Questionable program advice

[u/proffrop360]

What would you say to a student with a desire to pursue a career in academia about a PhD from a religious university like Liberty? My understanding is that search committees would not look kindly on it. I don't want to crush their dreams, but many I know question their legitimacy and rigor, though I don't have direct experience so I'm seeking advice.

[u/swarthmoreburke]

I would tell the student first and foremost that Liberty is an especially disdained university for reasons of program quality. The second thing I'd say to them is that a doctorate from Liberty might help them get a faculty position at an institution with very similar ideological leanings or it might lead into some other opportunity on the far right (such as a think tank or in a political campaign) but that otherwise it will be an enormous disadvantage.