Baylor’s Reversal of LGBTQ+ Grant: Cultural Pressure vs. Biblical Truth

Recently, Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work made headlines by accepting (then rescinding) a $643,401 grant from the Baugh Foundation. The grant was intended to fund research promoting LGBTQ+ affirmation in churches.

This moment has initiated an important conversation about the faithfulness of the believer amidst the cultural pressures of our day and the true mission of Christian institutions.

What Happened?

Baylor University, a private Baptist institution in Waco, Texas, initially accepted a $643,401 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation on June 30, 2025, to fund research through its Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) aimed at fostering inclusion for LGBTQIA+ individuals and women in churches, focusing on their experiences of “institutional betrayal” and developing trauma-sensitive training resources.

However, following significant backlash from Christian leaders, alumni, and donors who argued the grant conflicted with Baylor’s Statement on Human Sexuality (affirming “purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman”), the university announced this week that it would rescind its acceptance and return the funds.

President Linda Livingstone stated the decision was due to the grant’s activities extending into advocacy inconsistent with Baylor’s policies, despite the university’s commitment to supporting its LGBTQIA+ students within a Christian framework, sparking mixed reactions from supporters and critics.

On the surface, this may look like a victory for biblical truth, but is Baylor’s move genuine repentance, or merely damage control under pressure?

A Pattern of Compromise

This incident is not an isolated misstep for Baylor.

Previously, the university has accepted funds from the Baugh Foundation to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion, including a 2018 guide to help churches become “more inclusive” toward LGBTQ+ persons, as well as a 2024 research project on “LGBTQ+ Discernment.”

Even more concerning is Baylor’s quiet removal of language condemning homosexuality from its student conduct code after the 2015 Obergefell ruling.

Although Baylor’s official statements still affirm biblical marriage between one man and one woman, its policies and leadership actions tell a more complicated story.

For example, in 2022 Baylor officially recognized an LGBTQ+ student group, Prism, whilst simultaneously prohibiting counselors from encouraging LGBT-identifying students toward repentance. These mixed messages have understandably caused confusion and concern.

President Livingstone’s leadership appears to lean progressive and reports have surfaced indicating she attends an LGBTQ-affirming church which publicly supported Black Lives Matter, an organization whose view are utterly incompatible with biblical teaching.

Why This Matters

As Christians, we must ask: What matters more: loyalty to a university, or loyalty to the Word of God?

Baylor’s actions illustrate a troubling trend where Christian institutions attempt to “out-love” God by accommodating cultural trends at the expense of biblical truth. God’s love is perfect and holy (1 John 4:8), however, and He calls us to love others by calling them to repentance and life, not by affirming sin.

The Bible is clear that sexual morality is grounded in God’s design: male and female created in His image (Genesis 1:27), marriage defined as a covenant between one man and one woman, and homosexuality described as sinful and destructive (Romans 1).

To truly love those in our care, whether in churches, schools, or families, means courageously and compassionately pointing them to the gospel, which transforms lives and sets people free.

A Call to Courage

This situation also highlights the power of persistent, respectful Christian advocacy. It was believers who were willing to speak out, who pressured Baylor to rescind the grant.

This situation serves the body of Christ as a vital reminder to never allow the power of our voices and the message they carry to be diminished.

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