Bob Jones University: Black Students Allowed To Study?

Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private Christian university in Greenville, South Carolina, founded in 1927 by evangelist Bob Jones Sr. Until 1971, the university did not admit any Black students, and until 1975, only admitted married Black people. This was due to the founder's belief in segregation and his interpretation of Biblical principles regarding interracial dating and marriage. In 1976, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revoked the university's tax-exempt status because of its racially discriminatory admissions policies, which resulted in a prolonged legal battle that ended with the Supreme Court ruling against the university in 1983. In 2000, BJU dropped its ban on interracial dating, and in 2008, the university issued an apology for its past racial discrimination.

Bob Jones University's racist history

Bob Jones University, a private Christian

The university's apology

Bob Jones University's apology for its racist past is long overdue. For decades, the university excluded Black applicants and promoted segregationist policies that were hurtful and wrong.

The university's founder, Bob Jones Sr., was a fundamentalist evangelist with abhorrent views on race. He believed that twentieth-century Black people should be grateful to whites for bringing their ancestors to the country as slaves. Jones also supported segregation, claiming that God himself had established natural boundaries between the races. These toxic beliefs formed the foundation of the university's early policies.

From its inception in 1927 until 1971, Bob Jones University barred Black students from enrolling. Even after this racist policy was abolished, the university continued to discriminate. From 1971 to 1975, the university only admitted married Black people, and until 2000, it prohibited interracial dating and marriage among students, staff, and faculty.

In 2008, Stephen Jones, the great-grandson of the founder and then-president of the university, apologized for BJU's past racial discrimination. He acknowledged that the university had allowed racially hurtful institutional policies to remain in place for too long. Jones stated, "We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it... For these failures, we are profoundly sorry."

While this apology was a step in the right direction, it did not address the full extent of the university's racist history and the harm it caused. The university's leadership has often tried to downplay or justify its past actions. For instance, Bob Jones III once claimed that the ban on interracial dating was "insignificant" and not racist because it was promulgated before Black students were admitted. Such statements show a lack of true accountability and understanding of the university's role in perpetuating racism.

It is important to recognize that the university's racist policies were not just a social issue but also a biblical one. As an evangelical institution, BJU has a responsibility to uphold Christian values of love, equality, and justice. By excluding and discriminating against Black individuals, the university failed to live up to these values and caused significant harm to the Black community.

To truly repent for its past, Bob Jones University must do more than offer vague apologies. It should actively work to dismantle systemic racism, promote racial equality, and ensure that all students, regardless of race, feel welcomed and valued. Only then can the university begin to make amends for its shameful history.

The university's current racial and cultural diversity

Bob Jones University's current racial and cultural diversity is a far cry from its past. The university has a dark history of racism and segregation, with a founding ethos steeped in the segregationist ethos of American culture. The founder, Bob Jones Sr., believed that twentieth-century black people should be grateful to whites for bringing their ancestors to America as slaves. From its inception in 1927 until 1971, the university did not admit any black students. From 1971 to 1975, it only admitted married black students. It was only after 1975 that unmarried black applicants were allowed to enrol, but strict rules were put in place to prohibit interracial dating and marriage.

In 2000, the university's then-president, Bob Jones III, announced on CNN's Larry King Live that the ban on interracial dating had been dropped. This change was catalysed by a media uproar following a visit from then-presidential candidate George W. Bush. Despite this shift, the university did not seek to reinstate its tax-exempt status until 2014, when Steve Pettit became the fifth president. Pettit acknowledged that the university's previous racist policies were social issues, not biblical ones, and affirmed that ""we are made of one blood".

In 2008, Bob Jones University's great-grandson and former president, Stephen Jones, apologised for the university's past racial discrimination. He expressed remorse for allowing institutional policies that were racially hurtful to remain in place for too long. This apology marked a turning point in the university's stance on racial and cultural diversity.

Today, Bob Jones University enrols students from all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, representing various ethnicities and cultures. The administration is committed to fostering and maintaining racial and cultural diversity and harmony on campus, reflecting the true Church of Jesus Christ worldwide. The university's current stance on diversity aligns with its interpretation of Scripture, which teaches that God created the human race as one race, with the potential for great diversity.

