http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 15:43:49 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134552 Religion Clause Blog: In Appeal of Liberty Assembly of God, (NH Sup. Ct., May 22, 2012), the New Hampshire Supreme Court held that under state statutory law, space in a house of worship must be used and occupied directly for religious training or for other religious purposes in order to be tax exempt. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/new-hampshire-high-court-upholds-partial-tax-exemption-for-church-property/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/tn-court-upholds-termination-of-catholic-school-principal-rejecting-retaliatory-discharge-claim/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/tn-court-upholds-termination-of-catholic-school-principal-rejecting-retaliatory-discharge-claim/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 14:48:09 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134550 Religion Clause Blog: Plaintiff claimed that the Diocese terminated her employment in retaliation for her refusal to remain silent about the misuse of $50,000 raised by parents to purchase computer equipment for student use. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/24/tn-court-upholds-termination-of-catholic-school-principal-rejecting-retaliatory-discharge-claim/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/23/pastor-speaks-biblical-truth-gets-legal-attention-one-news-now/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/23/pastor-speaks-biblical-truth-gets-legal-attention-one-news-now/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 16:55:56 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134445 One News Now: Attorney Erik Stanley of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) says the complaints are "the same tiresome claims from a group that is intent on bullying churches and intimidating them into silence." "What this pastor did in Kentucky was nothing more than to exercise his constitutional right to speak freely from his pulpit," Stanley asserts. "No pastor anywhere should ever have to fear the IRS, or Americans United or any other group for that matter when they stand and they speak biblical truth in the pulpit. That's all this pastor was doing." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/23/pastor-speaks-biblical-truth-gets-legal-attention-one-news-now/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 20:07:04 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134368 NonProfit Quarterly: With little fanfare, the [I]New York Times[/I] hosted an online debate among five thoughtful people (actually six, but two wrote as a team) addressing the question, “Should churches get tax breaks?” That is, in part, should institutions of religious worship continue to be eligible for charitable tax-exempt status? In summary, here are the perspectives of the participants . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/tax-exempt-status-for-churches-debated/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/mary-ann-glendon-why-the-bishops-are-suing-the-u-s-government/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/mary-ann-glendon-why-the-bishops-are-suing-the-u-s-government/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 17:24:30 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134321 Wall Street Journal: The main goal of the contraception mandate is not to protect women's health. It is a move to conscript religious organizations into a political agenda. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/mary-ann-glendon-why-the-bishops-are-suing-the-u-s-government/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:43:20 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134311 AU: Kentucky church violated federal law when its pastor demanded the ouster of President Barack Obama during church services, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the Internal Revenue Service today. During a May 13 service, Pastor Ronnie Spriggs of Hager Hill Freewill Baptist Church in Hager Hill, Ky., demanded that Obama be voted out of office for supporting marriage equality for same-sex couples. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/irs-should-investigate-kentucky-church-for-opposing-obama-re-election-says-americans-united/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/a-last-gasp-effort/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/a-last-gasp-effort/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:34:17 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134309 Brattleboro Reformer: "The government shouldn’t punish people of faith for making decisions in accordance with their faith," stated the Alliance Defense Fund’s President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears. "We welcome these lawsuits, which are about religious freedom and freedom of conscience, not about contraception ... These new cases are about the very right to determine what is ‘religious’ and what faith-based beliefs may be followed in life." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/a-last-gasp-effort/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/suits-swarming-over-healthcare-religious-conscience/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/suits-swarming-over-healthcare-religious-conscience/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:30:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134307 One News Now: Baylor says the Obama administration pointed to religious freedom in its decision in a very narrow way by exempting houses of worship. "But then they went on not to exempt anyone else," he explains. "They're basically saying, Hey, if you're a religious organization that's out there in the world, serving the world, hiring people who don't necessarily share your religious commitments, you're not entitled to freedom of conscience. I think that's one of the key issues at stake in all of these cases ... the scope of the right of conscience." [more] ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/suits-swarming-over-healthcare-religious-conscience/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/43-catholic-agencies-file-suit-over-birth-control-mandate/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/43-catholic-agencies-file-suit-over-birth-control-mandate/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:26:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134304 Christian Post: Welcoming the lawsuits, Alliance Defense Fund CEO and General Counsel Alan Sears said the issue at hand is religious freedom. "These new cases are about the very right to determine what is 'religious' and what faith-based beliefs may be followed in life. They join the growing list of evangelical, protestant, and Catholic religious organizations and employers who are taking a stand in objecting to the government when it forces any religious institution or individual to provide or fund morally repugnant services." