By Zachary Bailes The New York Times shares the story of Jessica Ahlquist, 16, who lives in Cranston, R.I., enjoys Harry Potter, and is an atheist. She also happens to be on the winning side of a lawsuit against the…
Scholar compares culture-war issues to Germans who resisted Hitler
By Bob Allen A Baptist historian compared today’s battle for the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom to courageous heroes who resisted the Nazis in Germany. Timothy George speaks to students and faculty of Judson College in chapel…
Supreme Court declines to review prayer case
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court declined Jan. 17 to reconsider a lower court’s decision barring a North Carolina county from invoking prayers in Jesus’ name at twice-a-month meetings of its main governing body. The court declined without comment…
President proclaims Religious Freedom Day
By Bob Allen President Obama described religious liberty as a “universal human right” Jan. 13 and pledged support for individuals around the world “who live in fear of violence and discrimination because of their beliefs.” Proclaiming Jan. 16 as Religious…
Supreme Court upholds ‘ministerial exception’ to employment discrimination laws
By Bob Allen A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled Jan. 11 that churches can fire their ministers for reasons that for other employers would be job discrimination. The decision marks the first time the high court has recognized a “ministerial…
Seven arrested in protest of NYC church ban
By Bob Allen Editor’s note: This story was edited after publication to correct misinformation in tne next-to-final paragraph and to add a comment from the NYC Law Department. A New York City councilman was among seven people arrested Jan. 5…
Seeking the sun, similarities
By Angela Yarber When the media proclaims a supposed “war on Christmas” and chain stores debate the legitimacy of wishing shoppers “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” it is important to remember that all of us — liberals and conservatives,…
When Baptists voted for a heretic
By Thomas Kidd When Thomas Jefferson won the presidency in 1800, Baptists represented one of his most reliable constituencies. Jefferson’s Baptist supporters knew that the president did not share their evangelical faith, yet they saw him as a great friend…
Jeffress flap illustrates wisdom of ‘no religious test’
By Brent Walker We have been instructed over and over again of this folly: — In 1789, when in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution our nation’s founders declared “no religious Test shall ever be required as a qualification to…