Context is key in the public debate

Written by J. Brent Walker, BJC Executive Director
In a time of rampant misconceptions about our president’s faith and a plethora of religious pandering, I am reminded that concerns about a leader’s faith are nothing new. It has been 50 years since presidential candidate John F. Kennedy gave a speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association addressing the widespread contention of many Protestants that Kennedy was unfit for he presidency because of his Catholicism. …

Obama clarifies religious liberty protections

By K. Hollyn Hollman, BJC General Counsel
It was not fast and it did not finish the job, but the Obama administration’s executive order clarifying policies on government partnerships with faith-based organizations is important….

Louisiana Board Rejects Creationism Challenge to Biology Textbooks

By an 8-2 margin, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted yesterday to approve Biology textbooks, despite demands from religious conservatives to question the validity of evolution in, and add intelligent design to the curriculum. The National...

Noah’s Ark Theme Park Update

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear assured the Louisville Courier-Journal's editorial board that if the controversial Noah's Ark Theme Park receives state tax incentives, the contract will require that developers refain from religious discriminating in hiring....

Rabbi Sues Military for Accommodation

The Washington Post reports on a lawsuit filed by Rabbi Menachem M. Stern of the Chabad-Luvabitch community in Brooklyn challenging the US Army's denial of his commission to serve as a chaplain. The requirement that he shave his beard conflicts with Stern's...