Calvin tells black professor to find a Reformed church: Issue sparks student protest
Professor Denise Isom loves her work at Michigan’s Calvin College and her Grand Rapids church, Messiah Missionary Baptist. The problem: Isom must choose one or the other.
The Calvin board refused in October to exempt Isom from a rule that requires professors to attend a congregation with ties to the Christian Reformed Church.
The issue sparked a student “prayer protest” and discussion about how the church-membership policies may hurt diversity on campus. It also has drawn disdain from Isom’s pastor, Clifton Rhodes Jr.