Conservative Christian Seminary Invites Ann Coulter to Speak

CHARLOTTE - Why would a Christian Seminary invite controversial writer, speaker, columnist and pundit Ann Coulter to come to speak? That is the question many have been asking since Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte announced Coulter would be speaking on May 10.

Coulter is has received lots of media attention for her caustic comments seems an unlikely choice for the small school and many wonder why a Christian university would allow her to speak.

Her visit is part of the school's Veritas Lecture series. According to the school, the lecture series is intended to provide a "provide a platform for a variety of nationally recognized speakers, authors, and personalities to explore contemporary cultural apologetic topics."

But not all Christians are happy at the school's decision. In response to the announcement, one Charlotte resident told the Charlotte Observer, "You can try to gloss up Ann Coulter, but it simply cannot be done. Under that low-cut, thigh-high skirt lies a woman with a gleeful penchant for slinging poison while using God as a foil. As for a local minister inviting her to speak, I guess 'cheap grace' -- justification of sin without repentance -- is in vogue. It is obviously more important to make political points than to call her out on her vicious attacks. But she is quite clever; she knows she is reaching for the lowest common denominator in humans, but hey, the money's good! That any Christian would sanctify this as simply politically incorrect and not truly morally repugnant simply shows how far down the abyss Jesus' wise and oh-so-loving teachings have been thrown"

But the Seminary's president, Alex McFarland stands behind the decision. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer he said, "Who among us hasn't said something intemperate from time to time?" The seminary continues to state that it doesn't endorse the views and comments of its speakers and does not condone hate speech, but believes the audience will determine whether or not her comments are appropriate.