A Christian organization serving the homeless is suing Washington state officials to protect “its constitutional right to hire employees who share the same religious beliefs.”
Yakima Union Gospel Mission is a Christ-centered homeless shelter that has served the community for 86 years, offering medical supplies, meals, shelter, and recovery programs to those in need.
The Washington Supreme Court recently re-examined state law to prevent religious groups from hiring only those people who share their beliefs.
Alliance Defending Freedom, the group representing the homeless shelter said in a statement, “State officials are threatening the mission with significant penalties for using its constitutionally protected right to hire employees who share the ministry’s religious beliefs.”
Now, Yakima Union Gospel Mission is taking officials to court to ensure it can hire Christian staff members to live out its biblical mission.
Mike Johnson, CEO of Yakima Union Gospel Mission, told CBN’s Faithwire that “Religious organizations are free to hire people who share their beliefs. That’s what makes us a religious organization. The functional benefits of that for us as a rescue mission are really important because … we are a community of Christ. We are people relating to each other around the person of Jesus.”