Nevada Allows, Colorado Denies Christian School Vouchers — A new law in Nevada allows parents to use 90 percent of what the state designates for their child’s education, about $5,000, in whatever way they choose. The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that vouchers are unconstitutional because taxpayer funds were being used to pay tuition at […]
Items included for this subject area come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.
"Open Book" by R. Marxhausen: the Bible, the book open to us all
Three Christian Colleges Appeal ACA Mandate to Supreme Court
Three Christian Colleges Appeal ACA Mandate to Supreme Court — Two private universities and a seminary are asking the Supreme Court to protect them from millions of dollars in IRS fines that will be triggered if they refuse to comply with HHS healthcare mandates. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and former Solicitor General and […]
Catholic School Removes Religion Director in SSM
Catholic School Removes Religion Director in SSM — This series of events at a Catholic elementary school may serve as a case study of ways to proceed and not proceed for Christian schools dealing with culture shift. Elements of the case include the school’s identity, state funding, and balancing forbearance and doctrine. For an analysis […]
Cakes, Artistic Prerogative, and SSM
Cakes, Artistic Prerogative, and SSM — In Colorado, the three appeals judges weighing the Phillips wedding cake case examined those issues, asking: Is cake making really an act of expression protected by the First Amendment, or should bakeries have to serve all customers equally? Phillips, the owner-baker, declined, saying he would make other treats, but […]
Court Stays Catholic Charity from ACA Birth Control Mandate
Court Stays Catholic Charity from ACA Birth Control Mandate — The Supreme Court issued an order that allows certain nonprofit religious groups to avoid compliance with federal rules concerning insurance coverage of contraceptives for women. The order bars the Obama administration from enforcing the rules against religious groups and church officials until the court decides […]
Oregon Fines Bakery $135,000
Oregon Fines Bakery $135,000 — Oregon’s labor commissioner has ordered the owners of a Portland-area bakery to pay $135,000 in damages to a lesbian couple for whom they declined to bake a wedding cake. Any appeal would first appear before the Oregon Court of Appeals. But it eventually could end up at the U.S. Supreme […]
Polygamous Trio Applies for Marrriage License
Polygamous Trio Applies for Marriage License — Nathan Collier, inspired by last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, has applied in Billings, Montana, for a marriage license to legally wed his second wife. Montana, like all 50 states, outlaws bigamy — holding multiple marriage licenses — but Collier said he plans to sue […]
Churches Receive Less Trust but More Donations
Churches Receives Less Trust but More Donations — The latest poll from Gallup found that only 42 percent of Americans say they trust churches and other religious groups. At the same time, a new report from Giving USA found that Americans gave a record $114.9 billion to religious groups last year, a 2.5 percent increase […]
Boy Scout Gay Leaders and the Churches
Boy Scout Gay Leaders and the Churches — Catholics and Mormons seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude as the BSA considers removing its ban on gay troup leaders. Methodists plan to mull the next steps with BSA officials, and some LGBT-affirming church groups are welcoming the possible change.
LGBT Persuasion Research Retracted
LGBT Persuasion Research Retracted — One of the authors of a research paper published in Science, claiming that short conversations could change people’s minds on same-sex marriage, is retracting it following revelations that the data were faked by his co-author. See also Retraction Watch.
