Wheaton College will not offer a student health insurance plan (SHIP) due to the federal requirement under Obamacare that the plan offer “morally objectionable” products and services—abortifacient drugs and intrauterine devices (IUDs). On July 8 a federal appeals court declined Wheaton’s petition for a preliminary injunction in connection with its civil suit to be free […]
Denominations and Christian campuses disagree on support for Israel. Almost a quarter (22%) of younger Americans—those 18 to 29—say they sympathize with the Palestinians more than with Israel (44%) according to a 2014 survey from Pew Research. Among Americans 50 and older, only one in 10 (9%) sided with Palestinians rather than Israel (60%). Overall, […]
Network scientists have discovered how social networks can create the illusion that something is common when it is actually rare. Statisticians have known about the paradoxical nature of social networks for some time such as the friendship paradox: on average your friends will have more friends than you do. A related paradox called “the majority […]
The Magic of Words: this article on the nature of language and some recent research on words as abstractions or as labels of particulars can serve as a quick introduction to discussion on the astonishing capacity of language–a closed, finite system of words (though, of course, it is more than that–to arrive at meaning, communicate […]
Southern Mutual says churches that fear suits over refusing to host a same-sex wedding can get coverage under a special policy rider. Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage across the country, church leaders are worried about the possibility of being sued if they refuse to host a gay […]
According to a recent Pew Research Center report, an estimated 77 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where religious freedom is “highly” or “very highly” restricted. Speaking at the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Katrina Lantos Swett, head of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “would make […]
Longtime Supreme Court reporter and analyst Lyle Dennison explains how the ACA health mandates will continue to churn back through the Federal District and Appeals Courts for a long time to come. Here is useful article for understanding the legal/theological controversy.
The porn industry is betting new advances in the technology can convince more people to pay for the content, since sales of traditional adult video have actually been slowing. Revenue growth among adult and pornographic websites increased at an annualized rate of just 0.3% to $3.3 billion over the five-year period ending in 2015, as […]
Religious colleges worry that if they stick to their convictions, they may lose tax-exempt status. This 4 min. audio clip from NPR provides a brief summary of the topic and the issues and can serve as a useful starter piece for class or group discussion.
Bethel College, in Indiana, last month adopted a new policy on the creation of the Earth and humanity — and applied it in a new way that has led one professor to quit and raised concerns among others about the state of academic freedom at the institution.
