Free Republic

What happened to so many once-Christian colleges in the United States? Two fine books describe the decline. George Marsden's 462-page The Soul of the American University shows how once-Protestant universities became secular look-alikes. James Burtchaell's The Dying of the Light: The Disengagement of Colleges and Universities from Their Christian Churches uses 868 pages to show not only how schools moved from liberal theism to secularism but how, before that, they moved from theologically conservative to liberal stances. I'll try to give the high points of 1,330 pages in fewer than 1,330 words: Three central messages are (1) Follow the money,...

A local Christian school that has refused to enroll a student in its pre-K program because his parents are gay is violating the New Mexico Human Rights Act, the family’s attorney contends. Attorney Shane Youtz, who represents the family, said the couple received a letter from Hope Christian school saying their three-year-old son would not be able to enroll because of his parents’ sexual orientation. An official from Hope Christian – which received $61,455 in public, federal funding for the current budget year – declined to comment. Youtz said the family hopes the school will change its mind, and that...

'University should have gotten a Christian to speak not someone who practices a cult' (CNN) Liberty University students and alumni are accusing the Christian school of violating its own teachings by asking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a member of the Church of...Mormons, to deliver its 2012 commencement address. By Friday morning, more than 700 comments had been posted on the school’s Facebook page about the Thursday announcement – a majority of them decidedly against the Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.’s invitation, citing that the school had taught them Mormonism isn’t part of the Christian faith.

ROCKWALL — Cathy Samford, a volleyball coach and science teacher, was fired from Heritage Christian Academy for getting pregnant and not being married, the school acknowledged. "I looked it up and thought, 'They can't do this,'" said Samford, 29. For almost three years, she coached volleyball at the private school. Samford was named "Coach of the Year" and recently began teaching science. But when she got pregnant last fall, the school fired her because she was not married. "We all have different views and interpretations," Samford said. "It's not necessarily the Christian thing to do to throw somebody aside because...

PINEVILLE, La. (BP) -- A Baptist college has joined the list of schools and universities suing the federal government in opposition to the Obama administration's contraceptive/abortion mandate, making it clear the issue is not simply a Catholic one. Louisiana College -- affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention -- filed suit Monday (Feb. 20) in federal court, saying the mandate violates the U.S. Constitution by, among other things, entangling the government in religious matters and forcing the college to violate its "sincerely held religious beliefs regarding abortion." The convention is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. "The time for silence is...

When Liberty University senior Craig Storrs returns from Christmas break, he plans to apply for permission to carry on campus his Bersa .380, a small handgun he owns for self-defense. If Storrs’ application is approved, he will join the first wave of students packing heat at Liberty. Since LU announced the new firearms policy in late November, 64 students, faculty and staff have applied for permission to carry guns on campus, according to university officials. Liberty officials would not disclose how many applications had been approved, but said they received requests from 26 students and 38 faculty and staff members...

It's not enough for President Obama's National Labor Relations Board to target the Boeing plant in South Carolina. Now the NLRB thinks it can tell a church school when it's not religious enough. Most people have heard by now of NLRB's unprecedented decree that Boeing Co. cannot build a new airline production facility in South Carolina. But Obama's NLRB is also claiming the authority to dictate labor policies and order union elections at Catholic universities if they are not religious enough.

Iranian-backed TV broadcasts US Koran desecrations, inflames deadly Kashmir riots; 15 dead The Iranians seized on reports of Koran burnings near Ground Zero and elsewhere in the U.S. to fan deadly riots Monday in mostly-Muslim Kashmir. Indian forces killed more than a dozen people and wounded scores more rampaging rioters, who chanted "Down with Koran desecrators" as they attacked a Christian school in one town and government buildings in other cities. They also chanted "Down with America" and "Down with Israel," cries rarely heard in Kashmir where Muslim rebels have long waged a bloody rebellion against Indian rule. U.S. Ambassador...

"The Christian Democrats are pointing out that continuing encroachment by government into school admissions is an unwelcome move that approaches nationalization. The party says that if pursued, it would be a grave violation of parental rights as primary educators of their children." Our president is so enamored of the British health care system, could this move be tried in the U.S. soon, too??

A group of students at Trinity University in Texas wants the Christian-rooted school to remove the words "Our Lord" from their diplomas, the Houston Chronicle reported. "A diploma is a very personal item, and people want to proudly display it in their offices and homes,” Sidra Qureshi, president of Trinity Diversity Connection, told the Chronicle. “By having the phrase ‘In the Year of Our Lord,' it is directly referencing Jesus Christ, and not everyone believes in Jesus Christ." Qureshi, a Muslim student at the school, is leading the campaign to remove the words. The Board of Trustees is expected to...

