ACLU Tries to Tell Christian Institution Which Sins It Should Allow

The ACLU’s actions are exactly what Thomas Jefferson referred to when he penned the phrase: “separation of church and state.”

Sadly, Jefferson’s words and intentions have been severely contorted over the years. But the entire point of his premise was this — the federal government MAY NOT dictate what doctrine religious institutions must follow. Our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion specifically prohibits such government overreach.

But the ACLU is bent on dictating the religious doctrine of a Christian organization, and a federal judge has sided with the ACLU. This cannot stand.

In our Zinski v. Liberty University case, the court effectively ordered this private Christian university to change its doctrine.

Help us fight this case by supporting our legal fund today. Every gift will be DOUBLED by a special Challenge Grant.

The case started when a biological man, Jonathan Zinski, set up Liberty University to challenge it Doctrinal Statement. Zinski knows Liberty’s doctrine states that God made us in his image, male and female, and that to identify opposite from how God created you is a sin.

Four months before he applied to Liberty, Zinski had been taking female hormones. Zinski signed his employment agreement with the Doctrinal Statement and beliefs as a condition of the job, even though he knew his secret plan violated Liberty’s Christian beliefs.

As soon as Zinski’s 90-day probationary period ended, he informed LU that he wanted to identify as a “woman,” dress in women’s clothing, and change his name to “Ellenor.” When LU refused, Zinski and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately sued. The entire case was a sham designed to force Liberty into changing its doctrine to allow openly LGBTQ “trans” employees.

Liberty Counsel is representing LU in this case. In our most recent round of litigation, the federal judge effectively suggested that since all people are sinners, LU cannot fire Zinski for sinning.  

Incredibly, the judge wrote that allowing an openly “trans” employee would merely require “Liberty to maintain an employee who has not followed the university’s Doctrinal Statement to the letter, i.e., an employee who has sinned.”

“The only inference that we can draw for Liberty is that Liberty may be seen as a hypocrite for employing a transgender person when it opposes transgender identity; but the same could be said for Liberty’s employment of any other type of person who ‘sins’ despite Liberty’s opposition to sin in general,” the judge continued.

This is exactly the type of government overreach Thomas Jefferson warned about — governments dictating what religious institutions must believe and how they must behave.

Federal law protects Liberty’s right to uphold its sincere Christian beliefs and to employ those who are aligned with its mission. It also expressly prevents government agents, and the ACLU, from dictating which doctrine religious institutions, like Liberty University, must obey.

We just filed a powerful brief at the Court of Appeals. Many colleges and legal advocates are watching this case because it has a high probability of reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

Title VII, the First Amendment, and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) guarantee Liberty the right to make its own decisions on doctrinal beliefs and the conformity of its employees to those beliefs.

Zinski intentionally and deceptively set up Liberty University to undermine its religious beliefs and mission. Title VII exempts Liberty from having to employ individuals who violate its religious beliefs and doctrinal positions.

Our case has now been accepted by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. This is a crucially important case, which is why the ACLU brought it in the first place. Because the ACLU knows that if they win, they will force every church and religious institution in America to abandon its doctrinal principles and instead promote the LGBTQ agenda.

We MUST NOT lose this case! But we need your direct financial help to keep fighting for religious freedom. Please, support our legal fund today and a special Challenge Grant will DOUBLE the impact of your gift.