This summer, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities [CCCU] found its doctrine of traditional marriage contradicted by two member institutions. Despite changing political climates, Lee stood by the organization and its dedication to traditional Christian values; a cornerstone of the university's own ideology.
When the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision guaranteed the fundamental right to marry to same-sex couples on June 22, Lee University President Paul Conn knew that legal and social obstacles could lie ahead for Christian colleges.
'The zeitgeist [has been] permanently altered and ' our students will have to live in a world in which if they are going to commit to the traditional view of marriage and of same-sex relationships, they're going to have to do it in the face of a lot more fierce, united public consensus,' Conn said.
The CCCU is an international association of Christian universities that seeks 'to help [its] institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth," according to the CCCU's website. Sanctity of traditional marriage is a linchpin of the organization's scriptural interpretation, and a shared dogma of the majority of its 120 member schools.
Lee University is one such institution.
For the CCCU, obstacles arose sooner than expected, and from within the association's own members.
In July of this summer, Eastern Mennonite University [EMU] and Goshen College became the first and only members of the CCCU to expand their nondiscrimination policies to protect the 'sexual orientation and gender identity' of students and faculty members. The Mennonite institutions will also begin hiring gay and lesbian faculty members who are either 'married or celibate,' holding to joint policies that condemn sex outside of marriage for heterosexual staff.
These policy amendments were a major break from the CCCU's official statement following the legalization of gay marriage.
In a press release published on the same day as the Supreme Court's announcement of the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the CCCU stated on their website that 'full protection for religious individuals and organizations to exercise their beliefs privately and publicly are not diminished by expanded marriage rights,' arguing that the decision would not threaten religious institutions that are proponents of orthodox marriage.
The statement also includes an excerpt from the Supreme Court's address, which declares that organizations like the CCCU can legally 'continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.'
As a 30-year member of the CCCU and a proponent of its position, Lee University supported this statement.
'We consider the CCCU to be our primary peer group with which we make comparisons,' Conn said. 'If we want to know how we're doing at almost any benchmark of institutional life, the CCCU and its peer institutions is that benchmark organization.'
Conn has also served as a member of the CCCU board for three year-long terms. He said that despite the sensitivity of the issue and uncertainty concerning the board's deliberation process, his support for the CCCU did not waver.
'We're in this organization with a lot of institutions with whom we disagree about a lot of things, [but what] we agree on is our commitment to Jesus Christ '. It would just take a lot to break that fellowship for me,' Conn said. 'I'm a conservative guy and I come from the traditional church, the Church of God, but in these 30 years that I've been president, I've had such rich and wonderful fellowship with the fellow presidents of the CCCU.'
EMU and Goshen's decision to amend previously held doctrine directly counteracted the association's statement and the established tenants of schools like Lee University, placing the Mennonite schools at odds with the CCCU board, member schools and their own denomination.
This is not the first time that the CCCU has faced such divisive issues. Conn said that that there was similar controversy over the tenants of biblical creationism and concerning an adjusted policy on alcohol consumption in past years.
Chair of the Goshen College Board of Directors Conrad Clemens argued that Goshen's policy change was not directly influenced by the Supreme Court decision or changing political climates, stating in an online press release that the decision followed a 'multi-year review of [Goshen's] current hiring practices.'
'We recognize the diversity of interpretation of scripture on this issue within our denomination and the broader Christian church,' Clemens said. 'We seek forbearance and grace amidst our differences. We deeply affirm the goodness of marriage, singleness, celibacy, sexual intimacy within marriage and a life of faithfulness before God for all people.'
Conn said he was surprised by EMU's similar decision.
'Eastern Mennonite is one of the charter members of the CCCU and their former president was the first full-time president of the CCCU'. [EMU] is not some kind of liberal school,' Conn said. '[EMU] has been at the heart and soul of the CCCU, and they're serious about their faith, so I'm eager to hear their president speak about how they reached this decision.'
The amendment was a step outside of the teachings of the Mennonite Church USA and the university's own traditional practice; EMU fired two faculty members for engaging in homosexual behavior only 11 years ago.
When asked in an interview with Inside Higher Ed if he regretted his university's policy change, EMU President Loren Swartzendruber said EMU hopes to be a religious university that 'isn't perceived as discriminating.'
'I think history will show it was the right decision,' Swartzendruber said.
The CCCU began 'a deliberate and consultative process' in July to determine whether or not Goshen and EMU would be stripped of their membership, demoted to an affiliate status, or permitted to retain complete membership.
The CCCU board, which included Swartzendruber, held meetings with "all but one member president"over the course of the summer in order to gauge what the association's next move would be.
Conn said he had the opportunity to speak with both member presidents and board members about the issue.
'I think that in the kingdom and the gospel of Christ there is a very high premium placed on the collaboration and collegiality with the body of Christ, and I consider that to be a very, very high value of Lee University,' Conn said.
CCCU president Shirley V. Hoogstra announced that the board and member presidents would come together on Sept. 22 to reach a formal decision on the issue. It was predicted by many that the two schools in question would be demoted to an affiliate status, which bars institutions who do not meet all CCCU requirements from voting within the organization.
At this point, Union University and Oklahoma Wesleyan University had already terminated their relationships with the association.
In a letter sent to the CCCU on Aug. 3, Union University President Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver stated that '[Union's] faithfulness to the authority of scripture takes precedence [over CCCU membership] ' [and Union believes] marriage is at the heart of the Gospel.'
Union University Vice President Bob Agee voiced a stronger reaction to the CCCU's leadership throughout the deliberation process.
'I was frankly heartbroken,' Agee said in an interview with WORLD News Group. 'The CCCU board has simply chosen not to deal with it, not to take a stand on a moral issue, and it weakens our position.'
Before a formal decision could be reached on Tuesday Sept. 22, the CCCU announced on Sept. 21 that EMU and Goshen were voluntarily resigning from the organization.
'Both schools have been clear from the outset that they did not want to be the cause of significant division within the membership,' the CCCU stated in a press release. 'The CCCU board is grateful to all of its members for their gracious and patient participation in this process and to EMU, Goshen, Union and OKWU for their longstanding contributions to the council.'
In the wake of the months-long ordeal, the CCCU has organized a task force that will review the decisions of any additional colleges that choose to hire faculty members in same-sex marriages in the future.
