A Traverse City hospice fired a Lutheran minister over posts on his personal Facebook page expressing traditional Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality — another case of corporate America purging believers who won't stay silent on their own time.
Rev. Richard Blue filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Nov. 4 against Healthcare Holding Company, which operates as Gentiva Hospice and Heartland Hospice. Blue, a board-certified chaplain, says he was terminated July 9, 2026, just days after a coworker complained about a personal social media post reflecting his sincerely held religious beliefs. The stakes are clear: if a chaplain can't hold orthodox Christian views on his own time without losing his livelihood, no believer in corporate America is safe.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Blue was hired as a per diem chaplain in Indiana on Sept. 3, 2024. In June 2026, he transferred to Heartland's Traverse City location for a full-time role while also taking on a new pastoral position at a local church. Roughly two days into the new job, his supervisor confronted him about a Facebook post another employee had flagged.
Blue says he was never told who filed the complaint or which specific post was deemed concerning. HR then pressed him on how, given his religious beliefs, he could
