(By Jason Duesing, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission). About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25 ESV) The visit to Macedonia had gone well. Paul and company had arrived in Philippi days before and on the Sabbath had gone out to a…
(By Phillip Bethancourt, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission). When it comes to religious liberty, America is in need of a Fixer Upper. The erupting controversy over Chip and Joanna Gaines reveals that religious freedom is as polarizing as ever. Recently, both Buzzfeed and Cosmopolitan published articles highlighting comments on homosexuality made by Jimmy Seibert, the…
By Frank R. Wolf, The Washington Times. I write with a deep and growing concern about the future of religious liberty in the United States. Grateful to have had the privilege of serving our country for 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, I have come away from this experience believing we do ourselves…
By Onize Ohikere, World Magazine. Religious minorities in Nigeria’s north and middle belt are battling with religious inequality as well as attacks from the insurgent group Boko Haram and nomadic Fulani herdsmen. In a report released today, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative called on the international community to assist Nigeria with what is rapidly becoming…
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal can teach us an important lesson or two about religious liberty. By John Stonestreet, Breakpoint commentaries. I remember when I first heard Chuck Colson, on a BreakPoint commentary years ago, make a distinction between religious liberty and freedom of worship. “Freedom of worship,” a phrase being used more and more Chuck…
In light of recent developments on the religious liberty front in Georgia and North Carolina, the Common Ground Christian Network (CGCN) has posted an overview of current threats to religious liberty in the U.S. The overview was presented by Scott Ward of Gammon and Grange, P.C., in McLean Va., at the October 2015 meeting of CGCN….
Authored by my friend and colleague Faith J. H. McDonnell and first published at Patheos, this is both painful and important to read. It is then important to respond not only as we pray and sing, but as we speak up, stand up and intervene that the fellowship of the suffering might be our shared burden as…
After 45 years of rejecting citizenship, war in Syria has caused a change in the minority group, with 80 applications this year The fifth year of Syria’s brutal civil war has marked a sharp increase in the number of Druze residents on the Golan Heights seeking Israeli citizenship. In contrast to the only two requests…
News reports indicate that the nation of Nepal is at a boiling point. Novice climbers have been banned from Mt. Everest, Christian missionaries have been warned to leave and anti-India rage is rising as essential commodities dry up. This in a nation still recovering from two massive earthquakes earlier this year. One wonders whether or…
By Matt Reynolds, Christianity Today. In 2014, Hobby Lobby won a landmark Supreme Court decision that exempted the home-goods chain from providing certain forms of contraception to employees. The Court ruled that closely held for-profit companies whose owners have religious objections are protected under the First Amendment. But the 5–4 ruling left many in confused…