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Christianity Today, June, 2009 |

Stopping Discrimination

Proposed EU law may force out faith-based social services.

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra | posted 5/20/2009 10:59AM

Under an anti-discrimination directive passed by the European Union Parliament in April, Christian churches, schools, and social services in Europe cannot limit their membership to those who share their ...

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Joe	Posted: May 28, 2009 11:29 AM


This is ironic. In the name of anti-discrimination, the EU discriminates against Christianity. The US is fast approaching the same policy. This should not be a surprise to Christians. The Bible and church history tell us that this is the norm. The world hates Christians because they hate Christ first.

Jim Sparks

Posted: May 22, 2009 11:36 PM

Carl Townsend, Having read Senate Bill 909, I must say that you are totally and completely WRONG. The act refers to: FREE EXPRESSION- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual’s expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely upon an individual’s membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs. This means that free speach, preaching against Homosexuality or teaching what the Bible says on such subjects will not be prosecuted. The does refer to what will be prosecuted. It is those who: "willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person". Simply expressing your opinion will not bring prosecution, for it is merely an opinion which causes no bodily injury. May I suggest taht before you continue to stir up fear and panic, please read the act.

Ted Voth Jr

Posted: May 22, 2009 12:40 AM

'Blessed are you when men persecute you and revile you and say all kinds of things about you falsely for my sake for great is your reward in heaven, for that's the way they treated the prophets who were before you.' 'My Kingdom is not a worldly kingdom or my servants would fight.' This is just some of the fall-out of the devil's second-best trick, the Constantinian Establishment, which effectively utterly corrupted the Church, and which the deist Jefferson and his contemporary Baptists attempted to finally undo. I'd say any Christian who tried to restore the establishment, as under the Cheney and Obama admins with publically funded faith-based initiatives, was a d*mned fool, but that's a contradiction in terms.

Steve Skeete

Posted: May 21, 2009 4:13 PM

Someone suggested, that should this EU initiative become law Christian missionaries should flood moslem schools with applications. My response? What is to prevent moslem "missionaries" from doing the same? In fact, given the "reverence" with which Islam is regarded in Europe there is every likelihood that the initiative will have little effect on moslem institutions. I would however, ask the Christian family not to be careful not to fear this or any similar initiative. Of course, Christians who are European citizens should use what freedoms they still have to fight against any such "initiative". Should their protestations fall on death ears, they need to understand that the Church has endured under every form of govermental "regulation" and social oppression known to mankind. In fact, there is a belief, to which I subscribe, that the Church is at its strongest when politically it is at it weakest. Persecution and oppression has always brought out the best in the Church.

MonkeyBoy

Posted: May 21, 2009 2:57 PM

Here is something currently happening in the United States that I don't think is legal. New Life Church, a Mega-Church in Colorado Springs has as a profit center a 'food court'. An advertisement [1] for a cook to work there requires the cook to join NLC and tithe (kick back 10% of salary). A short order cook has no religious role and is mostly hidden away from the congregation in the kitchen. If a cook need a job why should he be required to tithe? [1] www.newlifechurch.org/db_images2/Cafe%20Grill-Prep%20Cook%20PT.pdf

Kieran Gaya

Posted: May 21, 2009 2:43 PM

Paul, I currently live in Europe, I have lived and worked also in the U.S. I am a citizen of nowhere and everywhere. I am doing my dissertation on civil religion, fascism, etc. and I agree with you. I get very sad when I see my Christian brethren in America unable to discern between the civil religion in which they participate and actual Christianity.We could discuss this further but I am praying and hoping that we will see things move towards growth and away from imposing "moral law" on others. Why are Americans so worried about homosexuals and not about the lying and cheating that happens in business - or the invalidity of the death penalty, etc. etc? I think parents are afraid to tell their children that God hates even the "white lie" and the "false advertisements" AS MUCH as He may possibly hate "homosexual behaviour".... they are all listed as abominations.... Ok - that's my rant for the day - I'd better get back to looking at history... and possibly learning something from it.

Kozak

Posted: May 21, 2009 11:34 AM


No, Paul, you don't understand. This prohibits Christian schools from only hiring Christian teachers. In theory, it could force a church to hire a Muslim Imam as pastor. Mostly, it seems intended to force secularization even into Christian bastions.

