About 150 religious leaders, in a June 11 letter, told U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of their “grave concern” about the creation of a “two-class concept of religious organizations” that Obamacare regulators created to determine which religious groups must subsidize contraceptives and abortifacients and which may not.  They wrote: 

“We we are united in opposition to the creation in federal law of two classes of religious organizations: churches—considered sufficiently focused inwardly to merit an exemption and thus full protection from the mandate; and faith-based service organizations—outwardly oriented and given a lesser degree of protection.”

They pointed out that “both worship-oriented and service-oriented religious organizations are authentically and equally religious organizations.”   And they denied “that it is within the jurisdiction of the federal government to define, in place of religious communities, what constitutes true religion and authentic ministry.” 

These religious leaders complained to Sebelius that “this two-class scheme protects those religious organizations focused on activities directed inward to a worship community while offering little religious freedom protection to the many religious organizations that engage in service directed outward. The scheme honors acts of worship while burdening those whose faith leads them to service in our common life.”

The religious leaders implored Sebelius to “eliminate the two-class scheme of religious organization” and to “extend to faith-based service organizations the same exemption that the regulations currently limit to churches.”  They concluded:  “Secretary Sebelius, please restore the federal government’s full respect for faith-based educational, social-service, and health organizations as authentic vehicles for religious service.”

 

 

 

 

 

The letter was organized by Stanley Carlson-Thies, President of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance.

Prominent evangelical signers included: 

Sandra C. Gray, President, Asbury University

Steve Cramer, President, Bethel College

James H Barnes III, President , Bethel University

Kenneth D. Hunn, Executive Director, The Brethren Church

David Neff, Editor in chief, Christianity Today

David Wilson, General Secretary, Church of the Nazarene

Phil Whipple, Bishop, Church of the United Brethren in Christ

Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action

Richard J. Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary

Kenneth A. Smith, President, Geneva College

Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals

Galen Carey, Vice President, Government Relations , National Association of Evangelicals

Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Commissioner William A. Roberts, National Commander, The Salvation Army – USA

Stephan J. Bauman, President/CEO, World Relief

Richard Stearns, President, World Vision, Inc.