A Maine mother is fighting a court order that prohibits her from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church. In 2024, during a custody battle, a Maine lower court ruled that Emily Bickford could not take her daughter to a Calvary Chapel church over objections from her daughter’s father, who asserted that the church’s biblical teachings are “psychologically harmful.” Bickford, represented by Liberty Counsel, has brought the matter to a state Supreme Court, which heard arguments on November 13^th on whether or not the order should stand. The lower court decision gave the girl’s father, Matthew Bradeen, the sole right to determine any sort of association that their daughter can have with Calvary Chapel.

Bradeen and Bickford never married, with Bickford maintaining custody of their daughter, Ava, while Bradeen maintained visitation rights. The trouble began after Ava had been attending Calvary Chapel in Portland for three years. When she decided to tell Bradeen of her decision to baptized, he was enraged. Bradeen then took Bickford to court, specifically noting that the church was harmful because it taught the Bible “verse by verse.”

“The district court noted that, after studying Calvary Chapel, [the judge] came to the opinion that it is a prime example of a closed social system that follows the ‘Moses model.’ In the ‘Moses model,’ the district court found pastors have unquestioned authority and are not accountable to the parishioners, any other pastors, or overseeing organizations,” wrote Liberty Counsel in its brief. “The district court made a factual finding, based on the so-called cult expert’s testimony, that the sermons at Calvary Chapel are filled with ‘hateful rhetoric’ — homophobia, disdain of science, and hatred of public schools.” The order that was granted to Bradeen is so far-reaching, that it even prohibits Bickford from reading the Bible with Ava or allowing any contact with Christianity. Speaking with reporters, Bickford said the order “affects not only our family, but the families of all Christian children.”

Calvary Chapel denotes a series of autonomous charismatic/ Evangelical churches inspired by the work of Chuck Smith. Smith’s work is depicted in the film “The Jesus Revolution.” “Calvary Chapel is not a cult. This custody order banning Emily Bickford from taking her child to a Christian church because of its biblical teachings violates the First Amendment. The breadth of this court order is breathtaking because it even prohibits contact with the Bible, religious literature, or religious philosophy,” said Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver in a statement. “The custody order cannot prohibit Bickford from taking her daughter to church. The implications of this order pose a serious threat to religious freedom.” A decision will be coming in the next few weeks.