By Robert Dilday A pastor and cattle farmer in rural Southside Virginia has been tapped to advocate in the state’s legislature for First Amendment issues on behalf of the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s religious liberty committee — the first…
Pastor, former journalist leaving Baptists for UCC
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist journalist turned American Baptist pastor is switching churches, and denominations, moving to the United Church of Christ. Kathryn Palen, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Jamestown, R.I., since January 2007, announced recently she…
Bible flap challenges Navy policies on faith in pluralistic society
By Jeff Brumley A June decision to remove Bibles from the U.S. Navy’s base lodging system was cheered by atheists. Now it may be evangelicals’ turn to celebrate after the decision was placed on hold last week pending further review….
BJC breaks down Hobby Lobby ruling
By Bob Allen Two Baptist experts in religious liberty law say the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of a 1993 federal law intended to bolster religious freedom in the recent Hobby Lobby decision could set a precedent for future rulings applying…
Prison beard case is Supreme Court’s next church-state decision
By Bob Allen Religious liberty advocates say a case headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court Oct. 7 over whether Arkansas prison officials have the right to deny permission for a Muslim inmate to grow a half-inch beard for religious reasons…
BJC, others, oppose religious exemption in non-discrimination order
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty joined nearly 100 other civil- and religious-liberty organizations in a letter July 15 urging President Obama to reject calls to exempt religious groups from an upcoming executive order banning discrimination…
White House aide, BJC alum, honored at CBF
By Bob Allen Presidential assistant Melissa Rogers credited the Baptist heritage of defending religious liberty and the separation of church and state with shaping her work as head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships June 27…
BJC opposes Colorado voucher plan
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has joined a lawsuit asking the Colorado Supreme Court to declare a pilot program using taxpayer dollars for private school vouchers unconstitutional. The BJC, a religious-liberty organization that serves 15…
SCOTUS got this one wrong
With all due respect to my blogging colleague, Jonathan Waits and his blog post, the US Supreme Court got the decision wrong about the town of Greece, NY and their ceremonial prayers. How prayers are handled in government sponsored settings…
Supreme Court upholds ceremonial prayer at public meetings
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 May 5 that overtly Christian prayers at government meetings do not violate the First Amendment’s ban on establishing religion. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the town of Greece,…
Busy year ahead for religious liberty, BJC
By Jeff Brumley In some ways, 2013 was a typical year for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, with legal briefs to file, politicians and Supreme Court justices to sway and religious liberty to defend. In other ways, it was a ground-breaking year…
RFRA needed now more than ever
By Bob Allen A little-known federal law enacted to bolster the rights of religious minorities is less popular but more needed now than when it became law 20 years ago, the head of a broad coalition that worked for passage…