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/43-catholic-agencies-file-suit-over-birth-control-mandate/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/video-cardinal-dolan-says-white-house-is-strangling-catholic-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/video-cardinal-dolan-says-white-house-is-strangling-catholic-church/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 16:22:54 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134301 CBSNews (includes video): The spat between Catholic leaders and the Obama administration over its contraception policies is heating up again, with one of the nation's most prominent Catholic leaders charging that the White House is "strangling" the church over the matter . . . "We're like, wait a minute, when did the government get in the business of defining for us the extent of our ministry," Dolan said. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/video-cardinal-dolan-says-white-house-is-strangling-catholic-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/church-and-family-two-of-the-few-institutions-that-limit-government/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/church-and-family-two-of-the-few-institutions-that-limit-government/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 15:55:56 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134295 Catholic World Report: A "New York progressive" gives four reasons for opposing "gay marriage" This line of argument needs to be repeated again and again, in various ways and through varying means. There are only a handful of institutions that keep the State in the its proper place, most notably the Church and the family. How strange, isn't it, that both of those institutions are the targets of such open and direct assaults? ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/22/church-and-family-two-of-the-few-institutions-that-limit-government/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 18:18:12 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134214 Religion Clause Blog: In Durden v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, (T.C., May 17, 2012), the U.S. Tax Court denied a $25,171 tax deduction for contributions to the Nevertheless Community Church made in 2007 by David and Veronda Durden. While the taxpayers produced records of their contributions, including canceled checks, the IRS denied the deduction . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/tax-court-25k-deduction-denied-due-to-inadequate-church-receipt/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/mi-appeals-court-muslim-summer-camp-entitled-to-tax-exemption/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/mi-appeals-court-muslim-summer-camp-entitled-to-tax-exemption/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 18:08:47 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134210 Religion Clause Blog: In Camp Retreats Foundation, Inc. v. Township of Marathon, (MI App., May 15, 2012), a Michigan state appellate court reversed the state's Tax Tribunal and found that a Muslim summer camp is entitled to a property tax exemption as a charitable institution. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/21/mi-appeals-court-muslim-summer-camp-entitled-to-tax-exemption/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/european-court-of-human-rights-a-significant-victory-for-the-freedom-of-the-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/european-court-of-human-rights-a-significant-victory-for-the-freedom-of-the-church/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 22:12:31 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=134037 Turtle Bay and Beyond: Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights published a judgment in the important case of Fernandez-Martínez c. Espagne (application no 56030/07), in which it concluded by six votes to one that “the choice of the bishop not to renew the contract of a teacher who is a married priest and activist of the Pro-Optional Celibacy Movement comes under the principle of religious freedom, as protected by the Convention.” ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/european-court-of-human-rights-a-significant-victory-for-the-freedom-of-the-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/11th-circuit-teacher-fired-over-out-of-wedlock-pregnancy-can-sue-christian-school/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/11th-circuit-teacher-fired-over-out-of-wedlock-pregnancy-can-sue-christian-school/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 21:31:15 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133889 Reuters: An appeals court on Wednesday revived a Florida teacher's lawsuit against a Christian school that fired her after she admitted to conceiving a child before her marriage. | Hamilton v. Southland Christian School ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/16/11th-circuit-teacher-fired-over-out-of-wedlock-pregnancy-can-sue-christian-school/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/ind-diocese-denies-discrimination-over-ivf/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/ind-diocese-denies-discrimination-over-ivf/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 19:43:37 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133593 AP: An Indiana diocese is denying that it discriminated against a parochial school teacher who claims she was fired for violating Roman Catholic doctrine by using in vitro fertilization to try to get pregnant. