SpringfieldNewsSun.com

CEDARVILLE — One of two tenured Bible professors fired in July 2007 from Cedarville University has filed a lawsuit against the Baptist institution and its board of trustees.

David Hoffeditz on July 3 filed suit in the Greene County Court of Common Pleas for breach of contract, fraud, violation of the covenant of good faith and defamation due to his wrongful termination from tenured employment with Cedarville University, according to court documents.

Hoffeditz and David Mappes were terminated less than four months after their contracts had been renewed for the 2007-08 academic year.

The firings stemmed from an intense theological debate that appeared to divide Bible department faculty and raised concerns and questions about the university's theological base.

William E. Brown, president of Cedarville University, could not be reached for comment.

"As you might imagine, I am saddened and disappointed," Brown wrote July 3 in an e-mail message. "We believe the claims being made are without merit, and we will respond accordingly."

Cedarville University is a private, nonprofit institution founded in 1887 by the Presbyterian church. It became a Baptist institution in 1953 when it was bought by the Baptist Bible Institute of Cleveland. Cedarville has an undergraduate enrollment of 3,000.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.