Highlight: The religious liberty disconnect

A recent attempt to limit the rights of religious colleges in California has many Americans renewing their defense of religious liberty. The legislation sought to remove exemptions that protect religious schools from being sued for upholding biblical definitions of gender.

Dr. Alan Cureton is the president of University of Northwestern- St. Paul. He says the proposed legislation is really the latest in a disturbing disconnect about religious liberty that reaches far beyond colleges.

“This really was a bill that was focusing on the question of our religious freedom. What we’re talking about is how we, as a culture, will define religious freedom.”

“Many in state government, the beltway, or even Washington D.C. will define religious freedom as freedom to worship.

Some will define this religious freedom to only include what a person does on Sunday morning. But for many faith is more than just one hour on a Sunday Morning.

“But for you and I you know we understand what happens to us at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning drives everything that we do in our life and how we approach life, our philosophy, our morals, our values and our perspective.”

While the legislation has been amended to remove the strike against religious exemptions, the effort still shows a fundamental misunderstanding of religious freedom. There are many aspects of America that would be jeopardized without it.

“This bill threatened to undermine the very essence of the wonderful pluralism and diversity that we have in our country, that has defined America for centuries. Our strength is the uniqueness of our culture.”

Increasingly there is a one-size-fits-all philosophy to make everybody look and act the same. As a result, there is the mentality that if we don’t agree with than you must be racist, bigot or discriminating.

“Just because we disagree doesn’t mean I’m discriminating or racist, but that’s the corner that they want to paint us into, because we stand on our religious faith convictions and values and perspective.”


Dr. Alan Cureton has served as the president of the University of Northwestern- St. Paul since 2002. The university exists to provide Christ-centered higher education equipping students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions, and to give God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community, and world.

Why we should protect religious liberty, with Dr. Alan Cureton
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