This past week, the VA rolled out the task force to investigate anti-Christian Bias. As a VA employee, I am tasked with reporting any incident in which I’ve experienced discriminatory action in the workplace. This is my report.
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed Executive Order “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing”, eliminating all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives within the Federal government. The order claims that DEI caused division and harmful discrimination in our country, going so far as to call these programs immoral.
The order in its very essence, is an anti-Christian action for many in this country who seek to faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT),
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Jesus is teaching from Leviticus, a passage well known to the religious leaders of the day, “…love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
Biblical scholar Abraham Malamat notes, “The Bible is not commanding us to feel something – love – but to DO something – to be useful or beneficial to your neighbor.”
It’s interesting to note that the Hebrew word for neighbor (re’ a) is understood to mean fellow human beings. This call is not limited to those who live near you, look like you, act like you, or believe like you. We are called to love all; people with different abilities, genders, experiences, skin color, or religious backgrounds.
When the local VA leadership following the anti-DEI directive, orders providers to take down signs saying, “WE SERVE ALL WHO SERVED”, because this indicates that we provide care to gay, lesbian, queer, or trans Veterans, I believe my Christian values face an anti-Christian bias.
I believe this because Jesus invited all. Let me say that again: JESUS INVITED ALL.
Though a clear violation of the religious law at the time, Jesus touched the blind (Mark 8:22-25, John 9:13ff, Luke 18:35-43), the dumb (Mark 7:31-37), the lame (Matthew 9:1-8, John 5:1-9), the sick (Matthe 8:14-17), even the leprous (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, and Luke 5:12-16).
Jesus ate with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes because in the eyes of the LORD, all are his children. Fittingly for this time in the VA, Jesus observes it’s the sick who need a doctor (Matthew 9:10-17, Mark 2:13-17).
He stepped into foreign lands and offered hope to the outsiders of the faith, inviting them to be a part of his Kingdom (John 4:1-42). His forgiveness was for both Jewish (the inside crowd) and Greek (those outside the approved way of living and worshipping) (I Corinthians 1:24).
Every time we establish barriers to prevent someone from succeeding, or remove pathways that are beneficial, we violate the teachings of Jesus, who reminds us that these two commandments are central to the teaching of all the law and prophets.
To quote the late Pope Francis,
“It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help…If I say I am Christian, but do these things, I’m a hypocrite.”
And, while the VA leadership is concerned with one religious demographic, Jesus wasn’t worried at all about the struggles a Christian might face. He expected it. He told us to expect it as well. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:11, NLT) Christ notes that his followers will face a negative bias, and they are blessed because of that.
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.”
In following the Messiah’s example, I believe the Executive Order should be reversed and the VA anti-Christian Bias Task Force investigate the following instead:
- Anti-Muslem Bias in the VA
- Anti-Hindu Bias in the VA
- Anti-Disabled Bias in the VA
- Anti-LGBTQ Bias in the VA
- Anti-Woman Bias in the VA
- Anti-People of Color Bias in the VA
- Anti-Mental Illness Bias in the VA
The God I serve is big enough to protect me from any negative unfairness. I believe our energies would be better utilized by following the two most important commands and act in ways that benefit our fellow human beings. This is the truest devotion we can offer.
