Baylor University and the War on Christian Convictions: A First Amendment Crisis

The U.S. Constitution reflected in glass—symbol of the battle for religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and America's founding principles under fire

Teresa Lusk

Independent Researcher / Journalist

July 15, 2025

Baylor University, one of Texas’s most prestigious college campuses, established in 1845, may be among the multitude of schools facing challenges to their Christian mission. The university upholds a “biblical understanding of human sexuality as a gift from God, expressed through purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman” (Baylor University, 2025).

Baylor’s competitive programs in law, business, health sciences, and its commitment to Christian values have attracted students from around the world. What remains largely unacknowledged is that the university welcomes individuals from various faith backgrounds while upholding its Christian convictions and values throughout its programs. “Being a Christian, however, is not required for admission.” In fact, the university asserts, “Our undergraduate student body represents about 40 different religious affiliations” (Baylor University, n.d.).

But on July 9, 2025, the President of Baylor University expressed their decision to rescind a $643,401 grant provided by the Eula Mae & John Baugh Foundation, benefiting Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work, specifically the Center for Church and Community Impact (Webb, 2025).

The grant specifications were to “better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change” (Webb, 2025). These criteria would bind Baylor to advocacy work beyond a research grant project; it is by design the promotion of ideologies that are at odds with their historical and current Christian identity.

While the university’s leadership maintained its traditional Christian view, some community members diverged in their interpretations. Still, some members of Baylor University, whether student body or even professors such as Greg Garrett, hold differing interpretations of Scripture regarding LGBTQIA+ and the church.

In previous instances, Garrett has defended his interpretations of Scripture by asserting, “When the far right media comes for me, my colleagues or Baylor?” Garrett posted on X, “I can only say: I serve the Jesus who said, ‘If you’ve loved the least of these, you’ve loved me.’ [I’m] grateful for this grant that will help us love better” (Webb, 2025).

The controversy at Baylor reflects societal pressures faced by many faith-based institutions, organizations, and businesses and is at the intersection of a pivotal moment in history—the choice between understanding the fullness of their First Amendment rights to stand for their principles and resisting pressure from the public, students, and other interested parties—regardless of the direction modern society is leaning.

As Baylor University confronts internal and external pressures regarding LGBTQIA+ inclusion, the case underscores how First Amendment freedoms are tested in educational settings, posing critical questions about the future of religious expression in a cross-cultural society.

The cultural evolution that is attacking the ideologies found and represented through the Bible, the very rights that our founders wove into the Constitution’s First Amendment, are being stripped and challenged, demanding a faceoff with one of the most vocal religious faiths—Christianity.

But is the Christian faith alone in this cultural contestation of its worldview? In the U.S. Supreme Court case known as Mahmoud v. Taylor, “An interreligious group [Christian, Jewish, Muslim] of parents [fought] back against the Montgomery County Maryland Board of Education, saying the Board forced pre-K and elementary-aged children to read controversial books that promote a one-sided transgender ideology, encourage gender transitioning, and focus excessively on romance—with no parental notification or opportunity to opt out” (Woodward, 2025). The confrontation to sustain freedom and liberty to believe freely may not belong to one religious faith alone but to a coalition of groups unwilling to yield to the demands of the contesting side.

Is it possible for Americans to once again reside in a country where each person’s constitutional freedoms are respected no matter the point of view? How will our freedoms be protected from an assault on our religious rights to choose? How can entities such as this university protect themselves in the future from giving in to the demands of those within and from without who command they fundamentally revise their convictions because they are in complete disagreement with their beliefs?

The solution lies in America’s renewed understanding of the framers and the original intent of the Constitution itself. If our country will not measure morality through the biblical lens alone, then the Constitution is the second-best option. This exceptional document has the very framework that protects those we agree with and those we disagree with. Each article will challenge the hypocrisy of biased treatment to our own preferences. While it is not easy, it is necessary for our country to continue to function. Religious freedom under the U.S. Constitution is certainly not about protecting individuals, society, or the state from religion. Just the reverse, it is about protecting religious belief and exercise from the competing commands of society or the state” (Yale Law Journal Forum, 2023).

May public and private institutions continue to stand in the face of challenges—not so much to an ideology, but to a constitutionally protected view.

References

Baylor University. (2025). Statement on biblical understanding of human sexuality. https://www.baylor.edu/mission

Baylor University. (n.d.). Undergraduate student body diversity. https://www.baylor.edu/admissions/diversity

Webb, H. (2025, July 9). Baylor rescinds LGBTQIA+ inclusion research grant after backlash. Baylor Lariat. https://baylorlariat.com/2025/07/09/baylor-rescinds-lgbtqia-inclusion-research-grant-after-backlash/

Woodward, C. (2025, April 22). Christians, Jews, and Muslims unite as Supreme Court hears religious freedom case. AFN. https://afn.net/legal-courts/2025/04/22/christians-jews-and-muslims-unite-as-supreme-court-hears-religious-freedom-case/

Yale Law Journal Forum. (2023). Religious freedom under the U.S. Constitution. Yale Law Journal Forum. https://www.yalelawjournal.org/forum/religious-freedom-under-the-u-s-constitution

About the Author

Teresa Lusk is an independent journalist, commentator, faith leader, and communications specialist focusing on political, legal, and religious issues in Texas and beyond. With a background in media production and political communication, Teresa combines rigorous research with a passion for defending constitutional rights and religious freedoms. She is the founder and host of Newsroom Teresa Lusk, where she covers key cultural and policy debates impacting communities today.