Print 
PDF
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has received a $643,401 grant from a liberal foundation to foster inclusion among LGBTQ-identified individuals in the church.
The hefty grant to the private Baptist research university's Center for Church and Community Impact (C31) was provided by the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, according to a press release from the school's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.
The grant's goal is "to foster inclusion and belonging in the church," with an emphasis on understanding "the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change," the release said.
Another formerly Christian university has bowed the knee to perversion.
Be informed, not misled.
The press release says:
Many LGBTQIA+ individuals and women experience what researchers call "institutional betrayal" within their faith communities – situations where the institutions they depend on for spiritual support fail to protect them or even actively harm them. This might involve exclusion from church activities, family estrangement, and painful conflicts that leave lasting emotional wounds. This study, Courage from the Margins: Inclusion and Belonging Practices for LGBTQIA+ and Women in Congregations, prioritizes their voices, giving them a safe space to share their experiences and guide positive change within faith communities. Central to this work is C3I's focus on those who have felt the brunt of institutional betrayal from congregations and the team’s desire to illuminate the fundamental human needs for belonging and support.
As a former pastor, I can speak to some of the issues mentioned in the press release.
"Feeling the brunt of institutional betrayal" generally means that when the LGBTQIA+ person or persons visit a church (or Christian school) that teaches and preaches biblical truth, their expectations are not met.
Most who are involved in the sexual behavior of the LGBTQIA+ movement come to these institutions expecting to be affirmed and celebrated. They expect trans flags and banners to be placed on the buildings and flag poles, underscoring that they are "welcome" and included.
Biblically based churches welcome the LGBTQIA+ to attend their church and hear the Gospel of deliverance, redemption, and restoration through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
While some are looking for help, most are looking for affirmation, not personal change or deliverance from sexual behaviors that the Bible clearly condemns.
This is particularly true in formerly Christian colleges and universities.
The institution adapts itself to the individual's chosen sexual behavior, rather than presenting a pathway to forgiveness and restoration through Christ.
Baylor's press release concludes with this: “This is about our hearts, for sure, and how we act on God's softening of our hearts toward those who live life in the margins and shadows, rarely experiencing a sense of belonging. Congregations are uniquely positioned in community life to be those places of care."
We must and should care for those who live lives on the margins and in the shadows. We must love them and share God's love for them by sharing the redeeming Gospel of Jesus Christ.
However, the $643,401 grant from a liberal foundation is designated for fostering inclusion among LGBTQ-identified individuals in the church.
The grant was met with some backlash on social media, including from Christian pastors.
"This is illuminating and sad and not at all surprising," wrote the Rev. Denny Burk, associate pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. "Baylor has been moving away from Christian faithfulness for decades now. But it's still sad to watch another nail in the coffin of a once great Christian university."
"It's much better to send your child to a secular university, hostile to the faith, than to a 'Christian' university like Baylor," wrote the Rev. Matt Kennedy, who serves as senior pastor at Church of the Good Shepherd, an Anglican church in Corpus Christi, Texas. "Better the wolf with bared fangs than the wolf disguised as a shepherd."
This is illuminating and sad and not at all surprising.
— Denny Burk (@DennyBurk) July 3, 2025
Baylor has been moving away from Christian faithfulness for decades now.
But it's still sad to watch another nail in the coffin of a once great Christian university. https://t.co/mNIr3uczOV
Takeaway
The oldest continually operating university in Texas, Baylor University, was established in 1845 after the Texas Baptist Education Society petitioned the Congress of the Republic of Texas to charter a Baptist institution of higher learning. Texas was annexed by the United States the same year.
The university remains associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which affirms biblical teachings regarding sexuality, gender, and marriage.
Pray for Baylor University and the decision makers at the university who hold to biblical teaching on these matters.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.
