The American Psychological Association has backed away from a controversial plan that would have cost some religious colleges accreditation of their post-graduate psychology programs. Under the proposal put forward earlier this year, colleges that employ only teachers of a particular faith, or which give preference to students of that faith, would lose APA accreditation of their doctoral and postdoctoral psychology courses.

“In effect, colleges would have faced the unacceptable choice between maintaining their distinctly religious character or losing their APA accreditation,” explains James Standish, legislative affairs director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Standish, who represented the Adventist Church in a broad coalition of religious and civil rights groups opposed to the APA proposal, says the decision is a significant victory for religious freedom.

“There is growing pressure against the longstanding right of religious institutions to hire only those who share a common religious vision,” says Standish. “Religiously affiliated schools, hospitals, and even administrative offices, are being confronted more often with the argument that they should not have the right to ‘discriminate’ on the basis of faith.” In some instances, even employee or student codes of conduct which prohibit sex outside of marriage have been attacked for discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or preference, he adds.

Standish says the United States Department of Education supported the religious colleges against the APA proposal, writing that the psychology departments at religious colleges serve an “important educational role” and should be allowed to “administer their admissions and hiring policies in keeping with their religious tenets.”

Standish calls the APA decision “a significant win.” Students graduating from unaccredited post-graduate psychology programs find it more difficult to gain state licenses and face limited employment prospects.