On this 4th of July weekend, I exhort you, American preachers, do not take Uncle Sam into the pulpit. Carefully consider how you plan worship for this Sunday. A good place to start would be: do not sing “America the…
The plight of the Palestinians
As you know from my recent article , this month I made a week’s visit to the country of Israel. My daughter Karen, who is a professor at the University of Arizona, was going to an academic conference in Tel…
The ISIS crisis
The capacity of ISIS to enthrall and recruit youth and young adults from Western democratic countries has left many baffled. It is such a counterpoint to the spirit of the mass demonstrations that characterized the Arab Spring, which now seems…
Challenges today defy easy answers, demand best efforts of Baptists and others
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman These are trying times to promote “religious liberty for all” as the BJC mission statement demands. Many of the current challenges on the legal and cultural fronts are not conducive to easy answers.
A tale of two commencement addresses
By Executive Director J. Brent Walker School is out, and summer vacation is here! Congratulations to our graduates – not just high school, college, seminary and graduate school but, nowadays, all the way down the line. My five-year-old grandson even…
The Bible shouldn’t be a state symbol
By Staff Counsel Jennifer Hawks In my office, I proudly display my Tennessee roots. I grew up discussing Tennessee politics with my grandfather, a former state representative. While I was in law school, he gave me several items from his…
Exploring the church-state side of the same-sex marriage cases
By Executive Director J. Brent Walker When the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the same-sex marriage cases, the justices did not invite briefs on religious liberty. In its writ of certiorari granting review, the Court framed the issues to…
Understanding religious liberty in the same-sex marriage cases
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman Obergefell v. Hodges, the same-sex marriage case being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, is not a First Amendment case. Its potential impact, however, has increased conversations about religious liberty, particularly the…
Utah compromise worth consideration
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman Through our publications, blog, and website, the BJC regularly reports on state legislative action affecting religious liberty. Some of the most visible recent bills are state versions of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act…