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/ind-diocese-denies-discrimination-over-ivf/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/mi-defendants-confession-to-pastor-is-privileged/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/mi-defendants-confession-to-pastor-is-privileged/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 17:33:55 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133545 Religion Clause Blog: In People of the State of Michigan v. Bragg, (MI App., May 8, 2012), a Michigan state appellate court held that a confession to a Baptist minister of defendant's sexual assault of a young girl is privileged under Michigan law. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/mi-defendants-confession-to-pastor-is-privileged/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 16:49:04 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133523 Acton Institute Power Blog: "The New York Times’ “Room for Debate” feature highlights religious freedom this week by asking the question: “Should Churches Get Tax Breaks?” The contributors, who span the continuum of opinions on the issue, include Susan Jacoby, Christopher L. Eisgruber and Lawrence Sager, Winnie Varghese, Dan Barker, and Mark Rienzi." Thankfully a commenter, Roger McKinney, makes two of the most critical points: Now socialists want us to believe that if the state doesn’t take your money, it is subsidizing your behavior . . . The original argument for tax free status of churches was that they church is a sovereign in its sphere and one sovereign does not tax another . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/14/should-churches-get-tax-breaks/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/court-defers-to-church-hierarchy-in-dispute-over-control-of-church-funds/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/court-defers-to-church-hierarchy-in-dispute-over-control-of-church-funds/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 18:53:53 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132826 Religion Clause Blog: In Stoupine v. Petrovsky, (NJ App., April 30. 2012), a New Jersey state appellate court, invoking the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, dismissed a lawsuit between factions of the St. Nicholas Russian Eastern Orthodox Church in Red Bank, NJ. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/03/court-defers-to-church-hierarchy-in-dispute-over-control-of-church-funds/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/ky-church-held-liable-for-negligent-supervision-of-youth-minister-in-traffic-accident/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/ky-church-held-liable-for-negligent-supervision-of-youth-minister-in-traffic-accident/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:01:33 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132478 Religion Clause Blog: Thirteen-year old Jamie Mitchell was killed in an auto accident in which Coulter allowed the boy to drive after a campout that included ten members of the church youth group. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/ky-church-held-liable-for-negligent-supervision-of-youth-minister-in-traffic-accident/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/aclu-questions-restrictive-covenants-in-deed-from-church-to-town/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/aclu-questions-restrictive-covenants-in-deed-from-church-to-town/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:45:45 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132474 Religion Clause Blog: At issue, though, are religiously motivated restrictions that will be included in the deed that will prevent the town, for 90 years, from using the property as an embryonic stem cell research facility; as a facility where abortions, assisted suicide, or euthanasia would occur; as a professional counseling facility where abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia are advocated. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/30/aclu-questions-restrictive-covenants-in-deed-from-church-to-town/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:23:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132408 Christian Newswire: Thomas More Society Promises a Free and Aggressive Legal Defense to Any Religious Leaders Targeted or Victimized for the Robust Exercise of Their Free Speech Rights ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/legal-war-for-irs-if-churches-are-attacked-for-speaking-out-on-issues/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/in-vitro-procedure-intended-to-expand-family-couple-says/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/in-vitro-procedure-intended-to-expand-family-couple-says/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:09:36 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132377 Journal Gazette: Emily and Brian Herx – the Hoagland couple launched into a national religious debate this week – said Friday they just wanted to expand their family when she underwent in vitro fertilization and ultimately lost her Catholic teaching job. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/in-vitro-procedure-intended-to-expand-family-couple-says/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:47:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132332 One News Now: The church in Maine has been denied a tax exemption for its parking lot under the theory that a parking lot does not serve as a religious purpose," Oster reports. "We, of course, think that is absurd. A church is a religious organization, and people who go to church, they park in their parking lot. That shows a very valid purpose for the operation and function of a church." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/attorney-town-targeted-church-because-of-religion/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:27:56 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132309 Christian Civic League Faith Matters in Maine Update (Audio 1:03 mins): In one Faith Matters in Maine minute, Carroll Conley tells how one church is fighting taxtion by the town of Rockland with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Civic League. