While same-sex couples already were fretting that a new conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court could turn the legality of future marriages back to the states, a more sinister threat to families has emerged from Indiana. On Nov. 23,…
In Tennessee and Kentucky, religious freedom claims and COVID prevention plans are in conflict
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain the already contentious boundaries of religious practice versus public policy. In the same week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled New York may not restrict religious worship gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus, two…
What does the Supreme Court’s midnight COVID ruling really mean for religious liberty?
Has Amy Coney Barrett’s arrival on the United States Supreme Court changed the court’s perspective on houses of worship and COVID-19 restrictions? Or, were the restrictions imposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo simply more draconian than restrictions in California…
Interfaith group calls on Biden administration to ‘restore’ religious freedom protections
A group of nearly 100 interreligious leaders has offered four suggestions to the incoming Biden-Harris administration on urgent work necessary to restore religious freedom protections. “The Trump administration has taken many actions that undermine religious freedom,” the group’s letter says….
Why so many Hispanics voted for Trump and other misunderstandings of America’s diversity
Why would Hispanic voters embrace a president who has been called the most racist and anti-immigrant in modern history? The most likely answer: religion. But even that isn’t a complete answer. “There are not significant gender or age divides among Hispanic…
Jones: White evangelical church stands in the way of racial justice
The white evangelical church remains “the most powerful force” in hindering work for racial justice and reconciliation in America, according to religion researcher Robert P. Jones. In a Nov. 16 opinion piece written for NBC News, Jones made an explicit…
The first thing you think when you get COVID-19
Here’s the first thing you think when you get COVID-19: “I wish I could turn back time.” If only I hadn’t gone … or stayed … or passed by … or did whatever it was that caused me to catch…
Russell Moore on civil discourse: ‘Let’s find a better way’
His name never was mentioned, but a Nov. 17 panel discussion on how to restore civility in public discourse drew a portrait of Donald Trump and his disciples as examples of what must be overcome. And both speakers were conservative…
Baptists in Virginia get two new theological education options
The rapidly changing landscape of theological education for moderate and progressive Baptists will take yet another new turn next fall with a focus on Virginia. Less than two years after the closure of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, two new…
Panelists debate how to ‘normalize’ immigration after ill effects of Trumpism
The incoming Biden administration has an opportunity to “normalize” immigration policy but may face opposition to some common-sense actions by Republican leaders who still fear Donald Trump’s supporters, according to a bipartisan panel of presenters at the National Immigration Forum….
What will happen in public education with a Biden administration?
With the impending change of administrations in Washington, public education advocates across the country have taken to social media to express their joy in the inevitable departure of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. As one of the most consistently…
Americans United proposes 10 ways for Biden administration to reset church-state separation
As a new administration comes to Washington, a fundamental restatement of church-state separation should become a top priority, according to officials with Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The Trump administration’s misuse of religious freedom to harm others…