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…
Church-state group asks court to strike down gay-marriage bans in three states
By Bob Allen A gay Baptist minister suing for the right to wed in Kentucky got support June 17 from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The Washington-based watchdog group filed three separate legal briefs asking the 6th…
Former SBC leader says forcing bakers to serve same-sex weddings ‘anti-Christian bigotry’
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist leader says requiring a Christian baker to make a same-sex wedding cake is like forcing black Americans to serve the Ku Klux Klan. Richard Land, retired president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics…