University of Michigan Kicks Christian Club off Campus

University of Michigan Kicks Christian Club off Campus
By Todd Starnes

The University of Michigan is accused of kicking an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter off campus because the group requires its leaders to be Christians – an apparent violation of the university’s non-discrimination policy.

Greg Jao, InterVarsity’s national field director, told Fox News the Asian chapter of the group was directed to either revise its constitution – or else be forced off campus.

“The university is sending the message that religious voices are suspect and should be marginalized,” Jao said. “I think it sends the message that the university does not understand the nature of religious beliefs and the convictions of religious students.”

In order for students to be InterVarsity leaders they must sign a statement of faith. But the university said that requirement violated their non-discrimination policy.

Sara Chang, an InterVarsity staff member at the University of Michigan, said they were given the option of submitting a revised constitution.

Instead, Chang and the other students decided to stand firm in their faith.

“For us, there’s no other option than to hold to the tenets of our faith,” she told Fox News. “We want to model a lifestyle of integrity. Holding the Bible as the inspired, divine word of God and seeing the commands for us to choose leaders who have a vibrant faith in Jesus – is obviously something very important that we want to continue to uphold.”

As a result of their decision, the university de-recognized the group – forcing them to relocate off campus.

InterVarsity has 10 chapters at Michigan and he suspects the others will soon be called upon to make similar changes in their constitutions.

“The sad place that we’ve arrived at is that certain campuses in pursuit of tolerance and diversity – are now saying they will use those standards to discriminate and marginalize viewpoints they disagree with,” he said.

“I think the university’s decision will impact any religious group that’s being honest about their leadership criteria.”

Last year Vanderbilt University banned 14 Christian groups from campus after they refused to change their bylaws to put them in compliance with the non-discrimination policy. One of those groups was InterVaristy Fellowship.

“It really had a chilling effect on students and our work,” Jao told Fox News.

He said Vanderbilt’s relationship with Christian students is disturbing.

“They prohibited all other registered student organizations from co-sponsoring events with our groups,” he said. “It’s pretty punitive. We’re a little bit of a pariah.”

He said Christians at Vandy “feel disenfranchised, distinctly unwelcome.”

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