Washington – The U.S. Justice Department recently disclosed a 2007 ruling by its Office of Legal Counsel that permitted the relief agency World Vision to keep a $1.5 million grant despite its policy of hiring only Christians.
World Vision successfully sought an exemption from a statute that requires grant recipients to refrain from hiring discrimination on the basis of religion. The grant was for a program aimed at reducing youth involvement in gangs.
“We determine that it is reasonable to conclude that requiring World Vision to comply with the nondiscrimination provision as a condition of receiving the grant would ‘substantially burden’ its religious exercise,” wrote Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Elwood in the opinion issued June 29, 2007.
Justice Department spokesman Erik Ablin said the delay between the signed opinion and its Oct. 14 publication online followed an “ordinary course” of review.
“The department stands strongly behind the opinion, which is narrowly drawn and carefully reasoned,” he said.
Robert Tuttle, law professor at George Washington University Law School, said the opinion is an “unusual and broad” reading of the view of “substantial burden” in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
He said it comes after unsuccessful attempts by the Bush administration and congressional Republicans to remove provisions in some statutes that restrict religious employers’ hiring practices.
“It certainly would open the door for a group to get a grant, then claim that they are entitled … to prefer people of their own faith,” he said of the opinion, which could be overridden by a legal decision made in the next administration.
The decision was criticized by Washington watchdog group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“Nobody expects a Baptist church to hire a Buddhist as its pastor,” wrote Joseph Conn, communications director for Americans United on the organization’s blog. “But it is not OK for the United States government to fund public-service jobs and then force applicants to submit to an inquisition to see if they’re eligible.”
World Vision’s Web site notes under its employment qualifications that U.S. applicants will be “screened for Christian commitment.”
In a statement, Richard E. Stearns, president of World Vision, U.S., said, “A faith-based organization can retain its identity through its hiring freedoms and still receive government funding.”
He said World Vision has a policy against proselytizing and does not discriminate in its delivery of services.
Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
Copyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
Beliefnet
Advertisement
posted October 23, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Quote: In a statement, Richard E. Stearns, President of World U.S.A., said “a faith-based organization can retain its identity through its hiring freedoms and still receive government funding.” He said World Vision has a policy against proselytizing and does not discriminate in its delivery of services. All of this would be all right if they didn’t object to who they hire for the job. When a person interviews for a position he or she has to be screened for Christian committment. This then brings theocracy into government if the government is financing a Grant of money to finance their organization. People are free to pick their employees, yes, but not to reject them because of the wrong religion or no religion. This is another example of why religious projects should not be mixed with government.
posted October 23, 2008 at 7:54 pm
The government knows it has been unable to do what many of the faith base organizations are able to do in helping and caring for people. Thank God we do still have an government that is interested in helping and caring for people that is the first cut some recent presidents have made. Christians in this country excel at helping and caring for people, we don’t discriminate in our helping or caring policies we are growing in maturity in these areas faster than any other faith-based organization. The government has been trying to honor this kind of altruism in it’s faith-based initiatives, people of little tolerance or understanding have been a hindrance in the cultivation of these types of relationships. Misunderstanding separation of church and state is the biggest piece of misinformation used to change this country from what made it successful into what it is now.
posted October 23, 2008 at 11:52 pm
What you say makes sense to me Henrietta.
posted October 24, 2008 at 1:34 am
Tell the people that World Vision helps that and then supply the help that your efforts would deny them. If I couldn’t help those people I would just not say anything to those who could and are willing, the government in this case is choosing to agree.
posted October 24, 2008 at 9:36 am
This group performs a valuable and laudable service. Forget the Justice Department though, they have been put into a difficult position, where strict adherence to the law of the land would deny funding to a group that does good.
My question would be to World Vision: Why do you feel it necessary to engage in hiring practices that endanger your funding? All you need is people committed to your functional mission, not your choice of organized religion. Shame on you for your position and your hiring requirements. You have compromised the goodness of your work.
posted October 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
IMO, it is not OK for the US government to be funding religious organizations. I’m sure the organization does good works, but there must be another source of funding…because the government shouldn’t be funding them.
posted October 24, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Their hiring practices keep them in on the forefront of the good work they do, it is who they are. Yes some of the largest helping organizations are Christian, any way you say that it has been apparent to the government from the time of the founders that “our” government needs these helping Christian organizations, they have helped us to be the great country we are. Small angry people who are angry at Christians don’t see the need that our founding fathers openly admitted, that would be a mistake especially in the state our nation is in at present. In order to be a Christian helping organization they need to hire Christians, that does not limit who they help. People need to get an understanding of the original reason for separation of church and state even why church is first in the phrase before they spout misinformation that limits our government’s effectiveness.
posted October 24, 2008 at 4:57 pm
cknuck: I agree their Christian princples are the reason the founders of the group embarked on this mission. However, their Christian principles should also remind them that their mission can be carried out by people of any (or no) faith.
If your definiton of “Christian Organization” is “an organization with membership open only to people who are members of a Christian religion”, then they are an exclusive club and have no business asking for government funding, no matter how virtuous their mission.
If your definition of “Christian Organization” is “an organization dedicated to activities of Social Justice that are embodied in Christian Principles”, then there is no reason they have to be staffed only by Christians.
People who want to be a part of the first type of group are just church members. People who want to belong to the second type of group are true disciples.
posted October 25, 2008 at 12:44 pm
methodistsearching, then the founding fathers were the same because they were mostly Christians and all believed in Jesus plus they had church in the very halls they governed from. Yet this great country grew to accept all not in spite of of Christian heritage but because of it. World Vision is no different, and if just ordinary people could do what they do then they would be doing it but they are not. Ben Franklin said “The government needs the religious” and so it does and people who do not realize the good Christians do are short sighted in their revolt against Christianity, the hold baby with the bath water thing.
posted October 27, 2008 at 10:03 am
cknuck: I don’t think you even get my point. the founding fathers were not “the same”, they did not define membership in a Christian Church as a requirement for citizenship or to be a member of the government. I am not engaging in a “revolt against Christianity” at all. (Witness my handle). I am challenging World Vision to state exactly why they need to discriminate in their hiring practices in order to accomplish their mission. If you are acting as their spokesperson, please go ahead and answer. Your comment about “if just ordinary people could do what they do” sounds like you think people who are members of a Christian Church are, simply by this membership, “extraordinary people”. Surely that is not what you mean?
posted October 27, 2008 at 5:55 pm
ms Not simply by membership but are they extraordinary but certainly by relationship with Christ yes they are and it is in this relationship that extraordinary organizations come to be. It is important to keep their focus on Christ to do the extraordinary things they do with the consistency in which they do good. I’ve witnessed your handle and I’ve witnessed your words they are miles apart. If one searches for Jesus it’s not hard to find Him and if one finds Him they would know the value and strength of being equally yoked, it’s impossible to do Christian work without Christians; what does Christian work look like, look at W.V.’s track record.