Same God Parent Guide

On December 10, 2015, Larycia Hawkins donned a hijab, took a selfie, and posted it on Facebook along with a message: “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God…”

Larycia Hawkins’ actions didn’t come out of the blue. Having overcome discrimination in the early years of school integration in Oklahoma, she was keenly aware of the injustice faced by marginalized groups and was deeply concerned by a rising tide of Islamophobia. A devout Christian, and the first female African American professor to be given tenure at Wheaton College, Dr. Hawkins was committed to following the example of Jesus Christ in reaching out to “the least of these”. She felt that her Christian duty required her to live in “embodied solidarity” – not just reaching out to those who suffer but standing with them.

Much to Dr. Hawkins’ surprise, her Facebook post provoked a firestorm. She received hate-filled, violent messages and Wheaton College was subjected to a flurry of correspondence, demanding her removal from the faculty. Apparently, embodied solidarity was going to have an even higher price than Dr. Hawkins expected.

Same God is a fascinating film that raises profound questions for viewers, especially Christians. What is more important for followers of Jesus Christ – doctrinal purity or Christ-like behavior? How do Christian schools manage differences of opinion amongst faculty and students? How do Christians engage respectfully with people of other faiths? How do “people of the book” – Jews, Christians, and Muslims – acknowledge both their shared heritage and theological differences in an attitude of goodwill?

The movie also asks big questions about academic freedom. Wheaton College came down hard on Dr. Hawkins, despite her adherence to orthodox statements of belief. From an academic standpoint, Wheaton’s actions are difficult to justify. I have a political science degree (Dr. Hawkins’ discipline) from a secular university and I was repeatedly disconcerted, offended, and forced to reconsider my beliefs throughout my undergraduate experience. Frankly, re-examining core beliefs is a critical part of the university experience, particularly in a social sciences or liberal arts context. Removing professors who force students to think deeply and grapple with unsettling perspectives does both the students and the institution a disservice.

Along with these issues, Same God also raises questions about racism and sexism, even among people who are acting without conscious malice. As one professor’s wife says of Wheaton College’s administration, “It’s not about badness. It’s about blindness.” Perhaps one of the best reasons to watch Same God is to force ourselves to open our eyes, not only to those who suffer in our world, but to our own blind spots.