It appears the United States Supreme Court could look for common ground in ruling on a major religious liberty case heard by the high court last week, according to two Baptist authorities on the subject. Amanda Tyler, executive director of…
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…
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…
BJC leaders say religious liberty fears about Respect for Marriage Act are overdrawn
Conservative Christian leaders opposed to the Respect for Marriage Act are engaged in cancel-culture fear mongering that frames marriage equality as a threat to their religious liberty, Amanda Tyler said in a recent episode of the “Respecting Religion” podcast. “For…
Next up: Abortion rights cases based on religious liberty claims
Expect a proliferation of religious liberty cases for abortion access as the issue of reproductive rights moves to the states, predicts Holly Hollman, general counsel and associate executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. While legal claims that…
Churches can talk about issues and advocate for voting rights without running afoul of the law, BJC leaders explain
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…
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…
Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case
Church-state separationists lambasted a June 21 decision of the United States Supreme Court that granted parents in Maine access to taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their children to private religious schools. Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a scathing dissent from the…