Written by Don ByrdThe Baptist Joint Committee yesterday filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to find unconstitutional official prayer at local government meetings. While the Supreme Court has previously found legislative prayer constitutional in the context of state legislatures, the BJC argues the dynamics of local government meetings are significantly different and should lead to a different outcome.
Here are some highlights from the brief…
Written by Don ByrdIn advance of the Supreme Court oral argument in the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Baptist Joint Committee’s Nan Futrell explains why legislative prayer at the local level is different from congressional or state legislative prayer. The Supreme Court in Marsh upheld legislative prayers in certain conditions and settings. Do the unique elements of local government meetings warrant a different outcome?
Written by Don ByrdChristianity Today interviews author Os Guinness regarding his new book, “The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of World Safe for Diversity.” Here is a clip in which he explains what he means by diversity, and the role religious freedom plays in maintaining it.
Written by Don ByrdA bill proposed in the House of Representatives tries to protect nonprofit organizations, including religious groups from IRS or other government scrutiny for discriminating against same-sex spouses. The Supreme Court’s ruled this summer requiring the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages. The ramifications of that opinion for agency decisions across the federal government are not yet fully known.
Written by Don ByrdIn one of the stranger stories of the year, a Tennessee magistrate judge previously ruled a woman could not name her baby “Messiah” because of its religious significance. Unsurprisingly, that ruling did not survive scrutiny. At a hearing yesterday, a chancellor overturned that ruling and found the magistrate acted unconstitutionally.
