August 26, 2010
The hiring rights of World Vision, the international Christian humanitarian organization, were upheld August 23rd by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In a 2-1 ruling, the court affirmed that World Vision is a "religious association" and, therefore, comes under the nearly 50-year-old exemption under the 1964 Civil Rights Act allowing it to hire people of like-minded faith.
World Vision states, “Our Christian faith has been the foundation of our work since the organization was established in 1950, and our hiring policy is vital to the integrity of our mission to serve the poor as followers of Jesus Christ.” World Vision will continue to vigorously defend our organization's freedom to hire employees who share their faith, as do other religious organizations, regardless of which religion.
The case, Spencer, et al v. World Vision, involves three employees who were terminated in 2006 because they no longer believed in the Trinity and, therefore, could not comply with World Vision’s statement of faith. Their attorney argued that most of World Vision’s work is humanitarian in nature, and, therefore, could not qualify for the legal protections. Prior to the ruling on the August 23, a U.S. District Court judge in Seattle summarily dismissed the former employees’ claim as being clearly contrary to the law.
The ruling affects only the U.S. offices of World Vision. The organization, established in 1950, is a federation of affiliate offices in nearly 100 countries whose employees are governed by their nation's laws. Through those affiliates, World Vision serves the poor and victims or injustice, regardless of religion, gender, or race.
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