Just Liberty

9: The Supreme Court's lopsided take on religious freedom. Interview with Steven Green

Many Americans believe that religious folk want to have their cake and eat it, too. People of faith want to be protected from discrimination, but they claim the right to discriminate. They want the state to provide robust legal protection and accommodations, but they also want the state to take a hands-off approach when it comes to how religious institutions operate in society.
What's really going on here? And is the Supreme Court's pro-religion streak actually privileging religion in unhealthy ways?
Interview with Steven K. Green, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University.
Show Notes
Article by Prof. Green for Liberty magazine on the Supreme Court's lopsided approach to the religion clauses of the First Amendment -  https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/disrupted-symmetry

8: Have young Americans given religious freedom a "use-by date"? Interview with Jaziah Masters

Religious freedom in America may be headed toward the edge of a cliff. Why? Because survey after survey shows that younger generations of Americans neither understand nor value the crucial role religious freedom plays in our democracy.
What's behind this worrying trend? And can anything be done to rehabilitate the reputation of religious freedom in the eyes of Gen-Zs and Millennials?
Interview with Jaziah B. Masters, Research Fellow, Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation, Baptist Joint Committee.
Show Notes
Article by Jaziah Masters for Liberty magazine: "A Religious Freedom Wake-up Call" -  https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/a-religious-freedom-wake-up-call

7: An unexpected win for faith on campus. Interview with Kim Colby

Should a religious student club have the same access and support on campus as a secular student club? And can a religious student club require its leadership to pledge support for a shared statement of faith?
A recent court decision in California provides hopeful signs that the pendulum may be swinging back toward a fairer deal for students of faith on America's campuses.
Interview with Kim Colby, Center for Law and Religious Freedom, Christian Legal Society.
Show Notes
A win for religious freedom in the 9th Circuit case of Fellowship of Christian Athletes v. San Jose Unified School District: https://www.thefire.org/news/fellowship-christian-athletes-scores-big-ninth-circuit-win-religious-liberty-and-freedom
Case summary: https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/project/fellowship-of-christian-athletes-and-san-jose-unified-school-district/
 

6: Thou shall not post the Ten Commandments. Interview with Marc Zvi Brettler

There's been a rash of state-level laws recently that mandate the posting of "The Ten Commandments" on the walls of public school classrooms. What's behind this? And whose version of these biblical commands are we talking about, anyway?
Interview with Marc Zvi Brettler, Professor of Jewish Studies, Duke University.
Show Notes
The Torah website for academic biblical scholarship - https://www.thetorah.com
Article by Dr. Brettler for Liberty magazine "Thou Shalt Not Lie: The Myth of the Ten Commandments" - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/thou-shalt-not-lie

5: Through the eyes of a second-generation Holocaust survivor. Interview with Richard Foltin

It's often been said that those who forget the past are destined to repeat it. If this is true, then we should be taking note of rising rates of antisemitism--not just in America but around the world.
Our conversation in this episode weaves together an intensely personal family history with a discussion of cultural and political warning signs that we would be wise to heed.
Interview with Richard T. Foltin, Fellow for Religious Freedom, Freedom Forum
Show Notes
Article by Dr. Foltin for Liberty magazine: "Yesterday and Today: Ruminations of a Second Generation Holocaust Survivor" https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/yesterday-and-today

4: Can you bring your faith to work? Interview with Hiram Sasser

For a country that claims religious freedom as a fundamental value, America has sometimes had an odd way of showing it--especially when it comes to workplace accommodations for people of faith. Whether it's time off for Sabbaths, or permission to wear religious garb on the job, American workers have had weak legal protection. That is, until now.
What changed with the recent Supreme Court decision in Groff v. Dejoy? And how should people of faith now understand their rights in the workplace?
Interview with Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Show Notes
First Liberty Institute | Website - https://firstliberty.org
News coverage of Supreme Court win for religious freedom in Groff v. Dejoy - https://firstliberty.org/news/in-the-news-faithful-carrier-victory/
Best practices for employers updating their religious non-discrimination policies - https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BusinessCaseOnePager.pdf

3: The Supreme Court goes back to (faith-based) school. Interview with Alan Brownstein

It's a decision that gave many Supreme Court watchers a bad case of whiplash. For decades, the Court said that direct state funding for faith-based schools was constitutionally forbidden. But in Carson v Makin, the Court said that those same religion clauses require the state to fund religious schools in some circumstances.
What's behind the Court's 180-degree turn on this issue? And how could it potentially transform our educational landscape?
 
Show Notes
"A Matter of Interpretation" by Alan Brownstein | Article for Liberty Magazine current trajectory of First Amendment jurisprudence
"A Step Too Far"? by Nicholas Miller, Alan Reinach | Article for Liberty Magazine on the landmark Supreme Course case, Carson v. Makin
 

2: Does religion have a place in American foreign policy? Interview with Knox Thames

Twenty-five years ago, the United States became the first and only nation to link religious freedom advocacy with its foreign policy goals. Why? And what has this achieved?
A former State Department official provides an insider's take on how the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 changed the face of U.S. foreign policy, and what's ahead.
 
Show Notes
Knox Thames | Website
"Saving International Religious Freedom" by Knox Thames | Article for Liberty Magazine 
"Neither Liberal nor Conservative but American" by Knox Thames | Article for Liberty Magazine
Fact-sheet on the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 | Article 

1: What's so Christian about Christian nationalism? Interview with Amanda Tyler

Christian nationalism has been in the media spotlight ever since the tumultuous events of January 6, 2021. But finding an agreed-upon definition for this phenomenon has proved elusive.
What are we really talking about when we call someone a Christian nationalist? And how accurate, really, is that "Christian" label?
Interview with Amanda Tyler, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
Show Notes
Baptist Joint Committee | Website
Christians Against Christian Nationalism | Website
Respecting Religion | Podcast

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