Ashman v. Studebaker

— This action has its roots in a theological dispute between the leaders of Brethren theology in the United States which culminated in 1939 in a definite schism in the church. As this doctrinal controversy developed, it filtered down to individual churches of the Brethren denomination, and in the First Brethren Church of Peru, Indiana, the property rights of the parties to this litigation became involved and thus we become vested with jurisdiction in a matter that otherwise would be none of our concern.

In the very beginning we wish it to be understood that what we say here is no attempt to…