ANALYSIS
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers student loan debt forgiveness, a Christian college in Missouri is asking the court to hear its case about gender and dorm assignments.
If you’ve ever taken a trip to Branson, Missouri, you’ve probably heard of College of the Ozarks. It’s a small, prestigious Christian institution for higher education. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains in a place called Point Lookout.
Less than 1,500 students are enrolled. But the college receives thousands of applications from those wanting to attend there. That’s because the college offers free tuition, but unlike many students pushing for debt forgiveness, these students work for their tuition.
One student explained, “You work for 40 hours a week, for 12 weeks, and that pays for your room and board for the fall and the spring semester.”
Another student detailed the jobs he did saying, “I’ve worked at the laundry. I’ve worked at the warehouse. I’ve worked at the Carter Center. I worked in a construction department. I’ve done it intentionally to get well-rounded -work, education.”
And a college spokesman said, “It’s incredibly important, I think, to our country to graduate people who understand that being debt free is a good thing and debt is bad. And if you want something, you work for it.”
What a concept. Work hard and your debt is forgiven. This college emphasizes character and patriotism and, of course, Christian values.
Back in 2021, President Biden signed an executive order barring gender discrimination. So, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) applied gender identity to the 1968 Fair Housing Act. As a result, the federal government is now trying to force the College of the Ozarks to open its bathrooms, showers, and dorm rooms to whatever gender someone thinks they are at the time.
A biological male could room and shower with a female coed if he identifies as a female. College of the Ozarks says that’s discrimination against them, their religious institution. It would force the college to abandon its biblical principles and its faithful commitment to God regarding sex and marriage.
The Eighth Circuit Court ruled against the college, and that’s why the school wants the Supreme Court to take up the case.
Folks, this violates the U.S. Constitution and the right of freedom of religion. Let me remind you of Article One of the Bill of Rights, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” That means the government cannot impose another faith – in this case, woke secular humanist religion on the school.
It also applies to President Biden and HUD. They cannot force a college to violate Christian principles, its beliefs about sex and gender, or anything else, because to do so would impose another belief system – a government-conceived religion on the institution. The Supreme Court must take up this case. Religious institutions must be excluded from this HUD rule.
It is of the utmost importance to American society to restate our guaranteed commitment to the First Amendment and religious freedom. If the government erodes the right of citizens to freely adopt and practice their own religious beliefs – without religious freedom – the country is no longer free.
And the democracy that the president and many politicians continually warn us is under threat and will cease to exist.
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