Indiana is not the only state with courts considering whether there is a religious freedom right to an abortion in certain circumstances, an argument brought to the forefront once the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs ruled that there is no federal right to an abortion. The post Appeals Court maintains halt on Indiana’s abortion ban against plaintiffs who claim a religious liberty right to terminate pregnancy appeared first on BJC ..read more

The intersection of abortion and religion often grabs headlines, and this episode of Respecting Religion looks at recent developments in two states: Arizona and Indiana. Amanda and Holly discuss an Indiana case that involves free exercise arguments under state law to support abortion, and they examine the impact of Arizona’s 1864 law that criminalizes abortion. Both situations are resulting from the tremendous change in the law after the Dobbs decision in 2022, leading to some unexpected situations. The post S5, Ep. 26: Archaic laws and new theories emerge from state abortion debates appeared ..read more

Some troubling trends at the Supreme Court are starting to affect the legal profession and how students in law school approach the U.S. Constitution. As SCOTUS continues to upend decades of established precedent in church-state law, Amanda and Holly discuss what’s changed since they were in law school and the rapid changes in church-state law itself. They look at the views of legitimacy of the Court, and Holly shares specifically what she sees in her work teaching church-state law at Georgetown University Law Center. The post S5, Ep. 25: The crisis in teaching constitutional law appeared first ..read more

A controversial program is spreading across the country that offers grade school children optional Bible instruction during the school day. The post ‘Released time’ religious instruction programs for public school students expanding with ‘plug and play’ curricula, state legislation appeared first on BJC ..read more

Hear excerpts from a special event we organized at the University of Southern California on race, religion and citizenship in this episode of Respecting Religion. The Rev. Dr. Joseph Evans and the Rev. Dr. Christopher The brought their unique experiences and expertise to a conversation on religious and racial identity, moderated by the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard. Hear their insights about a theology of democracy, their experiences with racism, how to identify authoritarianism, and what lessons Scripture has for our current climate. The post S5, Ep. 24: Race, religion and citizenship appeare ..read more

When former President Donald Trump announced during Holy Week that he was endorsing the “God Bless the USA” Bible, the reaction was swift. But, beyond the punchlines and the obvious concerns, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman discuss why the video is concerning to our current political moment and the continued rise of Christian nationalism. Not all examples are this obvious – what does this mean to those important conversations? The post S5, Ep. 23: The Bible doesn’t need Trump’s endorsement appeared first on BJC ..read more

For only the second time in history, the four Black Baptist denominations — the National Baptist Convention USA, Progressive National Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention in America, and the National Missionary Baptist Convention — held a joint meeting in Memphis, Tenn., from Jan. 22-25, 2024. The post Black Baptists meet in historic convening to address critical issues facing the community appeared first on BJC ..read more

"We must not cowl to the threats of voter intimidation, suppression and discrimination. Instead, we must remember the history in our country and rightfully demand our place as citizens," writes Dr. Sabrina E. Dent as she shares her generational story. The post Protecting voting rights is a matter of human dignity and justice appeared first on BJC ..read more

"You cannot divorce religion from politics or separate Christians from the duties of secular citizenship," writes Holly Hollman. The post Faithful involvement in elections appeared first on BJC ..read more

"On a beautiful March evening in the nation’s Capitol building, I experienced a hopeful moment of representative democracy," writes Amanda Tyler about her experience attending the State of the Union address. The post Democracy in action appeared first on BJC ..read more