Cedarville University has not starved for attention in recent years. That trend continued yesterday when The Atlantic published David R. Wheeler’s “Gay Marriage and the Future of Evangelical Colleges.” Though Wheeler references a variety of colleges, Cedarville was the  most prominently featured.

As I noted in a recent post on the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, the near-term future for religious institutions (that are not churches) will be contentious. As Wheeler’s article makes clear, a many private, religious colleges and universities have traditional policies on same-sex marriage and on homosexual behavior. From Azusa Pacific to Gordon College, these institutions are sprinkled across the country.

What is at stake for Cedarville and others? Federal funding (generally through student loans and grants), tax exempt status, and accreditation, all of which could hinge on policies surrounding sexuality. Though losing the first two would be difficult for most colleges, if not fatal, losing the third would be catastrophic. If students are unable to use their degrees to attend medical, law, and graduate schools, enrollment would plummet. Losing accreditation would also damage professional programs (like Social Work, Education, Business, and too many others to list) that have their own certifications from discipline specific agencies.

There is something within progressivism, which is now seemingly interchangeable with the gay rights movement, that demands uniformity. All rough edges must be sanded down and uniqueness is deemed a threat. Progressives make the box and everyone else has to fit into it or face the consequences. This is what undergirds Washington’s approach to education (No Child Left Behind and Common Core are exhibits A and B) and health care (the Affordable Care Act), for example.

At least in those areas, major changes were precipitated by legislation–the people spoke through their elected officials. So far, and this is part of what distinguishes Obergefell from matters of race, the most dramatic changes began in, and culminated with, judicial mandates. The courts have been more than willing to chisel away anything that threatens the “dignity” of gay Americans. Given the emotional and open-ended nature of the Court’s formulation in Obergefell, it is unclear how this will go. Buckle up, fellow evangelicals. It is going to get bumpy.