“Just a few days ago, the APU Board of Trustees issued a new statement, denying that the Board had ever approved any change to the student code of conduct and that they were reaffirming their (and the university’s) stance on the biblical definition of marriage and sexuality.”
(Ken Ham – Answers In Genesis) Azusa Pacific University had recently announced in the student-run campus newspaper (but then reversed course later) that the restriction on same-sex relationships between students was being lifted, effective immediately (at the start of the Fall semester). Bill Fiala, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Students made a few statements for the paper regarding the decision, including this eyebrow-raising one:
The change that happened with the code of conduct is still in alignment with our identity as a Christian institution. The language changed, but the spirit didn’t. Our spirit is still a conservative, evangelical perspective on human sexuality.
So I have to ask, what does “Christian” and “evangelical” mean? To allow for same-sex relationships is to condone a behavior the Bible calls sin! All sex outside of biblical marriage is sin! So if a Christian Institution allows for same-sex relationships and calls itself “Christian” and “evangelical,” one can no longer assume these terms mean what they used to!
According to the campus newspaper, the two main things that influenced this decision were some anti-LGBTQ slurs targeting an APU faculty member and the complaint by some students that the code of conduct unfairly targeted LGBTQ people. Now insulting and demeaning people is not an acceptable way for Christians to behave, but I find it amazing that one such incident can be so inflammatory, when Christians are often called “haters,” “homophobes,” “transphobes,” etc. simply because they believe the Bible’s definition of marriage and sexuality.
Research: