MinistryWatch: 'Proposed State Department Rules Could Limit Work of Christian Humanitarian Groups'

By Kim Roberts

Several Christian ministries are raising concerns about a proposed addition to Department of State regulations that would limit the employment decisions of those accepting foreign assistance.

The Accord Network, Samaritan’s Purse, Christian Legal Society, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, along with others, filed an official comment about the proposed changes.

The proposal “expressly states that recipients and subrecipients receiving Department-funded foreign assistance funds must not discriminate on specified bases against end users of supplies or services (also referred to in this rule as beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries) or in certain employment decisions.”

The Christian ministries agree that they should not discriminate against beneficiaries, but have serious “concerns” about the rules governing employment decisions.

Many of these faith-based humanitarian ministries make employment decisions that are guided by religious beliefs to which they adhere.

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