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/2011/11/15/kevin-theriot-top-legal-issues-that-concern-churches-%e2%80%93-issue-9-housing-allowance/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/15/kevin-theriot-top-legal-issues-that-concern-churches-%e2%80%93-issue-9-housing-allowance/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:34:40 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=118670 Speak Up Movement Church Blog: The long standing tax provision that permits churches to provide pastors with a non-taxable housing allowance was recently challenged in the case Freedom from Religion Foundation v. Geitner in a California federal court. The radical group that filed the lawsuit voluntarily dismissed it after the Supreme Court handed down its decision in ACSTO v. Winn – an ADF case that severely restricts the ability of anti-religious organizations to challenge government programs that acknowledge the autonomy of religious organizations and the benefits they provide our communities. But the atheist organization filed another lawsuit challenging the housing allowance in the federal court in Wisconsin on September 17, 2011 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/15/kevin-theriot-top-legal-issues-that-concern-churches-%e2%80%93-issue-9-housing-allowance/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/or-church-loses-challenge-to-county-zoning-ordinances/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/or-church-loses-challenge-to-county-zoning-ordinances/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:51:53 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=93129 Religion Clause: "In McGuire v. Clackamas County Counsel, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5521 (D OR, Jan. 19, 2011), an Oregon federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140026, Nov. 10, 2010), and dismissed a free exercise challenge to the zoning laws of Clackamas County, Oregon." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/or-church-loses-challenge-to-county-zoning-ordinances/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/tx-episcopal-church-awarded-fort-worth-diocese-property/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/tx-episcopal-church-awarded-fort-worth-diocese-property/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:47:32 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=93127 Religion Clause: "The Episcopal Church (TEC) has successfully asserted a claim to the property of a Texas diocese that broke away to affiliate with the more conservative Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.  In The Episcopal Church v. Salazar, (TX Dist. Ct., Jan. 20, 2011), a Texas state trial court held that property of the Diocese of Fort Worth belongs to the individuals who remain loyal to the hierarchical church body." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/24/tx-episcopal-church-awarded-fort-worth-diocese-property/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/atlanta-school-board-votes-not-to-move-graduation-from-local-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/atlanta-school-board-votes-not-to-move-graduation-from-local-church/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:00:35 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=92903 Fox News: "The Cherokee County School Board voted Thursday night not to move its graduation ceremony from First Baptist Church of Woodstock, MyFoxAtlanta.com reports." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/atlanta-school-board-votes-not-to-move-graduation-from-local-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/kevin-theriot-churches-not-welcome-according-to-port-st-lucie-fl-zoning/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/kevin-theriot-churches-not-welcome-according-to-port-st-lucie-fl-zoning/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:49:02 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=92767 Kevin Theriot writing at Speak Up Movement / Church: "Although several different churches are already located at the Shopping Center (churches have been leasing space there for the past nine years), the City of Port St. Lucie prohibited the Church from even attempting to obtain a certificate of occupancy . . . On January 19th, ADF filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Church, asking the federal court to prohibit the City from enforcing those parts of its Zoning Code that discriminate against churches as compared to other types of assemblies." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/21/kevin-theriot-churches-not-welcome-according-to-port-st-lucie-fl-zoning/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/korean-pastors-protest-development-plan-that-will-demolish-churches/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/korean-pastors-protest-development-plan-that-will-demolish-churches/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:30:26 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=90411 UCANEWS: "Protestants in the South Korean city of Incheon have gathered to urge the government to revise the country’s re-development plan to save thousands of churches from demolition." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/korean-pastors-protest-development-plan-that-will-demolish-churches/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/ma-court-rejects-churchs-objection-to-historical-designation/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/ma-court-rejects-churchs-objection-to-historical-designation/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:39:24 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=90383 Religion Clause: "In Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield v. City of Springfield, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 345 (D MA, Jan. 4, 2011), a Massachusetts federal district court rejected a number of constitutional challenges as well as a challenge under RLUIPA to action declaring a closed Springfield, Massachusetts Catholic church to be a local historic district." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/07/ma-court-rejects-churchs-objection-to-historical-designation/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/historic-lesbian-marriage-in-boston-cathedral-unites-top-clergy-of-episcopal-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/historic-lesbian-marriage-in-boston-cathedral-unites-top-clergy-of-episcopal-church/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:06:29 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=89369 Yahoo / PRWeb: "The historic marriage of Episcopal Divinity School, dean and president, the Very Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale and Mally Lloyd, Canon to the Ordinary, took place today at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/historic-lesbian-marriage-in-boston-cathedral-unites-top-clergy-of-episcopal-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/ga-charter-schools-find-homes-on-church-campuses/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/ga-charter-schools-find-homes-on-church-campuses/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:56:31 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=89345 Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Across metro Atlanta, church campuses are becoming sanctuaries for cash-strapped start-up charter schools. The partnering has provided classrooms for hundreds of Georgia public school students. Charter schools save on rent and churches get help covering expenses." