Court Victory For Christian Colleges
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Court Victory For Christian Colleges
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A judge in Oregon delivered an important victory to Christian colleges last week. In a 40-page ruling, she dismissed an LGBT group’s lawsuit targeting a key religious liberty protection in federal civil-rights law.
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The case began in March 2021 — not long after the beginning of the Biden administration. Forty LGBT individuals organized by a group known as the Religious Exemption Accountability Project filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education in an attempt to push the administration to eliminate Title IX religious protections for faith-based schools.
Title IX prohibits sex discrimination at schools that benefit from federal financial aid, but it has long contained a religious exemption. And now that the meaning of “sex” has been expanded — at least by progressives — to include “sexual orientation and gender identity,” this exemption has become even more important for numerous schools.
The plaintiffs in the case — Hunter v. U.S. Department of Education — applied to or attended more than 30 different religious schools. According to the judge, they alleged the schools (which they called “taxpayer-funded”) mistreated them by “subjecting them to discipline (including expulsion), rejecting their applications for admission, and rescinding their admissions because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
But notice the defendant: At the outset, it was not the schools. It was the Biden administration’s Department of Education — the same administration that on its very first day in power sought to expand the Supreme Court’s Bostock ruling linking “sex” in employment law with sexual orientation and gender identity.
Wary of this, Alliance Defending Freedom helped three Christian colleges — Corban University, William Jessup University, and Phoenix Seminary — insert themselves into the case so they could defend themselves.
At the time of that intervention, ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman said: “This lawsuit wants the federal government to tell Christian schools, ‘To continue accepting low- to middle-income students who require financial aid, you have to violate your core beliefs.’ Because that’s neither reasonable nor constitutional, we are pleased that these schools will have the opportunity to defend their freedoms in this case.
“No court should grant a radical request to rewrite federal law and strong-arm religious colleges by stripping their students of much-needed financial aid,” he added.
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) also successfully intervened and sought to have the case dismissed — calling the plaintiff’s allegations “frivolous.” CCCU noted that students voluntarily choose to join the communities of its member schools, and those institutions were clear and transparent about numerous biblical beliefs, including those related to sexuality and gender. The association warned that this lawsuit threatened federal financial aid that 70 percent of its schools’ students rely on, particularly minority, low-income, and first-generation students.
“Religious freedom was a driving force in the founding of our nation, resulting in the rich multi-faith and pluralistic world of 21st-century America,” CCCU said in 2021. “It is essential that we continue to strengthen the policies and practices that undergird this distinctive American tradition of civic pluralism, which allows people with deep differences to create together a society of mutual respect and common flourishing.”
After more than a year of deliberations, Judge Ann Aiken of the U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, ultimately determined that the LGBT plaintiffs’ arguments were not adequate to throw out Title IX’s religious exemption. Indeed, she found some of the arguments “confusing and contradictory.”
“Exempting religiously controlled educational institutions from Title IX… is substantially related to the government’s objective of accommodating religious exercise,” she wrote.
ADF’s Cortman was pleased the ruling “rightly rejected an unfounded assault on the religious freedom of faith-based educational institutions,” and CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra called it a “huge win for religious higher education.”
However, this battle may not be over. The LGBT group is considering its options for appealing the case, and one CCCU lawyer told Christianity Today that the plaintiffs could also attempt to file suits directly against the schools.
Fueling these challenges will no doubt be the judge’s apparent agreement that the plaintiffs did in fact experience injuries from unequal treatment. In her ruling she also highlighted that the Department of Education did not dispute these injuries.
One of the plaintiffs said: “Unlike some people in my family, the federal government at least admits that there is indeed harm being done to us. But in a similar fashion, they refuse to provide any action to correct such harm. It’s devastating, but our fight is far from over.”
Another angrily declared that the government is showing itself to be “complicit in both allowing and perpetuating homophobia and transphobia. … These taxpayer-funded religious schools ought not be privileged over LGBTQ+ students’ safety and vitality.”
We should thank God for this important religious-freedom victory and appreciate those who battled for it. But let’s be sure to pray, too, that the victory continues in courts of law and in the courts of American hearts and minds. May Americans see the value of faith-based ministries serving their communities freely, in accordance with the deeply held beliefs that make them who they are.
Are you encouraged by this victory? If so, share this article with your friends and family to encourage them!
Aaron Mercer is a contributing writer with two decades of experience in the Washington, D.C., public-policy arena. Photo Credit: Canva.
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Finally, a good decision by the courts.
In Jesus’s mighty name! Thank you because you deserve all the glory! AMEN 🙏!
Someone please get on board with the damage to civility done by anti-heterosexual activsts. We need to flip the script, here.
Expose, Expose, Expose.
I remember having a discussion with my roller hockey friends in NYC
back in the seventies about the word “gay.” One of them mentioned
that the word now meant something entirely different and we all
chimed in, “like what?” When he went on to elaborate about the
description having connoted a new definition of homosexual
disorders and behavior, all of us were flummoxed and filled with
disgust. Mind you, none of us even broached the scriptures-
although we should have-as the front end of this flied in the
face of natural law principles, the preservation of family life
and healthy, normal perceptions about sex, purity and
wholesome relationships between men and women. When
evil, amoral and licentious men and women who occupy the
ranks of government and higher education are allowed to
unleash this grave sin and pestilence upon us without any
opposition from Mothers, Fathers and Clergy, the we simply
are waving the white flag of capitulation and allowing our
country to be done in for without any spiritual and moral
backbone to thwart it. As Pope Leo the Great had said in
his encyclical about the threat posed by secularists and
modernists against all of God’s children and disciples,
“we must beat them back with our fists”, which calls to
mind what our Blessed Lord said in Matthew’s Gospel,
chapter 11, “from the days of John the Baptist until now,
the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the
violent take it by force.” Amen!
