Jim Daly

Daly Focus Blog

FOTF logo
  • Home
  • Family & Home
  • Current Events
  • Focus News
  • About

University Christian Clubs Not Allowed to Require Leaders to be Christian

It’s a disturbing trend taking place on university campuses around the nation. Thanks to a 2010 Supreme Court decision, state universities are now allowed to restrict “belief organizations from requiring belief.”

The way this is playing out in real life is that Christian clubs are no longer allowed to require their members and leaders to be Christian.

Yes, you read that correctly. Pretty much defeats the purpose of having the club, doesn’t it?

And yet, in the name of inclusiveness, some state universities (like the California State University system) are choosing to impose this nonsensical restriction, and private schools like Vanderbilt University are following suit.

What’s really happening, however, is far from putting out a welcome mat. In reality, this policy is all about exclusion.

Christians are punished for adhering to their biblical views

Group prayerChristian groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Christian Legal Society can’t simply turn their backs on their deeply held faith beliefs. They’re refusing to adhere to the demands and are being punished as a result.

Let’s take InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as an example. It was recently derecognized by the nation’s largest university system, so it will now lose out on the many benefits of being an officially recognized campus group. Those benefits include free access to things like campus meeting space and college advertising outlets, which are essential to club growth. Officials call the shift “considerably more costly.”

That’s a lot of exclusion for a policy billed as one that facilitates everyone’s participation.

Slippery slope of discrimination against Christians

Let’s take a moment to examine where this type of thinking can ultimately lead.

If a government entity, like a state university, can force its politically correct view on groups receiving “public funds,” how much of a leap will it be for state and federal governments to revoke tax exemptions for non-profit organizations who also “believe” and teach politically “incorrect” points of view?

Answer: not much of a leap at all.

As soon as you start punishing a certain way of thought or belief, it’s a fast slippery slope to more penalties and viewpoint discrimination. For example, there’s strong evidence that middle and high school Christian clubs will also be affected.

Get involved and make a differenceYoung women at Bible study

How can you help? If you have a relationship with or are an alumnus or alumna of the colleges mentioned in this blog, consider writing to the college and letting them know it’s important to you that they protect the religious-freedoms of Christian students and their clubs. Encourage others to do the same.

I’ll leave you now with a student-created resource, “Christ on Campus.” In it, Focus Leadership Institute graduates Hannah Riad and Dylan Benac offer perspective on the current discrimination happening against Christian-student clubs, as well as suggestions on how Christians can navigate these situations. This is a resource offered through Focus on the Family’s students’ rights initiative—DayofDialogue.com, a website offering free speech tools and events for students who want to share a Biblical viewpoint in a loving manner on campus.

Sign up for my weekly e-newsletter

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, pop culture, religious liberty September 15, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Related Posts

  • Trusting God That Hope Is on the Way
  • TriumphantAccepting My True Identity in Christ
  • Happiness is No Accident

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Jim-Daly President of Focus on the Family
Jim Daly
with Paul Batura

Posts by Jim

Be Mindful of the Time

Unhappy couple

Misunderstanding in Marriage

My Passion for the Harvest

Topics

  • Current Events
  • Family and Home
  • Focus Events
  • Uncategorized

Daly Focus

Jim-Daly Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.

Jim Daly Blog

Home
About
Posting Guidelines
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
FAQs

Connect with Me

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS