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Religion & Law

Blog From The Capital

Blog from the Capital is the weblog of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Baptist church-state separation advocacy group in D.C. for the last 70 years.

Post Frequency: 8.8/day

Last Entry: March 30, 2009 at 16:22:09

Previewing Summum

Posted on October 06, 2008
The First Amendment Center's Tony Mauro previews the upcoming Supreme Court's session, including the Summum public monument case: Summum is not an establishment-clause case, unlike the Ten Commandments cases the Court has decided in recent years. Instead, the main question...

Is the Johnson Amendment Merely a Political Discussion?

Posted on October 06, 2008
Professor Stanley Fish is one of my favorite thinkers and writers. I don't always agree with him, but he rarely fails to live up to the name of his blog, "Think Again". In this week's post, he considers both sides...

Minnesota Pastor Fights IRS Inquiry, Raises Church-State Issues

Posted on October 03, 2008
In a District Court, Minnesota pastor Mac Hammond - who has previously been the subject of this blog for being caught on video endorsing a congressional candidate from the pulpit - is fighting an unrelated IRS inquiry into his church's...

Ahead of Debate, Biden, Palen Discuss Church-State Separation

Posted on October 02, 2008
As part of a series of interviews on different topics, Katie Couric posed to both Vice-Presidential candidates a question about church-state separation. I like the way the question presupposes that the "wall of separation" is "important".

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Clergy Protest Virginia's New Trooper Chaplain Policy, Governor Supports Change

Posted on October 02, 2008
Last week, I posted about VA's new policy requiring state police chaplains to deliver inclusive, non-sectarian prayers when participating in official, state-sponsored events. 6 of the 17 chaplains in the program resigned in protest of that directive, and now clergy...

Religion in the Upcoming VP Debate

Posted on October 01, 2008
At the Washington Post's On Faith sites, panelists are responding to the question: "Vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will debate this week. What would you ask them about their religious beliefs and why?" Some of these folks...

Texas Scientists Say Keep Religion Out of Curriculum

Posted on October 01, 2008
A group of scientists in Texas are urging the State Board of Education to turn back efforts to inject religion into the science curriculum, when the group meets to update school standards. The Houston Chronicle reports: The group worries that...

Rhetoric of "Pulpit Initiative" Supporters Obscures True Goals

Posted on September 30, 2008
One of the more insidious elements of this past weekend's Alliance Defense Fund efforts is proponents' conflation of the candidate endorsement from the pulpit issue with speaking out prophetically on the issues and events of the day. As ADF emphasizes...

Pulpit Initiative Churches Announced, Complaint Filed

Posted on September 29, 2008
The Alliance Defense Fund has released a list of the 33 churches (pdf) that participated in the "pulpit initiative." An earlier AP story indicates that though many ministers volunteered, ADF selected the group they thought would create the best test....

Pulpit Endorsements Test IRS

Posted on September 29, 2008
The Washington Post reports on yesterday's "pulpit initiative": The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. told worshipers that the Democratic presidential nominee's positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist "in direct opposition to God's truth as He has revealed it in the...

Turning Churches into Political Puppets

Posted on September 28, 2008
In an op-ed, BJC director Brent Walker details his opposition to the ADF's "pulpit initiative", in which a handful of pastors are purposefully violating the IRS prohibition on campaigning from the pulpit. Their ultimate goal is a repeal of that...

Pulpit Initiative Bleg

Posted on September 26, 2008
I have a feeling this Sunday's scheduled mass violation of IRS tax-exempt regulations is going to be a bust. Most churches simply don't want their ministers telling them how to vote, and of those that do, most of *them* don't...

Does the Constitution Prohibit the Johnson Amendment?

Posted on September 26, 2008
The short answer is...no. In today's installment of Barry Lynn v. Erik Stanley in the LATimes, the topic is "What does the Constitution Say?" Rev. Lynn responds to the charge that the prohibition against pulpit endorsements encourages government to micro-manage...

Pulpit Initiative Roundup

Posted on September 25, 2008
OMB Watch reports that the IRS has agreed to review a complaint about the Alliance Defense Fund's efforts to encourage widespread pulpit endorsements, in search of a test case. The LATimes reports on the scheduled act of pulpit rebellion urged...

