Ed M. Vitagliano
AFA vice president
March 2017 – Regardless of election results last November, secular progressives in America remain intent on driving Christians out of the public square. Recent action by the state of Connecticut is one more example.
On November 30, 2016, AFA received a letter from the state of Connecticut comptroller’s office. The letter alleged, “AFA may be in violation of the regulations governing the Connecticut State Employee Campaign for Charitable Giving (CSEC) that broadly prohibit discrimination.”
The charitable giving program allows state employees to donate to the nonprofit charity of their choice. For over a decade, Connecticut had approved AFA as a legitimate charity, but the giving from state employees had been minimal – less than $125 over the last five years.
In the letter, state comptroller Kevin Lembo wrote, “[T]here are several indications that AFA may be violating these anti-discrimination prohibitions.”
To support his assertion, Lembo zeroed in on AFA’s biblical beliefs about human sexuality, marriage, and family – and especially the ministry’s actions to uphold those values. Among other things, he specifically mentioned AFA’s ongoing and successful boycott of Target over the company’s dangerous and misguided policy allowing men in the same bathrooms and dressing rooms as women.
Lembo said in his letter, “These actions and statements are extremely troubling to me – not only as an openly gay father and spouse – but as administrator of the CSEC.”
The letter demanded that AFA prove it is in compliance with all non-discrimination policies regarding homosexuality and that AFA is a legitimate charity.
There was a series of letter exchanges between AFA and Connecticut officials, with AFA asserting that it was already in good standing with the state of Connecticut. However, on January 5, the CSEC informed AFA that its eligibility had been withdrawn.
Make no mistake about the argument Lembo is using against AFA: The Connecticut official believes this ministry must discard its Christians beliefs about human sexuality, marriage, and family or vacate the public square.
AFA president Tim Wildmon asked, “Is Lembo seriously asserting that holding to biblical values is discrimination? What an outrageous and unconstitutional abuse of power.”
Wildmon said AFA would fight for its religious liberties, up to and including going to court. “It’s obviously not about the money, which amounts to a couple of bucks a month over the last five years,” he said. “This is about the battle over whether or not America upholds the ideals of the First Amendment.”
The irony of this attack will not be lost on students of history. The phrase “separation of church and state” – which secularists have twisted in their effort to wipe away America’s Judeo-Christian foundations – has its origin in a perceived threat to religious liberty in the state of Connecticut.
In 1801, the Danbury Baptist Association in that state penned a letter to the new president, Thomas Jefferson. Those Christians expressed their fears that the power of government would be used as a weapon against their sincerely held religious beliefs.
Jefferson replied in a letter to calm their fears. He assured them that the words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – that the government would “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” – would be upheld. Moreover, such words enshrined in the Constitution had the effect of “building a wall of separation between Church and State.” The wall, in other words, protected the church from state abuse of what Jefferson called in his letter “the rights of conscience.”
What Connecticut has done more than 200 years later is an unconstitutional attack on the First Amendment rights of all religious organizations. The government is not allowed to dictate to religious charities what they can believe in order to participate in the public square.
Wildmon said, “As we have for almost 40 years, AFA will stand for biblical truth without apology – and without asking Connecticut for permission.” 
