College cancels Meacham talk over Planned Parenthood ties

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A blimpish Christian assemblage withdrew an invitation for historiographer Jon Meacham to talk during inaugural activities for its caller president this week aft critics complained the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer has appeared astatine Planned Parenthood events.

Samford University, located successful suburban Birmingham, announced the cancellation of Meacham's appearance, which had been acceptable for Wednesday, aft an online petition cited his speeches to Planned Parenthood, which provides termination and different aesculapian attraction for women.

The petition, which had astir 1,030 signatures Tuesday morning, said Meacham's “beliefs and halfway values bash not align with those of Samford University, arsenic it is simply a Southern Baptist institution.” It called Meacham's planned code “alarming for the aboriginal of Samford.”

Samford's caller president, Beck A. Taylor, wrote successful a missive posted connected the university's website past Wednesday that Meacham's code was “intended to item his enactment successful analyzing the existent authorities of civility and sermon successful our country,” not abortion.

Ad

But the Samford Student Government Association and others recommended postponing Meacham's talk, Taylor said, truthful his quality during inaugural activities was canceled and the schoolhouse volition effort to docket different clip for him to speak.

“Unexpectedly, Mr. Meacham’s planned lecture has go a divisive issue, 1 that takes attraction distant from our accidental to observe Samford. I regret that this has happened,” Taylor said.

A typical for Meacham did not instantly instrumentality an email seeking comment. Meacham spoke astatine a luncheon held for Planned Parenthood of South Texas connected Oct. 6, according to the organization's website.

In the missive announcing the cancellation, Taylor said helium recovered Meacham's insights “to beryllium some challenging and inspiring.”

“Our ngo arsenic a Christ-centered instauration of higher learning is to basal boldly astatine the intersection of nine and the religion and to convene important conversations astir however to unrecorded faithfully successful the world. That ngo calls america to invitation speakers and artists to field who situation our perspectives and who stock contented and insights,” Taylor said.

Ad

Samford, which was established by the Alabama State Baptist Convention, has an enrollment of astir 5,700 undergraduate and postgraduate students and includes a divinity school. Students are required to be field worship oregon faith-related events to graduate.

Meacham won the Pulitzer Prize successful 2009 for his governmental biography of President Andrew Jackson, “American Lion.” His New York Times best-selling books see “The Hope of Glory,” which examines the last sayings of Jesus.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.