Once Scorned, City Gets Praise for Handling Bible Study Controversy

A legal group first critical of San Juan Capistrano city officials for fining a local couple for holding in-home Bible studies is now praising them for changing city laws.

The Pacific Justice League, a nonprofit based in Sacramento that seeks to defend religious rights, said in a press release the city’s recent redefinition of what is a church and how many people can regularly visit a home without needing a permit “could become a model for cities across the country.”

The president of the group, Brad Dacus, even produced a video statement about the decision.

The , after the city fined residents Charles and Stephanie Fromm $500 for having twice-weekly Bible studies, which upset at least one neighbor.

The news went world-wide, and City Council members and other officials were besieged with emails from all corners, chastising them for their actions.

At the time, the Pacific Justice League put out a press release, calling the city's move "outrageous."

, city officials began looking into ways to change city laws to prevent a future brouhaha.

The work culminated with the finalization of a new city code just this week.

“The changes adopted by San Juan Capistrano conform to the California Building Code, which does not apply church building standards to home-based groups with less than 50 attendees,” the Pacific Justice League’s press release noted. "As a result, small home-based religious groups in the city will be treated like similarly-sized secular gatherings and will not be required to get costly use permits”.