A U.S. agency has added 11 nations to its list of countries willing to use fines, imprisonment or the death penalty to punish those accused of insulting religious beliefs or institutions. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Liberty increased its…
Praying football coach returns to field, not sure he’ll stay the season
Update: On Wednesday, Sept. 6, Joseph Kennedy quit his part-time job at Bremerton High School, having been present for only one game. The part-time assistant high school football coach who took his desire to pray at the 50-yard-line after…
The Supreme Court’s refreshing unity on religious freedom
If you want to read one U.S. Supreme Court opinion from the past term that doesn’t risk raising your blood pressure, I suggest Groff v. DeJoy. Plenty of the court’s decisions display deep divisions among the justices — divisions that both…
Religious freedom takes practice, not just legislation
Editor’s note: This is the fifth opinion piece in a new series on religious liberty authored by BJC Fellows and made possible by a grant from the Prichard Family Foundation. A few years ago, I met a woman who,…
Opponents file suit to stop unprecedented Catholic charter school in Oklahoma
Parents, pastors and defenders of public education filed suit against state education officials in Oklahoma District Court July 31, seeking to reverse approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School as the nation’s first religious charter school. Plaintiffs want…
Serving immigrants is part of advocating for religious liberty, Cano says
Those dedicated to religious freedom should remember that serving the needs of immigrants is part of that struggle, Anyra Cano said during a June luncheon hosted by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. This reminder is a critical given that…
Five reasons separation of church and state is essential
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States confirms that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the…
High court’s ruling on wedding website designer is fatally flawed, Hollman and Tyler say
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 303 Creative v. Elenis ruling could undermine public accommodation laws historically enacted to end Jim Crow and other discriminatory practices, said Holly Hollman, general counsel for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. “It’s not surprising that…
Religious freedom has been ‘white too long,’ BJC speakers declare
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and its new Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation are urgently needed to counter the white supremacy menacing religious liberty for all in the United States, scholar and Baptist minister Adam Bond said. They…