Category Archives: Christian Lawsuits

Christian Mediation in Clergy Abuse Cases?

January 9, 2019 – 8:23 pm

Could Christian mediation help with the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse cases? Christian mediation differs from standard mediation in that it consciously incorporates Christian principles into the mediation process, promoting not only resolution of the dispute but also reconciliation of the relationship, to whatever degree is appropriate. Far from settling with a compromise, Christian mediation has […]

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April 7, 2018 – 1:04 pm

At least two federal courts have upheld the enforceability of a dispute resolution clause in a Christian school contract requiring employees to resolve their differences “through Christian mediation, and if necessary, arbitration” rather than in court. One case, Easterly v. Heritage Christian Schools, Inc., 2009 WL 2750099 (S.D. Indiana Aug. 26, 2009), was decided several years ago; […]

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Years of Litigation

August 17, 2016 – 1:02 pm

A 12-year-old Catholic girl goes to confession at her parish church, and tells the priest that she is being fondled by an adult man in the parish. The priest does not report this to anyone. Eventually, it comes to light, but the criminal investigation ends abruptly when the alleged offender dies of a sudden heart […]

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Christian Arbitration Critiqued

November 21, 2015 – 8:45 pm

The New York Times published a three-part series earlier this month on arbitration; the third part focused on Christian arbitration (“In Religious Arbitration, Scripture is the Rule of Law”). The authors note that a religious arbitration allows people of the same faith to resolve their dispute based on similar values, achieving not just a settlement, […]

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LCMS Dispute Resolution

September 18, 2015 – 5:53 pm

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has invested a lot in peacemaking. I was part of their effort in the late 1990’s to train hundreds of district superintendents around the U.S. in Christian mediation, in hopes that they would be able to resolve pastor-parish conflicts internally, and well. So it was with real sadness that I came […]

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