Jobs and Jesus–do they mix?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on June 12, 2012 against Voss Electric Company regarding the denial of a supervisory job to an individual who was not religious enough. The EEOC website states “Despite being considered qualified for the position, … Wolfe (the applicant) was denied employment on the basis of his religious beliefs.”

So he was qualified for the job but didn’t have the right religious qualifications for the company. Which raises the question of what would be the right qualifications? To work at Voss Lighting do you have to attend a company approve church? Would that church have to run their mission statement past the management at Voss? What if Voss Lighting aligns themselves with the Southern Baptist and the applicant is a member of a Methodist church? Would that disqualify him? Is there a list at Voss Lighting of approved churches or denominations?

I will admit that Voss Lighting doesn’t hide their religious beliefs. On their website’s mission statement page they say right up front that their Biblical Mission is “ to ‘sell’ our lighting products so that we may ‘tell’ everyone we can about God’s soul-saving, life transforming gospel message as Jesus instructed believers to do.”  I’m curious as to why “sell” and “tell” are in quotes. That’s like the Monty Python sketch where they say something naughty and then “wink wink, nod nod” as if to say you really know what we are getting at, right?

This apparently happened in Tulsa Oklahoma so it doesn’t surprise me about religious overtness that’s there. But this is also a good example of what trouble one can get into when religion and the workplace are involved to this extent. It really makes a mess of this and no one comes out on top. If I sent in a resume to Voss Lighting, they would probably have to handle it with fireproof gloves as if Satan applied for a job. Maybe I will just to see if it lights up at Voss Lighting.