Courts Will Decide Church Property Disputes

Thursday, June 12, 2008

In 2003, the Episcopal Church, USA, ordained a gay bishop, igniting an intense debate within the church over its views on homosexuality. Some local congregations that opposed the ordination voted to break away from the national denomination, leading to complicated legal disputes over the ownership of church property. There have been a number of similar disputes in recent years involving Presbyterian churches and other denominations. To explore these church property disputes and their constitutional implications, the Pew Forum turns to church-state scholar Robert W. Tuttle.

Interview