The student union at the University of Sydney in Australia has issued an ultimatum to an evangelical group on campus to remove its requirement that members declare their faith in Jesus Christ, or give up their recognition by the school.
Honi Soit, the University of Sydney’s student paper, reports the University of Sydney Union (USU) sent an email to the Evangelical Union (EU) with orders to remove the language written in the group’s constitution that refers to a commitment to Christ.
The EU’s constitution currently requires members to sign a statement indicating their “desire in joining the EU to declare my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour, my Lord and my God.”
The USU argues this requirement is exclusive and restrictive.
Olivia Ronan, the vice president of the USU, told Honi that requiring members of the EU to profess their belief in Christ is “no less exclusionary than requiring candidates to be of a particular sexuality or gender identity.”
The president of the EU, George Bishop, emphasized the difference between voting members and club participants.
Bishop told Honi, “We are not trying to shut up shop or close borders. We provide subsidies for non-Christians to come to the events.”
He explained, “The requirement is basically that to have the voting rights and be the leader of the Christian society, they need to be able to declare that Jesus is Lord.”
During a USU board meeting on March 4 to discuss the ultimatum, Bishop appealed to freedom of religion, citing a human rights treaty protecting religious freedom.
Ronan, however, stated the USU is under no obligations to an international treaty to protect religious freedom and that “complaints of that nature could be forwarded to the UN should they wish to pursue them.”
The EU has until March 31 to comply with the orders.