The Churches have positioned themselves ambivalently within German Anti-Discrimination Policy. One the one hand, they promote Christian grace of charity, and have traditionally advocated the interests of immigrants or minorities. In principle, they enthusiastically support the anti-di- scrimination measures codified within the General Equal Treatment Act. On the other hand, however, they do not wish to see their proclamatory role limited within their semi-public welfare institutions. The negotiation of the General Equal Treatment Act thus lead to a paradoxical outcome, which is unique across Europe: The churches lobbying departments intervened to the effect that a law, that was intended to protect minorities from unequal treatment, now explicitly protects the religious majority’s right to discriminate on grounds of, for instance, religious or sexual orientation at the workplace.
Lewicki