The U.S. Department of Education announced Aug. 19 that it anticipates rescinding parts of a rule enacted by the Trump administration that forces universities to financially support religious student groups that discriminate. This November 2020 reinterpretation of the Free Inquiry Rule…
Senator criticized for asking nominee, under oath, whether he ‘believes in God’
Religious liberty watchdogs cried foul July 28 when a United States senator during a confirmation hearing asked the candidate under oath whether he believes in God. The U.S. Constitution plainly states: “No religious test shall ever be required as a…
In narrow ruling, unanimous Supreme Court supports Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia foster care case
The United States Supreme Court unanimously sided with Catholic Social Services in its claim against the City of Philadelphia, saying the city cannot exclude the faith-based agency from a foster care contract merely because it does not serve LGBTQ clients….
Does landmark religious freedom legislation need a fix or is it fine as is?
Does the landmark Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 need a legislative fix? Some Democratic Congressmen and religious freedom advocates believe so, which has prompted a renewed attempt to resolve problems they believe have been created by conservative court rulings…
Religious liberty groups praise Biden’s repeal of Muslim travel ban
Amid a flurry of executive orders issued by President Joe Biden on his first day in office was a repeal of the so-called “Muslim ban,” which prohibited entry to the United States by citizens of select countries mainly with majority…
Trump administration expands ability of employers to discriminate on religious grounds
To supporters, it is a “clarification” that protects religious expression. To critics it is yet another misuse of religious liberty language to promote discrimination. The “it” in this case is a U.S. Labor Department rule issued in the last days…
BJC, others, urge Supreme Court to allow states to bolster religious-liberty protections
Church/state watchdog groups including the Baptist Joint Committee urged the U.S. Supreme Court to agree that a private school voucher program that diverts public funds to private Christian schools is unconstitutional in an upcoming case testing the balance between the First Amendment’s two clauses regarding religious liberty.
Supreme Court delivers ‘splintered’ opinion upholding Bladensburg cross
The United States Supreme Court ruled June 20 that a 40-foot Latin cross can remain on public land as a historical symbol of war.
BJC opposes ‘government-funded religious discrimination’ in foster care
Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said a Jan. 23 decision to grant an exception to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services policy prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for religious discrimination “shows more concern for the providers than children in need and willing foster parents.”
Church-state watchdog says Trump’s evangelical advisory team is against the law
An advocacy group that monitors issues related to the free exercise and government sponsorship of religion says President Donald Trump’s unofficial evangelical advisory board is against the law. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based religious liberty…
Billy Graham lying in honor at Capitol raises church/state questions for some
Asked in a 2011 by Christianity Today magazine about his greatest regret, evangelist Billy Graham famously said, “I would have steered clear of politics.” That regret now haunts him in death in form of a debate about whether or not his body should have laid in honor at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump education pick worries church/state separationists
Advocates of church-state separation found little comfort in Donald Trump’s Nov. 23 announcement that he plans to nominate DeVos, a leader in the self-described school reform movement for more than two decades, to head up the U.S. Department of Education.