Jars of CLAY in a World in Need

In a secret vote held yesterday, the pro-life student group at Yale University was denied membership in the Social Justice Network of Dwight Hall (an organizing entity providing resources for dozens of service and activism groups on campus).

From First Things:

Last night Yale’s campus pro-life group—after a year in which they participated in meetings and even helped raise money for the organization—became the first group in living memory to be denied membership in the Social Justice Network of Dwight Hall. Billing itself as an “independent” and “non-sectarian” center for public service and social justice, Dwight Hall at Yale is a group that seeks “to foster civic-minded student leaders and to promote service and activism in New Haven and around the world.” Though legally independent, it is the university umbrella organization for service and advocacy, encompassing dozens of member organizations that address almost every conceivable issue, from the environment, to gay rights, to Palestinian statehood.

Membership would have given Choose Life at Yale (CLAY) access to a variety of resources, including coveted meeting locations, use of Dwight Hall’s vehicles for service projects, and a seat at the table during Dwight Hall’s freshman recruiting events. But most of all it would have affirmed the conviction of CLAY members that the cause they served, whether by marching in DC or volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, was a legitimate component of social justice.

My prayer is that the memory of these events will remain with these brilliant, young leaders for years to come. If they held any lingering beliefs in the unmoored ideals of “diversity” and “inclusivity” espoused by American educators they have been dashed, thank God. This lesson will serve the students well in a world no more welcoming of their values, and no less in need of their conviction. Justice requires wisdom, and a small band of men and women who understand the times will do more than millions in blinders.