Methodist bishop opposes proposed New Mexico bill that would apply 'neutral principles of law' in church property cases
By Craig M. Kibler
Staff Writer
The Layman Online
Friday, February 16, 2007

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The bishop of the New Mexico Conference of the United Methodist Church has come out in opposition to proposed legislation in the New Mexico state legislature that would require the use of "neutral principles of law" in cases involving church property rights

.The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 230, was introduced by state Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces.

Bishop D. Max Whitfield, in an e-mail sent to Methodist ministers, states that, "The implications of this bill are significant."

The e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by The Layman Online, goes on to say that, "It implies that unless the local church enacts a resolution, they could ignore The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. At the very least, it would require a significant amount of paperwork to satisfy the State of New Mexico that we are United Methodists. At the worst, it could spawn lawsuits about whether local United Methodist Churches must abide by The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church." the rest