Here is Politico on the Texas challenge to the Affordable Care Act: The Supreme Court on Thursdaythrew out a lawsuit threatening the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, finding that Republican-led states behind the case did not have legal ground […]
LGBTQ issues
Biden administration says it wants to defend religious exemptions for schools
This is big news on the religious liberty front. I’m on the road, but hope to return to this story in the coming days. Here is Michelle Boorstein at The Washington Post: The Justice Department in a new court filing […]
What is going on at Lee University?
Lee University is a Christian university affiliated with the Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination based in Cleveland, Tennessee. (Lee is also located in Cleveland, Tennessee). I’ve been to the campus twice. In 2015 I interviewed Lamar Vest, the president […]
57 Black Christian leaders endorse Fairness for All
As I type, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding hearings on the Equality Act. As I have noted several times at this blog, I do not support the Equality Act. Instead, I join the National Association of Evangelicals, Council for […]
Yes, Pope Francis is Catholic
Pope Francis says priests cannot bless same-sex unions. Here is Chico Harlan and Sarah Pulliam Bailey at The Washington Post: In a decree approved by Pope Francis, the Vatican on Monday said that priests cannot bless same-sex unions, describing such […]
Dean of the Washington National Cathedral apologizes for inviting Max Lucado to preach. Lucado responds.
Yesterday I wrote about Dean Randolph Hollerith’s decision to invite evangelical writer and speaker Max Lucado to preach “at” the Washington National Cathedral. LGBTQ Episcopalians were not happy about the invitation because Lucado holds traditional views on marriage and said […]
Thursday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since yesterday’s update? Trump wonder-boy Charlie Kirk, a political pundit and co-founder of the Liberty University Falkirk Center, is upset with the Supreme Court after it ruled Trump could not end the DACA program: Illegals should be […]
Wednesday Night Court Evangelical Roundup
Since my last update, a few things have changed in court evangelical land. Neil Gorsuch, one of two Donald Trump Supreme Court nominees, has defended LGBTQ rights and has proven he may not be the best court evangelical ally when […]
When it comes to Supreme Court decisions, context matters. But whose context?
Earlier today, I published two posts on yesterday’s Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ rights. The first post addressed the politics of the decision and what it means for white evangelical support for Donald Trump. The second post dealt with the […]
What is at stake for religious liberty in the latest SCOTUS decision?
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled on three cases: Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, Altitude Express v. Zarda, and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The court held that an employer who fires an individual merely for […]
When evangelicals put their faith and trust in presidents and Supreme Court justices
Yesterday the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 6-3 decision, held that an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Trump-appointed justice Neil Gorsuch […]
*The Atlantic* Covers the Samaritan Purse Field Hospital in Central Park
As some of you know, court evangelical Franklin Graham’s relief agency Samaritan’s Purse has opened a field hospital in Central Park. I wrote about it here and here. The Atlantic has produced a short documentary on the hosptial. Watch: [youtube […]
The Attacks on Samaritan’s Purse Reveal a Fundamental Misunderstanding of Evangelical Relief Work
As I wrote about yesterday, Franklin Graham’s organization Samaritan’s Purse has built a field hospital in Central Park to service coronavirus patients. Not everyone is happy about it. For example, Brad Hoylman, a New York state senator representing Manhattan, wants […]
Will Pete Buttigieg Get Any Traction in South Carolina?
Mayor Pete won Iowa. He finished second in New Hampshire. He finished third in Nevada. But he is not doing very well in South Carolina largely because he does not appeal to African-American voters in the state. Over at Religion […]
Shirley Hoogstra of the CCCU Explains Fairness for All
Last week we introduced readers to the Fairness for All Act. Over at The Anxious Bench blog, historian Chris Gehrz has published his interview with Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). The CCCU is […]
What is the Fairness for All Act?
Yesterday Utah congressman Chris Stewart introduced the Fairness for All Act. The bill would protect LGBTQ rights and religious liberty. Fairness for All has the support of the Church of Latter Saints, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and […]
Buttigieg: Beto O’Rourke “doesn’t understand the implications of what he was saying” on religious institutions, marriage, and tax exemption
South Bend’s Pete Buttigieg gets it right on this issue: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phZhlGHyaqo&w=560&h=315] After listening to him on State of the Union, I was reminded of his portrayal in this SNL skit from the night before: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjZHZ7kpM0&w=560&h=315] “Why am I […]
Ed Stetzer is Right About CNN’s Equality Town Hall
Here is a taste of the Wheaton College professor’s recent post at Christianity Today: I’m concerned with the clear and complete disregard around religious liberty. This term was used a few times, often with the phrase “so called” tacked on. Candidates would […]
What Does Beto O’Rourke Think About His High School Alma Mater?
Beto O’Rourke went to high school at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. He graduated from the boarding school in 1991. Woodberry Forest is an all-boys school. Like most schools, colleges, and universities, it is a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status. […]
Beto O’Rourke: Churches and Religious Institutions Should Lose Tax-Exempt Status If They “Oppose Same Sex Marriage”
Here is Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke on CNN last night: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR02Kf4wS_0&w=560&h=315] Every Democratic candidate for President of the United States should be asked this question. I have always appreciated Beto’s sense of conviction, but I hope he rethinks […]