Here’s What This University Did About a Cross on Campus

A national organization created unnecessary controversy over a cross atop a chapel steeple on a college campus.

Administrators at East Central University in Oklahoma announced plans to remove a cross from a historic memorial chapel steeple (and other religious icons inside the building) after receiving a letter in June from an organization requesting it do so. The group’s sole purpose is to advocate for a national separation of church and state.

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So the school removed some items from within the Kathryn P. Boswell Memorial Chapel. But the public university in Oklahoma has since backpedaled on its knee-jerk decision to remove Bibles and crosses from the chapel, which has been on campus since 1957.

“In other words — they screwed up,” author Todd Starnes wrote in a column in Fox News and on his personal website about the issue.

On June 30, the president of the school admitted the administrators “moved too quickly” and didn’t take time to consider the wishes of students, staff and others within the school’s community.

“The chapel is used for various religions, student clubs and events,” a press release from the university on June 30 stated. However, the university is trying to walk the line between what’s politically correct for public schools across the country — and the wishes of those who attend the school.

“We do not want to presume to embrace one faith over another. We support all cultures and attempt to make them comfortable when they are here,” University President Katricia Pierson said.

Related: Eight Bible Verses to Read This Independence Day

The school said the chapel will stay as it is while it reviews the request made by the advocacy organization.

“While it is legal for a public university to have a space that can be used by students for religious worship so long as that space is not dedicated solely to that purpose, it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to display religious iconography on government property,” a letter from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State organization on June 20 stated. The group is based in Washington, D.C.

Related: Looking Back at Our Founding, Have We Lost Sight of Key Principles?

The advocacy group argued the religious nature of the symbols and chapel screamed an endorsement for Christianity. “Please remove or cover the religious displays and items,” the letter stated.

In reality, the Founding Fathers built this country on godly principles. Religious symbols and references to God are found across a host of government and public squares; and the phrase “In God We Trust” is on American currency.

“The idea that the cross excludes people is not true — it’s the opposite. The cross represents that all are welcome, that people of all walks of life are loved by God,” Randall Christy, founder of The Gospel Station Network, told Tulsa World.

Let’s hope the university and community members recall the redeeming power of God’s love when deciding what to with the chapel on campus.