Christian College Drops Sex Standards in Law School Bid

Trinity Western University abandons its community covenant after Canadian Supreme Court loss.

Two months after Canada’s Supreme Court ruled against what would have been the country’s first Christian law school, Trinity Western University (TWU) has dropped its controversial community covenant.

TWU’s quest to open a law school had stalled in court for years after several provincial law societies refused to accredit would-be graduates, citing the covenant’s prohibition of sex outside of traditional marriage. Canadian law schools require the approval of provincial law societies to operate.

Last Thursday, TWU’s board of governors decided to drop the covenant altogether.

“Let there be no confusion regarding the board of governors’ resolution; our mission remains the same,” said Robert Kuhn, TWU’s president, in a statement. “We will remain a biblically-based, mission-focused, academically excellent university, fully committed to our foundational evangelical Christian principles.”

While students will no longer be subject to the covenant, signing it will remain mandatory for faculty, staff, and administrators, according to reporting by Inside Higher Ed.

“The university will actively work to determine ways in which our Christian identity, mission, and ministry can continue to be strengthened, communicated, and better lived-out in the context of the TWU community–while simultaneously welcoming and affirming the unique value of each member of our diverse student body,” stated Kuhn.

Kuhn also pushed back on the idea that the initial policy had discriminated against would-be LGBT students.

“There is no restriction,” Kuhn told the Vancouver Sun. “We welcome, and have for decades, individuals who wish to study in a Christian environment. ...