“What Religious Freedom Isn’t” is an op/ed from the editors of Christian Century which questions the opposition of Duquesne University to adjunct faculty organizing for a union. Pacific Lutheran University has also recently moved through adjunct union activities and review from the NLRB. Among the issues are matters of institutional shared governance by full-time […]
In this review of Phil Zuckerman’s new book, Peter Leithart finds that Faith No More (Oxford, 2015) opens a window into the souls of people who have stopped believing that they have souls. “With atheism and apostasy on the rise, it’s worthy of careful study by those of us who want to prevent apostasy and reclaim the […]
Religion and the Risk of Divorce: this update on the numbers parses the GSS data and all the respondents in the 2010, 2012, and 2014 surveys and finds the divorce rate among religious Americans for the whole sample is 45 percent—quite close to the “half of all marriages end in divorce” statistic that is widely passed along. […]
In “The Christian Voice in the Civil Realm,” Gifford Grobien notes that the contemporary American, liberal political system differs greatly from Luther’s context. Understanding the unique factors of political liberalism and their relation to religious expression helps one to understand the role of the church in this context. Grobien addresses the issue of how the church is […]
A teacher’s plea for the church to give the gift of literacy: The alarmingly high rates of illiteracy in our country hold troubling implications for us as Christians. Reading and writing are deeply woven into the fabric of our faith. The truths underpinning our faith, the foundation of what we believe, come from a book […]
MercatorNet asked the University of Navarre’s Institute for Culture and Society about the best approach to this individual and social problem. Amnesty International and the World Health Organisation promote the full decriminalization of prostitution – a step, they maintain, that will protect sex workers’ human rights and prevent trafficking and the exploitation of minors. Many […]
One of the hottest topics in sports news recently (click here to scan the nearly 2,000 news articles) was whether Detroit Lions defensive back Glover Quin was crazy when he said superstar Green Bay Packer wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s season-ending knee injury had something to do with God’s plan for his life. Looking at this […]
A coalition of international religious freedom groups is urging the Senate to approve a six-year re-authorization for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and reject attempts to alter the nature and scope of the organization.
In new clashes over religion in schools, communities around the nation face backlash for teaching about Islam. Sometimes, a field trip to a mosque caused the stir. In other cases, just seeing the mention of Islam in a child’s homework led to a parental complaint. Parents and policymakers, namely in Texas and Florida, also have […]
Introduced in 1875, the original Blaine Amendment was an attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution by explicitly banning any government funds from going to “sectarian” institutions, aimed chiefly at Catholic and Lutheran schools. Today, 38 state constitutions have Blaine amendments that restrict government aid to “sectarian” organizations. Although many of the amendments have lain relatively dormant for decades, […]
