Academic Freedom—Liberty or License?

"Academic freedom, like the priesthood of the believer, is an idea which has almost surpassed confessional status among some modern Southern Baptists. These two tenets of our faith have oddly evolved an almost creedal sanctity among some Southern Baptists ostensibly seeking to flee from the shackle
s of creedalism, which they fear may be imposed upon them by conservative Southern Baptists.

The paucity of available information in either confession or systematic theology is apparently no deterrent to advocating devotion to these concepts as the sine qua non of what it means to be Southern Baptist. The purpose of this essay is to focus on the question of academic freedom in an attempt to discover its essence, its dangers, and it limitations. The methodology will employ commentary on the superb statement in Article XII of The Baptist Faith and Message"

http://www.baptisttheology.org/documents/Academic Freedom-Liberty or License.pdf