Iowa University Christian student group reinstated by Federal judge
A student Christian group at the University of Iowa has been reinstated as a registered student organisation by a US Federal District Court Judge, after previously having its status revoked by University authorities. The student group , Business Leaders in Christ (“BLinC”), had been penalised because it would not agree to appoint to its leadership a same-sex attracted student, who said that they would not undertake to comply with the group’s commitment to Biblical sexual values. The University claimed that this was a breach of its Policy on Human Rights , forbidding discrimination on the basis of, among other things, sexual orientation . BLinC claimed, however, that the issue was not the student’s orientation , but their express refusal to modify their behaviour to accord with Biblical norms. The case illustrates a number of important issues in this area. It should be noted that the decision of US District Court Judge Rose, which c...