Situation
It has been said that the “universities of today are the governments of tomorrow.”  If that is the case, then the future ramifications for religious freedom are indeed chilling.   Perhaps no where else is religious freedom under more attack than on our nation’s university campuses.

Promotion of "tolerance" has bred aggressive intolerance for any individual who does not endorse and approve any behavior, no matter how immoral it may be.  These attacks often come in the form of so-called “anti-discrimination” policies which attempt to force campus ministries to compromise their Biblical standards and allow non-Christians to assume leadership positions in order to receive access to student facilities and funding.

Steven Hayner, the former president of InterVarsity, put it succinctly: “We have had more challenges to our basic right to exist on campus settings during the past two years than in the previous fifty-five combined. What we are seeing is a growing challenge to religious free speech.”

Context
ADF has been successful in battling these discriminatory “anti-discrimination” policies on college campuses nationwide.  On campus after campus, these policies quickly tumble down once they are challenged legally by ADF and its allies.  The result is that religious freedom is being restored at our nation’s universities.

Opposition
Lambda Legal – “If your college or university does not yet have a written policy specifically barring discrimination and harassment against lesbians and gay men, encouraging administrators to adopt one may be easier than you think.”

Human Rights Campaign – “Hundreds of universities, much like the private sector, understand that in order to attract the best students, faculty and staff, they need to have policies that protect everyone from discrimination and deliver a safe, open and inclusive environment.”

Allies
Christian Legal Society – “By threatening to enforce its ‘non-discrimination’ policy to require religious student organizations to accept as members and leaders those whose spiritual and moral views run counter to the group’s mission, the university tramples upon the constitutional right of religious organizations to define their own identity.”

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (F.I.R.E.) – “Groups whose purpose is to communicate a religious message must be allowed to control that message without unconstitutional administrative interference.”

Campus Crusade for Christ – “The mission of Campus Crusade for Christ is to turn lost students into Christ-centered laborers.”

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship – “The purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.” 
 

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