With a court’s rejection of a petition to re-hear a case involving three former World Vision employees, the Christian organization recently won legal protection to hire people who share the same faith.
After working several years for the Christian humanitarian organization, Silvia Spencer, Ted Youngberg and Vicki Hulse sued World Vision for being terminated in 2007 because they no longer agreed with the organization’s statement of faith, specifically concerning the sanctity of the Trinity.
“Today’s ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for any Christian organization in the United States that wants to hire and prefers to hire only people of the same faith,” explains Dean Owen, spokesperson for World Vision. “It also, of course, can be applicable to organizations of other faiths, whether they’re Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, etc.”
The court ruled 2-1 last August that World Vision qualifies as a religious organization under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, thereby upholding the terminations.
“It certainly reaffirms the right of faith-based groups to hire like-minded [people] who share the same faith,” Owen adds. “So for Christian organizations who indeed have that hiring policy, this is indeed very, very good news. This goes far beyond World Vision.”
He explains that anyone who applies for employment at World Vision is screened for Christian beliefs. Applicants are asked about their relationship with Jesus Christ, their spiritual journey, and their understanding of biblical principles.
(Source: OneNewsNow)