New Federal Court Case: Are You a Committed Christian?

We have taken on a new case involving an established University Professor who has taught in the marketing field for a number of years at several major colleges and universities.  She is also a committed Christian who has conservative values and maintains a biblical worldview.  Increasingly in universities across the country, both students and Christian faculty are subjected to acts of discrimination.  This has certainly been the case for this Professor.

Early in her teaching career, the Professor agreed to serve as the faculty sponsor for Campus Crusade for Christ so that the organization could be officially recognized by the university.  She agreed to serve as the faculty advisor despite the fact that she had been strongly encouraged by her department head not to sponsor the group, as other members of the faculty might disapprove.   Several years later, when a tenure-track position became available at the university, she submitted her application for the position.  Rather than being contacted by the hiring committee, the Professor received a phone call from a single member of the committee.  This individual explained that the committee was satisfied with her teaching and research abilities but had a single concern:  whether she remained a committed Christian.   When the Professor answered affirmatively, she was told that she would not receive an interview for the open position.

As I mentioned, college students and university personnel, including professors who have a Christian worldview, are facing significant harassment and discrimination on university campuses.  For instance, while teaching at another institution, when this Professor stopped to bow her head while a speaker on campus offered a prayer for the National Day of Prayer, she was reprimanded.  She was told by her department head that the president of the university had observed her bowing her head at the prayer event and did not approve of her conduct.  The same department head also reiterated that personal involvement in assisting a Christian group was not looked upon favorably.  Furthermore, she was informed that the president of the university had been attempting to shut this group down for some time. 

In addition to discrimination on Christian beliefs and values, it is often conservative values that find themselves the subject of acts of retaliation.  For instance, one afternoon the Professor was eating lunch in the faculty lounge when a senior faculty member entered the room, saw that she was watching FOX News, and thereafter called her a fascist.  Other faculty members repeated this same statement. 

We are now in federal court representing this University Professor and will pursue this case with vigor.  Neither students nor faculty surrender their rights to freedom of speech at the entranceways to a college.  No one should be discriminated against based on being a committed Christian.  I will keep you posted.