Just Liberty

29: Terminated Fire Chief case goes to the Supreme Court with Ron Hittle and Wendy Musell

28: A matter of survival with Steve McFarland

A matter of survival. Why a legal principle called "church autonomy" is again facing scrutiny in the courtroom. An interview with Steve McFarland.
Question: What makes an Adventist school "Adventist" or a Catholic charity "Catholic" or a Islamic humanitarian agency "Islamic"? Answer: In large part, its employees. Without staff members who share the same mission, beliefs, and standards of conduct, a faith-based organization be would just ... an organization. In recent years, though, the hiring practices of religious entities have been challenged, along with a legal principle known as "church autonomy" that has long prevented the government from weighing in on religious practices and beliefs. What could be the consequences if these challenges succeed? We ask Steve McFarland, director of the Law and Religious Freedom Center at the Christian Legal Society, and former vice-president and chief legal officer for the Christian relief agency World Vision.
______________
Guest:
Steve McFarland, Christian Legal Society
FB: https://www.facebook.com/clsnetLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-legal-society/posts/?feedView=all
______________
Show Notes:
Legal brief of Christian Legal Society in McMahon v. World Vision: https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ninth-Circuit-Amicus-Brief-Final.pdf Background to McMahon v. World Vision: https://firstliberty.org/news/supporting-world-vision-in-employment-case/

27: Does mixing faith and politics always end in disaster? with Curtis Chang

Suffering a political-party hangover? There's a remedy for that. The creators of "The After Party"--Curtis Chang, Russell Moore, and David French--have some thoughts for Christians trying to navigate America's toxic political landscape. We talk with podcaster, theologian, and evangelical leader Curtis Chang about "The After Party"--an online curriculum, book, and worship album aimed at helping Christians reframe their political identity.
______________
X: https://x.com/curtischangRB https://x.com/redeemingbabel
FB: https://www.facebook.com/CurtisChangOfficial/
https://www.facebook.com/redeemingbabel
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtischang/
______________
The After Party website: https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/
The Good Faith podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-faith/id1594454747
The After Party worship album: https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/worship-album/
 

26: A clause for confusion? with Charles Haynes

A clause for confusion? The much-debated meaning of the First Amendment's establishment clause. What exactly did our colonial forebears have in mind when they forbade laws "respecting an establishment of religion"?
And why have we been arguing about it ever since?
We take a tour through American history and Supreme Court jurisprudence with First Amendment scholar and author Charles Haynes.
_________________
X: @1stForAll FB: https://www.facebook.com/FirstAmendmentForAll/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/1stforall/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freedomforum/"
_________________
Show Notes:
Freedom Forum website: https://www.freedomforum.org
Background on the establishment clause: https://www.freedomforum.org/the-establishment-clause/
News story on recent Supreme Court establishment clause decisions: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/07/17/supreme-court-church-state-religion-coach/
 

25: The rise of the Christian culture-war warrior with Barry Hankins

"How and when did evangelical Christians become a predictable voting bloc? And what does this shift mean--not only for American politics, but for the church itself? We talk with Barry Hankins, an author, professor, and renowned historian of the evangelical movement, about the consequences of politicized Christianity and the forces that drive it."
_______________
Show Notes:
Liberty magazine article: ""It's All About Me: How the culture wars are redefining evangelicals and religious liberty."" https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/its-all-about-me
 
Books authored or co-authored by Dr. Hankins: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Barry-Hankins/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABarry+Hankins
 

24: Free to Speak Hate? Campuses & Free Speech with Michael A. Helfand

College-age students have opinions about the Israel-Gaza war and they're finding ways to share them. But when does political protest morph into something darker? We talk with church-state scholar Michael A. Helfand, professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, about rising antisemitism in America and the lines between free speech, discrimination, and harassment.
_________________
X: @MAHelfand Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-helfand-22653313/FB: https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.helfand
_________________
Show Notes
News report: "Free Speech Survey Signals Distrust and Disconnection." https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/free-speech/2024/09/09/free-speech-survey-signals-distrust-and-disconnection
 

23: Flags and Fury with Matthew D. Taylor

Flags and fury: the most important Christian movement you've never heard of. Interview with Matthew D. Taylor.
 
The so-called "Appeal to Heaven" flag entered the national conversation recently with news it had been flown over a house owned by Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito. But what is the story behind this flag and the powerful, yet relatively unknown, Christian movement that has embraced its symbolism?We talk with scholar and author Matthew D. Taylor about the theology, mission, and growing influence of the New Apostolic Reformation.
__________
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.taylor.9231X: @TaylorMatthewDLinked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormatthewd/
__________
 
Show Notes:
 
Liberty magazine article: America's Spiritual Warriors. https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/americas-spiritual-warriors Interview with Matthew Taylor in NY Magazine: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-christian-nationalism-behind-the-appeal-to-heaven-flag.html Forthcoming book by Matthew D. Taylor, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. https://www.amazon.com/Violent-Take-Force-Matthew-Taylor-ebook/dp/B0CTJHYQ9J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lQsjEFbuPxt_vw9QlaYMUgzKMMia_hC5_fCUbdcWWEbGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.Os9nVAZzqxp-Z3OYUCpAnmp9Enj87H1jHiyW8PxC7yw&qid=1718194880&sr=8-1 Audio-Documentary Series:“Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation” https://icjs.org/charismatic-revival-fury/

22: Your mother was wrong. You can talk about politics and religion at the dinner table with Orlan Johnson

What's the quickest way to turn any social occasion sour? Just steer the conversation toward either religion or politics. Or both. In today's polarized media environment, civil discourse seems like a long-lost art. But a new television program is daring to explore fresh, kinder ways to tackle topics that divide Americans.
 
We talk with attorney Orlan Johnson, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, and host of the weekly television show "Faith and Politics.
****
"Faith and Politics" Website: https://www.faithandpolitics.tv. 
"Faith and Politics" YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@faithandpolitics
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndPoliticsTV.
Liberty magazine interview with Orlan Johnson: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/where-angels-fear-to-tread

21: Worshiping at the altar of America with Brian T. Kaylor

Who should we blame for the rise of Christian nationalism? Is it simply the work of white Christian supremacists or far-right evangelical political leaders? Or could it also have been fueled by ordinary American Christians, and their decades-long, unquestioning embrace of something called "civil religion"?
We talk with award-winning author and journalist Brian T. Kaylor about his newly published book, Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism.
***
Follow Brian:
X: @BrianKaylor
Instagram: @BrianKaylor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantkaylor
***
Book: Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. https://www.amazon.com/Baptizing-America-Protestants-Christian-Nationalism/dp/0827203381
Podcast: "Baptist Without An Adjective"  https://podcast.wordandway.org
Website: Word&Way https://wordandway.org
Website: Brian Kaylor https://briankaylor.com/

20: Doing the Lord's work on the government's dime. Interview with Stanley Carslon-Thies

Over the past three decades, the federal government has come to rely on religious organizations to help deliver essential social services--everything from running domestic violence shelters and food pantries, to providing elder care and job training. But new regulations from the Biden administration are again highlighting longstanding concerns.
Can faith-based organizations take billions in federal dollars and still stay true to their religious identity? And, on the other hand, are some of these organizations serving up religion along with social support? We talk about the history and the future of federal funding for faith-based charitable organizations with Stanley Carlson-Theis, who served in the inaugural White House faith-based partnership office under President George W. Bush.
****
Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance website: https://bit.ly/4d4Fnwf