A public health expert who also serves as a lay minster filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against Georgia Department of Public Health for firing him because of the content of sermons he delivered at his church.
Dr. Eric Walsh has served on President Obama's Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDs, and has multiple advanced degrees. He also serves as a lay minister at Seventh Day Adventist Church, where he had preached on topics ranging from "following God, having compassion on the poor, health, marriage, sexuality, world religions, science, creationism, and more," his attorney Jeremy Dys of First Liberty said.
In 2014, Walsh was hired as District Health Director for Northwest Georgia, by Department of Public Health on May 7, 2014. But about a week later, he was requested to submit copies of his sermons, which he did. The copies were forwarded to employees for review. The next day, his offer was retracted.
He then filed a federal lawsuit against the health department.
"I couldn't believe they fired me because of things I talked about in my sermons," said Walsh in a First Liberty press release.
Dys commented on Fox News that "if the government is allowed to fire someone over what he said in his sermons, they can come after any of us for our beliefs on anything."
Roger Severino of The Heritage Foundation said that bureaucrats are not permitted to refuse qualified people of jobs based on their beliefs, especially those expressed in a house of worship. "If the First Amendment means anything, it's that government bureaucrats have no business acting as sermon review boards. That would be religious discrimination, pure and simple," he said.
The department has claimed that they did not terminate him because of his religious views.
"Dr. Walsh was extended a conditional offer of employment by DPH, subject to passing a routine background check," the Department of Public Health (DPH) said in a statement. "During the background check process, DPH learned Walsh failed to disclose outside employment to his previous public health employer, which also was in violation of California law. Due to violation of both California state law and DPH policy, the offer to Dr. Walsh was rescinded."
However, a statement released by First Liberty accused DPH of playing around with the facts.
"The facts are these: after hiring Dr. Walsh, the Georgia Department of Public Health investigated Dr. Walsh's sermons, took issue with the beliefs he expressed in them, and fired him," the statement says.
"On May 14, the DPH asked him to submit copies of his sermons, and assigned multiple sermons to various employees to review. On May 15, they held a meeting to discuss the content of the sermons and his employment at DPH. On May 16, they terminated Dr. Walsh from his employment."
First Liberty obtained some DPH internal documents through a 'Freedom of Information Act' request, which suggested staffers having objections to his religious beliefs.
"No one should be fired for something they say in their sermon," Dys said.
