No More Church Evictions from Public Schools, Says New York City Council

Churches threatened with eviction from New York City public schools are celebrating the city council's passage today of a resolution calling on state lawmakers to protect their right to rent worship space on Sundays.

                                       

"Right to Worship Resolution passes NY City Council by 38-11," noted A Journey Through NYC Religions, which broke the news in a brief post. "Council steamrolls over Speaker Christine Quinn’s opposition to resolution."

"This is one of the first times in recent memory that the city council has responded to faith-based groups and, despite significant opposition, passed a resolution supporting their rights," said Tony Carnes, editor of the Journey site, which chronicles religious life in NYC. "That's a remarkable change, and certainly will catch attention."

Carnes pointed to a Journey poll indicating that nearly 70 percent of the neighbors of schools that rent to churches do not see the rentals as a problematic endorsement of religion.

The long-running legal standoff between churches and the city's education department over whether or not schools can ban worship has been pending since a judge blocked the city's ban last June and the city appealed. The Supreme Court declined to hear the relevant lawsuit by the Bronx Household of Faith. A previous attempt by lawmakers at the state level to permit church rentals failed.

New York pastors protested the eviction attempt (one started a hunger strike). Tim Keller called the attempt to oust churches "unwise." CT also editorialized on the issue.