A Christian university has cancelled a speech by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on the grounds that it would create further division.

Grand Canyon University in Phoenix said in a statement that their goal was to “use our position as a Christian university to bring unity to a community that sits amidst a country that is extremely divided.”

In light of the division in America and the high volume of rhetoric, the university aims to posture itself in an action-oriented way in order to contribute to community-building and solving problems in society. To do that, the school has developed a plan to collaborate with groups like Habitat for Humanity to rebuild the inner-city, reducing crime in their neighborhood through a $1.6 million partnership with the city law enforcement to pay for police overtime.

While GCU’s goal may have been preventing disunity, it’s important to recognize they don’t actually disagree with Shapiro’s beliefs. They even said “We believe in many of the things that Ben Shapiro speaks about and stands for, including his support for ideals that grow out of traditional Judeo-Christian values and his belief in a free market economy.” (Do they also support his belief that paying taxes and tuition means “you’re sponsoring the militant homosexual agenda”?)

Ironically, many GCU students are complaining that cancelling the speech was in itself a divisive act. If the school wanted to focus on bringing people together, while supporting many of his troubling positions, then it seems they made a terrible mistake: The student body seems more than happy to bond over a shared interest in controlling women and bashing Democrats, among other deplorable “values.”

(Screenshot via YouTube)

