If recent surveys of religious beliefs and practices have revealed anything, it’s that white evangelicals are out of step with the rest of the nation on just about every social and political measure. “White evangelicals are just on another planet,…
Supreme Court again overturns COVID restrictions on houses of worship
In a sign of how long the coronavirus pandemic has gone on, the United States Supreme Court has been dealt enough cases on church closures during the pandemic now to have reversed itself and splintered further in its own opinions….
What’s old is new again: Conservatives threaten funding over SBC’s ethics agency
From the Department of What’s Old is New Again: The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics agency is being accused of liberalism and creating a distraction from the work of evangelism and missions. During the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC that began…
Christian America’s betrayal of the kingdom of God
The storming of the American Capitol on Jan. 6 — with its profusion of Bibles, crosses and other Christian symbols — placed a gigantic exclamation point on the unease American Christians always have felt with the First Amendment to the…
Voices of freedom continue to speak from Colonial Williamsburg church
Americans have a long way to go to fully embrace freedom of religion and expression given the challenges of recent years, decades and even centuries, according to a panel discussion hosted online this month by Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. “A…
A wish list for the common good in a new era
With the presidential inauguration, a new session of Congress and state legislatures gearing up, Americans receive fresh reminders to look toward the future with hope. Of course, we place ultimate trust in God and not government. But we propel our…
Trump administration pushes evangelical agenda through last-minute actions
While the world’s attention has been riveted on the Jan. 6 Capitol melee, the Trump administration in its waning days has continued to push through the social agenda of conservative evangelicals. Despite pending litigation with the Supreme Court, the Department…
On Epiphany, tend the light of Christ with truth and love
On Epiphany, which the worldwide church celebrates today, we should ask ourselves how we, the church, will rise and shine in these dark days of discouragement so that we will be a light to the world. The answer has to…
Rick Warren: Churches aren’t being persecuted by COVID restrictions
Christmas week brought more twists and turns to the legal battles in California over coronavirus-forced closures of in-person worship, while the spike in COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths skyrocketed. In contrast to a few pastors and churches that have made…
Trump administration expands ability of employers to discriminate on religious grounds
To supporters, it is a “clarification” that protects religious expression. To critics it is yet another misuse of religious liberty language to promote discrimination. The “it” in this case is a U.S. Labor Department rule issued in the last days…
House passes bipartisan resolution against blasphemy, heresy and apostasy laws
It turns out there is something Republicans and Democrats can agree on about religious liberty in the current lame-duck session of Congress. On Monday, Dec. 7, the House of Representatives passed on a 386-3 bipartisan vote House Resolution 512, calling…
Is attacking a candidate’s sermon different than attacking a candidate’s speeches?
Attacking a political candidate for something said in a speech is different than attacking a candidate for something preached in a sermon, according to Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Tyler and BJC Director of…