NEW YORK (AP) _ New York City and state agencies have agreed to monitor the Salvation Army to ensure that the Christian charity does not force recipients of its government-funded social services to engage in religious activities.
The New York Civil Liberties Union announced the settlement agreement on Wednesday.

It stems from a lawsuit filed in 2004 on behalf of a group of current and former Salvation Army employees of its government-funded social services programs. The plaintiffs allege they were forced to identify their church affiliation and frequency of their church attendance, and to sign an endorsement of the Salvation Army’s mission to “preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” In 2005, a federal judge dismissed their claim of religious discrimination.