Category: Current Events

I. The Scene in Brandon In 2018, Brandon, Mississippi—a growing suburb east of Jackson—opened its gleaming new amphitheater, complete with food vendors, traffic cones, and country music stars on tour. Not long after, Gabriel Olivier, a Christian evangelist, saw the crowds as a mission opportunity. He and several others arrived before concerts to preach, carrying…

Many readers have written to ask why we do not report more on persecution and suffering overseas. You see reports, photos, and messages online. You send them to us asking, “Why aren’t you covering this?” We understand that question. We feel the same burden. There are people right now enduring violence, hunger, and imprisonment because…

The right to own and the right to worship have long stood together, and both weaken when the state controls property. When Roger Williams fled persecution in the 1600s, he sought not only liberty of conscience but also land beyond the reach of state power. By founding Providence on principles of private ownership and voluntary…

“Free speech” is one of the most passionately debated topics of our time, fueling endless arguments on social media, in classrooms, and across dinner tables. We invoke the term to defend our own views and to condemn the words of others. It’s a concept so central to American identity that we often assume we understand…

When courts block a new law from applying to past events, they often cite the concept of a “vested right.” But what exactly does that mean, and how does it relate to the constitutional ban on retrospective laws? A recent decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in Ball v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester,…

Most religious liberty fights in court today aren’t just about belief. They’re about expression. Whether it’s a prayer on the 50-yard line, a wedding website, or a bakery counter, the real question is: Can the government make you say something you don’t believe? In my talk this weekend for the Adventist Today Sabbath Seminar, I…

Justices question whether the law censors voluntary counseling protected by the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on October 7, 2025, in Chiles v. Salazar (No. 24-539), a case challenging Colorado’s prohibition on licensed therapists providing “conversion therapy” to minors. Counselor Kaley Chiles argues that the law violates the First Amendment by…

Judge rules Missouri’s refusal to admit family members into execution chamber does not substantially burden inmate’s religious rights under RLUIPA or the First Amendment In the final days before his scheduled execution, Lance Shockley asked a federal court to allow his two daughters, both ordained ministers, to accompany him into the execution chamber and administer…

Judge affirms First Amendment protections for Catholic confessions in stipulated injunction resolving months-long litigation A federal court in Tacoma will permanently bar the State of Washington from enforcing a 2025 amendment to its mandatory reporting law that would have required Catholic priests to report information learned in the Sacrament of Confession. The injunction, issued on…

Look, I’m a Christian. I believe in Jesus, the resurrection, the Bible, and the blessed hope. I also believe that what happened at Brooklyn Faith Seventh-day Adventist Church during their “Countdown to the End” evangelistic series wasn’t outreach. It was overreach. And this isn’t politically biased – the same analysis applies whether you’re in the…