Support for the Death Penalty by Religious Affiliation — There are significant religious divides on the death penalty issue. White evangelical and mainline Protestants have the strongest support for the death penalty, while Hispanic and black Protestants express the least support. White Catholics, like the general public, are almost evenly divided in their views while […]
Gang Ministry: Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA
Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA — This 50 min. audio interview with Jesuit Priest Fr. Gregory Boyle offers a very listen-able discussion about gang intervention, vocation, and ministry as community rather than as “fixing.”
Parochial School – Gay Teacher Case Study: Des Moines, IA
Parochial School – Gay Teacher Case Study: De Moines, IA — Alumni and current students are speaking out against Dowling Catholic High School after a man says he was denied a full-time teaching position for being gay.
Omaha, NE, Case Study: Gay Teacher and Parochial School
Omaha, NE, Case Study: Gay Teacher and Parochial School — This review of local reporting in the Lincoln Journal Star examines the newpaper’s treatment of the story and the larger issue. As a case study, the comments following the article may be instructive for students.
Local Pro-Life and Public School Case Study: Fargo, ND
Local Pro-Life and Public School Case Study: Fargo, ND — A school district in North Dakota has denied two high school students’ requests to start pro-life clubs. The Thomas More Society has sent a demand letter to Superintendent Jeff Schatz warning the district’s decision violates the federal Equal Access Act and the First Amendment.
Local RFRA Case Study: Springfield, MO
Local RFRA Case Study: Springfield, MO — Six months after it was enacted, voters repealed an ordinance to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents from discrimination. Final results of the Tuesday vote were close, 51.4% to repeal vs. 48.6% not.
Pro-Evolution Prof Removed From Nazarene University
Pro-Evolution Prof Removed From Nazarene University –Theology professor Thomas Jay Oord, at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, for over a decade, was laid off at the end of March, 2015. School officials say budget cuts prompted the move. Oord’s supporters say his theological views—including support for evolution and open theology—were targeted by NNU’s administration.
Orthodox Jewish Men and Airline Seats Next to Women
Orthodox Jewish Men and Airline Seats Next to Women — A growing number of airline passengers, particularly on trips between the United States and Israel, are now sharing stories of conflicts between ultra-Orthodox Jewish men trying to follow their faith and women just hoping to sit down
Calif Appeals Court Rules Yoga Okay in Elem School
Calif Appeals Court Rules Yoga Okay in Elem School — A California appeals court has ruled that a school district in Encinitas can incorporate yoga into physical education, rejecting a challenge by parents who said the millennia-old discipline violates religious-freedom provisions in California’s constitution.
Why RFRA: some discussions
Why RFRA — This summary piece with plenty of links may serve to overview the complexity of the Indiana / Arkansas RFRA controversy. Two other even-handed sources include this Princeton Law Journal article and this WSJ article.
