Written by Don Byrd
Tyndale House is a for-profit business that makes money publishing Bibles and other religious materials. As a for-profit enterprise, Tyndale is required by the Affordable Care Act to provide insurance coverage that includes access to contraception. This past week, the publisher joined the list of dozens of other organizations in filing a lawsuit to challenge the legality of the requirement, given the religious mission of the business. From the complaint:
This action arises because the federal government has deemed devout publishers of the Bible to be insufficiently “religious” to enjoy religious freedom in America. The federal government is mandating that Tyndale House Publishers violate its and its owners’ beliefs by covering morally objectionable items in their health plan pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The government has defined “religious employer” to exclude these Bible publishers from exemptions that the government otherwise provides.
Tyndale’s corporate purpose is to “to minister to the spiritual needs of people,
primarily through literature consistent with biblical principles.” The first of its 5 corporate goals is to “honor God.” Should that be enough to exempt them from general laws?
