Hide Article Text (OCR)
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court will hear oral argu ments this week in a case that could help guide lawmakers as they consider a bill that would make it easier for churches to train leaders. Three seminaries fined by the Texas Higher Education Coordi nating Board filed the lawsuit, claiming the state violates the First Amendment by regulating reli gious training of future clergy members. One of the schools, Tyndale Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, was cited in 1998 for vio lating a law that requires semi naries to be accredited and pre vents unaccredited institutions from awarding degrees. “The state has no business in the area of how to train pastors or deciding who is adept at handling the Bible,” said attorney Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Legal Institute, the Plano-based religious liberties law firm that represents the seminaries. The state attorney general’s office has said the law aims not to regulate religion but only the qual ity of post-secondary education in €¢ The state has no business in the area of how to train pastors or deciding who is adept at handling the Bible.” Kelly Shackelford, attorney, Liberty Legal Institute Texas. A bill filed by Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, would change the law to allow religious institu tions to use the terms seminary or school of theology without state approved accreditation. Such insti tutions could offer degrees that specify their strictly religious nature. Eissler drafted the bill after Houston-area pastor Dave Ander son contacted him. For at least two years, Anderson had worked to start a Protestant seminary. But the law kept getting in the way. Anderson told Eissler. ‘They looked at the require ments, and they were very stiff you already had to have $1 million worth of books in the library,” Eissler said. The law was written in 1997 to protect consumers and employers from degree mills that issue cer tificates but require little or no coursework. Under the law, the Tyndale sem inary, operated by HEB Ministries Inc., was fined $173,000 in 1998 for issuing 34 degrees without the coordinating board’s approval. Along with the Southern Bible Institute in Dallas and the His panic Bible Institute in San Anto nio, the Tyndale seminary sued the state seeking to overturn both the fines and the law. David Linkletter, the coordinat ing board’s program specialist, said while his agency has not reviewed the legislation, the idea that secular and religious degrees are different is dubious. Seminaries that offer degrees claim to offer a level of education that requires resources and exper tise, Linkletter said. The state has a responsibility to make sure those schools are meeting those stan dards, he said. Eissler submitted similar legis lation in 2003, but it never reached the House floor for debate. While he said he plans to request an ear ly hearing on the bill he submitted in November, Eissler said he expects lawmakers will wait to take action until the court decides whether the existing law is constitutional. Although a lower court ruled in favor of the state, Shackelford said he is confident the court and legislators will agree the law regarding seminaries needs to change. “If it is as blatantly unconstitu tional as we think it is, the court will strike it down anyway, and the Legislature will have to attempt after that to come up with a statute that is constitutional,” he said.
Newspaper Details
Kerrville Daily Times
Kerrville, Texas, US
Mon, Jan 03, 2005
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 04 Jun 2026
Other Publications Near Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville Times
Hill View Times
Kerrville Mountain Sun
Kerrville Daily Times