Sincerely,
Vincent
Thank you Jesus!!
Colossians- 1-12-13 “ Giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[ a] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, Many believers limit God without even realizing it. The Bible clearly says God has delivered us from the power of darkness Father after I read scripture I tried to find a solid word from God concerning this fight for our Freedom. When I read the words “ These taxpayer-funded religious schools ought not be privileged over LGBTQ+ students“ This is Satan hard at work with his lies. God is saying this is not time to give up in defeat! It is time to claim our victory. We cannot wait for Victory we must claim it. 2- Corinthians-2-14 says : “ Now thanks be unto God which ALWAYS CAUSES” us to triumph This scripture says God “CAUSES” us to triumph, God enables us to have victory Yes, we must keep praying remembering when God delivered us from the power of darkness he translated us into the Kingdom of his Son( Jesus). Giving thanks to our Heavenly Father provides a solid foundation on which to build Victory prayers. God will “always cause us to triumph”. I know God; sometimes people forget to Praise or say Thank you for what you have done or doing. Even when things look dark and bad God is at work, He is at work opening doors, overthrowing the enemy. Father God this word of privilege is straight from Satan, he thinks he gets more power when this is constantly shouted from LGBT or other woke groups. In Genesis 1:2 says the earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the deep—- He (God) moved in a spirit of darkness. The culture we are facing is filled with void and darkness, lifeless ideas, empty. We shall have Victory in Jesus name because “ He God Always causes us to triumph. When we put Faith to work rather than sitting and waiting for Victory, waiting for LGBT to do their next step, we must not sit around and wait for Victory to fall on these Colleges and Universities. We must not depend upon the Government to while we wait and do nothing. “ I am quoting what was said from a plaintiff “ the federal government at least admits that there is indeed harm being done to us. But in a similar fashion, they refuse to provide any action to correct such harm.” I do not believe all the negative words, but What I think is a shame that some of the courts are intimidated by such a small group of people who think their rules are correct. The # 1 thing is the Intercessor and Pastors must pray for Salvation to be a part of this group that Satan is using to try and destroy The Christian Values in the Schools. We need to claim Victory Now and Decree any evil attempts to remove Title IX and any Evil attempts saying they are being harmed. Christian Colleges have standards and so does God, He loves all people but he will not tolerate sinful actions. We need to always say thanks for the victory’s won. And to win More victories, we Decree in advance we will treat them with respect but we will not back away from Gods words concerning the Sin of LBGTQ. Decree that they shall be saved and Take Authority over this evil act of pushing this agenda. Jesus left Authority for us to Defeat the dark spiritual forces. Ephesians-6-17 All declarations must be used and based on Gods words and will. Go before our Father say his words; when we speak Gods words, God will back them up from Heaven. 😊 We shall have Victory we are Gods army. 🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
Thank you Lord for this victory in the mighty name of Jesus and glory to God…
Its all just evil….. If you don’t like the Biblical Christian School, then don’t attend. It’s for Bible Believing Christians. Not the evil that prowls around seeking to destroy everything that is good. It’s all a political/evil game that started with the Biden Administration. Father God, you see what is happening and so do your children, we will continue to fight and win for your Glory! We see it all Lord as clear as our hand in front of us. I rebuke everything that is not of you Lord in every way. I pray you stop these evil ones from doing anymore damage to your Nation, In Jesus’ Name I Pray……Amen!
I’m very thankful that this case upheld biblical standards in court. I hope it continues to stand against appeals etc. Please fellow believers pray for the lord to continue to do so and for our government. We must not be negligent.
I’ve been so discouraged with Oregon, our country’s government and unholy mandates and laws. I let my feelings get the best of me too often. But I am encouraged to see this article. Please do not give up believers. Do not give up the good fight. We must continue for the prize. 💙
I attended a Christian College and am so grateful that I did. There was no drinking, no smoking, no harassment of students, college staff or visitors. There was love spread all over. I support even more Christian Colleges to be developed and those operating to stay in place. Thank you, God.
Carrie
Thanks be to God for this first victory. May He continue to lead a strong
Group of Christian colleges/universities into this legal fight backed by prayer and Holy Spirit leading.
Praise the Lord. We need more judges who will defend our faith.
Absolutely John. God bless and affirm this judge who has stood for right.
Here is the real question to asked and answered. If these folks are applying to a Catholic/Christian school (s) that follows the teahings and commandments of God and the Bible then they knew before hand that, to any Catholic or Christian school or organization, true to it’s faith, these individuals are not in line with the Catholic/Christian folks who see ther life style as against their faith. Knowing this brings up the point as to the true motive of these plantiffs, their want to simply force the Catholic/Christian schools to violate their faithful obligations to their beliefs. In other words they want to destroy these religious institutions by forcing them to acts that are prohibited by there faith in their God. These folks are wolfes in sheep’s clothing sent to destroy from within the Catholic/Christian churches. Rev J
Absolutely right! These LGBTQ (on and on) people are not innocent, just-want-to-live-my-life people. They are minions working for the Destroyer.
I pray for each one’s repentance and salvation unto Jesus Christ. But whether they repent or not, I pray their voice that touts the LGBTQ agenda be silenced.
Agreed. These are just harassment lawsuits brought to tear down religious freedom in America.
May God bless the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the individual colleges who prevailed in defending against this demonic attack.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name; amen! “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.” ~ Exodus 15:3