LEGAL ARENA

Political Correctness Running Amok on College Campuses

By Paul Strand
Washington Correspondent

CBN.com – TEMPE, Arizona -- Across America, more and more colleges are forcing Christian student groups to admit non-Christians or face being dissolved or punished. It is part of a wave of political correctness that accuses believers of discrimination if they want to limit their fellowship to like-minded believers. But some students are fighting back now.

CBN News visited one such group at Arizona State University.

There is really one main reason why Christian law students like Francisco Sirvent and Bethany Lewis want their own organization:

Lewis said, "If you have a skiing club, the purpose there is to bring together people who love skiing and are devoted to skiing. Our organization -- the purpose there is to bring together Christians to walk out our Christianity together at the law school."

But Arizona State University has a problem with that, because the Christian Legal Society chapter demands two things of its members.

Sirvent said, "We would just like to ask that our members and our leaders have Christian beliefs and believe in what the Bible says."

Lewis remarked, "You have to be a Christian to be a part of our student organization. And then the other part is, implicit in our statement of faith is the idea that sex is only to be practiced within the bounds of marriage, so that would exclude homosexual conduct."

But ASU's Student Code of Conduct prohibits "engaging in discriminatory activities ... on the basis of (among other things) ... religion, (or) sexual orientation."

The Christian Legal Society at the school is represented by lawyers like Greg Baylor at Christian Legal Society's northern Virginia headquarters.

The ASU Christian law students and the lawyers tried to get an exemption from ASU, but they were unsuccessful.

Baylor said, "They said flat-out 'No, we're not going to respect your religious liberty.'"

So the students have sued ASU and the Arizona Board of Regents, known as ABOR.

Baylor says ASU tells student organizations that 'you have to promise not to take religion or sexual conduct into account when you're choosing your voting members and your leaders'.

And Baylor adds, “Our leader looked at that and said, 'Well, we can't do that. We're the Christian Legal Society. We're about allegiance to Jesus Christ, and therefore we want our voting members and our leaders to sign a statement of faith demonstrating their commitment to Christ and to live a life that's consistent with God's moral laws.'"

But there are real consequences if the law students refuse to comply.

Sirvent said, "The first step is, ASU de-recognizes us as a student organization, and that takes away a lot of the benefits and privileges that student organizations have on-campus, which is meeting on-campus -- receiving some funding."

And if the university wanted to get really personal, it could impose on the Christian students "...suspension, expulsion...which probably never would get to that level...but those are options for them," said Sirvent.

ASU would not give CBN News an interview, but did send us a news release accusing the Christian Legal Society of asking ASU "to permit the student chapter of the Christian Legal Society to discriminate against non-Christians and homosexuals."

The release suggests that it is not going to happen because 'ASU is committed to diversity and respect for all of its students.'

And it goes on to say that 'student organizations on ASU campuses are required to comply with applicable law and with the ABOR Student Code of Conduct.'

But Lewis insists, "In good conscience, we can't sign that non-discrimination policy."

She added, "We've had problems in the past with members of different religions wanting to become members of our organization and lead Bible studies, when they don't agree with the essentials of Christianity."

And both the students and Baylor say they are fighting because this is about far more than one club.

He said, "The application of religion and sexual orientation non-discrimination rules is the most significant threat to religious freedom in America right now."

Baylor says it is almost like a fad spreading nationwide: universities ignoring federal law and cracking down on religious student groups.

That is why the Christian Legal Society finds itself fighting cases like the one with ASU on at least four other campuses.

Baylor said, "All of the laws that ban religious discrimination in employment have an exception for religious organizations. Because the law recognizes that it's simply not wrong for religious organizations to take religion and sexual conduct into account when choosing their people. I don't know why universities and other folks can't understand that. But the law in other contexts recognizes and respects religious freedom."

So while the university feels it is fighting discrimination, the Christian Legal Society chapter wonders, 'Isn't it just a matter of common sense that Christians are the only people allowed in the Christian Legal Society?'

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