Religious Hiring’s Status Quo Victory
A 2-1 ruling by Ninth Circuit affirms World Vision’s right to consider religious beliefs in employment. But questions over faith-based hiring practices and government funding seem far from settled. Online exclusive published Aug. 26.
What if?
That was the question asked repeatedly by evangelical organizations as the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals weighed an employment discrimination lawsuit against World Vision, one of the nation’s largest faith-based charitable organizations.
What if the Ninth Circuit—known for sometimes producing liberal panels and results—ruled against World Vision’s practice of hiring only employees who conform to the organization’s statement of orthodox Christian faith?
But on August 23, World Vision and advocates such as Stanley Carlson-Thies, president of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, claimed victory.
“In a way, I guess you could say it’s like the dog that didn’t bark,” Carlson-Thies said after a 2-1 ruling by the Ninth Circuit in World Vision’s favor.
The Ross News 