Christians Need Not Apply

In 2023, the state of Massachusetts barred a Christian couple from fostering children due to their biblical beliefs on sexuality and gender. The Burkes are very loving people who looked at the plight of children in the state foster system and felt a strong compulsion to help by becoming foster parents. During their screening process, the couple were questioned about their Catholic faith and the Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality and transgenderism. After the interview, state officials determined that the couple “would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA,” and were, thus, ineligible to foster.

There are several reasons why the state of Massachusetts’ actions are wrong:

• the Burkes successfully completed the state’s foster care training
• they were consistently praised by Department of Children and Families (DCF) officials
• they affirmed they would “love [a child identifying as LGBT] the same” and would not reject or refuse to care for any foster child
• in spite of the fact that the DCF official who conducted the interview issued the Burkes an “approval with conditions,” specifically around religion and LGBTQIA++ related issues, DCF ultimately rejected their application
• Massachusetts is in desperate “need of more foster homes,” noting that there is a yearslong shortage of foster families, leaving some children to be kept in DCF offices or even housed in hospitals while they wait for a caring home.”

Because they felt they had been wronged, the couple filed suit in federal court. In the summer of 2024, the state asked the court to dismiss the suit and the court refused. As of this writing, that is where things stand.

The Burkes’ lawyer pointed out that in 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Philadelphia could not cancel a contract with Catholic Social Services based on their refusal, on religious grounds, to place children with same-sex couples. The principles involved in that case seem very similar to the Philadelphia case. Because of that, in the end, it is very likely that the Burkes will win the case. You can read about this situation at https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/08/14/massachusetts-bars-couple-from-foster-care-over-christian-worldview/ and https://mafamily.org/2024/06/06/win-massachusetts-federal-court-refuses-to-dismiss-catholic-foster-parents-religious-discrimination-case.

In looking over this situation, there are at least four things that are very disturbing. There is:

1. an uneven application of the law,
2. a lack of concern for the children,
3. religious bigotry, and
4. persecution of Christians.

One of America’s founding principles is that everyone is equal under the law. In this case, the Burkes are being treated differently than other people simply because of their religious beliefs.

A second travesty is that the bureaucrats running the Massachusetts DCF are more concerned with politics than they are with taking care of the children in their care. The very reason that DCF even exists it to protect and take care of children that, for whatever reason, find themselves in a position where they are unable to be properly cared for by family.

A third morally repulsive thing is that the Massachusetts DCF is discriminating against people who don’t hold their religious faith – and yes, their atheistic beliefs do represent a religious faith. Not only is this unfair, but is patently unconstitutional.

Finally, the DCF officials who are in charge of the state agency are so committed to their atheistic faith that they are willing to persecute people who don’t adhere to their faith’s doctrinal beliefs. They hate the ones they consider nonbelievers so much that they are even willing to cause harm to children rather than allow those who don’t believe as they do to help. They are not actually trying to harm the children, but have taken the actions they have purely to cause distress to those they disagree with religiously.

So what, exactly, is the rationale of the DCF officials? What exactly do they have against the Burkes?

What we see is an expression of these people’s worldview beliefs. They firmly believe that people who do not fully affirm the LGBTQIA++ agenda are immoral. They have no objective reason for believing that, but it is what they believe.

In truth, the underlying reason for Atheists’ belief concerning sexuality is that they don’t want to be questioned about their own moral beliefs. The Bible teaches that any form of sexual relations outside of the marriage between one man and one woman is a sin. As a result of not wanting to be considered sinners, Atheists promote the idea that since God does not exist, there is no such thing as objective morality. So, any moral belief that places any kind of moral stigma on them is seen to be evil. When applied to the Burke’s situation, not affirming the LGBTQIA++ agenda is a disqualifier on moral grounds.

This is one of those places where two opposing worldviews are strongly clashing in society and can’t be fully reconciled. It is a very concrete example of how different worldviews literally hold irreconcilable contradictory beliefs. As Christians, it is critical both to know where the contradictions lie, and how to share the truth in a way that helps people recognize that God is real.

---

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

To set up an appointment to speak to a Literary Agent:
Email: Alfredo Baguio
Call: (702) 605-4354