Shorter University administrators had to cancel classes at the small Christian college in North Georgia on Thursday after someone called in a bomb threat.

The school, operated by the Georgia Baptist Convention, has faced withering criticism in recent weeks after announcing its board of trustees had adopted a new lifestyle policy for employees. The policy, which all employees must sign in order to keep their jobs, prohibits unbiblical sexual activity, including homosexuality, and drinking in public.

University President Donald Dowless told Atlanta's 11 Alive News neither he nor the board would back away from the policy, despite the opposition pouring in from all over the world.

"No, our core convictions won't change, but we're still open to dialoging with people, discussing with people who we are as an institution," he told the TV station.

While students have cleared off campus, opponents of the policy planned to gather outside the school's front gates to protest on Friday morning. Protestors, led by retired professor Betty Zane Morris, expect to be joined by alumni, current faculty members and students.

When it adopted the lifestyle policy, which does not apply to students, Shorter's board also adopted policies covering its philosophy for Christian education, biblical principles on the integration of faith and learning and a statement of faith. Employees will be required to sign all four new policies.

Shorter, located in Rome, Ga., has about 300 employees.

Although media reports have implied Shorter's policy is unusual, Dowless told 11 Alive News other schools - North Greenville, Wheaton College, Notre Dame and Brigham Young - had similar rules.