On June 30, Baylor University announced its Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) in its School of Social Work was awarded a substantial $643,401 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation to help “better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change.” Baylor’s official statement explains this is an academic research grant to “foster inclusion and belonging in the church.”
These dollars will fund a major study entitled, “Courage from the Margins: Inclusion and Belonging Practices for LGBTQIA+ and Women in Congregations.”Baylor’s explanation of this project is deeply concerning, as they state the project “prioritizes [LGBT] voices, giving them a safe space to share their experiences and guide positive change within faith communities.” The Baylor statement adds, “Information gleaned will directly inform trauma-sensitive training resources that C3I will develop for congregational use, providing guidance on inclusivity and institutional courage.”
Developments like this will result in greater pressure on biblically-based church communities and individual believers to weaken their belief in and practice of God’s design for what it means to be human as male and female and for His good design for marriage, sexuality and family.
However, Dr. Graynor Yancey, Baylor’s C3I director and an endowed professor, explained in Baylor’s press release announcing the grant, “We are always so grateful for the support and encouragement of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation for our ongoing research in assisting congregations in ministering to marginalized populations.” He explained this money will help them study “inclusionary practices of congregations with people who are marginalized in numerous ways.”
Good Faith Media, in their report on this development, explains, “As a university founded by and still associated with Texas Baptists – and one that has made strides toward becoming one of the nation’s top research institutions – Baylor has a long history of navigating issues related to LGBTQ+ inclusion.”
In 2021, Baylor started recognizing LGBT groups on campus, while simultaneously affirming that marriage is between a man and a woman. Those involved on various sides of this decision agreed that Baylor was sending mixed messages with these seemingly conflicting stances. In 2022, the university officially chartered Prism, a Baylor “LGBTQ+ and allies student organization.”
Baylor’s official mission statement proclaims, “The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.” Baylor also boldly asserts on their website that their work “is founded on the belief that God’s nature is made known through both revealed and discovered truth.” They add, “Thus, the University derives its understanding of God, humanity, and nature from many sources: the person and work of Jesus Christ, the biblical record, and Christian history and tradition, as well as scholarly and artistic endeavors.”
It seems evident that the work this new large grant will fund is in clear conflict with each of Baylor’s stated sources of knowledge of God, save for the last one. We can pray that Baylor leadership will review its own mission statement and core values and reconsider this grant and very concerning research project.
Daily Citizen is a news division of Focus on the Family that provides a faith-based perspective to counter the mainstream media’s anti-Christian bias.
