A previous version of this article was published by the Institute on Religion and Democracy
Update: since the publishing of this article, Baylor reversed course and rejected the grant
A progressive foundation has granted $643,401 to Baylor University to study “the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women” in the church. The grantees hope their work will “nurture institutional courage and foster change,” according to the June 30 press release.
The funding comes from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, a private progressive faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Texas. The foundation explicitly prioritizes funding for progressive Baptist organizations, social justice advocacy and inclusivity initiatives.
The Center for Church & Community Impact (C3I) within Baylor’s school of social work will receive the funds and conduct the research. Using this grant, C3I researchers will interview a group of 50 university students and use the results to inform training resources for congregations. The study aims to have congregations take “concrete steps toward genuine inclusion” of LGBTQ+ people.
Baylor University’s C3I has previously received similar grants and has already produced LGBTQ+ resources for churches and social workers—including a “LGBTQ+ Discernment Guide.” In 2024, another C3I project funded by the Baugh Foundation sought to educate congregations in trauma care and LGBTQ+ discernment.
C3I director and Baylor professor Dr. Gaynor Yancey has a history of nudging students and churches towards LGBTQ+ affirmation. In a 2017 academic article geared towards advising Christian social workers, Yancey and Baylor professor emeritus Dr. Helen Harris noted that “It is possible to provide affirmative practice, even if the social worker has religious views that do not support homosexuality.”
In the same article, Yancey and Harris asserted that social workers should follow the principle that, “As a fallible being myself, I have no right to pass moral judgments on others,” quoting the influential Christian social worker and professor, Alan Keith-Lucas. Yancey and Harris later suggested that Christian social workers should be “culturally humble” when counseling LGBTQ clients.
Yancey and Harris’s 2020 article funded by the Baugh Foundation chronicled methods for churches to have conversations about LGBTQ+ discernment—with the lion’s share of the anecdotes coming from formerly “traditionalist” writers who embraced an LGBTQ+-affirming position.
As a prominent Baptist institution, Baylor University’s openness to LGBTQ+ affirmation sparks mixed reactions.
In Baylor’s press release, Dr. Jon Singletary, dean of the Garland School of Social Work, welcomed the grant. He hoped the grant would inspire churches to become “more just and welcoming communities.”
Meanwhile, the polemical Christian news site Protestia accused the recent grant of compromising Baylor’s Christian values. “The game is nearly up,” the Protestia article warned. The article pointed out the Baptist university’s previous friendliness towards LGBTQ+ causes, including allowing the first pro-LGBTQ+ student organization on campus.
Baylor University is associated with but not controlled by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Texas Baptists affirm the historic Christian view that homosexuality and transgenderism are sins. The university is not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.