Despite recent Supreme Court cases that chopped chinks in the “wall of separation” between church and state, most Americans believe government and religion should butt out of each other’s business, according to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center. The…
An ‘indispensable’ experiment: Exegeting prayer and religious liberty in the ‘New America’
In his defense of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 majority decision supporting a Christian high school football coach’s practice of kneeling in prayer on the postgame 50-yard line, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote: “Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life…
When is a ‘church’ not really a church? Only when defined by the IRS
Not only are conservative evangelicals seeking to redefine religious liberty to their favor through court rulings, they’re also quietly using a provision of the IRS code to shield their flourishing nonprofit ministries from financial reporting obligations and to aid in…
Why you don’t need to play a drinking game to understand the wonder of the James Webb Space Telescope’s first images
A moment more than 13 billion years in the making happened last Tuesday as the James Webb Space Telescope revealed its first five images to the world. Hailed by NASA as “the dawn of a new era in astronomy,” the images revealed…
Here’s why the United Methodist Church is at odds with recent Supreme Court decisions
The recent spate of ultraconservative decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court has put The United Methodist Church officially at odds with the nation’s highest judicial body. The denomination’s opposition to the high court’s decisions can be found from its core…
Roger Williams, John Cotton and the future of the American experiment
In the fourth chapter of Luke, the devil led Jesus to a high place and “showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.” Next came the pitch: “To you I will give all this authority and their glory,…
The U.S. Supreme Court in a four-letter word: Bork
In recent days, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued several landmark decisions. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, six of the nine justices decided to overrule the court’s 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which…
E.Y. Mullins, the piano mouse, the Cowardly Lion, and the monkey trial
In July 2025 we will mark the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial regarding the teaching of evolution in Tennessee. The trial represents a key moment in the debate between modernists and fundamentalists. Like all history, the story offers insights…
A radical court on the move
In one of the most consequential terms in the 233-year history of the U.S. Supreme Court, an aggressive and radicalized supermajority of justices has begun a comprehensive reshaping of the legal landscape of the country with consequences we can only…