The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty was among 42 religious, education, civil rights, labor and women’s organizations opposing an amendment to a defense policy bill that would exempt religious organizations from a 2014 executive order by President Obama barring…
A nation devoted to religious freedom, struggling to define it, state by state
Not all efforts to protect religious liberty are futile or misguided. Here’s how you can fairly evaluate religious liberty needs and understand proposed legislation.
Group files new challenge to clergy tax break
The Freedom From Religion Foundation once again has filed a lawsuit claiming the IRS ministerial housing allowance is unconstitutional. The Wisconsin-based group that advocates separation of church and state from a secularist position sued April 6 in federal court. It…
What’s driving religious freedom debate in the U.S.? Fear, say some.
It was just about a year ago when Baptist writer and minister Corey Fields wrote a column critiquing a spate of “religious freedom” bills pushed through statehouses around the country. Indiana’s version was one of the more high-profile measures. It…
Little Sisters get day in court
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 23 in combined cases to decide whether mandatory coverage of contraceptives under Obamacare violates the religious liberty of faith-based organizations that serve the public and hire non-adherents as employees. Charities including several…
BJC’s Brent Walker urges vote on Obama’s Supreme Court nominee
A Baptist church-state expert welcomed President Obama’s March 16 announcement of a nominee for a Supreme Court seat vacated by the death last month of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. In a Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday morning, the president announced his…
The threat of ‘all or nothing’ demands
Legislative and administrative exemptions designed to protect religious liberty without harming other important interests should be encouraged.
We need to restore the Supreme Court to full strength
The prospect of a 4-4 decision on very important Supreme Court cases is unacceptable for any longer than is absolutely necessary.
Confused by issues in the 2016 presidential campaign?
This year’s presidential campaign has taken some of the strangest twists in U.S. history. Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, suggests nine books that can help clear things up.
BJC’s Walker says Scalia was no friend of religious liberty
By Bob Allen Justice Antonin Scalia will be remembered as a towering figure on the U.S. Supreme Court for his intellect and his wit but not as a friend to religious liberty and the separation of church and state,…
BJC part of new ‘Know Your Neighbor’ campaign
By Bob Allen A coalition of 15 civil-rights and faith-based nonprofits including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, is launching a new project to foster dialogue about America’s religious diversity. The “Know Your Neighbor” initiative, brainchild of Gurwin Singh…
BJC essay contest to explore tension between job duties, personal belief
By Bob Allen Should elected officials be able to opt out of certain job duties because of their personal religious beliefs? How far should government go to accommodate elected or appointed government officials who object to issuing marriage licenses to…