Intellectual Freedom and the Bible College Library

A number of evangelical Christian authors have grappled with the subject of intellectual freedom--few, though, in the context of Bible college libraries. The secular concept of intellectual freedom is incompatible with Bible colleges in that it is absolutist and shuns any standard of morality. Theological, educational, and pragmatic factors indicate that Bible college libraries should provide access to a broad range of information resources, irrespective of the positions they espouse, except to the extent that such openness poses a serious threat to the fulfillment of their sponsoring institutions’ mission. To this end, Bible college libraries should take positive action to create, publicize, and administer appropriate policies and procedures, and otherwise demonstrate their commitment to mission-oriented intellectual freedom.