Professor Nicholas Meriwether encouraged others to withstand ideological pressure with kindness, humility and forgiveness
A professor who won a $400,000 legal settlement after refusing to use a student’s “preferred pronouns” is encouraging others to withstand ideological pressure with kindness, humility and forgiveness, FaithWire reported.
“We cannot give in,” Professor Nick Meriwether (pictured), a philosophy and English professor at Shawnee State University in Ohio, told CBN News’ FaithWire. He told the Christian publication that his faith “sustained him throughout the ordeal.”
“Scriptures were extremely helpful, the Psalms — even the book of Revelation — teaches very, very clearly we must resist in a kind way, a humble way, a reasonable way,” Meriwether said.
Meriwether recounted the ordeal that began in 2018 when “a male student approached me after class and demanded that I use female titles and pronouns, and I explained to him that I would not be able to do that.”
The student reportedly “threatened to get Meriwether fired” and filed a university complaint. The university told the professor that he was required to use the pronouns and titles.
“It was really about compelling me to speak in a way that conflicted with my beliefs as a Christian and a philosopher,” Meriwether said.
“I was going to be punished, not for something that I was doing, but for something that I would not do, and that was to affirm the gender identity ideology … I would not affirm the ideology,” he told the interviewers. “It was really about compelling me to speak in a way that conflicted with my beliefs as a Christian and a philosopher.”
Meriwether remained employed throughout the case and continues to teach.
“The community, he said, was overwhelmingly supportive during the ordeal, including some students and professors who disagreed with his stance,” FaithWire reported.
MORE: University will pay $400K to end legal battle over pronoun mandate
IMAGE: Alliance Defending Freedom
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.