Religion · Columbia, SC Metro · August 21, 2026
SC Church's Lawsuit Over Religious Bias in County Deal Advances to Trial
A federal judge has denied Richland County's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Word of God Church and Ministries, according to WACH Fox in Columbia, South Carolina. The church entered a 2023 contract to purchase the vacant Dutch Square Mall and submitted a redevelopment proposal to the Richland County Council seeking funding approval and a property tax abatement. Court records state that Councilmember Allison Terracio refused to bring the proposal to the full council because she believed the church was 'ineligible for the type of consideration sought purely because of their religious status and character.' Bishop Eric Davis says the ruling confirms the facts are sufficient to proceed to trial, now set for no later than August 2027. The case has entered discovery, and Davis says the county is asserting legislative privilege over documents; he has filed a motion to compel their release. Richland County declined to comment, citing active litigation.
Source: wach.com
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
If the court record is accurate, a sitting county official blocked a redevelopment proposal specifically because the applicant was a church — not because of the project's merits. This is a direct example of government treating a Christian institution as disqualified from ordinary economic opportunity simply for being religious. Bible-believing Christians should watch this case closely, because it tests whether local government can lawfully exclude churches from public benefits available to other organizations. Regardless of the outcome, the allegation itself illustrates a broader pattern worth documenting: officials using religious status as a pretext to deny churches equal footing in civic and economic life.
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed — Isaiah 10:1
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From the book
Offensively, we use the law to dismantle unjust structures. Where a corporation or an agency violates the civil rights of religious employees, we sue, not out of vengeance but to enforce the law.
— Chapter 20, “The Legal Arena”
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