Baylor Univ. returns LGBT church activism grant after backlash (Related Op-Ed) |
The grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, reported to be more than $600,000, was to be used to "foster (gay) inclusion and belonging in the church."
Baylor was founded in 1845 by Judge R.E.B. Baylor and the Rev. William Milton Tryon with the intention that it become a Baptist school promoting Christian education.
For more than a century Baylor was closely tied to the Baptist General Convention of Texas which provided it with financial support, oversight of trustees and doctrinal guidance.
In the 1990s the school, seeking greater institutional autonomy, began to identify as a national Christian research university.
Last week Baylor President Dr. Linda Livingstone said the school had returned the money because the research did not align with Baylor's statement on human sexuality, which calls homosexuality a temptation that leads people away from the biblical standard for sexuality.
In a statement, Livingstone noted that returning the hefty sum “is the appropriate course of action and in the best interests” of Baylor, adding that the School of Social Work's Dean Jon Singletary, principal investigator Gaynor Yancey and Provost Nancy Brickhouse agreed.
She acknowledged the importance of loving LGBTQ-identifying students at Baylor.
Dr. Richard Land, President Emeritus at Southern Seminary, says it's likely President Livingstone was taking her lead from donors.
“It's certainly a mixed message. They're obviously returning the gift from the Baugh Foundation. Looks like they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar,” Land said.
Perhaps, but evidence of the crumbs remain. Land says the Baugh Foundation as well as Baylor's Diane Garland school of social work still promote liberal theology, including on homosexuality.
“They’ve accepted similar gifts in the past, and they have professors who have affirmed the LGBTQ lifestyle. Obviously, this is not a change of heart or a change in philosophy for the administration at Baylor. It's an attempt to minimize bad PR.”
Land is glad the grant as rescinded, but still says Baylor has wandered far from its Baptist roots.
“It's sad to see an historic Baptist university that people have given sacrificially over multi-generations to build up those resources, and have those resources then perverted to promoting that which historic Baptists would find anathema.”
