Baylor University in Waco, Texas is one of the largest Baptist schools in the nation. And they jumped into a massive fire pit when they accepted a six-figure grant to study the inclusion of women and gay people in the church.
The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, a so-called “progressive” organization that fosters “inclusion,” gave the university a $643,000 grant to understand why the LGBTQIA and plus community feel disenfranchised and excluded within evangelical churches.
“This was a grant that would be used to really bully churches and religious institutions into becoming LGBTQ affirming and sensitive in their practices, contrary to their historically held practices of faith,” Scott Colter of The Danbury Institute said on my Newsmax show. “And so, here, we see an academic institution one more time putting its finger on the scales, attempting to change the way that churches act and that people of faith act in this country and in our communities and moving them into leftist policies one more time.”
When Christian donors, alumni and students found out what was going on, all you-know-what broke loose and the university quickly returned the cash.
Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said returning the funds “is the appropriate course of action and in the best interests” of the school.
“We remain committed to providing a loving and caring community for all — including our LGBTQIA+ students — because it is part and parcel of our University’s mission that calls us to educate our students within a caring Christian community,” Livingstone’s letter said.
She added: “As we reviewed the details and process surrounding this grant, our concerns did not center on the research itself, but rather on the activities that followed as part of the grant. Specifically, the work extended into advocacy for perspectives on human sexuality that are inconsistent with Baylor’s institutional policies, including our Statement on Human Sexuality.”
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Make no mistake about it – that money was not meant to study inclusivity as much as it was to undermine foundational Christian beliefs and Baptist church doctrine.
In a statement emailed to NBC News, the foundation said it’s “deeply saddened by Baylor’s decision” to cancel the research grant, adding that it “disserves Baylor students, faculty, and the broader Christian community.”
“This was an opportunity to answer the Christian call to care for the marginalized by creating resources and providing important research for faith communities. Our hearts break for the professors, research fellows, and, especially, the students who will receive this message from Baylor, loud and clear,” the statement said. “We hope this moment will be a catalyst for reflection and will inspire other institutions to take up the important work that Baylor has abandoned.”
It’s understandable why so many Texas Baptist families were disturbed to learn that Baylor had compromised its beliefs. And while the university returned the money, it had less to do with repentance and more so to do with damage control.
But the more pressing question is why Baylor even took the tainted cash in the first place.
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