Parachurch Organizations and "Religious Freedom": Hate and Discrimination Under a New Name
A parachurch organization is a Christian-based group that works outside and across all denominations to engage in a special focus. Some focus on high school evangelism (Young Life and Youth for Christ). Some focus on college age evangelism (InterVarsity, Navigators, and Campus Crusade). And some focus on sports, like Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). These organizations like to work alongside churches, and focus on specializing on a certain group, like FCA, which works primarily with high school and college/university athletes. The one thing these groups I mentioned above also tend to recruit leaders who are middle-class, able-bodied, men, white, and heterosexual. In other words, they tend to not be necessarily hospitable to women; Black, indigenous, or people of color; and LGBTQIA2S+ people. I speak of this from personal experience. Along with my Presbyterian youth group, I was part of Young Life at Beaverton High School, and tried being part of InterVarsity and Campus...