The president of Ouachita Baptist University has penned an online response to faculty, staff and alumni critics of the school’s newly required signed affirmation of its belief statements.
The university’s website says the “Statement of Affirmation” adopted by trustees in June 2026 now will be among beliefs faculty and staff are required to affirm in writing: “Beginning with the 2027-28 academic year, they are asked to affirm the Statement of Faith, agree to uphold and not undermine the university’s statements on sexuality and on race and Christian community, and affirm Ouachita’s relationship with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.”
The Statement of Affirmation includes a “Statement on Sexuality, Gender and Marriage” that is the primary source of contention. It says: “As expressed in the biblical account of creation, God designed male and female as a beautiful expression of diversity and mutual dependence. Sex and gender are aspects of humanity that God created in harmony with one another. According to Scripture, both singleness and marriage are gifts of God. Marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, the exclusive context for virtuous sexual expression and procreation, and a symbol of Christ’s relationship with the church.”
It requires of everyone in the university community: “Stewarding sexual expression with discretion and respect for God and others; chastity in singleness and faithfulness in marriage; abstaining from pornography; living with integrity in congruence with one’s birth sex, including use of pronouns; refraining from same-sex romantic or sexual relationships; and avoiding behaviors inconsistent with the university’s values.”
Objections have been as much about being required to sign a statement as about the content of the statement. The move is reminiscent of the six Southern Baptist Convention seminaries that require faculty, staff and students to sign various documents.
Critics contend their Baptist heritage forces them to resist pressure to sign any man-made statement of faith.
Ben Sells
Ouachita President Ben Sells — who survived a faculty vote of no confidence last year — says there’s nothing to fear here. Ouachita is merely “putting its faith in writing,” he says.
“Should a university that has been Baptist since 1886 ask the people who teach and work there to affirm a faith commitment consistent with Arkansas Baptists? Most people would probably say yes. Some good and faithful people see it differently, and I want to take their concerns seriously.
“At Ouachita, Christian faith has been foundational for 140 years. What’s new is that we have put those commitments in writing and asked everyone who works here to affirm them. Some colleagues, alumni and friends I deeply respect wish we had not. Social media has carried its share of misinformation, so here is what we did and why.”
His post emphasizes the following points:
- The Statement of Faith adopted by trustees in December 2024 is “drawn from Scripture.”
- Parents and prospective employees deserve a clear answer to the question, “What does it mean for Ouachita to be a Christian university?”
- Faculty had input into the documents and “what we heard shaped the final documents, though not everyone agreed with the outcome.”
- “Ouachita has long expected those who work here to share our Christian faith. That hasn’t changed, and we’ve now provided greater clarity.”
- “The statements reflect historic Christian belief and are consistent with Arkansas Baptists, our founding partner, and with our like-minded peers.”
Sells contends the university supports academic freedom because “no one is asked to pledge loyalty to the trustees, to me, to a political party or to a government policy.”
He acknowledges “the deepest disagreement” is over “what the Bible teaches about marriage and sexuality.” Then he claims the Ouachita statement “draws on Scripture and 2,000 years of Christian teaching.”
As for why faculty and staff are required to sign the statements, Sells claims this is trustees’ attempt to keep Ouachita from drifting into secularism as other faith-founded schools have done: “Over American history, and more recently during the lifetimes of those entrusted to lead Ouachita, many Christian colleges drifted from the churches that founded them, usually a little at a time and, I presume, rarely on purpose.”
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Controversy at Ouachita as faculty required to sign doc on sexuality and gender