Pro-gay marriage stance ends in tears
M.P. McQueen
January 09, 2008

A SMALL protestant church in Adrian, Michigan, has weathered controversies surrounding abortion, the Civil War, desegregation and Vietnam since it was established in 1836.

Now, because its denomination supports gay rights, the church has been deemed too risky for property insurance.

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance of Fort Wayne, Indiana, turned down the West Adrian United Church of Christ, citing its national governing body's approval of gay marriage and the ordination of homosexuals.

"Based on national media reports, controversial stances such as those indicated in your application responses have resulted in property damage and the potential for increased litigation among churches that have chosen to publicly endorse these positions," Marci J. Fretz, a regional underwriter for Brotherhood Mutual - one of the nation's largest insurers of religious institutions - wrote in a letter to the church. the rest