ELCA sued over pension fund - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Christian Century, May 3, 1995

In overturning the damage award made by a jury in the lower-court trial, the appeals court ruled that the church's tenet of spiritual healing through prayer alone was protected by the Constitution. It also overturned a finding of negligence against the church. "The constitutional right to religious freedom includes the authority of churches to independently decide matters of faith and doctrine," the appeals court said.

But the court left intact $15 million in compensatory damages against the McKowns and the two practitioners. It held that the McKowns had a duty to protect the boy from harm and that the practitioners should have overruled the parents' wishes to rely on prayer alone rather than seek medical help. "We continue to be saddened by the tragic fact that lan did not recover," said Victor Westberg, a spokesman for the church. "But this tragedy should not be compounded by allowing the remaining portion of the jury's verdict to stand against those who sought to save him."

`Outing' target becomes archbishop

Anglican Bishop of London David Hope, who fought a recent "outing" campaign by Outrage!, a militant homosexual group that claimed he was gay, has been appointed archbishop of York. Hope's appointment to the Church of England's second-highest post re-establishes the traditional balance between high-church and low-church leaders at the top of the denomination. Hope is a leading Anglo-Catholic, while the church's top official, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, is a staunch evangelical.

Carey paid tribute to Hope's "shrewd and strong" leadership of the Diocese of London and expressed confidence that they would work well together. At a press conference in London April 11, Hope said he looked forward to deepening the working relationship he had already established with Carey. While Hope opposes the ordination of women and Carey supports it, Hope said they both agreed on one "more fundamental" matter: "There is a spiritual hunger and a thirst for faith in our nation."

Hope's publicly standing up to Peter Tatchell of Outrage! might even have helped to confirm the Crown Appointments Commission in its choice of a successor for retiring Archbishop of York John Habgood. Its final meeting apparently took place after a March 13 press conference in which Hope decried the gay group's attempt to "out" him as a homosexual. Although acknowledging that his sexuality is "ambiguous," Hope reaffirmed his commitment to living a single and celibate life.

Meanwhile, the Times of London reported that as many as 60 priests have secretly been conducting hundreds of marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. Such ceremonies are officially prohibited, and the priests risk expulsion if they are discovered.

Money problems plague Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland--the Presbyterian denomination that historically has been the religious home of most Scots--is facing a financial crisis so severe that in two or three years it may not be able to pay all its ministers. The warning comes in a report of the Board of Ministry to the General Assembly, the church's highest governing body, which meets in Edinburgh May 20-26.