The U.S. Department of Justice has come alongside a small but influential Christian church in Idaho by suing the city of Troy after it denied a conditional use permit to the church based on clear anti-Christian bias from locals, leading the assistant attorney general to condemn the city for “deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups.”
For background, on May 20, 2025, the Department of Justice announced that it had filed a lawsuit against the City of Troy, Idaho, which had denied a conditional use permit (CUP) to Christ Church, a conservative evangelical congregation that has polarized locals, who criticize the church and its pastor for holding to traditional, conservative values.
In a press release published on May 20, 2025, the DOJ explained the lawsuit further, explaining that it alleges that Christ Church, based in Moscow, Idaho, had “outgrown the space where it had been worshipping and was unable to find a space to rent.” The press release continued, “It then sought a CUP to operate a church in the City’s C-1 zoning district, where nonreligious assembly uses such as clubs, museums, auditoriums, and art galleries were allowed. ”
Continuing, the release explained that because of Christ Church’s conservative stances on key issues, locals in Troy “vociferously opposed the Church’s CUP application, and many of their written and verbal comments reflected animus against Christ Church’s beliefs.” The release clarified that the City of Troy stated that the public was “heavily against” the church’s use of the building.
Moreover, the lawsuit stated, “Christ Church made a substantial effort to find a suitable location for its Sunday services. On various occasions, the church reached out to other facilities in Troy to explore renting space for Sunday services, including a local public school, but those requests were rebuffed.” Continuing, the lawsuit explained, “The church also considered building a facility outside of town, but did not have enough capital for such a project.”
Responding to the City of Troy in the press release, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said, “[The Religious Liberty and Institutionalized Persons Act] unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups,” adding, “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that discriminate in land use matters on the basis of the applicants’ religious beliefs.”
Importantly, Christ Church, led by Pastor Douglas Wilson, has been a polarizing presence in Moscow, Idaho, due to its explicit ambition to make the city “a Christian town,” with Pastor Wilson stating, “Basically this is a blue dot in a very, very red state and the blue dotters are pleased,” and adding, ” “Our mission is ‘All of Christ for all of life,’ and if you drill that down, then for all of Moscow.”
Moreover, the church’s website states that it intends to influence its city “through genuine cultural engagement that provides Christian leadership in the arts, in business, in education, in politics, and in literature.” Pastor Wilson has added, “It looks like a power move, but we’re running into people trying for City Council for the same reason you run into them at (the local tire store). They’re just part of the community. People have homes here and buy businesses. It happens. It’s not a directive.”
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