"in need of Christian employees."

[Kber]

22. Very - from the EEOC website...

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/religion.cfm

Religious Discrimination
Religious discrimination involves treating a person (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs.

Religious discrimination can also involve treating someone differently because that person is married to (or associated with) an individual of a particular religion or because of his or her connection with a religious organization or group.

Religious Discrimination & Work Situations
The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.

My comments: by giving favorable treatment to one group, Christians in this case, you are putting others at a disadvantage or discriminating against them because of their religious affiliation.

To your specific question, the law forbids making employment decisions based on race, age, religion, gender, or national origin.

Some but not all states also include sexual orientation as a protected class as well. This info above is from the federal not state government, though.