According to former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, he was fired for being a Christian. According to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, he was fired for insubordination and poor judgment. And according to the New York Times’s recent editorial, he was fired for speaking of his subordinates as “second-class citizens.” But the argument over the motive for Cochran’s firing and its effect on civil and religious liberties obscures a deeper disagreement over Christian conceptions of sin and the consequences of those ideas in a public work environment. More than a mere difference in theology, this disagreement has dramatic implications for pluralism.
In November of 2014, Mr. Cochran was suspended when it came to the attention of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed that the fire chief had published and distributed a book that included references to homosexuality as “vile” and “vulgar.” Mayor Reed condemned the book and launched an investigation into its publishing and to determine whether Mr. Cochran had discriminated against his subordinates. After a month-long investigation, Reed offered Cochran the choice to resign or be terminated. Cochran chose to be fired.
Read Full Article »