One School

The book of Acts contains the narratives of the original apostles, who were sent to spread the gospel and establish the early church. They were seized and put in prison, but miraculously released by an angel, and stood before the authorities, according to Acts 5, which states:
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,
28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.

One school in one of our smaller states is making a big impact on women's sports.  

We're talking about Mid Vermont Christian School, which, as The Daily Signal reports:

Last year, Mid Vermont Christian School accused the Vermont Principals’ Association, the “governing body for high school sports and activities for the state’s 300 public and private secondary schools,” and Vermont state officials of religious discrimination for kicking it out of the state sports league after refusing to compete against a biological male in girls’ basketball.

A lawsuit was filed and the judge who was assigned the case refused to grant the school a temporary injunction to continue to participate in state athletics as the case moved forward.  So, the school went to a federal appeals court.  The story notes that just over a month ago...

...The Washington Times reported the school has once again pressed the issue by asking “the appeals court in the [Aug. 30] filing for a preliminary injunction reinstating its membership in the association pending the outcome of litigation.”

The school has been reinstated to five non-athletic activities, but no sports, apparently. 

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker said, “The [Vermont Principals’ Association’s] blatant act of discrimination and hostility toward Mid Vermont’s beliefs violates the First Amendment.” adding, “We are urging the court to uphold constitutional protections by guaranteeing the school can fully participate while still adhering to its religious beliefs.”

The Daily Signal notes:

...the principals’ association seems to be holding to its belief that Mid Vermont violated its “Policy [on] Gender Identity” and “Commitment to Racial, Gender-Fair, and Disability Awareness” and issued an “immediate determination of ineligibility.”

But, the state's disregard for freedom of religion doesn't end there. Alliance Defending Freedom, on its website, noted this spring that:

Last year, Vermont’s Agency of Education refused to designate Mid Vermont Christian as an approved independent school because of those beliefs, which meant the school could not participate in the state’s Town Tuitioning Program. That program pays for students residing in school districts that do not operate public high schools to attend an approved private school of the students’ choice. The State tried to walk back its denial from last year, but it still has not granted the school fully approved independent status and the school and its families do not know whether they will be able to participate moving forward.

So, the school is in court to right these wrongs against it: the denial of participation in the tuition program and its dismissal from participating in athletics because it refused to play in a game against a team with a male player. 

The outcome of this litigation could have an impact on not only MVCS, but on the face of education, where boys are being allowed to take part in girls' sports. Already, there have been appeals courts that have clamped down on the re-write of Title IX that would have allowed males to participate in female sports, but there have also been court decisions recently that have upheld this practice. 

This series of events reminds us that while there is a cost to do the right thing, according to the Scriptures, it can have a positive effect.  We have to make sure that we are upholding truth, then trust the Lord with the results.

We can also see that one person, one entity, one church, one organization, can make a statement and maybe even change the course of history.  That's what these court challenges that we see are all about.  When you consider the case of Coach Kennedy, or of Mid Vermont Christian Schools, we see examples of people who are devoted to upholding Christian principles, which can provide inspiration for each of us to be obedient to the Lord, serving and pleasing Him, even when human authorities fall short.