While the two InterVarsity employees working with Hillsdale College’s chapter chose to stand this summer with the organization’s reaffirmed position on sexuality, including support of traditional marriage, employees nationwide who don’t affirm that belief are being “involuntarily terminated,” according to an InterVarsity press release.
After a lengthy process of affirming its theological position on sexuality, InterVarsity Fellowship USA began to fire staff members who publicly opposed the position in July. A letter from InterVarsity Great Lakes Region leadership stated the expectation that employees who disagree with the policy would leave was first stated in early 2015.
According to Greg Jao, InterVarsity Fellowship USA’s vice president and director of campus engagement, the organization says it “involuntarily terminated” employees instead of “fired” them for human resources purposes.
“We trust that if they disagree, they will let us know,” Jao said. “We’re also trying to offer our staff as much dignity as possible in this process.”
The evangelical and interdenominational organization runs six ministries at Hillsdale College, including SOMA worship, Athletes InterVarsity, Greek InterVarsity, and dormitory Bible studies.
Although InterVarsity has fired staff members for not aligning with its positions on sexuality, Denny Brogan, the senior InterVarsity staff member assigned to work with Hillsdale, said the organization is seeking to do so with love and respect.
“It is the ball in the court of every staff worker to affirm or to not what InterVarsity’s position is, and I choose to affirm its position, and some on staff have not,” he said. “Some of them left and left eagerly, but from InterVarsity’s perspective, it’s ‘Yes, we’re terminating you, but we want to help you, as you leave staff.’”
Brogan said the changes could affect InterVarsity’s relationship with campus administrators at some colleges and universities.
“We’re not going to discriminate against the LGBT community,” Brogan said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to do that, to have welcome doors, and be welcoming to have people come into this ministry.”
So far this semester, Hillsdale has around 300 students participating in at least one InterVarsity ministry regularly, and, in the spring, the chapter was the second largest of all the schools in the organization’s Great Lakes East region, which includes Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, Brogan said.
Assistant Professor of Religion Don Westblade, Hillsdale InterVarsity’s faculty adviser, said he’s proud to work with an organization that stands for its beliefs. He said the Bible’s position on same-sex marriage is “unambiguous.”
“There’s a difference between loving someone and putting them up as a leader,” Westblade said.
Senior Kenzi Dickhudt, a core student leader of Athletes InterVarsity, said InterVarsity’s decision to reaffirm its views on marriage and hold employees to the reaffirmed standard isn’t surprising. She said the decision clarifies discussions on the topic in InterVarsity Bible studies.
“When same-sex marriage is addressed, we would look at, ‘What does InterVarsity say?’ and ‘How is what they said founded in scripture?’ and ‘How can we use that to address the situation?’” Dickhudt said.
Since July, five employees have either been fired or left InterVarsity’s national office voluntarily, according to Jao. None of the firings occurred in the East Great Lakes region, Brogan said. InterVarsity has more than 1,000 chapters on 667 college campuses throughout the country.
Brogan said some staff members were angry after being fired.
The organization’s actions gained national attention, after an Oct. 6 Time magazine article highlighted the firings.
InterVarsity began reviewing its position on sexuality in 2011, with a four-year look into its theological views and practices surrounding biblical sexuality. The organization hasn’t changed its positions in its 75-year existence, but decided to address the issue after student leaders and staff asked the organization to clarify its position and provide resources on the subject, according the press release.
Over the past 18 months, it has facilitated studies and discussions on the scriptural view of the issue with employees in hopes of helping them come “to their own decisions on biblical sexuality,” according a letter InterVarsity’s Great Lakes East sent to its chapters after Time published its article.
The letter also said that while the organization is terminating those who disagree with its views on sexuality, it does seek to understand staff members with same-sex attractions. The letter asks these staff members to affirm InterVarsity’s position and choose to stay celibate.
At Hillsdale, InterVarsity plans to continue its ministry to reach and love everyone on campus regardless of sexual orientation while adhering to the national office’s standard for staff members.
“All students are definitely welcome within any aspect of InterVarsity’s ministry, and we desire to reach out to the whole campus with the love of Christ,” Brogan said.
