Source: Religion News Service
WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2010: A day after ordering a host of changes to the White House’s faith-based office, President Obama is facing mounting criticism for keeping in place Bush-era policies that allow faith-based social service providers to hire and fire based on religion.
Theissue is whether religious groups that receive federal grants can hire and fire employees based on religious affiliation. The Bush administration supported that policy, but Obama campaigned against it as a candidate. The White House said such questions will be handled on a case-by-case basis by the Justice Department.
“This admittedly divisive issue cannot be kicked down the road forever,” said J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. “The president missed an opportunity on this point. It’s simply wrong for the government to subsidize religious discrimination.”