The Christian Law Association is often asked, "How far can I go in witnessing at work?" To answer that question, CLA has developed some guidelines for Christians who want to obey the great commission yet not offend their employers.

First, to preserve a good testimony to support their witnessing, "they should always give full effort to their employer while on the job and discuss their faith or read their Bibles on their own time," says CLA attorney David C. Gibbs. "Employees are permitted to express sincere religious beliefs in the workplace under limited circumstances. They must be careful, however, that they do not run afoul of their employers when they are acting as agents for the company." The essential rule here is: anytime an employee is directly representing the employer to the public, his own religious views should not be part of that representation unless the employer expressly permits it. This includes distribution of literature, verbal witnessing, or religious displays.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to prohibit religious discussion or references to religious worship or beliefs among employees at times when they are permitted to engage in other types of non-business discussions.

Generally, employees are legally protected in wearing religious jewelry and displaying religious symbols or Bibles on their desk private work areas.

However, in public areas where an employee deals directly with customers, patients or clients, employers have a legal right to prohibit such displays. CLA claims there is a marked increase in the number of cases they receive where an employee's religious rights are under attack by an employer.

If you need more information or help concerning discrimination at work, contact Christian Law Association at P.O.Box 4010, Seminole, FL 33775 or call 727-399-8300.