Paul	Posted: May 21, 2009 9:29 AM

Just so I am understanding this premise. Christians are afraid that the state does not support their religious programs? Here in the U.S., we had a National Day of Prayer a few weeks ago. A National Day of Prayer, centered around a flag pole? It is not the separation of church and state--nor the joining of church and state which is problematic--it is Civil Religion which has so many insidious implications for how Christians engage culture, society, and state. I definitely love Bonhoeffer who dismantled the view of simple tolerance, but also believed that we as Christians must stand with the oppressed, the poor, and the outcasts of the world. Civil Religion or a National Day of Prayer does not recognize this fact. If this EU law passes, it should help Christians develop some ortho(praxy) and not only rely on their ortho(doxy). Peace!

MC	Posted: May 21, 2009 8:30 AM


This is leading to the logical conclusion of a one world religious system. If every path is a path to God and we can all agree to take the "fundamentalism" out of the various beliefs then this is less of a problem - right? Stand for Christ in these days folks - HE is the ONLY way to salvation - faith in our Lord Jesus Christ

Ray Gorton

Posted: May 21, 2009 3:16 AM


Our organization is watching these developments closely. Should it be ratified by all E.U. members, we will be flooding the application process to place Christian teachers and other workers into Islamic schools and mosques throughout European countries, including Turkey should they join the E.U. Ray G., Director, Mission to the Muslims

CHaplain Mary Murphy

Posted: May 20, 2009 6:03 PM


Why we need VOUCHERS FOR VETERANS The War Widows Veteransjustice@aol.com

gdp	Posted: May 20, 2009 5:27 PM

Tying Church and State together, and there to the social services within an ideological framework, like "Christian communism", always produces nefarious results; a brand of "Christianity" always having argued for the instrumentality of the state, and there to at least tolerating tyranny. Ideology and Christianity do not work in harness, the latter always suffering. Our Constitution enables private discrimination, the contention to the contrary a willful subversion in pursuit of delusion. The elimination of private discrimination, apart from its central role in intelligence, if only to legitimize the "abominable", leads to social consequences we've seen before in every reaction to the "perversity" of "unbelief", and there to the torture imposed to extract the confession, it being no wonder we are now seeing, here, the remergence even to the advocacy of what even 20 years ago was perceived as outright unlawful, and there to the waterboarding. Beware.

Adam S

Posted: May 20, 2009 5:13 PM

Carl have you read SB 909. It specifically only covers violent crime. It is very clear that speech is protected and has specific exclusions for free exercise of religion and freedom of speech as defined by the constitution. It may be a bad bill (I wouldn't support it) but it does not criminalize any action or speech that is not violent and would not already be considered a felony if carried out. To say anything else is just not truthful. We as Christians are continually crying wolf about legislation. If we keep it up, when something is actually serious people will not be listening.

David

Posted: May 20, 2009 4:39 PM


This kind of stuff has to happen. Fear not true believers. Look to the sky, for Christ IS on the way.

Carl Townsend

Posted: May 20, 2009 4:36 PM

It is already here: All Christians need to fight Senate Bill 909. And we need to act now!!!! We are on the threshold of seeing our Pastors, Bible Study Teachers, Seminary Profs., friends and ourselves arrested and prosecuted for teaching biblical truth opposing homosexuality. A really bad bill has reached the U.S. Senate and every Christian in America needs to know about it and fight it. I'm contacting every Christian on my email list, send this message out to every Christian you know! Senate Bill 909 which criminalizes any action or speech which creates "real or perceived" threats felt by homosexuals is currently before our U.S. Senate and h as strong support from the dominant Democrat majority. Christian leaders are calling it "The Pedophile Protection Act" among other descriptors. This bill if passed, creates a special protected class of citizens, namely anyone who may fall within a Gay lifestyle. (www.creatingnewworlds.org)

Charitas

Posted: May 20, 2009 3:26 PM


This is coming to Church ministries in USA as well, at least those that accept money from the government. The best way to avoid government supervision of policy, practices and doctrine is to never accept money in the fashion of Fath Based Intitiative.

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