Antisemitism “threatens all of us,” the White House said in announcing a first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism May 25. “While antisemitic incidents most directly and intensely affect the Jewish community, antisemitism threatens all of us. Antisemitic conspiracy theories fuel…
Religious leaders must step up to support our trans siblings
Every November, the Princeton University Chapel would host a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance, commemorating the lives of trans people worldwide who had been victims of anti-trans violence. As associate dean of the chapel, I welcomed the university and…
New York City mayor dismisses need for separation of church and state
New York City Mayor Eric Adams denied the need for separation of church and state in a speech at an interfaith breakfast Feb. 28. “Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state,” he said. “State is the body….
Faith groups must fight online hate, Interfaith Alliance urges
Sermons urging social media fasts or sabbaticals from screen time are woefully inadequate attempts to combating the racial and religious hatred individuals and faith groups are increasingly experiencing online, Interfaith Alliance President Paul Brandeis Raushenbush said. Religious leaders and communities…
Panelists sound urgent wake-up call about the threat of Christian nationalism
Texas voting rights advocate Tayhlor Coleman despises Christian nationalism so much that she seethes at the very name of the white supremacist movement. “I actually bristle a bit every time I hear the word ‘Christian nationalism’ because when I look…
Raushenbush named leader of Interfaith Alliance
A great-grandson of the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice and of the most prominent early 20th century Baptist pastor teaching the Social Gospel has been named leader of Interfaith Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of both religion…
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…
Do No Harm Act seeks to rein in RFRA claims
Some who 23 years ago worked for passage of a law ensuring broad protection of religious freedom say now the Religious Freedom Restoration Act needs tweaking so it can’t be used to discriminate against others. Groups including Americans United for…
Legislation would bar religious discrimination in immigration
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty joined 30 other religious and religious-liberty organizations in a broad coalition urging passage of legislation making it illegal for Donald Trump, if elected president, to bar Muslim immigration. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) unveiled the…