All members of the faculty, whether tenured or not, are entitled to academic freedom. Seattle Pacific University, as an institution of higher learning within the evangelical, Christian tradition, respects the historical commitment of the academy to academic freedom. We believe that the pursuit of truth is an obligation of the Christian scholar and teacher.
In the light of this overall commitment, Seattle Pacific University endorses academic freedom. The generally accepted definition of academic freedom is developed in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, formulated by the Association of American Colleges and the American Association of University Professors. That definition, extended in the AAUP Interpretive Comments of 1970 and amended in 1990, includes the freedoms and responsibilities which we summarize as follows:
- Freedom in the search for truth, including research and publication, coupled with the obligation to perform other academic duties faithfully and to deal responsibly with the institution in matters of pecuniary return;
- Freedom in the classroom to discuss controversial matters while avoiding content unrelated to the subject; and
- Freedom to speak or write in the public forum while maintaining accuracy, restraint, and respect for the opinions of others, and with care that one’s opinions are seen as individual and not as representing the institution.
Beyond this summary, Seattle Pacific University recognizes as fundamental the following, in accordance with the 1940 Statement of Principles:
We accept the Holy Scriptures, and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as authoritative in matters of faith, morality, practice, and learning.
The Free Methodist Church has since its inception maintained that biblical authority is central. In keeping with the teachings of John Wesley, founder of Methodism, we hold that this central authoritative text is best interpreted through full exercise of the rational capacity which God has granted to humans; the collective experience of the Christian church as reflected in its traditions; and individual experience. Scripture teaches the importance of speaking the truth in love. Therefore, Seattle Pacific University fully supports its faculty in the free search for and expression of truth, always in the context of Christian love.
All members of the Seattle Pacific University community are called on to seek continually to transform their own scholarship, teaching, reflection, and service in the light of Holy Scriptures. Christian tradition, as presented in the ancient ecumenical creeds (e.g. the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds), and in current formulations such as the Articles of Religion in the Book of Discipline of the Free Methodist Church of North America also serves as a guide for our scholarly work.