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…

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,…

“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…

Howard Friedman’s Religion Clause Blog highlights First Amendment disputes as the new Supreme Court term begins. When the U.S. Supreme Court opens its 2025–26 term on October 6, several cases will test the limits of free exercise and free speech. Legal scholar Howard Friedman, professor emeritus at the University of Toledo College of Law and…

Editor’s Note: Understanding the Law Without the Jargon This article is part of an ongoing effort to make the foundations of American law understandable to everyone, not just attorneys or academics. The goal is simple: help readers see how the Constitution and its key principles work in real life. Each piece takes one concept, like…

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…

Introduction: The Other Newton When we think of Isaac Newton, we think of an apple falling, the calculus he invented to explain it, and the laws of motion that changed science forever. Newton (1642–1727) was the archetypal genius of the Scientific Revolution—a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer whose discoveries reshaped how humanity saw the universe. But…

Despite prosperity, America remains far more religious than its economic peers, echoing Alexis de Tocqueville’s 19th-century observations. Chart from Ryan Burge – Substack In most of the world, prosperity and secularism rise hand in hand. From Norway to Japan, economic growth tends to coincide with declining religious devotion. Yet one country disrupts the pattern: the…

Many of you enjoyed the article we shared over the weekend on Isaac Newton, and an alert reader kindly pointed us to a follow-up resource that seems too good not to miss. Kenneth Jørgensen’s 2022 doctoral dissertation, Isaac Newton as a Prophetic Interpreter, is freely available online through Andrews University. The dissertation presents Newton not…

Directive cites “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity” as drivers, but critics warn definitions remain undefined and open to abuse. On September 25, 2025, President Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence.” The White House describes the document as a direct response to what it calls a surge…