Baylor University announced this week that it is rescinding acceptance of a $643,000 grant from a progressive institution designed to "foster LGBTQ inclusion" in the church.
The Baptist university had come under fire from Christian conservatives for its progressive shift when it accepted and celebrated the grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation. The title of the project being funded by the grant was called "Courage from the Margins: Inclusion and Belonging Practices for LGBTQIA plus," Blaze Media reported.
On Wednesday, acknowledging the "concern and confusion" from within the conservative university, Baylor University President Linda Livingstone posted a letter to the university’s website saying the School of Social Work "voluntarily" rescinded acceptance of the grant and had returned all funds.
"[O]ur 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," Livingstone wrote.
She added, "Our commitment to our Christian mission and our historic Baptist identity continues to guide our approach to academics, student life, and spiritual formation. We affirm the biblical understanding of human sexuality as a gift from God, expressed through purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman."
BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey had led the conservative Christian blowback against Baylor for accepting the grant in the first place. Stuckey noted that Baylor applied for the $643,401 grant.
"Baylor put out a press release about this. That in and of itself is a story. They are proud of this. They are excited about this. They are thankful for this grant money," she said on her podcast, "Relatable With Allie Beth Stuckey."
"This is what it looks like to actually manifest toxic empathy," Stuckey said. "So what this grant is going to fund is research that will be used to then guilt churches into not only including but affirming those who identify as homosexual or as the opposite sex," Stuckey had said before Baylor's backtrack.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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