A massive Fairfax County church entangled in litigation with the county has resumed college-credit Bible classes this fall while its case winds through the legal system, an attorney for the church said Thursday.
McLean Bible Church sued the county this summer after the Board of Zoning Appeals ruled the classes, which earned course credit at Capital Bible Seminary for participants, violated zoning law.
The case could serve as a test of religious freedom over the power of a government to regulate land use.
“It’s an arbitrary and capricious decision,” said Stuart Mendelsohn, an attorney representing the church.
“These kinds of classes are going on all over Fairfax County.”
A lawsuit brought against county zoning officials in federal court has been forestalled pending a resolution in Fairfax County Circuit Court.
The church is appealing the zoning board decision to the court.
