On Friday afternoon, the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Texas Baptists) issued a statement regarding “strong concerns” they are hearing from “members of the Texas Baptists family” about an event planned for April 22 at Baylor University. The event, titled “All Are Neighbors,” is scheduled to feature faith leaders from the LGBTQ+ community. It is sponsored by a coalition of student groups and is in response to a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event scheduled for the same night.
The TPUSA event will feature Donald Trump Jr. and Tom Homan, President Trump’s “Border Czar.” Scheduled speakers for the “All Are Neighbors” event include Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
Baylor officials have released separate statements regarding both events, expressing a commitment to providing students with a wide variety of perspectives and indicating they are working closely with student groups to ensure they remain aligned with Baylor’s mission.
Baylor University was founded by Texas Baptists. The two entities remain close, with one-quarter of the university’s regents appointed by the statewide denomination. Friday afternoon’s statement from Texas Baptists said they are “working with University leadership to gather additional information, convey the seriousness of the concerns being shared, and consider an appropriate course of action.”
Campus Controversies
Baylor came under fire from various constituencies and outlets (including this one) when the TPUSA event was announced. The organization, founded by Charlie Kirk, ostensibly supports Christian values, but has often been seen as a purveyor of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic ideas.
In a March 15 Baptist News Global editorial, Mark Wingfield questioned whether Baylor would allow a student group to host LGBTQ+ faith leaders at a student event. In a later Good Faith Media editorial, I concurred with Wingfield, but also noted that there are no LGBTQ+ faith leaders who are the “other side” of figures like Trump Jr. and Homan, men whose values and actions are antithetical to the good news of Jesus.
It should be stated that Baylor has had LGBTQ+ faith leaders speak to students in the past, most notably a 2019 lecture by Justin Lee titled “Christianity & LGBTQ+ persons.” There has been no such high-profile LGBTQ+ speaker at Baylor since. Some observers have suggested that attacks by the Trump administration against university diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have at least played a part in the lack of such events.
Given the current atmosphere, Baylor should be commended for allowing the “All Are Neighbors” event to occur. It may seem like a low bar to praise a highly regarded Christian research institution for bringing faith leaders to campus to speak on justice and inclusion. Still, it is not insignificant.
The Gift
Two things come to mind when I think about the Texas Baptist statement of concern.
The first is just how revealing it is in terms of substance and timing. There is nothing in the public or private life of Donald Trump Jr. that comes close to resembling the values Texas Baptists claim to hold. Tom Homan has arguably overseen one of the most anti-Christian immigration policy approaches in U.S. history. Where is the Texas Baptist statement of concern over those men being invited to Baylor?
Additionally, the statement comes at the end of a week in which the President of the United States of America threatened to commit genocide against an entire nation. I have scoured the Texas Baptist website and that of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, the denomination’s public policy arm. I have yet to see a “statement of concern” over Trump’s truly degenerate statement.
My second thought is how much of a gift their statement of concern is to Baylor University.
For years, there has been widespread suspicion that people closely aligned with both Baylor and Texas Baptists have been working behind the scenes to slow down and reverse any movement toward LGBTQ+ inclusion at the university. Likely, last year’s decision to return a grant to study the issue of belonging among women and LGBTQ+ individuals in churches was a result of such backroom pressure.
However, Friday’s Texas Baptist statement is not hidden in a back room. It is out there for all to see. The statement makes visible what has often been suspected but rarely acknowledged publicly. Although Baylor officials may have preferred it not be made public, I believe it is a gift.
The Texas Baptist denomination has given its flagship university the gift of opportunity. Institutions like Baylor have often struggled to answer whether academic freedom can exist alongside a particular expression of Christian commitment.
And now, perhaps more clearly than ever, they have the chance to answer that question right out in the open.
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Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.