Four years after booting a Christian organization off campus because it refused to change its beliefs, the University of Iowa will pay nearly $2 million to settle a pair of religious discrimination lawsuits.
The Iowa State Appeal Board agreed Monday to pay a combined $1.93 million for attorney fees and damages in a pair of cases involving two Christian groups: Business Leaders in Christ and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
At issue was a university requirement that groups affirm a human rights policy banning discrimination on the basis of religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, among other classes.
The controversy began when a gay student said he was refused a position within Business Leaders in Christ because he would not affirm its belief statement, which affirms the traditional, biblical view of marriage and sexuality.
The university deregistered Leaders in Christ after it refused to change its beliefs. The university later deregistered InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for similar reasons.
The university lost multiple rounds in court, including this year when the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Business Leaders in Christ.
Earlier this year, Greg Jao, of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship said, “We must have leaders who share our faith. No group – religious or secular – could survive with leaders who reject its values.”