Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A 31-year-old Michigan nursing student is experiencing her own personal housing crisis after she posted an ad on a church bulletin board looking for a "Christian roommate." After seeing the notice, someone in the community filed an official complaint with the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, alleging that the ad "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths." Rather than dismiss the complaint as ridiculous on its face, the agency flew into action. "It's a violation to make, print, or publish a discriminatory statement," Fair Housing's executive director said. Representatives from the National Fair Housing Institute say it is illegal to advertise for a Christian roommate or indicate any type of religious preference. But, as the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) points out, there's nothing discriminatory about it. This woman "is not a landlord. She does not own a management company. She does not run an apartment complex," said ADF attorney Joel Oster, who is representing the woman free of charge. "She is a single person seeking to have a roommate live with her in her house. She is not prohibited by either federal law or state law from seeking a Christian roommate..." The group's lawyers argue the woman has right to look for a Christian roommate, and that right is protected under the U.S. Constitution. Regardless, Nancy Haynes, head of the Fair Housing Center, is doing all she can to give the complaint some teeth. She's already threatened hundreds of dollars in fines and "fair housing training." Although her agency will probably lose the case, the Left is still succeeding in advancing its campaign of intimidation against Christians. We can't let this happen. It's time to stand our ground and not give one single inch to those who want to push Christianity, its teachings, and its followers into the closet. Are you kidding me? Is this really happening in America?