A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Johnny Hunt, sued the SBC last year in federal court for defamation. This summer, the court (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee) ordered the parties into mediation. They reportedly met in mediation for one day last month, on September 19, 2024, but did […]

Reports that recently-terminated Calvin University President Wiebe Boer is suing his former employer bring sadness: another lawsuit among Christians. This dispute could have avoided court altogether if the parties had included in their employment contract a clause to that effect. The Institute for Christian Conciliation has long promoted its contract clause for that reason: it […]

The “ministerial exception” to laws governing employment relationships in the U.S. prevents courts from considering employment-related legal claims made by church employees, or former employees, who meet the definition of a “minister.” Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020); Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 […]