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Part-time pastor, Kenneth Hauge, and his wife, Liv, are facing threats of eviction as a result of holding a Bible study in their apartment, as authorities at the residential complex have classified it as running "a business.” The United States Christian couple applied to use the community space in Evergreens at Smith Run, a senior living community in Fredericksburg, Virginia for service meetings for members of their local church at a nearby shopping centre. Members were permitted to use the space as long as the meeting was not referred to as a "Bible study", instead, a "book review" club. Following a scheduling issue, the residential complex finally agreed for its space to be used by the group and described as a Bible study after another resident had volunteered to be the host. However, the residential complex implemented a zero-tolerance policy over Bible studies, and sent letters to residents stating the faith-based meetings weren't permitted in the community space. In a second letter to the Hauges, the couple in their 80s were told that they were prohibited from holding a Bible study even in the privacy of their own apartment as it would be termed as a "business" in a space only meant for residential use. Faith Wire reported. Meanwhile, First Liberty, a faith-based legal organization, exclusively dedicated to defending religious liberty, sent a letter to the lawyers representing the residential complex, to challenge the legality of the rule. “Since it's #SeniorCitizensDay let us introduce you to our newest victim of anti-religious hostility: Ken Hauge. Evicting senior citizens from their home for leading a Bible study is not only outrageous, it's illegal.” First Liberty tweeted. "Evicting elderly residents from their home for holding a Bible study is not only outrageous, it's illegal," Lea Patterson, associate counsel for First Liberty, said in a press release. "It's frightening that a management company would use the threat of eviction to stop residents from meeting together to discuss any issue, let alone their faith." By Ololade Olatimehin
By: Olatimehin Ololade