Court Says Michigan Right to Stop Support to Faith-Based Teen Facility
by Jim Brown
October 4, 2005
(AgapePress) - A federal judge has ruled that the state of Michigan was justified in ending its contract with a faith-based rehab facility for troubled teenagers. That decision, says a Christian attorney, delivers a major blow to the ministry that provides help and hope to young people and their families. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan has ruled that the state can continue its refusal to place troubled teens at the "Teen Ranch" treatment facility in Marlette. The state argues that "faith-specific tenets" incorporated into Teen Ranch programs violate the so-called separation of church and state.
But Gary McCaleb, an attorney for Teen Ranch, believes the state is engaging in religious discrimination. "At this point I think it's very unfortunate. It's been a hard time for the ministry," McCalem says. "And while this lawsuit has dragged on for two years, despite our best efforts, a lot of teenagers have not been helped. A lot of folks who are hurting and should have been able to get Teen Ranch's help have gone by the wayside."
The Alliance Defense Fund attorney laments the attitudes of those pressing case against the rehabilitation ministry.
"I'll guarantee you, I've not seen many government officials so focused on eliminating religion from the public eye," the attorney offers. "In my view it's one of the most over-the-top examples of a government agency going after a religious group. And in my book and in the American constitutional view that I think is correct, what they did is really pretty shameful."
McCaleb shares that because of the cut in funding from the state, Teen Ranch has had to "seriously cut back" the services it provides -- and the state's actions, he asserts, have relegated faith-based organizations to "second-class status." Teen Ranch, he adds, is likely to appeal the ruling.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
