A Christian school has won a legal battle with two teachers who sued the school after their contracts were not renewed because they refused to provide proof they were Christians.

Little Oaks Elementary Schhol, owned by Calvary Chapel of Thousand Oaks, California, requires all teachers to complete a form that affirms their faith in Christ as part of their teacher contracts.  Two teachers, Lynda Serrano and Mary Ellen Guevara, refused to submit the document.

The document requires among other things a pastor attesting to their church attendance and their Christians beliefs.

The women claimed they were being discriminated against because they refused to sign the papers.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh sided with the school saying that the teachers served in a ministerial capacity when they were working within the school.  That meant the school can require proof of faith as a condition of employment.

“We are grateful that this Court has chosen to protect the liberty of Little Oaks School,” commented attorney James Long in a press release on Wednesday. “It only makes sense that a Christian school has the constitutional right to require that its teachers provide a reference from a pastor.”