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/03/ga-charter-schools-find-homes-on-church-campuses/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/church-of-scotland-faces-threat-of-split-in-row-over-gay-ministers/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/church-of-scotland-faces-threat-of-split-in-row-over-gay-ministers/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:04:56 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=89159 Scotsman: "Desperate efforts are under way to prevent the Church of Scotland splitting over the issue of gay ministers. New official figures suggest a clear majority of Kirk representatives in Edinburgh would back a more liberal attitude. A special commission is due to report to the General Assembly in May on whether practising gays and lesbians should be accepted into the ministry." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/church-of-scotland-faces-threat-of-split-in-row-over-gay-ministers/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/why-is-the-irs-letting-tax-exempt-churches-play-politics/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/why-is-the-irs-letting-tax-exempt-churches-play-politics/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:57:27 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=89010 The Humanist: "The far-right lawyer group, the Alliance Defense Fund, has been the driving force behind these pastor protests. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the alliance is anti-abortion and opposed to same-sex marriage and boasts of having 'more than thirty-five full-time Christian attorneys.' The organization did not respond to a request for comment, but has made no secret of the fact that it’s itching for a court fight—all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/30/why-is-the-irs-letting-tax-exempt-churches-play-politics/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/nc-selection-of-gay-leader-no-step-toward-christian-unity/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/nc-selection-of-gay-leader-no-step-toward-christian-unity/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:06:20 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88911 OneNewsNow: "The North Carolina Council of Churches has chosen an open homosexual as its president-elect . . . According to its website, the purpose of the ecumenical organization is to promote 'Christian unity.' But the vote in favor of Kimer, says Alan Wisdom of the Washington, DC-based Institute on Religion & Democracy, accomplishes just the opposite." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/nc-selection-of-gay-leader-no-step-toward-christian-unity/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/egypt-weighs-easing-rules-on-building-new-churches/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/egypt-weighs-easing-rules-on-building-new-churches/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:14:34 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88865 The Media Line: "Egypt’s government is weighing changes to laws that make it virtually impossible for the country’s Christians to build or expand a church. No law regulates erecting houses of worship, but building a new church in Egypt requires a presidential permit, as well as security clearance from Egypt's State Security Intelligence. The procedure can take years winding its way." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/egypt-weighs-easing-rules-on-building-new-churches/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/14/il-evanston-scales-back-church-zoning-ordinance/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/14/il-evanston-scales-back-church-zoning-ordinance/#comments Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:32:41 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=86607 Chicago Tribune / Local: "After months of debate, Evanston officials this week approved a scaled-back version of an ordinance requiring houses of worship to apply for special-use permits in the two business districts where officials have said their presence has had the most impact on economic development." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/14/il-evanston-scales-back-church-zoning-ordinance/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/il-churchs-chances-for-burbank-site-take-a-hit/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/il-churchs-chances-for-burbank-site-take-a-hit/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:24:54 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=85817 South Town Star: "The Rev. Luis Ruiz, pastor of Rios De Agua Viva in the Marquette Park neighborhood of Chicago, has been eyeing the shuttered restaurant, 8100 S. Parkside Ave., as a second location for his Pentecostal Christian church . . . The property is zoned for commercial purposes, and Burbank's code requires churches to have a special-use permit. Ruiz applied for one, and a Nov. 2 hearing was scheduled." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/il-churchs-chances-for-burbank-site-take-a-hit/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/08/evanston-il-could-scale-back-church-zoning-ordinance/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/08/evanston-il-could-scale-back-church-zoning-ordinance/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:20:24 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=85401 Chicago Tribune Local: "Evanston officials could scale back the number of business or commercial districts in which they would require special-use permits for houses of worship." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/08/evanston-il-could-scale-back-church-zoning-ordinance/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/de-defrocked-priest-parish-ordered-to-pay-in-sex-abuse-case-30m-award/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/de-defrocked-priest-parish-ordered-to-pay-in-sex-abuse-case-30m-award/#comments Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:40:58 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=84814 Delaware Online: "A jury awarded abuse survivor John Vai $30 million in damages for the childhood sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of defrocked priest Francis DeLuca today, and found that St. Elizabeth's Parish was grossly negligent in its failure to supervise DeLuca in the late 1960s, and should pay at least $3 million of that damage award." