According to John Witte Jr., Althusius did consider the question of religious liberty, whether a private person has the right to “alter amend, or even abandon” the duties prescribed under the first table (the first four commandments) of the Decalogue. Continue reading →
Civil Liberties
Malthus or Althusius? An Introduction To A Pioneering Reformed Social Theorist (Part 1)
We seem to live in a Malthusian age—an age of increasing scarcity, or perhaps fear of scarcity, where concern over how to divide an economic (and environmental) pie of limited size (called a “zero sum game”) has replaced the idea of expanding . . . Continue reading →
The CIA Considered Using Clergy As Intelligence Operatives
Further, as the committee knows, I have found no circumstances while I am Director of Central Intelligence, that have caused me to do either. But, Mr. Chairman, as the Director of Central Intelligence, I must be in a position to assure the . . . Continue reading →
Fighting For Religious Liberty Takes Its Toll
A high school football coach in Washington state has resigned following his recent return to coaching after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled his on-field prayers were protected by the Constitution. Joe Kennedy, former assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Seattle, . . . Continue reading →
On The Gospel And Social Justice With Chris Gordon
Only someone in an isolation chamber could imagine that this world is not fallen. Even the most fact-resistant naturalist (who cannot begin to explain why there is something rather than nothing) concedes that the evolutionary process in which he places so much . . . Continue reading →
With Presbycast On Cancel Culture And Calvinist Pirates
As always we had a good time on the old Presbycast Hayride, Jamboree, and Barn Dance. Chortles told us the story of the Huguenot Pirates—real pirates, not “piratical” pretenders hitting defense flower vases with baseball bats or setting harmless grass alight—and the . . . Continue reading →
SCOTUS: Employers May Not Prohibit Sabbath Observance, But Do American Christians Care?
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) recently convened to make some of the most significant rulings on religious freedom in recent years. The court held unanimously: “Title VII requires an employer that denies a religious accommodation to show that the . . . Continue reading →
How Bright Students And Professors Are Being Destroyed By “Anti-Racism”
On the sunny first day of seminar, I sat at the end of a pair of picnic tables with nervous, excited 17-year-olds. Twelve high-school students had been chosen by the Telluride Association through a rigorous application process—the acceptance rate is reportedly around . . . Continue reading →
U. S. Dept Of Education Guidance On Prayer In Public Schools
Students may pray when not engaged in school activities or instruction, subject to the same rules designed to prevent material disruption of the educational program that are applied to other privately initiated expressive activities. Students also may read from religious materials; say . . . Continue reading →
Justice Gorsuch Warns About The Erosion Of Civil Liberties
Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country. Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale. Governors and local leaders imposed lockdown orders forcing people to . . . Continue reading →
Game Of Thrones Christianity? Against Theocratic Pragmatism
For many members of the so-called New Right, one thing is clear: Classical liberal principles are not getting the job done. The left, after all, has no compunction about using the state to go after conservatives. As far as those illiberal progressives . . . Continue reading →
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Terminates Catholic Pastoral Care Contract During Holy Week
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has issued a “cease and desist order” to Holy Name College, a community of Franciscan Catholic priests and brothers, who have provided pastoral care to service members and veterans at Walter Reed for nearly two decades. The government’s . . . Continue reading →
The True Definition of ‘Woke’ Is ‘Anti-thought’
Once upon a time we were supposed to see the woke agenda as striving towards social justice. That’s because the term “woke” originated many decades ago as black slang that meant a keen awareness of the many forms of discrimination. But no . . . Continue reading →
Censorship Of The Dead: The SciFi Writers Warned Us
Last week The Telegraph reported that Agatha Christie’s novels are being sanitized for re-release. HarperCollins, their publisher, is removing references to physique, race and ethnicity in new editions of Miss Marple and selected Poirot novels. Christie joins Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming . . . Continue reading →
Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
In the most recent attack on free speech at its law school, a mob of students—egged on by Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tirien Steinbach—shouted down Fifth Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan who had been invited to speak by the Stanford . . . Continue reading →
NY’ers For Religious Liberty Vs. NYC On Vaccine Mandates
New Yorkers for Religious Liberty is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting religious freedom in New York City as it comes under attack from policies such as the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Alliance Defending Freedom is serving as co-counsel for the organization, representing . . . Continue reading →
Connecticut Church Sues Over Vaccine Mandate
A Connecticut church is suing the state for allegedly breaching its First Amendment rights by no longer allowing parents’ religious exemptions to vaccines. The lawsuit comes after the state ordered Milford Christian Church to implement the vaccine mandate and expel students who . . . Continue reading →
“Hard Work U” Sues Biden Admin Over Trans Policy
Founded in 1906, College of the Ozarks is a religious school in Missouri that aims to provide its students a Christian education. The college’s vision is to develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hardworking, and patriotic. No students pay tuition . . . Continue reading →
Catholic Bookstore Defends Its Religious Rights From City Law
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Catholic bookstore in Jacksonville filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging a city law that requires Queen of Angels Catholic Bookstore to speak against its beliefs and to silence its religious views to remain in business. Queen of Angels . . . Continue reading →
U. S. District Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Religious Schools
Plaintiffs are students who have attended religious colleges and universities nationwide. Plaintiffs bring this putative class action against the United States Department of Education (“the Department”) and Suzanne Goldberg in her official capacity as Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil . . . Continue reading →