Pro-Life Group Denied Participation in InterVarsity's Urbana Student Missions Conference
- Updated Jan 13, 2016
InterVarsity’s Urbana Student Missions Conference is being criticized for denying a pro-life student group from participating in the conference as an exhibitor.
An email from Urbana’s exhibits manager thanked Students for Life for applying to be part of the conference, but denied their application because “Students for Life does not align with Urbana's exhibitor criteria. One of our key criteria for exhibitors is to have advancing God's global mission as the vision and purpose of their organization.”
According to the Gospel Coalition, Students for Life is the nation’s largest pro-life organization with a dedication to youth ministry.
“I think God would agree, this is part of his global mission,” Joe Carter, of the Gospel Coalition, writes.
Said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America: “[InterVarsity's Urbana Student Missions Conference] didn't let the nation's largest youth pro-life organization exhibit to 16,000 students this week because they decided that advancing the pro-life message and trying to change the culture to make abortion unthinkable isn't something our Lord and Creator would like.”
InterVarsity Vice President Greg Jao said Students for Life wasn’t allowed to exhibit because the group did not meet four of the seven criteria required for exhibitors.
Students for Life cannot affirm InterVarsity’s Doctrinal Basis, does not belong to an accrediting body and does not offer cross-cultural missions work.
Publication date: January 13, 2016
