Homophobic Harlem church evades foreclosure – again

A Harlem church run by a rabid homophobe escaped foreclosure after a Manhattan judge ordered an earlier judgement to be vacated.

In December, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge ordered a public foreclosure auction of the Atlah Worldwide Missionary Church building at 36 West 123rd Street after it defaulted on $1.02 million in debt. The latest ruling effectively delays the foreclosure until the court determines whether the church owes any taxes, DNAinfo reported. It follows on a temporary restraining order from February that first blocked the auction.

On top of the $1.02 million in unpaid private debt, the church was also hit with $355,000 in federal tax liens.

Religious institutions are tax exempt, but the government argues that because the church also owns apartments in the building it should pay taxes.

The church’s pastor James Manning is known for plastering messages like “Jesus would stone homos” on its marquee.

According to court documents, the building is worth about $10 million. [DNAinfo] — Konrad Putzier