Just Liberty

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.
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X: @MAHelfand Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-helfand-22653313/FB: https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.helfand
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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.
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.taylor.9231X: @TaylorMatthewDLinked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormatthewd/
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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.
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"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.
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Follow Brian:
X: @BrianKaylor
Instagram: @BrianKaylor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantkaylor
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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.
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Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance website: https://bit.ly/4d4Fnwf

19: Politics as a Spiritual Discipline? Interview with Chris Butler

Are there practical ways for Christians to innoculate themselves against the toxicity of today's politics? Can Christians be politically active--whether as Republicans or Democracts--without compromising their higher allegience to God?
Chris Butler, lead pastor of Chicago Embassy Church Network and cofounder of the AND Campaign, brings his years of experience in community organizing and politics--including a recent run for a seat in Congress--to this conversation about faithful civic engagement.
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Follow Chris Butler:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorchrisbutler
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AND Campaign website: https://andcampaign.org/about/
Book: Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement https://www.amazon.com/Compassion-Conviction-Campaigns-Faithful-Engagement/dp/083084810X

18: History--It's not just about the past. Interview with Warren Throckmorton

Could historical mis-readings of America's founding be helping fuel today's political polarization? What difference does it make what we believe about Thomas Jefferson's religious views or his attitude toward slavery? We talk with Warren Throckmorton, a psychologist, podcaster, and co-author of the book, Getting Jefferson Right: Fact-checking Claims About Our Third President.
An interview with Warren Throckmorton. 
Show Notes:
The "Telling Jefferson Lies" podcast hosted by Dr. Throckmorton: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/telling-jefferson-lies/id1720424853 Book: Getting Jefferson Right by Warren Throckmorton and Michael Coulter https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Jefferson-Right-Fact-Checking-Claims/dp/0974670626/
Where to find Warren Throckmorton
X: @wthrockmortonFB: https://www.facebook.com/wthrockmorton

17: It's time to tear up the script about faith in American politics with Michael Wear.

Mixing faith and politics? It's always a dangerous brew--at least, that's what common wisdom says. But is there a more productive way for Christians to engage with politics? And could Christian values actually help heal our country's widening political divisions?
A veteran political strategist thinks the answer to these questions is "Yes," but suggests the place for Christians to start is with their own spiritual life.
Interview with Michael Wear.
Show Notes
The Center for Christianity and Public Life https://www.ccpubliclife.org
Book: The Spirit of Our Politics by Michael Wear https://www.zondervan.com/9780310367239/the-spirit-of-our-politics/;

16: Deadly words: The global fight against blasphemy laws with Kola Alapinni

In America, we have the luxury of debating religious freedom questions that don't have life-or-death consequences attached. In many other countries, though, the price of freedom is extraordinarily high. Every year, from Pakistan to Iran to Saudi Arabia, men and women are imprisoned or sentenced to death for the so-called crime of blasphemy.
We talk with a Nigerian lawyer who risks his own safety to advocate in court for those accused of blasphemy, and who has become a eloquent voice on the international stage against these repressive laws.
Interview with Kola Alapinni.
Show Notes
Information about the Yahaya Sharif-Aminu blasphemy case: https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/yahaya-sharif-aminu
Fact sheet about blasphemy laws internationally: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Legislation%20Factsheet%20-%20Blasphemy%20April%202020.pdf

15: Punching above its weight: The Adventist Church and religious freedom advocacy with Michael Campbell

On paper, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of America's smallest protestant Christian denominations. Yet through the years, it's had a surprisingly outsized influence on the national discourse around religious freedom issues. How and why did this happen?
We unpack the fascinating and little-known history of Adventist advocacy with one of the church's foremost historians.
Interview with Michael Campbell.
Show Notes
Short history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's religious freedom advocacy: https://www.religiousliberty.info/history
Liberty magazine, started by Seventh-day Adventists in 1906, is the world's oldest, continually published magazine of religious freedom: https://www.libertymagazine.org/