Texas seminaries victorious in 'landmark' religious freedoms case

Texas seminaries victorious in 'landmark' religious freedoms case

Seminaries in Texas have won what is being called a landmark religious freedoms case. Last week's unanimous ruling by the Texas Supreme Court overturned two lower-court opinions and a Texas law that gave the state power over seminaries and their training of pastors and ministry leaders.

Liberty Legal Institute (LLI) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tyndale Theological Seminary in 1999, after the state's higher education coordinating board threatened to fine the seminary thousands of dollars as punishment for issuing theological degrees without seeking government approval of its curriculum, professors, and board. Kelly Shackelford, president of LLI, says the justices' ruling on Friday was clear.

"What the court said, 8-to-0, is I think true -- which is that really the state has no business, no competence, no authority to come in and try to tell churches and seminaries how to train pastors for the ministry," says Shackelford. "This is an area where the state has zero authority to intervene, and if they do so they violate the free exercise of religion."

The attorney says the "shackles" have been removed for many groups trying to train pastors, and believes the state has been "put back in its place" concerning religious freedom. According to Shackelford, if the state had gained a favorable outcome, the state would control all training of future religious leaders and religious freedom in itself.

The Hispanic Bible Institute and the Southern Bible Institute joined the lawsuit later because they too were prevented from calling themselves seminaries or issuing theological degrees without state approval and control.