Eliminating Religious Charities, By Making Them Less Religious

A story from last week, but I just saw it and pass it along for those in the same situation: Over 100 Groups Urge Congress to Preserve Religious Hiring Rights .

More than 100 religious organizations are urging members of Congress to reject pending legislation that would prohibit them from considering religion when hiring.

A letter — endorsed by such groups as World Vision, Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, U.S. conference of Catholic Bishops, and Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America — was delivered Wednesday . . . .

The provision states: “With respect to any activity to be funded (in whole or in part ) through an award of a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under this title or any other statutory authority of the Administration, the Administrator, or the Director of the Center involved, as the case may be, may not make such an award unless the applicant agrees to refrain from considering religion or any profession of faith when making any employment decision regarding an individual who is or will be assigned to carry out any portion of the activity. This paragraph applies notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law, including any exemption otherwise applicable to a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society.”

The emphases are mine. The bill is sponsored by a Kennedy, who thinks considering faith in hiring is discrimination.

The ceo of the famously effective Protestant ministry World Vision, Richard Stearns, warned that the bill ,

along with other calls for Congress to eliminate religious hiring exemptions during its fall session, would jeopardize countless charities, “and, more importantly, the people they serve.”

“Too much is at stake,” he said, to allow charities’ hiring rights to be sacrificed for political gain. “Our nation needs religious charities. For decades, we have relied on and benefited from religious charities receiving federal grants.” Undermining such groups’ essential identity, he continued, is a step towards eliminating them entirely.

The provision is a bad one, but it also raises the question of whether we ever should have relied upon religious charities receiving federal grants. Money comes with strings, even if the strings aren’t pulled for decades, and at some point the strings can turn into nooses.