Christian Campus Group Wins Big Over University of Iowa Discrimination

Will Maule : Jan 30, 2018
Faithwire.com

"The court agreed that the university has to stop discriminating against BLinC (Business Leaders in Christ) because of its religious beliefs. Every other group on campus gets to select leaders who embrace their mission. Religious groups don't get second-class treatment." -Eric Baxter

(Iowa City, IA)—[Faithwire.com] A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the University of Iowa must temporarily reinstate a Christian student group that was booted out for refusing to violate its Statement of Faith. (Photo: University of Iowa/Google Images/via Faithwire.com)

Judge Stephanie Marie Rose of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa granted Business Leaders in Christ's (BLinC) request for an injunction and ordered the school to reinstate the group as a registered campus student organization for at least 90 days.

"BLinC's motion is granted based solely upon the university's selective enforcement of an otherwise reasonable and viewpoint neutral nondiscrimination policy," Rose's order states.

BLinC's lawyers were delighted.

"The court agreed that the university has to stop discriminating against BLinC because of its religious beliefs," said Eric Baxter, a senior counsel with the religious freedom law firm Becket, which is representing BlinC. "Every other group on campus gets to select leaders who embrace their mission. Religious groups don't get second-class treatment."

As Faithwire previously reported, the Christian group came under fire after they refused a leadership position to a student who professed to being openly gay. It all came down to the group's Statement of Faith, and the fact that the student in question refused to sign it.

The section of the group's Statement of Faith that been brought under the spotlight simply read: "Members should conduct their careers without the greed, racism, sexual immorality and selfishness that all too often arise in business, political, and cultural institutions."

"BLinC declined the student's request because he expressly stated that he rejected BLinC's religious beliefs and would not follow them," the organization said in its complaint, as reported by The Washington Times...

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