I guess you haven't been on a search committee in years? Universities track race of applicants to ensure that, in each case and generally over time, the employer is not discriminating against historically underrepresented groups. Christians simply aren't one of those groups. 1/x https://twitter.com/McCormickProf/status/1301870745732210688

In addition, I can think of very few reasons why the religion of an applicant should ever come up in a screening or interview process, unless it's a seminary or div school. And if it does come up, it's likely to come up for those of other religious affiliations, especially 2/x

for those that have communal obligations that might sometimes arise during the interview process or the job, for example Shabbat observance or Muslim daily prayers or dietary restrictions during meals during the interview. 3/x

also anyone who knows the demographics of the U.S. would assume that an African-American woman is more likely to be Christian than virtually any other type of candidate. By sociological metrics we use to measure religiosity, Black women are the *most religious* demographic 4/x

Finally, the term "evangelical" itself is beginning to change as a descriptor, and is starting to align more closely with White Evangelical. It's less and less likely an African-American woman would self-identify as "Evangelical." 5/x

But my sense is that you know all of this, and you just want to be provocative and suggest that Christians are persecuted in the U.S generally and higher ed specifically. Such a claim is utterly ridiculous, and it's sad that you espouse it. 6/x

The myth of the persecution of Christians in America is an illusory, sometimes delusional, response of some Christians who have lost *some degree* of cultural authority and have mistaken that natural process in a diversifying country for persecution. 7/x

The myth of "we're persecuted" is also an outgrowth of a sola scriptura worldview that continually imagines "us" as the earliest church in an apocalyptic standoff with the worldly powers that be. 8/x

But in fact, in the real world, Christians have been "the powers that be" in many countries for many centuries and frequently abused our power 9/x

Again, of course you know this. But the fact that you think it's cute to juxtapose the historic and continuing persecution of Black women in this country with the "persecution" of Christians is utterly unacceptable (and out of step with your platform and public persona). 10/10