution, any representations in any of its literature regarding freedom of thought, conscience, inquiry, expression, etc. are legally enforceable.”

Stuart Taylor wrote that Keiderling refused to participate in the mandatory sessions.

“Keiderling’s case matters because – at a time when critical race theory and anti-racism training are routinely described in the media as benign ways to encourage meaningful conversations – his experience opens a window into the often coercive and radical nature of those efforts. His willingness to push back against being told what he must think and to hint at a possible lawsuit to protect his right to think for himself may presage something like the broad pushback that has taken place in the courts against unfair procedures in campus sexual assault cases, suggested George.”

During his second year, Keiderling and his classmates were required to “submit to direction by PTS in how they must think and speak about matters of race, gender and sexuality.”

That is indoctrination.

Samantha Harris is Keiderling’s lawyer. “These students and parents have been paying a steep price for challenging the official orthodoxy of the educational elite,” she said.

Young America’s Foundation (YAF) in March released secretly recorded video of training sessions conducted by outside contractors, who must be making a lot of money on the anti-racism hustle. The sessions were open to three groups: white-only; students who identify as black, indigenous, or person of color; and an integrated group “uncomfortable” with either of the other two.

YAF said the integrated group “should have been the only option for students to come together and have frank discussions, without worrying of ‘safety’ and silly microaggressions. To be truly inclusive, sessions like these must welcome all students, regardless of background, viewpoint, or skin color.”

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