Salvation Army

Mainstream Baptist
Talk To Action
May 17, 2006

The Salvation Army and Anne Lown

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/5/18/114123/724

I got my copy of Michelle Goldberg's Kingdom Coming yesterday and started reading this superb book last night.

One story that Michelle told stopped me in my tracks. The story disturbed me so much that I had to put the book down and walk around the block to lower my blood pressure. It was the story about the "Christianization" of the social services division of the Salvation Army.

Stephen Pizzo
News for Real
October 21, 2005

Welcome to Faith-Based America

Why not just streamline hiring at federally funded faith-based organizations by requiring that everyone's religious affiliation be tattooed on their arms?

As part of President Bush's "faith-based initiative," US taxpayers gave the Salvation Army's children services division $47 million this year -- 95% of its total budget. Several Salvation Army employees refused to take the Salvation Army's pledge "proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord," reveal which church they belong to or identify gay co-workers -- and were summarily fired.

Let's parse this event out. The money came from American taxpayers, many of whom are not Christians. Nevertheless the workers were fired for refusing to pledge allegiance to the Christian prophet. They were also fired for failing to disclose their own religious affiliations, if any. And finally, they were fired for refusing to rat out their co-workers.

Richard B. Schmitt
LA Times
March 6, 2005

Justice Unit Puts Its Focus on Faith

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-religion7mar07,0,3712918.story

A little-known civil rights office has been busily defending religious groups

...The Salvation Army was accused in a lawsuit of imposing a new religious litmus test on employees hired with millions of dollars in public funds. When employees complained that they were being required to embrace Jesus Christ to keep their jobs, the Justice Department's civil rights division took the side of the Salvation Army.

AP
February 23, 2004

Salvation Army Accused of Discrimination

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040225/D80TV1Q00.html

Current and former Salvation Army employees sued the organization famous for its red Christmas kettles Tuesday, alleging the government-funded group preached religious and sexual intolerance to its staff.

Washington Post
July 10, 2001

Bush Drops Rule On Hiring of Gays

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42827-2001Jul10.html

Democrats: 'Faith-Based' Initiative at Risk

One day after the Washington Post broke a story about how the Salvation Army had worked out a secret deal with the Republican Bush Administration that would have allowed them to discriminate against Gays - in exchange for them supporting the administration's so-called "Faithbased Initiative" and undertaking a $100,000 publicity campaign for it, the Bush Administration said yesterday that it "will not pursue the [Office of Management and Budget] regulation proposed by the Salvation Army and reported today."

The update also points out how the Salvation Army is technically a church, and already receives $300 million per year from government.

Also see:

Washington Post
July 9, 2001

Charity Cites Bush Help in Fight Against Hiring Gays

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37723-2001Jul9.html

Salvation Army Wants Exemption From Laws

The Bush administration is working with the nation's largest charity, the Salvation Army [Which - the report makes clear - already receives $300 million per year in government money], to make it easier for government-funded religious groups to practice hiring discrimination against gay people, according to an internal Salvation Army document.

...The report also offers an image of the Salvation Army starkly different from that of volunteers ringing bells outside shopping malls at Christmas -- a notion that concerns the charity. "The Salvation Army's role will be a surprise to many in the media," it says, urging efforts to "minimize the possibility of any 'leak' to the media."