We were sad to see yet another lawsuit between Christians: Liberty University has sued its former president, Jerry Falwell, Jr. After resigning from the presidency last fall, Falwell sued the University for defamation, but he dropped that suit in December; now the University has sued him for breach of contract.

Rather than file these very public lawsuits against one another, these parties could resolve their dispute privately through the Institute for Christian Conciliation. Many Christian organizations have inserted clauses into their contracts — such as employment contracts — requiring that parties resolve any dispute privately through Christian conciliation rather than in the courts. This is not only consistent with Scripture (I Corinthians 6:1-7), it can benefit the parties by keeping the process private and possibly leading to reconciliation. It’s not too late for the parties in this lawsuit to bring their case to the church instead.