Professor Nicholas Giordano, host of The P.A.S. Report Podcast and a Campus Reform fellow, appeared on the show "America's Hope with Kelly Wright" on NTD News for a nearly half-hour interview. The topic was the Department of Education and what Giordano called its "targeting" of Christian colleges and universities.
"Christian colleges and universities serve 10% of the student population," Giordano stated. "Yet [in] the Department of Education, [through] their Office of Enforcement, 70% of their fines have been levied against Christian universities. So that doesn't make any sense."
Giordano said in addition, the fines levied against Christian universities are three times higher than those against other private or public institutions.
"The average fine for a Christian university is approximately $833,000, whereas the average fine for a non-Christian university is $215,000," he reported. "We see the disparity, and this goes to the heart of America's identity. It goes to the heart of our nation's founding, where you're not supposed to be targeted based on your religious beliefs.
"But what we're witnessing – under the direction of Miguel Cardona, the Secretary of Education – is that if you deviate from the leftist orthodoxy, you are going to be targeted by this administration."
Since Biden took office, notably large fines have been levied against two of the nation's most prominent Christian universities: Grand Canyon University ($37.7 million) and Liberty University ($14 million).
Giordano admitted he doesn't know why the Biden administration has levied most of its attacks against Christian colleges, but he pointed out that Christian orthodoxy goes against the progressive agenda, the DEI initiatives, and left-wing ideologies – all of which are characteristic of that administration.
Giordano accused the administration of taking long-held biblical beliefs and demonizing people who hold to them.
"They basically deem them as hateful – [and argue that] if you don't accept the ideology and the narrative that the administration puts forward, well then, you're not engaging in free speech, you're engaging in hate speech. And that's the way they're targeting Christian universities."
According to Giordano, many Christian universities are pushing back by appealing the fines that have been levied against them. Still, he explained, that's an "uphill battle" because of the numerous "leftist judges who are in place."
