The quest to direct public funds to sectarian schools is meeting with mixed results this legislative season, with what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school being denied in Oklahoma, a deeply religious and conservative state. While Florida…
Broad coalition of religious liberty groups sides with former postal employee
A veritable who’s who of religious groups have filed joint friend-of-the-court briefs in a U.S. Supreme Court case involving a Christian postal worker claiming religious discrimination by having to work Sundays to deliver Amazon packages. Baptist Joint Committee for Religious…
Inflammatory language of Christian nationalism is a real threat, Hollman and Tyler say
The use of dehumanizing language against people of faith who reject Christian nationalism is an attack on the religious freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, leaders of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom said in a recent podcast. BJC General…
BJC acquires Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has acquired the Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation in an effort to expand its work promoting racial and religious freedom. BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler said the move announced March 6 also will…
There’s a better metaphor for America than the ‘melting pot,’ author says
Author, minister and scholar Jonathan Augustine suggests replacing the “melting pot” metaphor for American religion and society with one taken from a stew famous in his hometown of New Orleans. “I think about the ability of people to be like…
National Prayer Breakfast gets new sponsorship but still looks like government-sponsored religion, BJC leaders say
Congressional leaders say they have split the National Prayer Breakfast from its longtime organizer to bring clarity and healing to the annual event, but constitutional experts Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman believe government leaders should get out of the prayer…
What happens when church and state merge? Look to Nazi Germany for answers
The potential consequences of a merger of church and state sought by Christian nationalists are frighteningly apparent in the history of Nazi Germany, according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer expert John Matthews. Matthews, a Lutheran minister and member of the International Bonhoeffer…
Religious liberty advocates applaud Biden administration rollback of Trump policies allowing faith-based discrimination
Traditional religious liberty advocates applauded a move by the Biden administration to undo rules created by the Trump administration that allowed faith-based organizations receiving federal fundings to discriminate against clients. Due to the complex nature of changing federal policies —…
Sunrise vigil features prayers to commemorate January 6 anniversary
Christian leaders gathered for a sunrise prayer vigil at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the 2021 insurrection and to seek divine guidance and protection in the struggle against the ideology of Christian nationalism. Event…