Issues of religious liberty in the United States are often discussed in terms of wedding cakes, taxpayer-funded church playgrounds and politics in the pulpit. In other parts of the world, it’s more about survival.
Hear our prayer, O Congress: A neo-establishmentarianism?
Events surrounding the dismissal and rehiring of “Father Pat” are more than a mere legislative kerfuffle. They provide important contemporary lessons in the enduring dynamics of church-state relations — old tensions, new twists.
BWA head protests Bolivia’s religion law
The head of the Baptist World Alliance has criticized a new law in Bolivia that various faith organizations say could curtail religious freedom. BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown wrote Bolivia’s legislature Jan. 17 voicing concern that ambiguity in the country’s…
Religious freedom bill gets Christmas upgrade
President Barack Obama signed a bill Dec. 16 updating a law passed in 2008 to promote religious freedom as an interest of United States foreign policy. The Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act passed both houses of Congress in…
After 30 years, advocate still sees need to step up for religious freedom
Brent Walker can see the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court building when he arrives at work. And that’s appropriate since he often finds himself heading over to those two buildings, as well as the White House and other…
Conservative Christians grapple with whether religious freedom includes Muslims
In the current political climate, some conservative Christians are struggling with how to apply religious freedom to other faiths — like Islam.
Baptists join diverse faith groups to support mosque-building effort
Religious freedom has become synonymous with division in the United States thanks to a rash of controversial state laws creating tension between conservative religious groups and LGBT rights. Corporations and gay rights groups have squared off against states and cities…
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…
‘Excruciatingly different’ Mississippi religious liberty law specifies beliefs
Most of the religious freedom laws privilege religion over non-religion, but the Mississippi law also privileges religion over religion, he explained. He called that additional step a “deadly mixture of ignorance and hubris.”