Christian students claim school told them to ‘revise’ beliefs
Nikita Vladimirov Investigative Reporter @nikvofficial
A Christian student group has filed a lawsuit against the University of Iowa, alleging that the school tried to make it “revise” its Statement of Faith before reinstating its official status.
A member of the group had claimed in 2016 that he was denied a leadership position in the group for being openly gay, a charge the group denies, saying the student was turned down because he rejected the group’s core beliefs.
A Christian student group has filed a lawsuit against the University of Iowa, claiming that the institution broke the law by asking the group to reform its religious beliefs.
According to a lawsuit posted online by a public-interest law firm Becket, the public university de-registered the Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC) after an “openly gay” student accused the group of unfairly denying him a leadership position.
“The University’s attempt to tell BLinC how to define its faith and select its leaders constitutes religious animus and discrimination and violates clearly established federal and state law.”
“In 2016, a student member of BLinC claimed that he was denied a leadership position because he is ‘openly gay,’” the Monday lawsuit explains. “The charge was false. BLinC declined the student’s request because he expressly stated that he rejected BLinC’s religious beliefs and would not follow them.”
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“In rendering its decision, the University singled out BLinC’s Christian beliefs about sexual morality, finding that these beliefs, on their face, were discriminatory and impermissible,” the 42-page document continues.
The group acknowledges that in order to “guide its work,” it adopted “a Statement of Faith describing what it means to be a disciple of Christ,” describing those beliefs as integral to its purpose.
“The Statement of Faith embraces traditional Christian doctrines, including those concerning the supremacy of the Bible, the Unity of the Trinity, and the availability of salvation through Jesus Christ,” the lawsuit states, noting that the statement also provides teachings that help members with their careers, and encourages the use of “financial resources and personal talents to serve the community.”
The group also stresses that in order to “preserve and fully express its religious mission, BLinC requires all of its leaders (but not members) to affirm that they will embrace and follow the Statement of Faith.”
full story at https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10264