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/de-defrocked-priest-parish-ordered-to-pay-in-sex-abuse-case-30m-award/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/adf-intervenes-in-az-church-tax-tussle/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/adf-intervenes-in-az-church-tax-tussle/#comments Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:45:12 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=84507 Parker Live: "A Christian organization known for defending church rights around America is intervening in the property tax bill of a Quartzsite church after the church received a bill they claim they do not owe . . . The ADF has sent a letter to County Treasurer Leah Castro asking her to act within her statutory power to override the tax bill and correct what it says is a bureaucratic error." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/02/adf-intervenes-in-az-church-tax-tussle/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/anglican-conservatives-reject-global-unity-plan/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/anglican-conservatives-reject-global-unity-plan/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:14:00 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83825 Associated Press: "Leaders of conservative Anglicans on Wednesday rejected a proposed covenant to hold their global communion together just as the Church of England gave preliminary approval to the plan." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/anglican-conservatives-reject-global-unity-plan/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/maryland-storefront-churches-draw-opposition-in-highlandtown/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/maryland-storefront-churches-draw-opposition-in-highlandtown/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:49:21 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83447 Baltimore Sun: "But while the church and the community association may share some goals, they've been at odds of late. Some Highlandtown residents have raised concerns about noise and parking stemming from Savage's church, and recently mounted a zoning challenge that questioned whether Holy Truth had the permits it needed to operate." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/maryland-storefront-churches-draw-opposition-in-highlandtown/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/ca-appeals-court-reverses-decision-on-validity-of-replacing-episcopal-bishop/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/ca-appeals-court-reverses-decision-on-validity-of-replacing-episcopal-bishop/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:07:55 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83359 Religion Clause: "In Schofield v. Superior Court of Fresno County, (CA App., Nov. 18, 2010), a California appellate court held that in a lawsuit brought by the Episcopal Church to establish its title to property of the break-away San Joaquin Diocese, the trial court must apply neutral principles of law to determine ownership of the property. It held that the trial court had erred in preliminarily deciding who is the rightful bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/ca-appeals-court-reverses-decision-on-validity-of-replacing-episcopal-bishop/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/tn-antioch-church-fights-400000-tax-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/tn-antioch-church-fights-400000-tax-bill/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:35:06 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83301 WKRN: "Christ Church may take its fight to not pay more than $400,000 in property taxes to Davidson County Chancery Court . . . The church is working with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is a legal alliance that deals specifically with defending religious freedom." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/22/tn-antioch-church-fights-400000-tax-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/archbishop-of-canterbury-says-defections-will-cause-challenges-for-the-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/archbishop-of-canterbury-says-defections-will-cause-challenges-for-the-church/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 22:43:46 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83221 Christian Today: "The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of his regret over the departure of five bishops to the Catholic Church but says he respects their decision . . . 'I think the challenge is going to come in sorting out what is really going to be possible for shared use of churches, working out perhaps some of the challenges on how we as Anglicans 'recommend' people, and of course there will be at least some parishes that will now be without priests so we have a practical challenge here and there to supply,' he said." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/archbishop-of-canterbury-says-defections-will-cause-challenges-for-the-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/david-w-virtue-the-true-legacy-of-episcopal-bishop-gene-robinson/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/david-w-virtue-the-true-legacy-of-episcopal-bishop-gene-robinson/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:35:42 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83098 writing at Virtue Online: "There is something entirely disingenuous about the bishop's claims. Whatever 'toll' or 'strain' he is talking about is entirely self-induced, if not self-inflicted. No one said he had to come out. No one said he had to run for bishop though he tried in three dioceses before he hit pay dirt in New Hampshire . . . Among his legacies will be the formation of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Robinson may take pride in the fact that over 100,000 former Episcopalians and some 900 churches have absconded from TEC forcing the national church and four dioceses to spend millions of dollars defending their right to properties." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/david-w-virtue-the-true-legacy-of-episcopal-bishop-gene-robinson/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/50-church-of-england-priests-may-convert-to-roman-catholicism/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/50-church-of-england-priests-may-convert-to-roman-catholicism/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:23:35 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83069 Associated Press: "About 50 Church of England priests have expressed interest in joining five of their bishops in converting to Roman Catholicism, a senior Catholic leader said Friday." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/19/50-church-of-england-priests-may-convert-to-roman-catholicism/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/18/russia-oks-draft-bill-on-church-property-restitution/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/18/russia-oks-draft-bill-on-church-property-restitution/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:15:36 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=82873 Kyiv Post (Reuters): "Russia on Wednesday adopted a draft bill allowing the Russian Orthodox Church to reclaim up to 17,000 buildings and churches nationalised after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. The bill, which sailed through its second and main reading in Russia's lower house of parliament, provides for the hand-over to the increasingly powerful orthodox church of property confiscated by Soviet authorities." Via Religion Clause. