A South Carolina foster-care program is prepared to function without government funding if they are told that they must work with families who do not align with their christian values.
According to the Washington Post, a Christian based foster-care program called Miracle Hill Ministries in Greenville, S.C., is being subjected to an Obama-era policy change that forbids foster-care organizations which receive federal funding to have a religious preference. This means, that in order to receive federal funding, the Christian organization would be asked to perhaps defy their religious convictions.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Miracle Hill Ministries president and CEO Reid Lehman said the ministry would sooner drop out of the federal program than go against their religious values. He said, “Our existence and identity is tied to our faith in God and belief in Jesus Christ” .The Christian Post reports, however, that the organization has received significant funding from both the federal and state government. The outlet reports that in the last fiscal year, Miracle Hill received almost $600,000 from the government.
South Carolina’s governor has reportedly reached out to President Trump – who is now the third president to really have to grapple with the issue of federal funding going toward religious organizations – and is currently waiting to see if the ministry will be granted an exception from the policy.
