They Had Theology, We Have Zoning

In 1735, Anne Hutchinson and her husband started a home Bible-study group, which started small but grew to include about sixty people. This was noticed first by their neighbors, then by the state, neither of whom liked the idea of unlicensed preaching going on in a private home. (Also, she was a woman, a suspect characteristic if you are a Puritan.) She was hauled before a court, where the judges threw 1 Corinthians 14:34 at her: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” Hutchinson came back with the second chapter of Titus (“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live . . . Then they can train the younger women”), but John Winthrop was unconvinced and her case was lost.

In 2010, Chuck and Stephanie Fromm started a home Bible-study group, which started small but grew to include about sixty people. This was noticed first by their neighbors, then by the state, neither of whom liked the idea of unlicensed preaching going on in a private home. (Also, they’re Christians, a suspect characteristic if you are a bureaucrat.) They were fined $300 when the code-enforcement officer threw municipal code 9.3-301 at them: “Religious, fraternal, and non-profit” organizations can’t operate in a residential area without a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which needless to say costs money to obtain.

The Fromms came back with . . . in truth, I’m not sure what they’ll be able to come back with. Some other clause in the Capistrano city bylaws? It’s always a shame when your enemy gets to pick the battleground. Especially when he picks zoning regulations.

God go with you, Mr. and Mrs. Fromm. I sincerely hope you are not exiled to Rhode Island and scalped by Narragansett Indians.