InterVarsity Sues for Right to Require Leaders Be Christian
by Jody Brown
October 4, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Christian organization has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin-Superior, asking that the campus chapter of the group be reinstated and allowed to apply religious criteria in selecting its leaders.In February, the campus chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Superior, Wisconsin, was told by school officials that because it required its club officers to be Christian, it would no longer be officially recognized by the university. InterVarsity leaders are required to "sign a statement of faith" and "agree to live in accordance with it," according to an InterVarsity spokesman. The school claimed that requirement violated the University of Wisconsin's anti-discrimination policy.
InterVarsity-Superior, however, contends in it lawsuit that UW's position denies any religious organization the ability to maintain its own identity. In an interview with Associated Press, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship president Alec Hill says it implies restrictions on other clubs as well -- such as vegetarians.
"The Vegans have to accept meat-eaters as leaders?" he wonders. "I mean, if you're going to have a meaningful group and [one] that takes a viewpoint, it only makes sense that the student leaders subscribe to that viewpoint."
Hill says the requirement that officers be Christians is essential to the group's identity and mission. "If we were forced to have non-Christian leaders lead our groups, we would no longer be a Christian mission -- it's that simple," he tells AP.
InterVarsity-Superior contends the university's policy violates several constitutional rights, among them religious and free-speech rights as well as freedom of association and self-identification of organizations. The group also believes the policy conflicts with a recent federal appeals court ruling that forced Southern Illinois University to reinstate the Christian Legal Society despite its requirement that members pledge to adhere to Christian beliefs.
The UW-Superior chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has been active on that campus for about 40 years. It currently has about 50 members. A press release from InterVarsity explains that while anyone -- Christian or non-Christian -- can be a member, only those elected to leadership positions are required to subscribe to basic and historic tenets of the Christian faith.
