Rooting Out Bias

We can continue to pray for open doors to share the gospel and open hearts to receive. We have been through the Lenten season, and the celebration of Easter has been all around us and present within the culture. We have the chance to really make it count, to demonstrate the presence of the risen Lord. In Colossians 4, Paul writes:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Throughout the past few years, I have related instances to you where governmental entities have shown hostility toward people of faith.  But, a recent Politico article indicates a different sort of story, opening up with these words:

The Trump administration has ordered State Department employees to report on any instances of coworkers displaying “anti-Christian bias” as part of its effort to implement a sweeping new executive order on supporting employees of Christian faith working in the federal government.

The department, according to a copy of an internal cable obtained by POLITICO, will work with an administration-wide task force to collect information “involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration” and will collect examples of anti-Christian bias through anonymous employee report forms.

This document bore the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a task force was scheduled to meet yesterday. Michael Farris, General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters, was present and testified at the meeting - he offers his comments in this Facebook post.  Attorney General Bondi, on her website, gave a summary of the meeting. The Politico article goes on to state:

The department instructions say that examples of anti-Christian bias will be collected to meet the requirements of the executive order but that the department also will collect examples of anti-religious bias of all forms for its internal purposes.

“Although the E.O. focuses on anti-Christian bias, targeting anyone for their religious beliefs is discriminatory and is contrary to the Constitution” and various federal laws, the notice states.

Politico states:

The executive order Trump issued in February tasks all federal agencies to root out “anti-Christian bias” from the government.

In an age in which there have been attempts to curtail freedom of religious expression, this comes as a welcome development.  CBS News included this content from the cable that was sent out: 

"The task force is soliciting examples of anti-religious bias, particularly from the past four years, where the Department targeted anyone for their religion, including discrimination, harassment, exclusion, disciplinary action, adverse security clearance determinations, or any other adverse action, or in retaliation for exercising their religious rights," the cable said. "This includes anti-religious bias committed by department employees in their official duties against members of the public."

Examples of potential violations include formal or informal actions taken against a person because they requested religious accommodation "from taking mandatory vaccines or observing religious holidays" and "mistreatment for refusing to participate in events and activities that promoted themes inconsistent with or hostile to one's religious beliefs, including policies or practices related to preferred personal pronouns," according to the cable.

Again, this content is a reminder of the unjust punishment that Christians have been subjected to and the attempt by the government to restore a more Constitutional viewpoint.  It shows why we, according to 1st Timothy 2, should pray for our leaders, that we should be left alone to practice our faith.  While we recognize that those who live a life of godliness should expect persecution, it is not right for government agencies and authorities to be the ones doing the persecuting - they have been established by God in order to carry out His mission, to reward good and punish evil.

But, ultimately, God is our protector - He will vindicate us, even when man's authority might not. But, we are living in an age where there is a great opportunity for Christians to practice our faith openly - from the removal of the years-long Lemon test in a course that furthered hostility to religion to a signs such as this one in which government officials have welcomed religious expression.  Now, we can consider how we can leverage this opportunity to see people come to Christ.