“American Culture on Appeal” symposium series: This is an ADF two-panel conversation, including Q&A, examining the implications of Trinity Lutheran and treatment of religious freedom and conscience rights by our nation’s highest court. Check this link and their site for details and follow-up posts on the contents.
Even the Government’s Smartest Lawyers Can’t Figure Out Religious Liberty — From the Atlantic: It took the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights three years to produce its report on religious freedom and non-discrimination. With 27 pages, more than 1000 days of work, and 200-some additional pages of commentary, the document essentially amounts to this–legal scholars […]
What’s U.S. Religion Worth? $1.2 Trillion, Says one Demographer: This article can help students realize the scope and ripple effect of religion throughout culture and society. Religion is big bucks according to a new comprehensive study. Comparatively, religion is the 15th largest national economy in the world, ahead of 180 other countries in terms of value, and […]
Tom Brady, Michael Strahan Produce ‘Religion of Sports’ Show: “OK, so sport is a religion? Well, yeah, it really is.” This six-part series looks at different examples of the cultural and spiritual impact of sports in religions around the world. The show explores the rivalry between soccer clubs in Glasgow, Scotland; the Calgary Stampede rodeo in Alberta, […]
A Museum of Us: Museums can provide a neutral, public space for reflecting on the role of religion in human experiences. Many people don’t regularly interact with those of differing religious traditions, much less visit their mosques, temples, churches, and synagogues. They rarely have the chance to see, smell, taste, and touch the elements of other […]
Why Conservation Is a Gospel Issue: Christians who care about conservation are still too rare a species. Peter Harris of A Rocha, the largest international Christian conservation organization, files this report from the World Conservation Congress. Many conservation professionals and scientists, particularly but not at all exclusively from the Global South, have a living Christian faith. Integrating […]
Massachusetts Agency Says Transgender Non-Discrimination Can Apply To Some Church Events: the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination released its Gender Identity Guidance (full text) setting out the Commission’s interpretation of the new law. The Guidance suggests that in some situations, the anti-discrimination ban can apply to churches. “Even a church could be seen as a place of public accommodation […]
6th Circuit Dismisses Suit Over Catholic Bishops’ Health Care Directives: The U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed the suit against the Catholic Health Ministries by which the plaintiff claims she was inadequately treated when she prematurely went into labor at 18 weeks into her pregnancy. The hospital, complying with the USCCB’s Catholic health care directives, did not […]
Where is God on the Small Screen? As important as religion is in the lives of many viewers, television has had a tentative relationship with it. NYT critics take a look at Greenleaf, how television’s congregation has expanded, and where there’s room for improvement. TV is less a part of the student’s week than in […]
Skip the Endorsements in Church, Say Most Americans: Eight in 10 (79 percent) say it is inappropriate for pastors to endorse a candidate in church. Three-quarters say churches should steer clear of endorsements. Yet fewer than half want churches to be punished if they do endorse candidates. This survey can serve as an intro to the complicated […]