The Pastor's Pledge...Close, but No Cigar

Posted on September 25, 2008
American Family Association head Donald Wildmon is trying to get in on all the pulpit campaigning talk these days. He urging pastors to sign a pledge regarding the lead up to November elections. Granted, he is not asking them to...

"See You at the Pole" Legal, but Problematic

Posted on September 24, 2008
The annual "See You at the Pole" event is an organized effort to promote prayer among grade-school students before the school day begins. It should involve only participation that is thoroughly voluntary, and is not official or school-sanctioned in any...

The Responsibilities of Tax Exemption

Posted on September 24, 2008
In today's LATimes counterpoint, AU's Barry Lynn and ADF's Erik Stanley debate the issue of tax exemption for churches. Should churches have to pay taxes? Should tax exemption come with federal regulation? Rev. Lynn argues that tax exemption is a...

Virginia Police's New Chaplain Diversity Policy and the "Separation of Jesus and State"

Posted on September 24, 2008
Thanks to a reader for pointing to this recent story, in which a handful of Virginia state police chaplains preferring to resign their positions than offer non-sectarian ceremonial prayers at official, state-sponsored events that are "respectful of the varied ethnicities,...

Lynn v Stanley: Pulpit Campaigning Debate

Posted on September 23, 2008
All week, the LATimes is running a series of op-ed counterpoints between AU's Barry Lynn and ADF's Erik Stanley over the issue of clergy political endorsements from the pulpit. Today, the focus is on the tax code, and whether it...

Baptist Joint Committee's Brent Walker Blasts "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"

Posted on September 23, 2008
In an interview over the weekend on Fox News, Baptist Joint Committee director Rev. Brent Walker ripped into this Sunday's planned "pulpit initiative", in which the Alliance Defense Fund is urging clergy to endorse candidates for office, in violation of...

Will ADF's Efforts Be a Success?

Posted on September 23, 2008
AP reports that "dozens of ministers" Sunday preached about the importance of maintaining the separation of church and state, ahead of the Alliance Defense Fund's misguided "pulpit initiative". Meanwhile, at AU, Rob Boston predicts the event will be a bust...

Treasury Department Bailout: A Church-State Angle?

Posted on September 23, 2008
Howard Friedman at Religion Clause raises an interesting question regarding the national issue of the day. Would the proposed government purchase of debt extend to church mortgages? As he asks it, "are there any church-state problems with the federal government...

They Ask Questions

Posted on September 22, 2008
At the Americans United blog, Joseph Conn is disappointed in recent poll numbers showing a majority of Americans believe the US Constitution "establishes a Christian nation". He asks... Are the Religious Right?s propaganda mills producing these alarming poll results? Or...

Texas "Moment of Silence" Law Gets new Challenge

Posted on September 22, 2008
A Texas family has filed suit over the state's mandatory moment of silence law that requires all schools to offer a quiet minute to start the day. The first Texas law, enacted in 1995, allows school districts to decide whether...

State Department Releases Annual Religious Freedom Report

Posted on September 19, 2008
Today, the US State Department released its annual report on international religious freedom. You can read the executive summary here and can access the entire report here....

Majority of Americans Believe Constitution "Establishes" Christian Nation

Posted on September 19, 2008
Via Religion Clause, the First Amendment Center released its annual survey of public attitudes toward the First Amendment. Here are some results: Only 15% named "Freedom of Religion" as one of the specific First Amendment rights. 6% believe we have...

Microtargeting

Posted on September 18, 2008
The Wall Street Journal notes that Democrats are reaching with precision toward religious voters for November's congressional races. In 2006, the Democrats "microtargeted" a few thousand likely voters who might be responsive to the party's message based on their theology...

Wednesday Evening Roundup

Posted on September 17, 2008
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will address the media Friday to discuss the release of the 2008 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. I note (without comment) that Gary Bauer, former head of the Family Research Council, was recruited to...

Accommodating Student Prayer Needs

Posted on September 17, 2008
Minnesota Public Radio reports on a rift between a Wilmar Junior high School and a community of Somali parents concerned about their children's access to appropriate prayer time during the school day. A few Somali parents in Willmar complained that...

Jay Hein on Hiring Rights and the Future of the Faith-Based Initiative

Posted on September 16, 2008
I missed this from a couple weeks ago, but the Roundtable has an interview online with outgoing White House Faith-based Office Director Jay Hein. There is a stubborn - frankly hilarious - back-and-forth over whether the program has resulted in...

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