Some of the Most Stupid Decisions Come from the Highly Educated

I have a Ph.D. I am personally rather proud of that accomplishment. But being highly educated does not safeguard against stupid. Unfortunately, not even education can fix stupid.

Christianity today is reporting that Intervarsity Christian Fellowship has been "derecognized" by state colleges in California. Why? Because, IVCF has the nerve to require their leaders to have Christian beliefs. A Christian group insisting upon Christian leaders? What nerve! Ed Stetzer notes the nonsense of this:

It's not just InterVarsity that will be impacted. Following the same logic, any group that insists on requiring its leaders to follow an agreed upon set of guiding beliefs is no longer kosher (irony intended) at California's state universities. This will impact many other faith-based organizations with actual, well, faith-based beliefs. Presumably, even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would have to allow Oscar Meyer to lead their campus chapters.

Only in a modern American university would this make any sense.

As one pastor friend of mine noted, conceivably Democrats could infiltrate the campus Republicans and elect their own people in leadership to destroy the Republican influence on campus. The Republicans could do the same thing to the Democrats.

But that won't happen because these rules are targeted only at Christian groups. The one thing that is not explained here is why would a non-Christian want to be in leadership in a Christian group? Should atheist groups on campus be required to allow someone in leadership who believes in God? Should a Muslim group have to let Hindus be in positions of leadership? As a Christian, I personally would fight for the rights of any and every group, religious or otherwise, to require their leaders to hold to their core beliefs. Why would anyone argue otherwise?

Kathleen McCartney, President of Smith College writes,

We have lost sight of a key fact: Reasonable people disagree… Higher education must counter the prevailing narrative of polarization. Fundamental to the mission of colleges and universities is the promotion of diverse opinion and vigorous debate for all constituencies: faculty, staff, alumni, and especially students.

Stetzer is right to say that Christians should not now start screaming persecution. With what we see happening to Christians in other parts of the world, this is not persecution. In reality this is political correctness insisting that religious groups foster civil religion by sheer democracy. As I have said before, the religious left has its own form of civil religion. The religious right does not have a monopoly on that.

It's astounding, but not surprising that those persons who are so obsessed with identity politics want to deny the identity of those whom they disapprove.