While the university has taken steps towards inclusivity, it continues to uphold strict rules and regulations governing student life, including dress codes, curfews, and restrictions on entertainment and music choices. These rules are based on the university's interpretation of the Bible and its commitment to religious and cultural conservatism.

The Supreme Court case against the university

The case of Bob Jones University v. United States was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1981 and decided in 1983. The case centred on the question of whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was permitted to revoke the tax-exempt status of a religious university whose practices were deemed contrary to compelling government public policy, in this case, the eradication of racial discrimination.

Bob Jones University, a private Christian institution, had, since its founding in 1927, excluded unmarried Black applicants until 1971, and from 1971 to 1975, only admitted Black students if they were married. This policy was based on the university's interpretation of Biblical principles regarding interracial dating and marriage.

In 1970, the IRS changed its tax-exemption policy, stating that private schools with racially discriminatory admissions policies would no longer be granted tax exemptions. As a result, the IRS notified Bob Jones University of its intention to revoke the university's tax-exempt status. The university sued the IRS in 1971, arguing that the IRS had exceeded its powers and violated the university's rights under the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.

The case made its way through the courts, with the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina initially ruling in favour of the university, stating that the IRS had violated the university's First Amendment rights. However, this decision was reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which found that the university's admission policy violated federal law and public policy.

The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which, in a majority opinion written by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court held that the IRS's interpretation of the law in 1970 and 1971 was correct and that the IRS had not exceeded its authority in revoking the university's tax-exempt status. The Court applied a strict scrutiny analysis and found that the government's interest in eradicating racial discrimination outweighed the university's interest in exercising its religious beliefs. The Court also clarified that its holding only dealt with religious schools and not churches or other purely religious institutions.

The lone dissenter in the case was Justice William H. Rehnquist, who argued that the literal terms of the governing statute could not be interpreted to exclude Bob Jones University from charitable status.

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision, Bob Jones University was required to pay a million dollars in back taxes. In 2000, the university dropped its ban on interracial dating and acknowledged that it had been wrong in not admitting Black students earlier.

The university's tax-exempt status

Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private Christian university in Greenville, South Carolina, founded in 1927 by fundamentalist evangelist Bob Jones. The university is known for its conservative and evangelical cultural and religious positions.

In 1970, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) changed its regulations, limiting tax-exempt status to private schools without racially discriminatory admissions policies. This change was a problem for BJU, which had not admitted any Black students since its founding. From 1971 to 1975, BJU only admitted married Black people. In 1975, the university began to admit unmarried Black applicants but continued to deny admission to applicants engaged in interracial marriage or known to advocate interracial marriage or dating.

In 1976, the IRS revoked BJU's tax-exempt status, citing the university's racially discriminatory admissions policies and practices. The case, known as Bob Jones University v. United States, was litigated for several years, eventually reaching the United States Supreme Court in 1983. The Supreme Court ruled that the IRS could revoke the university's tax-exempt status because the government's interest in eradicating racial discrimination in education outweighed the university's First Amendment rights to religious free speech. The Court's decision was influenced by the fact that BJU's policies were contrary to compelling government public policy and did not serve a legitimate public purpose.

As a result of losing its tax-exempt status, BJU was required to pay back taxes and faced a significant financial burden. The university's contributions also declined by 13% in the year following the Court's decision.

In 2000, BJU dropped its ban on interracial dating and issued an apology for its past racial discrimination. However, it was not until 2014, after Steve Pettit became the university's fifth president, that the university began the process of seeking to reinstate its tax-exempt status. This process involved a complicated restructuring, in which the university was divided into for-profit and non-profit entities. Finally, in 2017, BJU regained its federal tax-exempt status, more than three decades after it had been stripped by the IRS.

The reinstatement of BJU's tax-exempt status had several benefits for the university. It made the university more attractive to potential donors, as their gifts would now be tax-deductible. It also levelled the playing field with other sister institutions when applying for grants and improved the university's classification with the U.S. Department of Education, which could impact public perception and oversight.

Frequently asked questions