Azusa Pacific Christian College Reverses Ban on Same-Sex Student Relationships, Again

A Southern California Christian college has again reversed its decision on a ban on “romanticized” same-sex relationships.

Azusa Pacific University (APU) has decided to lift the ban from its code of student conduct, [reported by] Christianity Today.

In the fall, APU made the same change to the conduct code, but then later reverted to disapproving of same-sex relationships because the board of trustees never approved the ban.

“APU is an open-enrollment institution, which does not require students to be Christian to attend, and the handbook conveys our commitment to treating everyone with Christ-like care and civility,” said APU provost Mark Stanton. “Our values are unchanged, and the APU community remains unequivocally biblical in our Christian evangelical identity.”

The university endorses a traditional view of marriage, but does not require students to be Christian. Students do not have to sign a statement of faith to attend the college.

The student code of conduct is made up of “uniform standards of behavior for all students, applied equally and in a nondiscriminatory fashion,” Stanton said.

In response to the reversal of the ban, Brave Commons, an LGBT student group, issued a statement Friday saying the decision “offers equal treatment of LGBTQ+ students in relationships as their heterosexual peers.”

“We seek to cultivate a community in which sexuality is embraced as God-given and good, and where biblical standards of sexual behavior are upheld,” the revised student handbook says.

(Amanda Casanova, “Azusa Pacific Christian College Reverses Ban on Same-Sex Student Relationships, Again,” ChristianHeadlines Online, 3/21/19).