Last month a professor at Oklahoma Christian University alleged that he had been fired for inviting a gay person to speak to his class. That information set off a chain of events that concluded, on April 18, with the university’s decision to not reappoint Kuilema to his untenured faculty position, a move that is likely to end his 14-year career at Calvin.ĭisagreements over sexuality are hardly new at religiously affiliated colleges. It was against this backdrop that, in December, Calvin’s provost received photos that appeared to show Kuilema officiating at a same-sex wedding. The board, in 2018, had denied Kuilema tenure, citing concerns about his “tone and strategy” on matters related to same-sex marriage. His public advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues as an assistant professor of social work at Calvin, a private college affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, had been a source of increasing tension with administrators and trustees. Joseph Kuilema was already on thin ice at Calvin University.
