Another government agency penalized a Christian ministry for hiring only those individuals who share the ministry’s faith.
It never ends, and it is a losing argument for the government. America has enshrined a guarantee of religious freedom, and courts have been interpreting the law the right way.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) reported the settlement of a lawsuit filed by Gracehaven ministry against the Department of Job and Family Services in Montgomery County, Ohio.
As any religious ministry would, Gracehaven, which helps sex trafficking victims, limits hiring to individuals who share the organization’s faith and mission. From ADF:
Founded in 2008, Gracehaven’s sex-trafficking prevention and rehabilitation work is done through a variety of programs and services, including Gracehaven’s state-licensed therapeutic group homes. The group homes provide a trauma-informed treatment model designed to meet the needs of young sex-trafficking survivors, who often struggle with serious emotional or behavioral consequences from their abuse. Girls are placed in Gracehaven’s group homes through the foster-care system, which is administered at the county level.
Montgomery County, which apparently did not care about this good and much-needed work, cut off Gracehaven’s public funding for exclusive hiring.
According to ADF, a federal court ruled last April that Gracehaven could continue helping victims of sex trafficking while the case proceeded. The court contended that the ministry was likely to succeed on the merits.
Rather than fighting an expensive and losing battle, defending religious discrimination in court, Montgomery County chose to settle the lawsuit to the tune of $120,000.
“The government can’t deny public benefits to a Christian ministry that is caring for young survivors of sex trafficking solely because of its religious character and exercise,” said Jack Reed, the ADF lawyer who argued the case in court. “Gracehaven is a force for good, providing comprehensive care, support, and a safe place to call home for the most vulnerable girls in Ohio.”
Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom
