It didn’t take long for Baptists who care about religious liberty to learn just how far astray Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, has drifted from our traditional support for church-state separation. Based on his remarks from the…
What Mike Law got right
The talk of the Baptist world for the past week has been the list of female pastors serving at churches purportedly affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Va., created this partial…
How the Constitution’s original religious freedom guarantee almost didn’t happen
On this day 234 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed and sent to the states for ratification, not only proposing a much-needed new system of government but also taking one of the first concrete steps to protect religious freedom….
Public schools getting short shrift (again) in coronavirus relief package
“Reopen schools” is a good slogan, but it is far from a plan. The coronavirus continues to challenge public school administrators, teachers, parents and students who want a safe return to the classroom. Congress should do its part to support…
School voucher proponents are using the COVID-19 crisis to push for taxpayer money for religious education
Some politicians are using the pandemic-fueled economic crisis to push dangerous proposals that put our religious liberty at risk. And no, I’m not talking about applying stay-at-home orders to in-person worship services.
Judge Kavanaugh, the wall of separation is worth defending
Judge Kavanaugh, contrary to your disparagement of “the wall” of separation between church and state, this concept is certainly not “bad history,” nor is it useless in modern debates. This metaphor worked for Roger Williams and President Jefferson – and still works today. The wall does not keep people of faith from the public square but separates institutional control.