Last week, a judge in Bakersfield, California made a preliminary ruling that a baker can continue to refuse to bake same-sex wedding cakes until the case goes to trial in June.
Analysis: CA judge rules pending trial, baker can refuse same-sex wedding cakes Read More »
In the book, 1984, George Orwell paints a bleak portrait of a future where Big Brother is watching everything you do, and the thought police can practically read your mind. In order to gain the support of the population, an ironically named Ministry of Truth twists the meaning of words to make terrible concepts seem acceptable with slogans such as War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; and Ignorance is Strength.
The real definition of religious liberty Read More »
The #MeToo movement has opened the floodgates on sexual abuse allegations. Now it is up to churches, schools, and institutions to prevent it, and for parents to know the signs of sexual abuse to protect their children.
#MeToo isn’t enough – act now to prevent and stop sexual abuse Read More »
On January 17, 2018, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lower court improperly granted summary judgment against plaintiffs in a holy day observance case.
10th Cir. reverses summary judgment in Title VII Sabbath accommodation case Read More »
Last summer, Hurricane Harvey created a wake of destruction across southeast Texas, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stepped in to provide disaster-relief grants to some organizations. Under FEMA’s policy at the time, churches could receive funding to repair only those portions of their facilities where less than 50 percent of the space was used for religious purposes. As a result, schools or church-run hospitals and community centers could receive aid, but not church sanctuaries.
FEMA’s reversal of no-aid policy for churches raises Constitutional concerns Read More »
As part of the final push to enact tax reform before the end of the year, a proposed tax code change that would permit churches and other non-profit organizations to engage in partisan political campaigning has been dropped from the House and Senate reconciliation version of 2017 tax bill. Although the House version of the bill had included a repeal of the controversial Johnson Amendment, the Senate version kept it intact. Proponents of the repeal have argued for the right of pastors to speak freely about candidates from the pulpit, and opponents claim it would provide a “dark money” tax-exempt way to launder otherwise non-tax deductible campaign donations.
Why Congress dropped the Johnson Amendment repeal from tax reform Read More »
Next Tuesday, December 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a difficult case that pits the free exercise of religion and free speech rights of a wedding cake maker against the anti-discrimination rights of a same-sex couple. The couple demands the cake; the baker refuses because he thinks he will be sinning. The question is – can the state of Colorado make him bake the cake?
Potential Outcomes in Supreme Court Wedding Cake Case Read More »
Last Friday a federal judge in Wisconsin issued a ruling that a federal statute that exempts housing for members of the clergy from taxation violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Tax-exemption of clergy housing violates Establishment Clause rules Federal judge Read More »
esterday, by a margin of 211 to 198, the U.S. House of Representatives quietly voted to defund IRS investigations of church political endorsements as part of a massive spending bill. On the bottom of page 21 of the text of the
US House votes to defund IRS investigations of church political endorsements Read More »
His passion in the classroom was the minor prophets – particularly the biblical books of Amos and Micah. He spoke of justice, and mercy and humility, and how being “religious” did not mean anything if you didn’t “defend the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18)
Life as One Piece: The Legacy of Dr. Charles Teel Read More »
