In this podcast, Amanda and Holly review the Supreme Court arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a free speech challenge to a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination in the commercial marketplace. They look at how this case came to be, how it relates to 2018’s Masterpiece Cakeshop case, and the difficulty in deciding weighty matters of free speech and nondiscrimination for a wedding website design business that has not started that aspect of its business. Amanda and Holly play clips from the courtroom and share why, based on the questions and the tone, they think 303 Creative will win this case. But, the big question is how the company might win and how this case may affect debates about religious freedom and nondiscrimination laws.
Can marriage equality and religious liberty co-exist? Amanda and Holly discuss the Respect for Marriage Act, including what led to this bill’s creation, the legislative wrangling to get it passed in an election year, and the bevy of amendments full of political posturing. They also discuss the important distinctions between marriage as a civil institution and marriage as a religious institution. Learn more about the current state of conflicts over LGBTQ rights and religious objections to same-sex marriage and what this means to those conversations.
Where did we see religion and religious liberty have an impact during the midterm elections? Amanda and Holly break down election results in this podcast, including a look at how extremism fared at the ballot box. Plus, they review the implications of former president Donald Trump’s return as a candidate when it comes to Christian nationalism.
Christian nationalism’s influence continues to permeate so many facets of our world, particularly as we approach the midterm elections. Holly and Amanda look at the headline-grabbing ReAwaken America tour events happening across the country, including how Michael Flynn and others are exploiting Christian nationalism in those arenas for political gain. Plus, they review new research about Americans’ attitudes toward – and knowledge of – Christian nationalism, Supreme Court justices, and recent court decisions. Amanda and Holly share how these new polls can help all of us in our work calling out and dismantling Christian nationalism in our communities and in ourselves.
Debates about access to abortion are often intertwined with religion, and the conversation is changing in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal constitutional right to an abortion. Amanda and Holly review some of the public and academic commentaries on the intersection of abortion and religion, and they look at religious liberty arguments being made for abortion access and what it takes to make a religious liberty claim.
It’s been three years since the launch of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism initiative. In this episode, Amanda and Holly discuss what we’ve learned since convening that project and how the conversation is changing today. They share about accusations we’ve heard over the project’s lifetime, why we are seeing this topic in the media more often, and the odd ways the public discourse is shifting.
