In a case that combines the global pandemic with the grievances of religious conservatives that they face persecution, a California Superior Court judge on Sept. 10 issued a temporary restraining order against Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church in…
LA County pursues contempt of court case against MacArthur
Los Angeles County has asked that Pastor John MacArthur and his Grace Community Church be held in contempt of court for violating a court order not to hold indoor worship services on Sunday, Aug. 16. A hearing is set on…
MacArthur sues LA County, county countersues over COVID restrictions
California megachurch pastor John MacArthur has accelerated his fight with the County of Los Angeles and State of California over COVID-19 restrictions Aug. 13, filing suit against the state while claiming he’s not making people show up at his church,…
John MacArthur retains Trump lawyer in fight over COVID restrictions
A personal lawyer to President Donald Trump has been retained by high-profile pastor John MacArthur and his Grace Community Church in a COVID-19 fight with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the City of Los Angeles. Grace Community Church has defied…
This is a step toward stopping Muslim travel bans
For more than three years, Americans have watched the “travel ban” saga play out at the White House, in the courts, and even in the streets, with disastrous effects for American Muslims and global communities. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the NO BAN Act,…
Private school vouchers as civil rights? Baloney!
The White House is requesting that a portion of the next stimulus bill be used for private school scholarships, including religious schools. They argue this must happen because of racial inequity in the public school system. The Trump Administration is…
Christian nationalism provides cover for white supremacy, BJC leader says
Christian nationalism provides cover for white supremacy, and both must be stopped by Christians concerned about religious freedom, Amanda Tyler said at the National Press Club June 26.
School voucher proponents are using the COVID-19 crisis to push for taxpayer money for religious education
Some politicians are using the pandemic-fueled economic crisis to push dangerous proposals that put our religious liberty at risk. And no, I’m not talking about applying stay-at-home orders to in-person worship services.
The CARES Act may be a financial lifeline for churches; but at what cost to religious liberty?
I know the CARES Act represents a lifeline to churches that don’t know how they’ll keep their doors open without it. But I also know that my Baptist forbears endured imprisonment, public beatings and even exile to defend the principle of absolute religious liberty. Some principles are worth defending no matter what the cost.
‘Conscience … more or less’: Roger Williams, Mitt Romney and the rest of us
Mitt Romney’s act of conscience compelled the President, the Senate and the rest of us to confront faith and conscience, religious liberty and dissent, at this moment in our nation’s troubled, divided history.
Indivisible or individual? Where do Americans Christians pledge their allegiance?
Our country and our churches are in desperate need of individuals whose allegiance goes beyond their self-reliance. We need individuals who pledge to be indivisible from neighbors near and far.
Supreme Court should protect religious liberty by guarding against government funding of religion
The principle that government should not fund religious activities or interfere in religious doctrine is deeply rooted in our country’s religious liberty tradition.