Related
Advertisements *
Elsewhere
Subscribe: RSS
RNB's RSS feed What is this? |
Subscribe: Email
![]() |
![]() Subscribe by Email What is this? |
Most Popular
- New Mexico Apocalyptic Church Leader Michael Travesser Arrested on Sex Charges
- Girl, 13, hangs herself after becoming obsessed with Emo ’suicide cult’ rock band
- Self-Described Messiah Arrested After State Removed Three Teens From N.M. Compound
- Christianity without Christ
- Journey to the center of a cult
- New Mexico Compound’s Enraptured Believers
- Texas used seized FLDS records against polygamous sect
- Polygamy roll shows 21 wives for one member
- N.M. sect leader, jailed awaiting court appearance, refuses food
- German Scientology church drops court challenge; adds human rights declaration to bylaws
Appellate Court Rules in Favor of Harvest House and Its Authors, John Ankerberg and John Weldon
On January 5, 2006, the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas issued an opinion in favor of Harvest House Publishers and authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon, dismissing a $136 million libel lawsuit that The Local Church and its publishing arm, Living Stream Ministry, had filed in December 2001 in relation to the book Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions.
The Appellate Court’s decision, written by Chief Justice Sherry Radack, ruled that “the allegedly libel[ous] statements are not defamatory, as a matter of law,” and, “We reverse the judgment of the trial court and render judgment that the [Local] church take nothing from the publisher and authors.” The full decision can be read at http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/ruling.pdf
.
In their suit, The Local Church claimed that the Encyclopedia accused their group of criminal and immoral conduct. However, Harvest House and the authors have contended all along that the book does not and never intended to attribute such activity to The Local Church. Rather, the authors included the 1-1/4-page chapter on the Local Church’s teachings in the Encyclopedia based on the book’s definition of a religious cult: “a separate religious group generally claiming compatibility with Christianity but whose doctrines contradict those of historic Christianity….”
Though The Local Church insisted this case was not about being labeled a ‘cult,’ they contended that by their mere inclusion in the Encyclopedia, and because the Introduction mentioned misdeeds committed by some unspecified cults, their group stood accused of any conduct that happened to be mentioned in the Introduction. Thus, they alleged, the book was libelous. But the Court pointed out that the Encyclopedia centers on doctrinal and apologetic issues, and “that being labeled a ‘cult’ is not actionable because the truth or falsity of the statement depends upon one’s religious beliefs, an ecclesiastical matter, which cannot and should not be tried in a court of law.”
As for the criminal conduct mentioned in the Introduction, the Appellate Court decisively ruled, “No reasonable reader could conclude that the book accuses the [Local] church…of rape, murder, child molestation, drug smuggling, etc….The allegedly libelous statements in the Introduction are not ‘of and concerning’ the [Local] church and are not actionable.”
John Ankerberg and John Weldon, in a joint statement, said, “We are thankful that the Court saw the issues with great clarity and ruled accordingly, because throughout the case, The Local Church has persistently accused us of making horrendous charges against them and have misrepresented the contents of the Encyclopedia.” The authors continued, “Though The Local Church clearly desires acceptance within evangelical Christianity, suing those who critique their teachings is not the way to gain it, but rather, dealing with the unorthodox teachings that exist in their publications. We care deeply about the people within The Local Church, and though we disagree with them doctrinally, we uphold their right to publish and teach as they choose.”
Bob Hawkins, Jr., president of Harvest House Publishers, adds, “We hope this ruling will encourage other authors, publishers, and broadcasters to stand strong in their convictions and to continue engaging in responsible dialogue concerning controversial topics without fear of intimidating lawsuits.” Hawkins went on to say, “We have been encouraged by many people who have been praying for us, and we’ve been humbled by the wonderful support we received from media groups and publishers who filed friend-of-the-court briefs on our behalf. Ultimately, we are thankful that we have had the opportunity to experience in profoundly deep ways the faithfulness of God.”
Share this
To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:
Article and Site Tools
» PermaLink to: Appellate Court Rules in Favor of Harvest House and Its Authors, John Ankerberg and John Weldon Need a shorter link? You can remove everything after the final / » More news articles + news archive on Local Church » More religion and cult news Subscribe (RSS / Email) [What is RSS?] » RSS News Feed - All Topics: Religion News Blog RSS Feed » RSS News Feed - Single Topic: Local Church » Headlines by Email: Daily Religion News Blog Headlines |
More Article Tools
Bookmark / Tag: Del.icio.us Bookmark / Tag: Furl Save this article Email this article Print this article [Temporarily out of order] More Information Books about Local Church Relevant books (and other goodies) |
About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.



