A Nashville court has heard an appeal against a ruling that could have widespread implications for church-run bookstores.

An attorney for the city’s Christ Church congregation spoke Friday at a Davidson County Chancery Court hearing into the denial of property tax exemption on the church’s bookstore and fitness center, The Tennessean reported.

Alliance Defense Fund lawyer Erik Stanley said that the church’s constitutional rights were being violated by the ruling, which left the church facing a property tax bill of $425,000, the newspaper said. State law exempts college bookstores, hospital gift shops and “family wellness centers” from paying property taxes, Stanley told the court.

Assistant Metropolitan Attorney Jeff Campbell said that a bookstore charging retail prices and a fitness center with annual fees did not qualify for the exemptions. “No one is casting doubt on the sincerity of their beliefs, but not every instance of religious outreach is entitled to the exemption,” he said.

A written ruling on the case will be made at a later date, The Tennessean said.

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