Family
Maine Court Sides With Father Who Claims Church Is Harmful to Daughter
Faith Facts
- Maine’s highest court has upheld a ruling allowing a father to prevent his daughter from attending Calvary Chapel with her mother during custody visits
- A lower court accepted an expert’s testimony characterizing the church as cult-like, a claim the mother disputes
- The decision raises significant questions about parental rights and religious freedom in custody disputes
Maine’s highest court has delivered a controversial ruling in a custody dispute that puts religious freedom and parental rights in tension. The court upheld a decision allowing a father to forbid his daughter from attending Calvary Chapel services with her mother.
The case centers on a contested custody arrangement where the mother regularly attends a Calvary Chapel congregation with her daughter. The father objected to the church attendance, and the lower court sided with him after hearing testimony from an expert witness.
That expert characterized the church as resembling a “cult,” a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from religious liberty advocates. Calvary Chapel is a well-established Protestant denomination with hundreds of congregations nationwide, known for contemporary worship and Bible-centered teaching.
The mother disputes the characterization of her church and has fought to maintain her right to share her faith with her daughter. However, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court found no legal error in the lower court’s decision to restrict the child’s church attendance during the mother’s parenting time.
The ruling has alarmed religious freedom organizations who see it as a dangerous precedent. When courts accept subjective labels like “cult” to restrict constitutionally protected religious practice, families of faith face an uncertain landscape in custody proceedings.
Legal experts note that while courts routinely consider the best interests of children in custody cases, religious practice has traditionally received strong protection. This case appears to create new grounds for limiting a parent’s ability to include children in worship.
The father’s attorneys argued that the church environment was harmful to the child’s well-being. The mother’s legal team countered that attending church represents core religious expression protected by the First Amendment, and that no evidence of actual harm to the child was presented.
Calvary Chapel churches emphasize Biblical authority, evangelism, and discipleship. They are part of the broader evangelical Protestant tradition and are not typically classified as non-mainstream or cultish by religious scholars.
Critics of the ruling point out that allowing one parent to veto another’s religious practice sets a troubling standard. In an increasingly secular legal system, some worry that traditional Christian beliefs and practices could face growing scrutiny and restriction.
The case also highlights the vulnerability of divorced or separated Christian parents who may find their faith practices subject to court oversight and control. What happens in one jurisdiction can influence legal reasoning elsewhere.
As American culture becomes more divided over religious and moral questions, family courts are becoming new battlegrounds. Cases like this one in Maine demonstrate how judicial decisions can profoundly impact the ability of Christians to raise their children in the faith.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Clyde and Gwen Antwine celebrated 70 years of marriage rooted in Christian service and missionary work across Europe and the United States.
- The couple met at a youth camp in Texas and built their relationship on shared faith, mission trips, and a commitment to mentoring young Christians.
- They helped establish a healthy church in Zurich, Switzerland, and continued to serve faithfully at Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma.
The Antwines first met as teenagers at a two-week encampment at Abilene Christian University. Clyde was 15 years old and sold his FFA prize-winning steer for $40 to attend. That is where he first saw Gwen, then 14, and asked to take her picture.
He carried that photograph in his wallet for five years before they reunited at Abilene Christian during his sophomore year. They married six months later.
“The last day of camp, I worked up the courage to ask her if I could take her picture, and she posed. And I put that picture in my wallet. I didn’t even know her name. I just knew she was pretty.”
After Clyde graduated, the couple boarded a boat for Europe in 1959. They served seven years in Zurich, helping to strengthen a young congregation of the Church of Christ. Their work laid a foundation that still bears fruit today.
Later the Antwines served in the German cities of Augsburg and Munich. After nearly two decades overseas, they returned to the United States. Clyde became missionary in residence at Oklahoma Christian University while Gwen served as office manager for The Christian Chronicle.
“Gwen would get you laughing and see the positive side when things got tough, and Clyde, in his quiet voice, would somehow say the exact words you needed to hear to keep you spiritually grounded.”
Their legacy continues through the many students they mentored for mission work. The Antwines never sought recognition. Their only goal was to prepare others for Kingdom service.
Today, Clyde still carries that original photograph of Gwen from their teenage years. Their story stands as a clear testimony of enduring love, steadfast faith, and lifelong commitment to the Lord’s work.
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Faith Facts
- Ashley Flynn’s family states she “wanted her life to point people to Jesus.”
- She is remembered as a mother of two who “loved Jesus with her whole heart.”
- The case centers on the tragic loss of a Christian wife and mother whose testimony continues to inspire faith.
The family of the late Ashley Flynn is remembering the slain mother of two as someone who “loved Jesus with her whole heart” after her husband Caleb was found guilty of murdering her as the defendant’s family maintains his innocence.
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Faith Facts
- Christians across Puerto Rico are gathering for six days of prayer for families, churches and the island’s future.
- The island is a U.S. territory located in the Caribbean.
- The multi-day prayer initiative reflects a commitment to faith, family and national values.
Christians across Puerto Rico are gathering this week for six days of prayer for families, churches and the future of the island, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean.
Believers are uniting in churches and communities to seek God’s guidance and blessing over their households and the territory’s future.
Participants are lifting up concerns ranging from family stability and spiritual renewal to economic growth and cultural preservation.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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