Gordon College in Massachusetts and Trinity Western University in British Columbia are both having their accreditation reviewed over their policies regarding gay and lesbian students and faculty.

Is it ethical to use accreditation — traditionally a judge of a college’s competency and credibility — to enforce the currently popular cultural worldview? Or is it just a gross misuse of power?

David Wilezol at Minding the Campus has the story:

Accreditors Are Now Enforcing Political Orthodoxy

Since the 19th century, regionally-based accrediting bodies that use peer-based evaluation have determined which colleges and universities can stay open. Knowing the power that these agencies hold, schools usually march in lockstep to accommodate them. After all, the consequence of losing accreditation means a loss of federal funds (most commonly, student loan dollars). The mission of most accreditation agencies is firmly concerned with issues of academic and financial quality. But what happens if an accreditation agency decides to impose an ideological standard on a school as well?

This is effectively the question that Gordon College, an evangelical school in Massachusetts, now confronts. The Boston Globe reports that New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) has decided to review GC’s accreditation after examining the school’s longstanding practice on not hiring gays and lesbians. The move comes after GC President D. Michael Lindsay, along with 14 other religious leaders, sent a letter to the White House requesting a religious exemption to a forthcoming executive order barring federal contractors from hiring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.