Scientist not hired because of religious beliefs?

Dr. Martin Gaskell has claimed that religious discrimination prevented him from being hired for a university position in 2007 for which he was uniquely qualified. Gaskell was considered by the University of Kentucky search committee as the top candidate for a director of a new student observatory. Court records note that one university search committee member commented that Gaskell was “breathtakingly above the other applicants.”

Court records further disclose the internal debate that university faculty members had about the potential impact of Dr. Gaskell’s Christian leanings and his belief that evolution is a theory with “significant scientific problems”—a decision-making discussion that was against university and federal hiring policy. Last month a U.S. district judge rejected the University of Kentucky’s motion and moved the case to trial, noting, “There is no dispute that based on his application, Gaskell was a leading candidate for the position” (Associated Press, December 17, 2010).

Jesus prophesied that at the end of the age, Christians would be persecuted for their beliefs (Matthew 24:9).  However, the Bible also warns there will be serious consequences for those who “take away justice from the righteous man” (Isaiah 5:23).