Discriminating in the Name of God at Calvin University

I read this article on advocate.com, by Trudy Ring, about an assistant professor on the faculty of Calvin University, who was fired from his position at Calvin because he officiated at a wedding of a same sex couple. The by-line? "Joseph Kuilema lost his job with Calvin University after officiating a queer couple's wedding. He's disgusted that the school discriminates in the name of God.”

That about says it all. Yes, the University is discriminating against LGBTQIA2S+ people and allies.

I don’t get it. There are a lot of smart, creative, insightful people at Calvin University. They don’t have to “buy” into the conservative politics of the Christian Reformed Church, of which they are connected. They are an institution of higher education. Surely, they can see discrimination when it is around them in the Grand Rapids area. 

But apparently they are all right with openly practicing discrimination among themselves, especially when it comes to LGBTQIA2S+ people. 

From the article: "Kuilema lost his job teaching at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., after he officiated a wedding for two women in 2021. Calvin is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, which opposes same-sex relationships. Kuilema says his treatment was unjust, and he’s taken the university to court.

As a straight cisgender white Christian man with a supportive partner, ‘I felt that I was in a position to fight back,’ Kuilema tells The Advocate. He conducted the wedding in October 2021 for a former student, Cole Sweda, and their fiancée, Annica Steen. Sweda is a transgender man, but in the legal documents for the marriage, both were listed as female. The authorities at Calvin also considered it a wedding for two women.”

This is an uphill battle, to say the least. The reason? Calvin University will no doubt argue that it is a religious institution. And as a religious institution, like all religious institutions, they get to set the boundaries of who they hire, and the actions of those they hire. They have their own faculty handbook, which probably states that their faculty will not participate in officiating same sex marriages, let alone be self-identifying as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. God forbid one would be queer at Calvin University!

Can religious institutions discriminate against LGBTQIA2S+ people? Yes. Even if they get any federal dollars? Yes. That was my experience at Duke University when I considered suing for discrimination. Suddenly, Duke University became a religious institution, connected with The United Methodist Church, which, like the Christian Reformed Church, still discriminates against LGBTQIA2S+ people. 

Calvin University is going to win a court case like this because it is an institution connected with the Christian Reformed Church

End of story.

Here’s a link to the article: https://www.advocate.com/news/calvin-university-professor-ally-battle

When churches and Christian institutions of higher education complain about falling numbers of people attending them or giving them money, such blatant discrimination against LGBTQIA2S+ people is a prime example why.

Again: Would Jesus do this? Heck no. This is not of Christ. 



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