Religion and Universities

I am a graduate of Queen's University, for my bachelor's degree and the University of Toronto for my master's. As part of that first degree I took several courses at Queen's Theological College, which was part of the founding of of Queen's in the mid-19th century. Even though this seminary was my father's alma mater I chose to attend Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto for my masters of divinity degree. Our son Isaac attended United Theological College which is part of McGill University. There is a long history of Christian denominations founding or being affiliated with institutions of higher learning. Excellence in education and educated clergy were vital to the ethos of these expressions of Christian faith. 

In recent years traditional denominations have been closing seminaries (QTC is an example) while the colleges affiliated with more conservative Christian groups have grown and sought status as universities.Trinity Western University in BC is one, and Redeemer University in Southern Ontario is another. Both of those schools have faced public scrutiny because they have rules for students, faculty and staff regarding sexuality, including same-gender relationships, which some argue are not consistent with the laws of the land. They, in turn,  would both contend that they have respected human rights and have acted within the law but are applying their own Christian charters. 

In some other circumstances these expectations have led to students feeling that they are not welcome at the institutions. In some cases expulsions and firings have resulted, which are then contested as human rights violations. 

These conflicts have come to the fore again in Ontario with the Ford government's announcement that Canada Christian College, a fundamentalist Christian school, will soon to be granted university status. This is outrageous, in my opinion, and a move which is based more on political back-scratching than on academic credentials. The president of CCC is Charles McVety, a nasty bit of business who is anti-LGBTQ and was strongly opposed the sex-education curriculum in public schools, which was removed by the Conservative government before being largely reinstated. I feel that the only reason CCC is being considered for university status is currying favour with the conservative base which helped Premier Doug Ford get elected.

                                               Doug Ford and Charles McVety at Canada Christian College

Last week Ford congratulated former Premier Kathleen Wynne for being a trail-blazer as the first woman in the role, as well as being the first LGBTQ person as premier. With almost his next political breath he offered support for an institution which holds regressive views on women in leadership and actively opposes inclusion of LGBTQ persons. Wynne stood in the legislature shortly after the announcement and pointedly asked: 

Why this government would extend the mandate of the most publicly and vocally homophobic man in Ontario? Why, in the name of all that is decent, would this minister validate the hateful, vicious, racist and homophobic rhetoric of Charles McVety by extending the reach of his Canada Christian College?

Why indeed. There is really nothing in the academic record of CCC to warrant this change in status from college to university, and it's disturbing theological and human rights perspectives should disqualify it as well. I pray that the government will back away from this endorsement.