BC teachers reject Christian morality.

Vancouver - In June, 1996, the B. C. College of Teachers rejected Trinity Western University's application to have the final year of its teacher training program approved so that its students would not have to transfer to Simon Fraser University to complete their courses.

When a three-man BCCT team visited Trinity in March, 1996, it was impressed by the university's efforts to achieve high academic standards, and recommended approval. Then, astonishingly, the BCCT rejected the recommendations of its own investigators on May 17. The reason?

The BCCT took exception to Trinity's community standards contract, which requires students to refrain from "involvement in the occult, and sexual sins such as premarital sex, adultery or homosexual behaviour." It decided that such a stand was "contrary to the public interest."

Apparently a lesbian member of the council, Annabelle Paxton, was largely responsible; she convinced her colleagues that the code of behaviour was discriminatory and intolerant. William Bruneau, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, supports the BCCT decision.

As political science professor John Redekop pointed out, the university has a provincial charter which stipulates that it will teach from a Christian viewpoint. Despite all the recent insistence on pluralism in the public arena, he states this decision constitutes a blatant rejection of pluralism.

Instead of "gay bashing," which was the unproven excuse for the May 1996 federal legislation giving special privileges to homosexuals, (Bill C-33) we now have "Christian bashing," with homosexuals leading it.