Fired Taylor Professor Tells His Story

Transcript Jim Spiegel was fired from Taylor University for refusing to remove a song called “Little Hitler” from YouTube. The song is provocative, for sure. But did it warrant Spiegel’s removal? And what does Taylor’s action say about academic freedom and the state of Christian education? In this edition of The Roys Report, Dr. Jim Spiegel joins Julie to tell his side of this story. According to Spiegel, the song was meant to highlight the Christian doctrine of original sin. And he felt removing it would mean capitulating to a wrong demand by the administration. Dr. Spiegel has a history of provoking strong reaction at the school for his outspoken conservative views. Was this just the last straw? Was the school justified? And given the pushback from some faculty and alumni, what action should Taylor take? Transcript SPEAKERS JULIE ROYS, DR JAMES S. SPIEGEL PhD JULIE ROYS  00:04 Jim Spiegel was fired from Taylor University for refusing to remove a song called Little Hitler from YouTube. The song is provocative for sure, but what does Spiegel’s firing say about the cancel culture, academic freedom and the state of Christian education? Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And today I’m looking forward to my discussion with Dr. Jim Spiegel. Spiegel was fired by Taylor University for posting a satirical video on YouTube meant to highlight the Christian doctrine of original sin, but apparently someone filed a formal harassment complaint against Spiegel and then the next thing he knew, Spiegel was being called into the provost office and ordered to remove the video. Spiegel says complying with Taylor’s demand violated his principles and being a philosopher and perhaps the most published and decorated professor at Taylor University, principle is hugely important to Spiegel. He didn’t back down and then he was fired. Well, today I’m going to explore not just what happened to Jim Spiegel, we’re also going to explore what this means not just for Taylor, but for the academy and specifically the Christian Academy. But before we do, I just want to take a minute to thank my sponsors, Judson University and Marquardt of Barrington. I’m so appreciated to my friends at Judson University who have been tremendous supporters of The Roys Report. And I want to let you know that due to COVID Judson has postponed its World Leaders Forum to April 7 2021. The featured speaker for that event will be General David Petraeus, a four-star general and former director of the CIA. For more information just go to JudsonU.edu. That’s JudsonU.edu. Also, if you’re in the market for a car I highly recommend my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Marquardt is a Buick GMC dealership where you can expect honesty, integrity and transparency. That’s because the owners there Dan and Kurt Marquardt are godly men. I’ve seen their character over time and I’m proud to partner with them for this podcast. To check them out, just go to BuyACar123.com. That’s BuyACar123.com. Well again, joining me today is Dr. Jim Spiegel, who’s taught philosophy and ethics at Taylor University for 25 years. He’s also authored numerous books, including How To Be Good In A World Gone Bad. And he speaks regularly at professional conferences, colleges, and churches. And he’s often interviewed for radio programs and podcasts, though this is the first time he’s been on a podcast speaking specifically about what happened at Taylor University. So, Jim, thank you so much for joining me and granting this interview. Just really appreciate it. DR JAMES S. SPIEGEL PhD  02:48 Thanks for having me, Julie.  JULIE ROYS  02:49 So Jim, let’s just start with this video, Little Hitler. That’s definitely a very provocative title. And it seems like any time anyone mentions Hitler, it sparks reaction. But would you explain why it is that you wrote this song, why you posted it on YouTube? DR JAMES S. SPIEGEL PhD  03:05 Right. W