Even in the midst of a highly charged 2020 election cycle, most American houses of worship have protected their tax-exempt status by avoiding candidate endorsements and direct involvement in political campaigns, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee…
Pastors send out a mobile billboard to warn Virginia Beach residents of this weekend’s ReAwaken America Tour
They’re back, and critics of Christian nationalism are sounding the alarm once again — this time with a mobile billboard that calls the ReAwaken America Tour a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The controversial multi-city event hit the road in April…
BJC luncheon highlights ongoing oppression of Native Americans
Native Americans continue to be oppressed by the Doctrine of Discovery and other entrenched, historic narratives used to rationalize the subjugation of indigenous peoples, panelists said during a Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty event in Dallas June 30. “Colonialism,…
Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say
Americans who believe gun ownership is a God-given right and that the United States should be an officially Christian nation are among the most aggressive opponents of common-sense limits on firearms, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman said in a recent…
Religious Liberty Council elects two BJC board members
Members of the Religious Liberty Council on June 15 elected two candidates to serve as representatives on the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty board of directors and re-elected three already serving on the board. The council, which is one…
State support for a religion usually makes that religion decline, new study shows
Achieving the status of a government-backed religion usually creates a dependence on state political and financial support that erodes the ability of faith groups to attract new followers and foster participation, a new study has found. “Further, the involvement of…
Georgia representative says Christian nationalism actually is a good thing
The ever-quotable and ever-controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene has a word of encouragement for Christian nationalists: You’re the hope of salvation for America. Greene, a first-term Republican from Georgia, issued a video June 3 telling her supporters not to listen to…
Buffalo massacre is more evidence of white Christian nationalism, sociologists say
The May 14 grocery store massacre in Buffalo, N.Y., was a demonstration of how white Christian nationalist ideology energizes all kinds of violence, two sociologists said during a webinar hosted by the group Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Samuel Perry and…
Does the Johnson Amendment have any teeth left?
Donald Trump failed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment as he promised evangelical Christian supporters, but a current case may demonstrate whether the no-politicking policy for tax-exempt organizations has any teeth left. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 law that…
Unanimous Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case
The City of Boston so clearly violated U.S. law on religious liberty that a normally divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the city May 2. Given the tense nature of debate about the meaning of religious freedom amid the…
A ‘Christian’ nation beset by false witness
It’s in the Bible. In fact, it’s one of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (See Exodus 20:16.) There’s more: Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self…
Religious leaders appeal to American church to see ReAwaken America tour as dangerous Christian nationalism
High-profile Christian leaders issued a plea to the American church April 7 to speak out against the ongoing ReAwaken America tour and the Christian nationalist, anti-democratic, pro-violence and Q-Anon-inspired ideology it is spreading. The tour led by Eric Trump, Michael…