Baylor University, a Baptist institution in Waco, Texas, announced Wednesday that it would rescind its acceptance of a $643,000 grant that it had recently been awarded to study the inclusion of women and LGBTQ people in the church.
In a letter posted to the university’s website, Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said returning the funds “is the appropriate course of action and in the best interests” of the school.
“We remain committed to providing a loving and caring community for all — including our LGBTQIA+ students — because it is part and parcel of our University’s mission that calls us to educate our students within a caring Christian community,” Livingstone’s letter said.
She added: “As we reviewed the details and process surrounding this grant, our 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.”
The university’s Statement on Human Sexuality says, in part: “The University affirms the biblical understanding of sexuality as a gift from God. Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm. Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior.”
Wednesday’s announcement comes just nine days after the university announced its Center for Church and Community Impact had been awarded a sizable grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation “to help foster inclusion and belonging in the church.”
“Through academic research, this grant will help us better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change,” the June 30 announcement, which was removed from the university’s website, said.
The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, according to its website, is a nonprofit family foundation that “supports progressive, inclusive, nonprofit organizations that reflect the love of Christ.” Among its funding priorities, its website notes, “faith-based post-secondary education,” “social justice and advocacy” and “inclusivity initiatives.”
The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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