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/18/russia-oks-draft-bill-on-church-property-restitution/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-lutheran-church-votes-to-leave-denomination-over-gay-issue/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-lutheran-church-votes-to-leave-denomination-over-gay-issue/#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:14:52 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=82340 Arizona Republic: "La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church in northeast Phoenix voted to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because it employs gay and lesbian clergy in committed relationships." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-lutheran-church-votes-to-leave-denomination-over-gay-issue/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/erik-stanley-the-power-to-tax-is-the-power-to-destroy-especially-when-the-power-to-tax-is-abused/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/erik-stanley-the-power-to-tax-is-the-power-to-destroy-especially-when-the-power-to-tax-is-abused/#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:37:54 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=82230 Erik Stanley writing at Speak Up Movement / Church: "Last week, ADF sent a letter to La Paz County Arizona Treasurer Leah Castro, asking her to protect a rural Arizona church from an abuse of power so wrong you have to suspend disbelief when you hear about it . . . In 2006, The Church of the Isaiah 58 Project bought property in Quartzsite, Arizona for its church. The church promptly applied to the La Paz County Property Assessor, George Nault, for a property tax exemption . . . Mr. Nault refused to grant the property tax exemption. He began to assess property taxes against the Church. By 2008, the Church was already on the hook for thousands of dollars in property taxes which it could not pay." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/erik-stanley-the-power-to-tax-is-the-power-to-destroy-especially-when-the-power-to-tax-is-abused/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-church-caught-in-tax-bind/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-church-caught-in-tax-bind/#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:30:09 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=82225 OneNewsNow: "After a property assessor sat on an Arizona church's paperwork for three years, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is helping the church as it faces foreclosure . . . 'The church had a tax lien filed against it and is facing potential foreclosure in February of next year, all because of a property assessor's office that sat on an application and denied it for those three years for absolutely no reason at all,' laments ADF attorney [Erik Stanley]." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/16/az-church-caught-in-tax-bind/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/50k-tax-bill-error-could-close-church/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/50k-tax-bill-error-could-close-church/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:43:35 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=81676 KPHO: "According to Alliance Defense Fund, both state law and Arizona Department of Revenue agree that the church should not owe any of the $50,000 in property taxes they are being billed." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/50k-tax-bill-error-could-close-church/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/ariz-church-faces-50k-tax-bill-after-3-year-delay-in-paperwork/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/ariz-church-faces-50k-tax-bill-after-3-year-delay-in-paperwork/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:31:36 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=81670 Christian Post: "A rural Arizona church is facing a bill of $50,000 in back taxes and faces the possibility of foreclosure after a local property assessor sat on tax exemption paperwork for three years . . . 'Churches shouldn’t live in fear of being punished or penalized by the government, but this church truly is in fear of losing everything because of nothing other than an unexplained three-year delay in approving paperwork,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel [Erik Stanley]." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/12/ariz-church-faces-50k-tax-bill-after-3-year-delay-in-paperwork/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/methodists-sue-eastern-oregon-congregation-over-finances/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/methodists-sue-eastern-oregon-congregation-over-finances/#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:14:30 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=81354 Statesman-Journal: "An Eastern Oregon congregation that left the United Methodist Church has been sued over its finances. The Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church lawsuit alleges that members of the independent Ontario Community Church took property, funds and documents held in trust for the Methodist mission and ministry." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/09/methodists-sue-eastern-oregon-congregation-over-finances/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/pope-in-spain-denounces-marriage-redefinition-abortion/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/pope-in-spain-denounces-marriage-redefinition-abortion/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:32:44 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=80969 The Oklahoman (RNS): "Pope Benedict XVI denounced abortion, same-sex marriage and the absence of religion in public life during a weekend (Nov. 6-7) visit to Spain, a country he called the 'focal point' of tensions between faith and secularism in Europe." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/pope-in-spain-denounces-marriage-redefinition-abortion/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/gay-christians-wwjd/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/gay-christians-wwjd/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:39:29 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=80855 CNN Belief Blog: "As more states consider whether or not to legalize gay marriage, church leaders have been forced to examine their theological position on homosexuality. They find themselves asking the question about gays and lesbians: What would Jesus do?" Post includes video. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/08/gay-christians-wwjd/feed/ 2