[Apologetics] Christianity Today: McLean Bible Church Sues Fairfax County

[Art Kelly]

Class Warfare
Virginia megachurch sues county for barring theology
courses.
by J. Edward Mendez, RNS, with reporting by Jason
Bailey | posted 08/21/2006 09:30 a.m.
  
A Washington-area megachurch filed a federal lawsuit
July 3 challenging a government ruling that it was
improperly holding seminary-level classes on church
grounds.

The nondenominational McLean Bible Church, which draws
about 9,500 worshipers weekly to its services in
Fairfax County, Virginia, partnered with Capitol Bible
Seminary in 2001 to offer Bible study and religious
ministry classes. The church did not issue academic
credit or confer degrees. But students were allowed to
take classes at the church for credit toward a
master's degree in biblical studies and theology from
the seminary.

Three years after the classes began, Fairfax County
officials determined they went beyond those of a
typical Sunday school. The county said McLean would
need to apply for zoning status as a college or
university, which the church wished to avoid.

Colby May, an American Center for Law and Justice
attorney handling the case, said McLean filed the
lawsuit after exhausting all administrative remedies
with the county. May said the church was willing to
change procedural aspects of the program, but not the
curriculum. He said Fairfax County had authorized
McLean to hold the classes, based on a special-use
permit issued by the county in 1999. According to May,
the permit says "church facilities shall only be made
available for use by groups or activities which are
sponsored by the church and are consistent with its
ministry objectives."

The full article is at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/009/3.19.html





                           
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