In this episode of Heterodox Out Loud (https://heterodoxacademy.org/heterodoxoutloud/), we look at a deeply counterintuitive claim within the free speech movement in higher education: that mandatory faith statements at universities may actually support and advance academic freedom. Our guest is Shirley Mullen, who served as president of Houghton College for 15 years, retiring in May of 2021. Prior to becoming Houghton’s president, she served at various times as a classroom professor, chief academic officer and residence life director. Blog post: In Defense of Faith Statements (https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/in-defense-of-faith-statements/)Let us know what you think! For comments and questions email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).This episode was hosted by Zach Rausch, and produced by Davies Content. IMPORTANT NOTE: In this episode, we discuss HxA's upcoming conference in Denver, June 12 - 14. Tickets are now sold out. For those who are unable to attend, we will post video footage of the conference in the weeks following.Heterodox Out Loud is an ongoing series of selected pieces from heterodox: the blog in audio form with exclusive interviews.