In the fourth chapter of Luke, the devil led Jesus to a high place and “showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.” Next came the pitch: “To you I will give all this authority and their glory,…
A radical court on the move
In one of the most consequential terms in the 233-year history of the U.S. Supreme Court, an aggressive and radicalized supermajority of justices has begun a comprehensive reshaping of the legal landscape of the country with consequences we can only…
Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion
In one of the most consequential religious liberty cases in modern history, the United States Supreme Court June 27 solidified the current majority’s preference for free expression of religion over the constitutional ban on establishing religion. To the dismay of…
Letter to the Editor: Wingfield is wrong on ‘performative Christianity’
Letter to the Editor May 11, 2022 Dear Editor: Mark Wingfield’s recent editorial on “performative Christianity” and religious liberty was both devoid of nuance and ill-informed of history. The “religious liberty” he advocates is no liberty at all, but the…
Unanimous Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case
The City of Boston so clearly violated U.S. law on religious liberty that a normally divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the city May 2. Given the tense nature of debate about the meaning of religious freedom amid the…
In an unusual church parking lot dispute, federal court sides with the church and tells the city to pay up for its parking violation
Churches battling cities over parking is a tale as old as time. But in the seaside town of St. Pete Beach, Fla., an entirely different version of a parking lot battle has played out, this time with the city ordered…
At the Supreme Court: The First Amendment on the 50-yard line
Next Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Kennedy v. Bremerton, a dispute involving high school football coach Joseph Kennedy, who refused to stop holding post-game prayers on the field and later sued the Bremerton, Wash., school…
As fired coach’s case heads to Supreme Court, broad coalition says it’s his students who were the victims, not the coach
A broad coalition including athletes, former NFL players, civil rights advocates, members of Congress and religious groups have filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Washington school district that placed a high school football coach…
Jewish couple sues after United Methodist agency receiving taxpayer funding refuses to help them adopt a disabled child
Among the core beliefs espoused by Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Tennessee are assertions that “it is the birthright of every child to have a family” and that “the best place for a child to be raised is…