National Religious Broadcasters, a major evangelical nonprofit, fired senior vice president of communications Daniel Darling over commentary he made on MSNBC encouraging people to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
Darling had been told by leaders at NRB “that his statements violated the organization’s policy of remaining neutral about COVID-19 vaccines,” and was given two options on how to proceed — sign a statement admitting he had been insubordinate or be fired — and, “when he refused to sign a statement, Darling was fired and given no severance.”
During MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Darling stood by his prior pro-vaccination statements.
“I believe in this vaccine, because I don’t want to see anyone else die of COVID. Our family has lost too many close friends and relatives to COVID, including an uncle, a beloved church member, and our piano teacher,” Darling told Joe Scarborough.
Darling said that he was deeply proud to be among those who have been vaccinated, while encouraging others within his community to follow his lead and do the same.
In a statement reported by
“I am grieved that the issues that divide our country are dividing Christians,” he said in the statement, adding that he intended to devote himself to “unifying believers around the truth of the Gospel.”
On his Morning Joe appearance, Darling had also commented, “when trust goes down, belief in conspiracies goes up.”
Darling’s termination comes at a time when the United States is battling a spike in Covid-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations — the vast majority of which have been among the unvaccinated.