Emily Bickford and her daughter, Ava, were on the way to church on a Wednesday evening in December 2024 when Emily, a single mom, received notice of the custody order preventing her from taking her preteen daughter to church at Calvary Chapel.
This was a devastating blow for them both, and they could not imagine the legal battle ahead. To this day, Ava is unable to attend Calvary Chapel because her father deems the church’s verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter preaching and biblical teaching — specifically on hell, demons, spiritual warfare, and salvation through Christ — to be “psychologically detrimental” to her.
In this heartbreaking case, a judge whose order demonstrated hostility toward Christianity weaponized the legal system against this Christian mom who intends to raise her daughter according to her Christian faith. In fact, in the custody order, every mention of God is spelled with a lowercase “g,” and it relies on testimony from an “expert on cults” who perceived the mainstream evangelical church to be a “cultic” organization.” Why? Because it teaches the Bible.
…The judge acknowledges that Emily is a fit parent, and the order admits that there is no evidence that Ava has suffered any harm by being exposed to any teaching of the Bible. But the father still alleges that teaching the Bible verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter could expose Ava to potential harm. This is unbelievable. Read more»
Mat Staver | “Defending a Single Mom’s Right to Take Her Daughter to Church: A Spiritual Battle Worth Fighting” | The Liberator | April 2, 2026
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