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/27/audio-did-you-know-it-is-legal-to-tax-church-property-in-maine/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/irish-cabinet-minister-priests-should-violate-seal-of-confessional-to-report-abuse/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/irish-cabinet-minister-priests-should-violate-seal-of-confessional-to-report-abuse/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:43:19 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132282 Catholic Culture: Priests who hear confessions will not be exempt from the mandatory reporting of sexual abuse against children, according to Ireland’s justice minister. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/irish-cabinet-minister-priests-should-violate-seal-of-confessional-to-report-abuse/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/ben-bull-the-hate-speech-prosecution-bishop-juan-antonio-reig-pla/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/ben-bull-the-hate-speech-prosecution-bishop-juan-antonio-reig-pla/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:07:59 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132221 Townhall: Efforts are currently underway in Spain to criminally prosecute Catholic Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Plà of the diocese of Alcalá de Henares. It seems he had the audacity to deliver a homily from the Bible during a Good Friday mass extolling the virtues of the sinless life. And as bad as this was—reading aloud from the Bible on Good Friday and all—everything he did was acceptable until he included “homosexual behavior” as one of the sins to be avoided. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/ben-bull-the-hate-speech-prosecution-bishop-juan-antonio-reig-pla/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:46:46 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132207 WCSH6.com: Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund say they filed a complaint in Knox County Superior Court this week on behalf of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/church-sues-maine-city-over-tax-exemptions/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:25:39 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132197 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/pennsylvania-supreme-court-legislature-cannot-negate-the-states-constitutional-definition-of-purely-public-charity-as-interpreted-by-this-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:13:58 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132174 Religion Clause Blog: At issue, according to a release from Alliance Defense Fund, is a decision by the city of Rockland to grant a local church a tax exemption only for its building and not for the parsonage it owns or for its parking lot. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/26/suit-challenges-property-tax-treatment-of-churches-vs-non-profits/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:00:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132070 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/adf-maine-town-no-parking-lot-taxes-for-charities%e2%80%a6-except-for-churches/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/ks-churches-may-be-forced-to-rent-their-facilities-to-gay-couples/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/ks-churches-may-be-forced-to-rent-their-facilities-to-gay-couples/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:53:56 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132077 Christian Post: Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, also believes the law is unconstitutional. He told CP in an emailed statement that Hutchinson appears to want to "force churches back into their own four walls." "It is the church that decides what is acceptable for itself under its religious doctrine and it is not the government's role to force a church to violate that doctrine," he said. "This ordinance should never pass because it is unconstitutional. But if it does and Hutchinson attempts to force churches to violate their religious beliefs, ADF will not hesitate to use the legal process to protect the constitutional rights of churches." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/ks-churches-may-be-forced-to-rent-their-facilities-to-gay-couples/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:21:31 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132068 Bangor Daily News: The lawsuit on behalf of Aldersgate United Methodist Church was filed Monday in Knox County Superior Court. The church is being represented by attorney Stephen Whiting of Portland as well as Joel Oster from the Alliance Defense Fund of Leawood, Kan. The Alliance Defense Fund states on its website that it is a legal alliance to defend religious freedom. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/25/maine-church-claims-discrimination-against-rockland-in-lawsuit/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/erik-stanley-bill-introduced-to-repeal-the-johnson-amendment/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/erik-stanley-bill-introduced-to-repeal-the-johnson-amendment/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:19:24 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=132004 Erik Stanley at the Speak Up Movement Church Blog: A bill was recently introduced in the House of Representatives to repeal the portion of the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) popularly referred to as the Johnson Amendment. The bill is H.R. 3600 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/erik-stanley-bill-introduced-to-repeal-the-johnson-amendment/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/ks-proposed-law-would-force-churches-to-host-gay-weddings/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/ks-proposed-law-would-force-churches-to-host-gay-weddings/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:21:57 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=131919 Fox News: Religious liberty groups are blasting a proposed ordinance that would force churches in Hutchinson, Kan. to rent their facilities for gay weddings and gay parties. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/24/ks-proposed-law-would-force-churches-to-host-gay-weddings/feed/ 0