Atlanta-Area Christian College Can Participate in State Financial Aid Program
Luther Rice College and Georgia reached settlement after lawsuit was filed in October.
Luther Rice College and Seminary has reached a settlement agreement with the State of Georgia that allows its students to participate in the state’s financial aid programs.
Photo via ADF
Georgia offers a financial aid program to help cover the cost of tuition for undergraduate programs at colleges and universities in the state, including at private and religious institutions.
However, it had a provision that excluded schools of theology and divinity.
In October, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit legal group that defends religious liberty, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Luther Rice College.
According to the lawsuit, the school was excluded from Georgia’s financial aid program because it was deemed by the state to be “too religious.”
“If Luther Rice did not have a religious mission, offer religious degree programs, and teach all courses from a Christian worldview, its undergraduate students could receive Georgia student aid,” the lawsuit asserted.
The school argued that it was put in an unconstitutional position: to choose between its religious mission and instruction from a Christian worldview or to give up its religious character so its students could participate in the financial aid program.
According to a news release by ADF, the state has now agreed to let Luther Rice students participate in the financial aid program.
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“Georgia officials did the right thing by allowing Luther Rice to participate in student aid programs while still adhering to its religious beliefs, character, and exercise,” ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker said in the press release.
“We’re pleased that Georgia high school students can now receive dual credit by taking classes at Luther Rice and that college students who choose Luther Rice can apply for much-needed financial aid. The state should never limit educational opportunities for students based on their faith,” Tucker said.
Luther Rice President Steven Steinhilber agreed. “This endeavor was not just an opportunity to defend our religious freedom, but it was also an opportunity to demonstrate the value of a Christian education,” he said. “I commend the state and our partners at Alliance Defending Freedom for swiftly reaching a solution. I look forward to providing our Georgia residents an affordable biblically based education that is so vital for our time.”
Luther Rice College and Seminary is not in the MinistryWatch database nor is it a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Its IRS Form 990 can be found here.
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