Christian ministries are under attack in California.

According to the Pacific Justice Institute, on January 18, 2019, a raid was conducted of River View Christian Academy (RVCA), in rural Northern California. The raid, which terrified students and staff, consisted of 16 armed law enforcement officials from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), 2 canine units, and 17 social workers. The State later admitted the raid was prompted by an Internet rumor put forward by an online left-wing tabloid. The state was duped into thinking the school housed illegal drugs, stockpiled weapons, and was preparing for an end-times apocalypse. Yet the Waco-style raid turned up no such evidence.

California didn’t apologize for the gross mistake. Instead, the state doubled down and began imposing daily fines against the school for allegedly operating as an “unlicensed community care facility.”

RVCA has operated as a private school for the past 25 years, filing an annual affidavit with the California Department of Education as do other private schools and homeschools in California. California says that’s not good enough. Due to recent legislation, state officials claim it is no longer possible for a private boarding school to operate without extensive licensing and oversight by the Department of Social Services.

But licensing is more than just an administrative headache – it would require the Christian school to relinquish its moral standards. For instance, the State requires that licensed facilities allow students to have the right to engage in spiritual and sexual exploration, which contradicts the goals of many parents who enroll their kids in RVCA.

The school is run by Teen Rescue. Teen Rescue was founded in 1989 by Phil Ludwig and launched the school in 1993. The campus includes dormitories, classrooms, a cafeteria, athletic field, library and offices.

PJI has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the school in mid-March and sought a restraining order to prevent imposition of the fines. With daily fines mounting, and as PJI then began vigorously pursuing an administrative appeal, the state filed suit against the school in Shasta County Superior Court. PJI is now defending against that suit.

Christians are under attack in the United States of America.