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Baylor University receives $643K grant to foster LGBTQ+ inclusion in churches: 'Not at all surprising'

[Image credit: Baylor University/Morty Ortega]

Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has received a $643,401 grant from a liberal foundation to foster inclusion among LGBTQ-identified individuals in the church.

The hefty grant to the private Baptist research university's Center for Church and Community Impact (C31) came from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, according to a press release from the school's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.

The grant's goal is "to foster inclusion and belonging in the church," with an emphasis on understanding "the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change," the release said.

The Baugh Foundation, which has expressed “LGBTQ+ discernment” as one of its aims, said they prioritized "organizations that are openly welcoming and affirming, and organizations that do not discriminate based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, geography, citizenship status, marital status, religion, or any other discriminatory reason."

"The grant will focus on the ..."

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