Government intrusion on the faith-based community must stop


Churches and faith-based organizations often serve as lifelines for the most vulnerable members of society. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, church groups and other faith-based groups from as far away as Texas had members travel to Fort Myers, Florida to help feed residents devastated by the storm. So why, Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker wonders, would anyone stop such groups from offering aid to those who need it? She says government intrusion on the faith-based community must stop.

One of those places of concerns is Casper, Wyoming. Recently, the Wyoming Rescue Mission sued the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – the EEOC – and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, in order to protect themselves after federal officials threatened to retaliate over the ministry for refusing to hire a person who does not share in their faith. These are faith-based organizations, hello?

In 2020, the mission refused to hire a “self-proclaimed ‘non-Christian’” for a thrift store that’s associated with their job to serve the people in need. As they state, this is a role that is expected to teach the mission’s discipleship, the recovery program. The guests that are in the program, they want to help them spread the gospel and model Christ so that person can recover their life. That is the mission of the mission! So people that work in their thrift stores must agree with that mission.

As noted by their legal representation, last year they served:

  • 60,862 free meals to the public.
  • They provided 41,037 beds for men, women and children to get a good night’s sleep.
  • They offered 5,597 case management sessions.
  • And gave 1,208 thrift store vouchers for free clothing and essentials, worth over $39,000.

They’re serving their communities, those who are in need and it doesn’t matter what religion or faith that that person in need has…but it matters to the people providing the service because they want to spread the gospel.

Why get in their way? Why would anyone, let alone the government, want to interfere on the great work this mission and others around the country are doing? 

Ask any of the men, women, and children who slept in one of those 41 thousand beds to get a good night’s sleep, whether they thought this mission needed government intrusion to slow down their services was important. They got a good night’s sleep.

Yet this keeps happening over and over again in our nation. That government intrudes on the faith community that’s just trying to do their mission to serve those most at need.