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Christianity Today, August, 2007 |

Too 'Sectarian'

Court: Students at some religious schools can't get state funds.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 7/18/2007 08:22AM

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Colorado Christian University (CCU) has appealed a federal district court decision that denies state financial aid to its students because of the school's religious affiliation. The case could set an example for other Christian higher education institutions or even schools that apply for K-12 vouchers.

CCU filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Commission on Higher Education in 2004 after the commission deemed the nondenominational school "pervasively sectarian" and denied state-funded tuition grants. A U.S. district judge ruled against CCU on May 18, noting, "even its secular instruction is infused with religious components."

Although the case will only set a precedent for those in the 10th federal district, courts around the country could see this decision as an example for other religious education cases.

"The most immediate impact may be on legislatures that are considering vouchers for the K-12 context," said Greg Baylor of the Christian Legal Society.

In 2003, the 2,200-student liberal arts university applied to take part in the state's College Opportunity Fund, which makes stipends available to undergraduate students who qualify for in-state tuition. Regis University, a Jesuit school, and the University of Denver, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, are allowed to participate in the voucher program.

But CCU was deemed "pervasively sectarian" because faculty and students must share certain religious views, participate in religious services, and take theological courses.

"I think it's a question of whether those who choose to attend a religious school are second-class citizens," CCU president Bill Armstrong said. "Soon, they are going to say that students can use the roads to come to the University of Denver but not use the roads to Colorado Christian University."

Related Elsewhere:

Colorado Christian University appealed the Colorado Christian University v. Baker decision in June.

The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) reported on the ruling.

Other articles on education are available on our site.

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August 2007, Vol. 51, No. 8

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Posted: July 20, 2007 11:42 AM

Is this, then, the time when Christians stop relying on the government for support in educating our own and instead work collectively to cover tuitions, room and board? After all, the government is in no way obligated to ensure I get an undergraduate degree. Thank God. I might have had to attend Berkeley or, even worse, Harvard. The courts are wrong, the humanists are wrong, and yet the outcome could be oh-so-right — another opportunity for Christians to distance themselves from a secular welfare state.

Glenn Pettit

Posted: July 19, 2007 5:29 PM

I find it exceedingly sad that if I or my children choose to go to a seminary or similar school (like CCU), they cannot always count on getting federal financial assistance, but so long as they refuse to go to such a school, they can. Sure, CCU is sectarian, and as a private school they have every right to be. Every school in this country has its own codes of conduct and mission statements and by-laws, and they expect everyone who goes there to follow those rules. Some schools are more harsh than others in some areas -- like alcohol or use of facilities -- while others are more liberal than Animal House. But don't you dare ask someone to believe in God! The arguments always go back and forth, but the reality is that you can't get federal funding at a religiously affiliated college or university, regardless of the quality of education the school offers. A new president won't change that, but a new Congress could.

Billy Reed

Posted: July 18, 2007 8:34 PM


Harvard, Yale, Princeton and every college started when this nation was young started for the purpose of training ministers. Our founding fathers knew a nation with out Christian instruction would not make it. How long do we have now?