On Thursday, February 5, President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The goal of this office as stated by the president “will not be to favor one religious group over another–or even religious groups over secular groups. It will be simply to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state.”

In one of his campaign speeches, President Obama indicated that when an organization receives federal grant monies, “you can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them – or against the people you hire – on the basis of their religion.” He also said that “federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs.”


This is somewhat of a change from the previous administration. Under President Bush, a church-based operation could hire only employees who were members – or willing to follow a specific moral conduct code. What does this kind of change mean for us as a Christian-based church? As Seventh-day Adventists?


Over the years our churches have been able to take advantage of faith-based funding to deliver community programs and educational services. And for many years we have had debates of whether Seventh-day Adventist churches should accept funding from the government and what consequences would result. When the church seeks to fulfill its mission to not only feed the poor physically but spiritually, is it compromising to accept government help for the costs of the food? In times of low stewardship offerings and shrinking budgets, do we forego opportunities to offer more health fairs or summer programs because the funding comes from the government?


On the other hand, when accepting funding from the government, the church must be aware that they do so on the government’s terms. The reality is that just as administrations change, sometimes the terms change. We must “watch and pray” so that we are not left in that compromising position.

Last month as President Obama addressed the nation during his inauguration, I felt such a tremendous sense of pride as I thought about how far we’ve come as a people and the sacrifices made along the way. As President Obama spoke of the charter drafted by our founding fathers to “assure the rule of law and the rights of man,” I thought “What a blessed country this is!”

For more than two centuries we have had the gift of religious freedom where religious minorities have the same rights and protections as the majority, where you can worship as your own conscience dictates even when you don't believe like others.

We received this gift long before we were born, provided to us by courageous people who sometimes did not share our beliefs. We are free to choose our own religion, to have or not have a religion, to teach our religion to our children, and to even share our beliefs with others. These inherited gifts did not come without a price, and do not continue without work.

The Religious Liberty committee of Ephesus is working actively to provide awareness and support regarding religious freedom issues that affect our membership. It is our goal to educate our civic, legislative, and educational leaders as well as our neighbors regarding the threats to the principles of religious liberty.

By supporting the Liberty Magazine campaign, you help us to provide the resources needed to stand with our members and fellow believers around the world. Your support will help to educate our leaders. Your support and contributions will help to provide legal resources when needed to help protect our religious freedoms.

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What a blessed country is the one that protects and values God’s gift of religious freedom for all. “What a truly blessed country this is!”