By Jonathan Petre, Daily Telegraph
A Christian student society is going to the High Court to overturn a ruling requiring it to admit non-Christians.
The Christian Union at Exeter said the ruling by an independent adjudicator would mean Muslims or atheists could become its leaders.
Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is backing the organisation.His successor, Dr Rowan Williams, has criticised the "suppression" of Christian groups on campuses.
The 350-strong Union was told by the Students' Guild, which regulates student bodies, last year that it may lose its status unless it drops its requirement for members to declare their faith in Jesus because it meant the society was closed to many students.
The University appointed Mark Shaw QC to produce an independent adjudication.
In his ruling earlier this month, he criticised the union for restricting its membership to Christians, even though its meetings are open to all.
Lord Carey said: "This ruling opens the way for a Muslim to head up an Anglican Society or a member of the BNP to chair the Labour club.
Ben Martin, a member of the union, said the union had to challenge the "unbalanced and selective" ruling.
He said the union would instruct Paul Diamond, the lawyer who represented Nadia Eweida in her dispute with British Airways over her right to wear a cross.
Dr Peter May, chairman of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and a member of the General Synod, said in an appeal to Church leaders: "Christian students are having their right to free speech, freedom of association and freedom to practice their religion eroded away by discriminatory equal opportunities policies."
The National Union of Students said: "Students' unions have a duty to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all communities.
"As a result, they continually take steps to ensure that their own equal opportunities policies are adhered to."
A Christian student society is going to the High Court to overturn a ruling requiring it to admit non-Christians.
The Christian Union at Exeter said the ruling by an independent adjudicator would mean Muslims or atheists could become its leaders.
Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is backing the organisation.His successor, Dr Rowan Williams, has criticised the "suppression" of Christian groups on campuses.
The 350-strong Union was told by the Students' Guild, which regulates student bodies, last year that it may lose its status unless it drops its requirement for members to declare their faith in Jesus because it meant the society was closed to many students.
The University appointed Mark Shaw QC to produce an independent adjudication.
In his ruling earlier this month, he criticised the union for restricting its membership to Christians, even though its meetings are open to all.
Lord Carey said: "This ruling opens the way for a Muslim to head up an Anglican Society or a member of the BNP to chair the Labour club.
Ben Martin, a member of the union, said the union had to challenge the "unbalanced and selective" ruling.
He said the union would instruct Paul Diamond, the lawyer who represented Nadia Eweida in her dispute with British Airways over her right to wear a cross.
Dr Peter May, chairman of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and a member of the General Synod, said in an appeal to Church leaders: "Christian students are having their right to free speech, freedom of association and freedom to practice their religion eroded away by discriminatory equal opportunities policies."
The National Union of Students said: "Students' unions have a duty to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all communities.
"As a result, they continually take steps to ensure that their own equal opportunities policies are adhered to."
3 comments:
We need a St Thomas More Society in this country.
I am curious to know why a non-Christian should wish to join a Christian society. Would anyone who was not remotely interested in say Photography, decide to join a Photographic society? Has there been any evidence that non-Christians are queuing up to join this particular society? if there is a genuine curiosity on the part of the non Christian then perhaps being able to join the society would help them. I was once allowed to join a Catholic youth club whilst still 'under instruction' and was made to feel very welcome !!
Anonymous asked: "I am curious to know why a non-Christian should wish to join a Christian society."
Despite the deliberate misrepresentation of this case by the Christian Union in their many press releases, the fact of the matter is that the Christian Union excludes the majority of Christians from membership.
If you replace the above question with "I am curious to know why CATHOLICS should be BANNED from joining a Christian society?" you will start to gain a better understanding of this case.
Far from persecuting Christians, the students' union at Exeter is in fact PROTECTING Christians from the narrow mindedness of a small group of protestant extremists.
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