Posts tagged First Amendment
On Religion: Yes, Most Southern Baptists Support Religious Liberty For All

Neighborly Faith studied academic publications addressing this issue and created a detailed, 14-point compromise definition stating, in part: “Christian Nationalism is a movement advancing a vision of America's past, present, and future that excludes people of non-Christian religions and non-Western cultures. Christian Nationalists romanticize Christianity's influence on America's development, attributing the nation's historical provenance to God's special favor.”

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Texas Tests First Amendment With Chaplains In Public Schools

(ANALYSIS) Senate Bill 763, enacted in September 2023, allows school officials to hire unlicensed chaplains, either as staff members or volunteers. Those who can pass background checks will be allowed to perform duties typically provided by counselors, such as mental health support. Local boards have until March 1, 2024, to choose whether to allow chaplain programs in their schools.

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Upcoming Supreme Court Case Could Be A Huge Religion-Beat Sleeper Story

(OPINION) The Supreme Court soon takes up Loper Bright v. Raimondo, which has interested the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Christian Employers Alliance. Meanwhile, the court could decide this term to take up four disputes that are pending in the pipeline with religion implications.

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🇺🇸 No Separation Of Church And State? New York City Mayor Sparks A Furor 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the controversy over New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ comments on the separation of church and state — or the lack thereof. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Two Insiders' Writings Should Be Weighed Carefully By Evangelical-Watchers In The Press

(OPINION) As U.S. Protestant evangelicalism copes with internal divisions and problematic status in the broader society, along with the usual brickbats from the left, nonpartisan journalists and evangelical strategists alike should carefully monitor the thinking of knowledgeable insiders who are not wedded to customary loyalties and assumptions.

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Carson V. Makin Explained: What's At Stake For Religious Schools, LGBTQ Kids

(ANALYSIS) The Supreme Court will hear a potentially landmark case for religious schools on Dec. 8, Carson v. Makin. Up for discussion is whether Maine’s law, which excludes religious schools from the diversity of schooling options that families have access to in a public student aid program, infringes on First Amendment constitutional protections.

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Maine School District Challenged For Assisting Children Attending Religious Schools

(OPINION) The question of what boundaries should exist for state aid to students who attend religious schools will be in the spotlight Dec. 8, when the court hears arguments in a case from Maine: Carson v. Makin. The case has drawn intense interest from educators and religious-liberty advocates across the country.


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This obscure law shielded an Episcopal School from a lawsuit and raises concerns about accountability

(OPINION) A Texas court ruling is sparking debates about an obscure First Amendment doctrine that exempts religious institutions from certain civil lawsuits to protect them from government interference in their internal matters. The ruling’s interpretation raises concerns about how lay people can hold these institutions accountable when abuses happen.

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Fights over First Amendment rights will likely top religion beat agenda in 2021

(OPINION) Ongoing fights about the First Amendment and religious liberty are likely to prove the most newsworthy, but two other themes deserve attention as well.

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Pope Francis preaches about 'unbiased' journalism: Is the American press listening?

(OPINION) Pope Francis, who has consistently drawn the ire of Catholic media on the doctrinal right, gave his view of what the religious press should look like in the United States.

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Megachurch launches 'Peaceably Gather' petition for Sunday reopenings

Megachurch pastor Brian Gibson of His Churches announced this week that his church would reopen services at three of his four locations across Texas and Kentucky on May 17 and asked other religious leaders to join him in standing up for what he sees as a religious freedom concern during COVID-19 restrictions.

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Marvin Olasky's new book 'Reforming Journalism' preaches more than teaches

(REVIEW) The WORLD Magazine Editor in Chief and author of 20 books writes that the Christian faith can and should use journalism to further its aims, but the only criterion of good journalism is a good story. Religious literacy simply gets you better stories, and Olasky never says this.

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We the people denied the right to attend church during a pandemic

(OPINION) During this pandemic, people will have to learn to do without rights that once seemed inherently given. Those include the right to assemble as millions of Americans are asked to shelter in place. What does that mean for freedom of religion?

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Ministers who survived church shootings hold forum on security

The two preachers, one from Tennessee and one from Texas, have both experienced the real-life nightmare of Sunday morning worship giving way — suddenly and inexplicably — to deadly gunfire.

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Texas congregants fired back at gunman who killed two worshipers

A gunman opened fire during the Lord’s Supper at a Church of Christ in Texas Dec. 29, killing two worshipers. Armed members immediately returned fire and killed the shooter at the West Freeway Church of Christ in the Fort Worth suburb of White Settlement.

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A peek inside the restoration of New York’s historic Trinity Church

As Americans gather to celebrate Independence Day, it is worth remembering that historic Trinity Church in New York City played a significant role in the birth of America and remains the burial site of several Founding Fathers, including Alexander Hamilton.

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The real story of America's bloody struggle for religious freedom

We talked with Steven Waldman, founder of BeliefNet and author of the new book Sacred Liberty, about America’s battles for religious freedom— how the notion that the US was founded with religious liberty in mind is wrong— our current challenges for preserving it, and much more.

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