Psalm 100, whose mission is “to spread the joy of the Lord through song,” operates under a constitution based on Biblical standards, and the group concluded that Thomason’s views on the group’s constitution did not match up with its standards.

Psalm 100, a Christian a cappella group at the University of North Carolina, struck a few dissonant chords around the Chapel Hill campus this past week when its members voted to expel a fellow singer because of his views on homosexuality. The decision to remove openly gay student Will Thomason sparked a backlash against the group and prompted school officials to launch an anti-discrimination investigation.

Psalm 100 is just the latest Christian student group to run afoul of school policies that favor inclusion and tolerance over freedom of religion.

Critics are lambasting the group for its “intolerance” in posts to its Facebook page and letters to the campus newspaper, which first reported the story, but Psalm 100’s members say they made their decision only after many tears and lots of prayer.

Blake Templeton, general director of the group, said the decision was tough, especially because so many people thought it was done out of hatred.

“That’s so far from the truth,” he said. “I want the power of God’s love to be so, so clear.”

Templeton stressed that the group made its decision out of love for Thomason, not hate.

Joseph Shelley, a sophomore in the group, said the decision was the most difficult he had ever had to make. Two members quit after the vote, leaving the group with eight singers.