Two Christian student ministries are suing Virginia State University, alleging the public university stripped them of their independence, placed them under the authority of a university-appointed minister and exempted a Muslim organization from the same restrictions.
Alliance Defending Freedom filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of Women of Victory and Bethel Campus Fellowship. The complaint challenges an updated Campus Ministries Policy that allegedly requires Christian ministries to operate under the “governance and influence” of VSU Campus Minister Thomas Wynn and an advisory board composed of faculty members and university personnel.
As a public university, VSU is bound by the First Amendment’s protections for religious exercise, speech and association.
“You can’t treat one religious group worse than another religious group, regardless of your motives,” ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer told Fox News Digital.
The lawsuit says the Muslim Students Association and VSU Community Faith Alliance are exempt from the policy. The Christian ministries, however, allegedly lost their status as registered student organizations and can no longer independently reserve campus spaces, recruit members, advertise activities, invite speakers or organize Bible studies and worship services.
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The policy also reportedly prohibits the ministries from maintaining affiliations with their national parent organizations.
The dispute extends beyond administrative oversight. According to the complaint, Wynn attempted to physically stop a Women of Victory deliverance event in April because he disagreed with its subject matter. ADF attorneys also said students were reprimanded for holding an informal pajama party without first receiving Wynn’s permission.
Women of Victory was founded at VSU in 2018 and received official university recognition in 2019. The ministry later expanded to other historically Black colleges and universities.
Women of Victory and Bethel Campus Fellowship remain listed in VSU’s online student organization directory. ADF maintains that those listings are outdated and do not reflect the ministries’ current loss of independence and campus privileges.
“The Supreme Court has held for a very long time that all student groups on campus must be treated equally, and you can’t single some out simply because of what they believe,” Langhofer told Fox News Digital.
The ministries are asking the court to restore their status as registered student organizations, allowing them to operate according to their Christian beliefs and on equal footing with other campus groups.
VSU had not filed a formal response or publicly addressed the allegations. No court has ruled on the claims.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
