Would future “ethical leaders and responsible citizens in a global community” do well to take recent cues from our school’s administrative leadership?

The question stems from Brite Divinity School over Brite’s decision to recognize the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ.

Wright is notable because he has a long-standing pastoral relationship with Sen. Barack Obama. A few of his sermons have included incendiary remarks that have Obama in political peril.

I won’t rob YouTube of hits or Fox News of viewers by restating the remarks, but Wright’s words were indisputably repugnant. It seems fair, however, to emphasize that the clips being circulated on cable news networks are 15-second sound bites of Wright’s 36-year career.

I actually respected Brite Divinity School’s public affirmation of Wright, despite his troubling rants. More importantly, I believed a fair and forgiving public might overcome its initial disgust and examine Wright in a broader context that chooses not to excuse his remarks but rather understands that these remarks may not represent the totality of who he is.

Maybe this belief was naive, but it was grounded in the doctrine of the golden rule. It would be a great travesty for any of us to be comprehensively characterized by sound bites, for many of us have ignorant gaffes of our yesteryears.

In fact, Wright has cultivated a church that has grown during his tenure from 87 congregants to more than 6,000. His church offers more than 70 ministries and is truly a beacon of service for the south side of Chicago. Not to mention the fact that he served his country as a United States Marine. Indeed, there is another untold side of this imperfect devotee of Jesus’ social gospel.

In response to Brite’s decision, TCU issued a statement that professed the administration’s support for freedom of expression while also insisting Wright was undeserving of an award. TCU’s board of trustees later voted, with Brite’s consent, to move the Black Church Summit off campus because of security concerns.

Given the contextual defense of Wright’s ministry, it seemed as though TCU felt the need to jab Wright and throw Brite Divinity School under the bus. And after seeing TCU’s stance on Wright broadcast on MSNBC, don’t we seem a bit timid compared to Columbia University’s hosting Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

While I appreciate the university’s efforts to ensure our safety, I’d also appreciate an explanation of the security concerns that arose because of Wright’s controversial opinions. Aren’t we entitled to know what spoken views might endanger ourselves and our peers?

TCU is not a place for free speech simply because the board of trustees says it is; a university proves itself to be fertile for freedom of expression when students can speak freely on campus without fearing for their safety or suffering a denouncement from the administration.

Brian Young is a junior political science major from Friendswood.