A group of students at Trinity University is lobbying trustees to drop a reference to “Our Lord” on their diplomas, arguing it does not respect the diversity of religions on campus. “A diploma is a very personal item, and people want to proudly display it in their offices and homes,” said Sidra Qureshi, president of Trinity Diversity Connection. “By having the phrase ‘In the Year of Our Lord,' it is directly referencing Jesus Christ, and not everyone believes in Jesus Christ.” Qureshi, who is Muslim, has led the charge to tweak the wording, winning support from student government and a...

Liberty University sued the federal government Tuesday, saying Congress lacks authority for the “power grab” it makes with the health care bill. “We are greatly impacted by this law,” said LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. “We think it is a travesty, a miscarriage of justice, and we want to challenge it. “We are honored to take the lead on this,” Falwell said. Joining LU as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County, Lynchburg City Councilman Jeff Helgeson, whose ward includes LU, and a woman who would be forced to buy insurance under the bill, said Mat Staver,...

<p>FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Former President George W. Bush says he turned to his faith during tough times in his eight years in office.</p> <p>He told more than 1,100 people at a banquet Saturday night for Fort Worth Christian School that he didn't see how he could be president without prayer.</p>

LONDON, February 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britain’s Labour government clarified this week that an amendment to the Children, Schools and Families bill, that says faith schools may teach the mandatory Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) program “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character,” does not, in fact, give the schools freedom to oppose abortion, contraception and homosexual activity on moral grounds. The clarification has been hailed by a local pro-life and pro-family group as evidence that the spectre of "totalitarianism" has reappeared in Britain.A recent statement from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), made in response...

Atheist David Miliband Sends Son To Faith School David Miliband has been accused of hypocrisy for sending his son to a Church of England school even though he himself is an atheist. By Alastair Jamieson 24 Jan 2010 The foreign secretary and his wife, Louise, have sent the eldest of their two adopted sons to a faith school more than one mile from their north London home despite living close to a secular primary. The headteacher of their chosen school is an outspoken critic of government education policy and does not support controversial tests for 10 and 11-year-olds. Children should...

CHICO — Changes in the curriculum at Crosspoint Academy have some parents, including prominent radio host Delilah Rene Luke, concerned the private Christian school in Chico is straying from its biblical focus. But school leaders defend the changes, saying the new materials will grow the school’s 290 students into the next generation of Christian leaders. “The idea that Crosspoint is still fundamentally rooted in strong Christian values and delivers a curriculum with a Christian perspective in mind has not changed and that has never changed in this process,” said Eric Rasmussen, superintendent of schools for Crista, the Christian ministry organization...

Students at these schools don’t venture far off the path that leads to the right. Religion plays a big role in the campus activities, generally, as do morals and character profiles that would make any parent proud. The Princeton Review's survey of 122,000 college students for the 2010 edition of the "Best 371 Colleges" book revealed the top 10 colleges that have conservative campus cultures, especially regarding political persuasion, the use of drugs and alcohol and the level of acceptance of the gay community on campus.

Last month, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, revoked its official recognition of the student Democratic group on campus, saying that the Democratic Party platform conflicted with the university's Christian principles. Following purported complaints from trustees, parents, and (perhaps most significantly) donors, Student Affairs Vice President Mark Hine sent an e-mail to Brian Diaz, president of the College Democrats, saying that the university was "unable to lend support to a club whose parent organization stands against the moral principles held by Liberty University." "By using Liberty University and Democrat in the name," Hine wrote, "the two are associated and the goals...

After a month of back-and-forth negotiations, the controversy between Liberty University and the college Democrat club reached a resolution Monday. A proposed change in university policy, announced by Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. over the weekend, in effect puts the student club on equal footing with the school’s College Republicans. Both groups, along with any other political clubs on campus, now are recognized under the new policy as unofficial clubs. The move was embraced by a student leader of the Democratic club on Monday. “We decided to go ahead and implement (the policy) as of today,” Falwell said Monday. “The (College)...

Liberty University’s student Democratic club has reached an agreement with the school on its status. Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said today that a change in university policy will allow the Liberty University College Democrats to exist as an unofficial club. The policy change, which took effect yesterday, also changed the College Republicans from an officially recognized campus group to the new unofficial status. Liberty withdrew official recognition of the Lynchburg school’s club last month because it supported the Democratic Party’s platforms and candidates. Under the new policy, the unofficial organizations won’t receive school funding but may use the Liberty name...