A federal appeals court ruling that a Christian university in Colorado can receive state scholarship money is the latest in a string of legal victories for religious schools seeking public dollars.
The most recent case involved Colorado Christian University, a college of 2,000 students in suburban Denver where most students must attend chapel weekly and sign a promise to emulate the life of Jesus and Biblical teachings.
Colorado Christian faculty must sign a statement that that the Bible is the "infallible Word of God."
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled Wednesday that the state of Colorado overstepped its bounds with a system allowing students to use state scholarship dollars at some religious colleges, but not those dubbed "pervasively sectarian" — a judgment that required bureaucrats to investigate such tricky criteria as whether religion courses amounted to neutral study or proselytizing.
Colorado had allowed students to use their scholarships at Methodist and Roman Catholic universities in the state, but not at a Buddhist university or at Colorado Christian, which is nondenominational.
The ruling is the latest in a series of potentially fatal blows to three decades of legal doctrine that had distinguished between religiously connected colleges that were nonetheless in the mainstream of American higher education, and those with a religious outlook that permeates every aspect of the education they offer.
Supporters of Colorado Christian's position hailed the ruling as an important victory for students.
Students "attending institutions such as CCU who take their faith-based commitment seriously should have an equal opportunity to participate in Colorado's financial aid program," said Paul Cortis, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
But critics called it the latest example of a worrisome trend.
"The bottom line is that taxpayers will now end up having to pay for religious indoctrination," said Barry Lynn, executive director of the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The law wasn't discrimination, but "a sensible judgment by Colorado that some colleges are so religious that they cannot expect taxpayers to support them."
The ruling cuts to a conundrum in the First Amendment, which prohibits the state from establishing any religion, but also prohibits religious discrimination. Religious colleges have argued their students shouldn't be deprived of a state benefit everyone else can get.
Courts have split the difference by allowing forms of state support to colleges with some religious affiliation, but not to those that take additional steps, such as requiring certain religious beliefs and chapel attendance.
But this latest ruling — on the heels of others sympathetic to religious colleges — calls into question whether any legal distinction between "pervasively sectarian" and merely religious colleges can survive. Continue >>
Comments
Bob Jones lost their tax-exempt status as a result of not allowing inter-racial dating. Like Daniel said they never directly took federal funding. Daniel, as you know Tennessee Temple used to be as legalistic as Bob Jones, but last summer we took some youth to a Go Tell Camp and a school rep was there, I was shocked because he was dressed like a normal youth and then he blew me away when he told me Big Daddy Weave was going to be performing at the school in the fall.
how is giving money to an individual who choices to go to a certain school forcing indocrination on the public. They are not saying heres your money now go to CCU, the only ones going are the ones who choice to know more about religion.
With Bob Jones right next door I would say it's possible although I haven't heard that. I know for a long time they wouldn't take federal money. However, if they were denied monies, it would have been a civil rights issue rather then a freedom of religion issue.
BJU is loosening up though. I understand gals can wear slacks when not in class! They're even letting students go do less traditional churches. Of course, what would depend on your def of traditional now wouldn't it. :-)
I have some direct experience with that school (I know a few of the faculty) and they are good folks - you can get a first rate education there.
I don't know about other schools - wasn't Bob Jones University denied some federal funding because of their interracial dating policy? It's the same thing, right?
I went to their site www.ccu.edu
They have quite a few majors including education. Sounds like a Christian environment for learning about many other things.