Wis. college nixes video endorsing leftist re-interpretation of biblical moral standards

ADF letter spurs Lakeshore Technical College to end student, faculty sessions denigrating orthodox Christian beliefs on sexual morality

CLEVELAND, Wis. — After receiving a letter from the Alliance Defense Fund, Lakeshore Technical College has agreed to stop showing faculty and students a film that insisted that the Bible condones homosexual conduct. The film promoted denominations that accept homosexual behavior and denigrated Scripturally accurate teachings opposing such behavior as relying on an ignorant misuse and misinterpretation of the Bible.

“Public colleges and universities have no business advancing certain religious beliefs they deem ‘correct’ while viciously attacking others,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Travis Barham. “Lakeshore Technical College did the right thing by agreeing to stop showing this video, which openly ridicules those who hold orthodox biblical beliefs on sexual morality. We commend the college for recognizing--as courts have consistently held--that the First Amendment prohibits the government from favoring one denomination over another.”

In September 2009, the president of Lakeshore Technical College announced that a faculty in-service session would include the film For the Bible Tells Me So, which includes political and religious figures promoting the view that homosexual conduct is consistent with biblical standards of morality.

The film asserts that those believing homosexual behavior to be wrong have “a fifth grade understanding of God.” In one of the film’s leaders’ guides, some religious leaders and scholars contend that the Bible has been “misused” to condemn homosexual behavior, thus allegedly harming individuals and families. Another of the film’s guides includes extensive materials that re-interpret Scripture in a way that justifies such conduct.

Some faculty and staff formally complained to Lakeshore officials about the program. In November 2009, they requested that an upcoming in-service include a presentation defending the biblical perspective on homosexual conduct. The college refused this and a similar request made in August 2010. Meanwhile, the college also used For the Bible Tells Me So as an assignment in some of its psychology and sociology classes.

In a letter to ADF attorneys, legal counsel for the college said that it will no longer show For the Bible Tells Me So to students or staff. While it will not host a presentation that provides an orthodox view, the college noted that concerned staff could hold a campus-wide event to present the Bible’s teachings on homosexual conduct.

• ADF “Speak Up” University website 
• Pronunciation guide: Barham (BAYR’-um)