On March 9, 2015, a diverse group of leaders of faith-based organizations, religious leaders, and religious freedom experts wrote to the Senate opposing proposed bill language that would hamper or bar faith-based organizations from a large proportion of federally funded service programs.

The clause in S. 262, a bill to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), is said to be necessary to ensure that LGBT young people are not excluded from, nor mistreated by, services funded by the federal government. Yet the clause in the bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and others, would obstruct participation by many faith-based organizations, not only in this federal program but in all the programs administered by the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. That’s a very large set of programs. Moreover, the clause wrongly presumes that only organizations that care little about religion and that applaud LGBT conduct can be trusted to serve youth and others in need.

Yet, as the letter says, “Every day, many faith-based organizations, large and small, here and overseas, serve, in partnership with the federal government, a wide range of persons and families that do not share the convictions and conduct of the organizations. They do it because of, not despite, their religious commitments. The last thing that the Senate should do is discourage their involvement in federal programs.”

Organizations joining the letter, which was drafted by IRFA, include:

• the National Association of Evangelicals,
• Agudath Israel of America,
• Esperanza,
• National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC/CONELA),
• the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability,
• Christian Legal Society,
• Association of Gospel Rescue Missions,
• International Religious Liberty Institute (Seventh Day Adventist),
• Bethany Christian Services,
• World Vision, and the
• Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Church-state experts include Professors Rick Garnett and Dan Philpott of the University of Notre Dame, Carl Esbeck of the University of Missouri, and James Davids of the Regent University School of Law. Ron Sider, President Emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action also signed.