A warning for all Christian organizations

Secular progressivism is a religion whose high priests would demand absolute power. We can see it in the government overlords who deny funding to Christian organizations and refuse to accommodate religious parents.

In Maine, a private Christian school lost access to choice vouchers after the state changed requirements to exclude schools with a “religious perspective.” In Minnesota, public schools refused requests from Muslim parents to offer an opt out for lessons on LGBTQ themes. And in Michigan, one of the country’s most significant Christian adoption and foster care organizations lost funding for its long-time refugee resettlement program. Now, that organization is suing the state for religious discrimination.

Like many religious organizations, Bethany Christian Services requires employees to sign a statement of faith. This one is a simple replication of the Apostle’s Creed. But this is too much for the Office of Global Michigan (OGM), an arm of the state that works to help resettle refugees and provide funding to entities that do.

Despite the First Amendment protecting religious hiring practices, OGM officials concluded that the requirement for a statement of faith violates the law. They’re making the rules up as they go.

It’s the first time that funding has been cut since Bethany became a contractor for the state in 1981. The decision blocks vital services for vulnerable immigrant families and puts jobs at risk as the organization scrambles to assess financials in the wake of this unexpected blow.

Bethany’s decision to fight was right, given that Christian organizations and churches increasingly face religious liberty perils. This case should sound warning bells for every faith-based organization in the country, many already in jeopardy for their stances on same-sex marriage. Ironically, Bethany capitulated to cultural pressure to place foster and adoptive children with LGBTQ parents. But that wasn’t enough to satisfy the secular pastors of progressive purity.

Fighting back—and winning—at this point is essential, as it will set a precedent for future religious liberty cases in the state. Leftists might say Michigan’s decision is merely a matter of “separation of church and state,” but this is a faulty understanding of the concept. The First Amendment’s protection of religion was set to ensure faith groups were safe from religious discrimination, not that the government would blacklist them from grant funding.

“Federal law affirms that Muslim nonprofits can hire Muslims, Jewish nonprofits can hire people of Jewish faith, and Christian nonprofits can hire Christians,” said Nhung Hurst, general counsel for Bethany Christian Services.

There’s not much Michigan can say in return—what Hurst says is true.

Requiring employees to sign a statement of faith is common in most religious organizations. Opposing this practice violates the organization’s freedom to conduct its work in accordance with its faith.

Billions of dollars are funneled annually through faith-based organizations to help vulnerable people worldwide. That’s why it’s so important to maintain the sacred value of religious liberty.

Catholic Charities alone received more than a billion dollars in 2023, which was used to fund housing, disaster relief, access to food, work development programs, medical services, and much more. The organization does so based on Catholic Social Teaching and in the name of God. So do thousands of other groups serving the needy. If the government starts stripping funding for a required statement of faith, we will see the quality and quantity of care decrease significantly.

Christians do this work because they’re called by God and on a mission with a higher purpose. They will not deny the God whom they serve to appease the government—or at least they shouldn’t.

It’s the “religious” who privately care for the poor and vulnerable best—and most. Putting that responsibility to the government or non-religious groups would result in disaster.

There’s a reason Christians founded the first hospitals, orphanages, and social services like the YMCA, the Salvation Army, and the Children’s Aid Society. God grafted His heart into ours, and believers display that to the world through these callings. They always have and always will.

As governments attempt to silence faith-based groups, Christians must stand up even if it is difficult and costly. The priests of progressivism can try to shut us down, but we already know He’s building His church, and “the gates of Hell shall not stand against it.”