Tufts University: Refusal to Allow Evangelical Christian Club to Require Leaders to Share Group's Beliefs

Tufts University's Committee on Student Life voted to remand the charges against the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF). Without a hearing, in a capricious late-night meeting on April 13, 2000, the Student Judiciary voted officially to "derecognize" TCF, the equivalent of a banishment from the facilities of the Tufts campus. The Tufts evangelicals were punished for taking into account, for purposes of selecting leaders, the beliefs of a member whose views of Scripture and homosexuality were opposed to their own. TCF received pro-bono legal representation from FIRE President David French and a campaign from FIRE that involved writing and petitioning the Tufts administration, which ultimately culminated in national media attention on the charges against TCF. Curtis Chang, affiliate chaplain at Tufts and campus minister for the TCF, was joyful when FIRE contacted him with the news of the committee's decision. Chang had spent four weeks working passionately to get the facts out to the world and to restore religious liberty at Tufts. Chang hopes embattled evangelical groups around the country will take heart from the victory at Tufts and stand up for religious freedom.   

Case Materials

• "National Clergy Council Applauds Tufts University for Reestablishing Religious Freedom on Campus," National Clergy Council Press Release, May 19, 2000
• "NAS Hails Reinstatement of Banned Religious Organization," National Association of Scholars, May 17, 2000
• "Victory At Tufts; Evangelical Christian Group Regains Recognition," May 16, 2000: In a unanimous vote, the Tufts appellate board voted last night to remand the charges against the Tufts Christian Fellowship.

Blog Entries

• "Tufts Christian Fellowship Gives Up on Recognition," by Robert Shibley, March 25, 2013

Media Coverage

• "Campus Left to Christians, Conservatives: Shut Up!,"
  by Mark Tapscott, Townhall.com, December 24, 2005
• "Halvorssen Fights the PC Fire With FIRE,"
  by Stephen Goode, Insight on the News, January 23, 2001
• "Tufts U. Christian Group Accused of Anti-Gay Bias Is Placed on Probation,"
  by Courtney Leatherman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 23, 2000
• "Houses of Worship: Campus Collisions,"
  by Naomi Schaefer, The Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2000
• "Schools of Scandal,"
  by Simon Dahlman, Boundless Webzine, June 15, 2000
• "Defending Free Thought and Expression,"
  by John Silber, Syndicated column, June 5, 2000
• "Rough and Tufts,"
  by Bob Jones, World Magazine, May 27, 2000
• "Tufts U. Restores Status of Christian Student Group Accused of Anti-Gay Bias,"
  by Beth McMurtrie, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 26, 2000
• "The new blacklisters,"
  by Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe, May 25, 2000
• "Tufts Reinstates Christian Group Spurning Gay as Leader,"
  by Andrea Billups, The Washington Times, May 17, 2000
• "Tufts to be a Christian on Campus,"
  by Kathryn Lopez, National Review Online, May 17, 2000
• "Tufts U. Christian Group Reprieved,"
  PlanetOut.com, May 17, 2000
• "Tufts Lifts Its Ban on Christian group,"
  by Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe, May 17, 2000
• "Christian Ministry Caught Up in Rights Battle on Campus,"
  by Julia Duin, The Washington Times, May 16, 2000
• "Tufts University to Reconsider Status of Christian Group,"
  Beliefnet, May 16, 2000
• "A Christian Fellowship's Ban on Gay Leaders Splits 2 Campuses,"
  by Beth McMurtrie, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 12, 2000
• "Tufts evangelicals are punished for acting on their beliefs,"
  by John Leo, Jewish World Review, May 9, 2000
• "Christian fundamentalists miss out on academic freedom,"
  by Cathy Young, Detroit News, May 3, 2000
• "Censoring the opposition,"
  by Cal Thomas, Jewish World Review, May 3, 2000
• "School Cuts Christian Group's Funds,"
  by Jay Lindsay, The Associated Press, May 3, 2000
• "Tufts Christian Fellowship Loses Funding, Recognition Over Gay Leadership,"
  Newsroom.org, May 2, 2000
• "Standing up for beliefs can feel lonely, but good,"
  by Joe Fitzgerald, Boston Herald, April 29, 2000
• "Campus Faith Groups Face Rebuke On Gay Rights,"
  by Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe, April 29, 2000
• "Christian Group Fights Ouster at Tufts Over Gay Student Flap,"
  The Washington Times, April 20, 2000