[2] In the spring of 1985, Craig Albert, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, mentioned his idea of forming a Christian fraternity to his friends who were involved in the Campus Crusade for Christ.

[6] The purpose of the fraternity was to "equip and empower college Christian men to live faithfully and lead courageously".

[8][9] The largest Island Party was held at the Iota chapter at Baylor University on April 20, 2007; the band Switchfoot was the headliner and attendance was estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

[13] The fraternity's name, Beta Upsilon Chi, was selected from the Greek letters ΒΥΧ to stand for Brothers Under Christ.

[15] In the early spring of even-numbered years, the entire fraternity is called together for the National Summit, typically held outside of Dallas, Texas.

The event includes Bible studies, worship, fellowship, athletic competitions, and seminars on fraternity issues.

The board also comprises the governing body of the Beta Upsilon Chi corporation, a 501(c)(3) organization, which controls the assets of the fraternity.

Since its inception in 1985, chapters of Beta Upsilon Chi have chosen not to affiliate with the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at the school where they are established.

[20] As a result, depending on the university, each chapter is either registered as a social fraternity unassociated with the IFC or as a student organization.

All ΒΥΧ members are a part of cell groups that consist of four to six brothers and pledges who meet weekly for social activities and Bible study.

[22] After months of negotiation between university officials, student officers of the local chapter, and officials at the fraternity's national headquarters, attorneys with the Christian Legal Society and Alliance Defense Fund filed a civil rights suit on December 5, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia against the university on behalf of the fraternity.

[23] On December 10, 2006, the Associated Press reported that the university would "remove the religion clause from the [university's anti-discrimination] policy for the Christian fraternity to settle this particular situation and is discussing an exception to religious discrimination [that] could be put into place much like an exception to gender discrimination is in place for same-sex social fraternities and sororities.

In December 2006, a university administrator notified the chapter that it would have to abide by campus prohibitions on discrimination based on "race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability" or status as a Vietnam War veteran.

[27][28][29] On July 10, 2007, the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom and the Christian Legal Society filed a lawsuit on behalf of Beta Upsilon Chi against officials of the university for various constitutional violations.

[34] According to the Hustler, the ΒΥΧ code of conduct prohibits homosexuality, fornication, or adultery, citing I Corinthians 6:15-20 and Hebrew 13:4.

[33] In 1988, women from University of Texas established Sigma Phi Lambda or Sisters for the Lord as a "female version of ΒΥΧ.