LCMS President Harrison reacts to unanimous
U.S. Supreme Court ruling in support of Hosanna-Tabor
“Landmark” decision in favor of Missouri Synod church, school
ST. LOUIS—January 11, 2012—The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), issued the following statement in reaction to the United States Supreme Court historic 9-0 decision today in favor of an LCMS church and school in Redford, Mich.
“We are delighted with the Opinion issued by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Hosanna-Tabor case today. The Court, in upholding the right of churches to select their own ministers without government interference, has confirmed a critical religious liberty in our country. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod places great emphasis on the religious education of its children and the important role of commissioned ministers in promoting our faith, so we are thankful that the Court has confirmed our church’s right to decide who will be serving as ministers in our churches and schools. We also are thankful that this unanimous Opinion will help secure the religious freedom of all religious organizations in America for years to come. Please keep the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in your prayers daily.”
To download a 39-page PDF of the Supreme Court's decision, click here.
About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. Founded in 1847, the LCMS has more than 2.3 million baptized members in some 6,200 congregations and more than 9,000 pastors. Two seminaries and 10 colleges and universities operate under the auspices of the LCMS, and its congregations operate the largest Protestant parochial school system in America. The church broadcasts the saving message of Jesus Christ over KFUO Radio, and it has relationships and active mission work in 89 countries around the world. In the last five years, the LCMS has awarded more than $35 million through more than 900 domestic and international grants for emergency response and disaster relief. Today, the LCMS is in full doctrinal fellowship with 33 other confessional Lutheran church bodies worldwide and is a founding partner of Lutheran Services in America, a social ministry organization serving one in every 50 Americans. For more information, visit www.lcms.org.
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