An update on Matt Barber and Allstate

(AgapePress) - A Chicago area-based charity group is coming to the aid of a Christian man who says he was fired from his job as a manager with Allstate Insurance Company's Corporate Security Division in Northbrook, Illinois, allegedly for writing a column expressing opposition to homosexual "marriage."

Matt Barber recently filed a religious viewpoint discrimination lawsuit against Allstate, claiming the insurance company wrongfully terminated him for expressing his belief that marriage should be defined as a union between one man and one woman. Although officials with the insurance company have denied the allegations, the State of Illinois' Department of Employment Security conducted an investigation into Allstate's actions.

In reporting its findings, the State ruled unequivocally in the fired worker's favor, determining that the "claimant (Mr. Barber) was discharged from Allstate Insurance Company because an outside organization had complained about an article he had written while on his own time." The State further concluded that Allstate intentionally chose to terminate Barber's employment for writing the article despite the fact that he had engaged in no misconduct whatsoever.

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Meanwhile, since the former Allstate employee has yet to find a new job, he and his wife Sarah and their three children are facing financial difficulties, including the possible loss of their home due to foreclosure. At the request of the Illinois Family Institute, Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) has agreed to help raise money to assist the family and has established the "Barber Family Fund."

Source (emphasis mine)