THE CENTER SQUARE—Georgia State University reversed its decision to prohibit a local Christian man from sharing his faith on campus after receiving a letter from religious liberty defense group First Liberty Institute.
“Georgia State University (‘GSU’) will allow Stephen Atkerson to speak with students on campus about his Christian faith when invited by students to engage in conversation,” First Liberty Institute said in a news release.
“First Liberty sent the university a demand letter in December urging the university to reverse its restrictions on Mr. Atkerson,” the release stated.
First Liberty is a legal organization dedicated to defending religious freedom, as stated on its website.
When asked how GSU responded to First Liberty’s letter, the group’s senior counsel Nate Kellum told The Center Square that “GSU acknowledged Stephen Atkerson’s rights and agreed to let him have consensual conversations with students on the campus.”
GSU “thought [Atkerson] had to stay in the [school’s] free speech zone to evangelize,” Kellum said.
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“More specifically, a GSU official told Atkerson he could not share his faith in the dining hall or anywhere other than the free speech zone, and then ordered him—with the backing of three armed police officers—to go back to the free speech zone, even though it was raining,” Kellum said.
In its release, First Liberty reported that “Atkerson visits the Clarkston Campus of GSU’s Perimeter College to share his Christian faith with interested students in the free speech area on campus,” with a goal of “friendly, one-on-one conversations with willing participants.”
“On several occasions, Atkerson met with one particular GSU student to discuss the Bible and various aspects of Christianity,” the release stated.
“When they moved to a table just outside the dining area due to the weather, the conversation abruptly ended when three police officers demanded he return immediately to the free speech area or be escorted off the campus,” according to the release.
“Now with the university’s actions, Atkerson has returned to the campus and is allowed to speak,” the release stated.
First Liberty’s letter to GSU outlined how the school’s actions infringed on Atkerson’s constitutional rights.
“GSU’s restrictions on Atkerson’s conversational religious speech contravene” his constitutional protections, the letter stated.
“Religious speech is constitutionally protected,” the letter stated. “Conversational speech is also safeguarded.”
The letter said, “Atkerson demands written assurance from GSU that university officials will immediately refrain from 1) prohibiting consensual conversations on GSU campus in the dining area or elsewhere and 2) prohibiting speakers in the free speech from approaching others.”
The letter was written to GSU President M. Brian Blake, Dean of Perimeter College Barbara Johnson, and GSU General Counsel Kerry Heyward.
The Center Square reached out to GSU Office of the President, Johnson, and Heyward multiple times each for comment, as well as GSU media relations, receiving no response.
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