Education · Lynchburg, VA Metro · August 15, 2026
Liberty University Student Sues Over Denial of State Aid for Worship Degree
First Liberty Institute and the National Legal Foundation have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of Bethany Hall, a Liberty University student in Lynchburg, Virginia. Hall qualified for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program, which provides up to $5,000 per year, while majoring in Music Education. When she changed her major to "Music & Worship," the state ruled her ineligible, citing a program exclusion for "religious training or theological education." Attorneys argue the exclusion is discriminatory and unconstitutional under the Free Exercise Clause, and are asking the Court to revisit its 2004 ruling in Locke v. Davey, which allowed states to exclude devotional theology degrees from scholarship funding. First Liberty's Jeremy Dys called the denial discriminatory based on major choice; National Legal Foundation's Steven Fitschen said funding a music degree while refusing to fund a worship degree is "odious to our Constitution." The petition was filed this week and awaits a decision on whether the Supreme Court will grant review.
Source: First Liberty Institute
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
This case tests whether the state can treat a Christian vocational calling as second-class simply because it is religious. Virginia funds a secular music degree but strips aid the moment a student's coursework becomes worship-oriented — a plain example of government hostility toward religious study rather than neutrality. For believers who see music ministry, worship leadership, and theological training as legitimate callings under God, this is not a fringe issue: it determines whether Christian students can pursue their vocation on equal footing with secular peers using public programs open to all. A Supreme Court reversal of Locke v. Davey would meaningfully expand religious liberty protections for students nationwide; a loss would entrench state power to penalize explicitly religious majors.
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From the book
Godly competence is the genuine article. It is technical proficiency submitted to the Lordship of Christ. We do not need fewer experts. We need Christian ones. We need Christians who teach reading better than their secular counterparts and who understand administrative law better than the bureaucrats do. Reclaiming a profession is not elitism. It is stewardship.
— Chapter 19, “Reclaiming Expertise”
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