Church Legal Issues

DALLAS MEGACHURCH PUTS ON MASS WEDDING FOR DOZENS OF COHABITATING COUPLES

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/september-web-only/megachurch-mass-wedding-cohabitation-pastor-bryan-carter.html  INTERVIEW BY MARIA BAER As cohabitation continues to rise and more research details the instability of the arrangement for families, churches that champion marriage inevitably have to grapple with the issue. In a 2011 survey, more than half of Protestant pastors said they would marry couples who had been living together. Leaders at churches […]

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THE BILLY GRAHAM RULE GOES TO COURT

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/august/billy-graham-rule-sheriff-north-carolina-lawsuit.html? A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy sues his former employer for religious discrimination after it wouldn’t accommodate his request to not train a female officer one-on-one. By: David Roach A former North Carolina sheriff’s deputy may be the first to file a lawsuit alleging he faced discrimination for his commitment to the “Billy Graham Rule.” […]

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SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE CLERGY

 www.snapnetwork.org/abuse of faith_feb19 Debbie Vasquez at 14 By:  SNAP  Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests February 19, 2019 SNAP is the largest, oldest and most active support group for women and men wounded by religious and institutional authorities (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns, coaches, teachers, and others). She was 14, she said, when she […]

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AFTER MAJOR INVESTIGATION, SOUTHERN BAPTISTS CONFRONT THE ABUSE CRISIS THEY KNEW WAS COMING

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/february/southern-baptist-abuse-investigation-houston-chronicle-sbc.html I have absolutely no desire to gloat over what our Southern Baptist friends are walking through; instead, I hurt with them. My goal with this blog is hopefully to warn us all, sharing what is now public information. I lived through a sexual abuse lawsuit in my tenure as a conference bishop when a Christian Day School […]

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CHINA CRACKS DOWN – AGAIN

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/november/what-to-do-about-persecution-in-china.html?share=56xKkXi%2fdTPQjQCm3LBm6NPogOGXW4vm   The [Chinese] government is removing crosses from their steeples and replacing them with the national flag. Inside, the crosses are being replaced with pictures of President Xi. Congregations must sing patriotic songs in worship. Parents can’t bring their children to church. CHINA CRACKS DOWN – AGAIN By: Mark Galli The tanks don’t always […]

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CHINA BANS ZION, BEIJING’S BIGGEST HOUSE CHURCH

“Their suffering does not go unnoticed by God, and so it should never go unnoticed by us.” Ed Stetzer christianitytoday.com/news/2018/september/china-bans-zion-beijing-house-church-surveillance-ezra-jin.ht    Shut down after Sunday services, influential congregation had refused orders to install government face recognition surveillance cameras. WORLD WATCH MONITOR Christianity Today’s Jeremy Weber contributed to this report. Beijing authorities threatened to close Zion Church […]

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ABUSE CLAIMS AGAIN THE TOP REASON CHURCHES GO TO COURT

www.churchlawandtax.com/blog/2018/july/abuse-claims-again-top-reason-churches-go-to-court BY: RICHARD HAMMAR Analysis of 2017 data also shows property disputes, zoning issues among the top problems. I do a litigation review every year for church leaders based on about 12,000 cases I read pertaining to religious organizations across all 50 states and the federal courts. I systematically categorize them by type to help […]

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WILLOW CREEK ELDERS AND PASTOR HEATHER LARSON RESIGN OVER BILL HYBELS

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/august/willow-creek-bill-hybels-heather-larson-elders-resign   In sharing this story, I have no desire to sensationalize, or to celebrate the pain of Willow Creek Church or its founding pastor. In addition, everything in this article is now public information. My motive is sincerely to warn. I am convinced the devil’s first strategy is to get a pastor into a trap. His next […]

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CITY BANS CHURCH FROM WORSHIPING IN COFFEE SHOP

www.startchurch.com/blog/view/name/city-bans-church-from-worshipping-in-coffee-shop? By: Raul Rivera What if a zoning law could keep your church from holding worship services? A church in Maryland has recently found itself in a legal battle with the city of Laurel, Maryland over zoning laws and whether or not it can continue to hold worship services. This is not the first time a […]

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HOW TO SPOT SEXUAL ABUSE IN YOUR CHURCH

    Introduction By: Frank G. Tunstall Dr. Maureen Farrell Garcia has written an excellent article on how to spot sex offenders in the church. In fact, it’s the best I have ever read. I think it is must reading for all pastors and Christian workers charged with training and protecting children and young people. Every youth pastor should read […]

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