By Jeff Brumley A June decision to remove Bibles from the U.S. Navy’s base lodging system was cheered by atheists. Now it may be evangelicals’ turn to celebrate after the decision was placed on hold last week pending further review….
Freely chosen
By Sam Chaise Should people be free to choose their own religion? Yes. This, to me, seems like such an obvious answer that I am flabbergasted that in much of the world, the de facto reality on the ground is…
Exploring RFRA in light of Hobby Lobby’s narrow victory
By Holly Hollman and Brent Walker The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in the consolidated cases of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell has generated more interest in religious-liberty law than any other…
BJC breaks down Hobby Lobby ruling
By Bob Allen Two Baptist experts in religious liberty law say the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of a 1993 federal law intended to bolster religious freedom in the recent Hobby Lobby decision could set a precedent for future rulings applying…
Protecting Christians and Yazidis: Elusive religious freedom
By Bill Leonard When the storm troopers of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took Mosul, they marked the homes of Christians with a red Arabic “N” for “Nazarene,” targeting those families for “extermination or expropriation.” That’s what…
Prison beard case is Supreme Court’s next church-state decision
By Bob Allen Religious liberty advocates say a case headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court Oct. 7 over whether Arkansas prison officials have the right to deny permission for a Muslim inmate to grow a half-inch beard for religious reasons…
When government spies on religion
By Aaron Weaver On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. In the immediate aftermath of that landmark ruling, Christian conservatives took to social media and television to declare victory and many…
Clergy divided over religious exemption to discrimination ban in upcoming executive order
By Bob Allen Clergy lined up on both sides in letters asking President Obama to both include and remove a religious exemption from his upcoming executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation….
Is — or isn’t — religious liberty under siege?
By Ken Camp Some Americans warn that an overreaching federal government threatens religious liberty, while others worry a secular culture that values political correctness over truth imperils freedom of religion. Yet others say it’s a matter of perspective. “I would…
White House aide, BJC alum, honored at CBF
By Bob Allen Presidential assistant Melissa Rogers credited the Baptist heritage of defending religious liberty and the separation of church and state with shaping her work as head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships June 27…
BJC opposes Colorado voucher plan
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has joined a lawsuit asking the Colorado Supreme Court to declare a pilot program using taxpayer dollars for private school vouchers unconstitutional. The BJC, a religious-liberty organization that serves 15…
Merritt, Moore debate Hobby Lobby’s alleged ‘hypocrisy’
By Bob Allen A faith-and-culture writer and Southern Baptist Convention official clashed June 17 about whether it’s hypocritical for Hobby Lobby to call itself a Christian company while doing business in China. Author and Religion News Service blogger Jonathan Merritt…