On Nov. 9, Messiah will host another controversial liberal, Jim Wallis, for a debate about capitalism and morality. Arthur Brooks, president of the American Free Enterprise Society, will offer a conservative perspective.

Administrators at the historically evangelical Messiah College whipped up a furor of outrage among alumni and others in the conservative community by inviting liberal political science professor Frances Fox Piven to speak earlier this month.

Her speech was part of the school’s annual lecture series on American democracy.

Piven has a history of liberal and often controversial activism. She most recently took criticism from conservatives for her support of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Now in her late 70s, Piven teaches political science and sociology at City University of New York.

She first came to national attention in 1966, when she co-authored a piece in The Nation advocating an increase in enrollment in social welfare programs so that the system would collapse and force reforms. She’s a regular target of conservative pundits, including Glenn Beck, who often mentions her writings on his popular program on Fox News.

In response to criticism over Piven’s appearance on campus, the dean of Messiah’s School of the Humanities, Peter Kerry Powers, issued a long statement defending the invitation.

“In order to educate students who can thoughtfully engage and serve the church and society, students must encounter many different points of view, and they must be guided and nurtured as they reflect on, assess and apply those points of view,” Powers wrote.

Members of Messiah’s College Republicans invited conservative firebrand Jason Mattera to respond to Piven but later cancelled his appearance, prompting critics to blame the administration for pressuring the club to back down.

But in an explanation posted on conservative blog the National Spotlight, club President Derek Petrella said the group rescinded its invitation to Mattera after learning he made inappropriate comments during an appearance at another college. Canceling Mattera’s speech was “the right thing to do in order to preserve the integrity of the club on campus,” Petrella wrote, insisting school administrators had nothing to do with the decision.

“Students were outraged over the controversial statements made by Frances Fox Piven. We need to hold our speakers to a higher standard we think our peers at Messiah College deserve,” Petrella wrote.

Piven angered the Messiah crowd and “lost credibility” by calling Tea Party supporters racist, Petrella wrote.

In a second statement about Piven’s invitation to Messiah, school administrators said the controversy Beck stirred up regarding Piven did not help students think critically about opposing views.

“The College does, however, attempt to bring a measure of critical reflection to the substantive ideas of many different speakers, critical reflection not always evident in media reporting on political and cultural issues” the statement said. “Those involved in the vetting process did believe that the media controversy obscured Dr. Piven’s 40-year career and extensive scholarly credentials, both of which suggest that her talk can be the opportunity for serious conversation and political engagement for our students and by the general public.”

On Nov. 9, Messiah will host another controversial liberal, Jim Wallis, for a debate about capitalism and morality. Arthur Brooks, president of the American Free Enterprise Society, will offer a conservative perspective.

@Copyright 2011 WORLD Magazine – used with permission