Free To Be Faithful from KFUO Radio

People of faith and our institutions have come under increasing attack in recent years from secular sources. One such attack strikes close to home for the LCMS. One of our congregations, Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, Missouri, runs a child-care center and a playground. Now the State’s Department of Natural Resources has a program that’s open to non-profit organizations that provides grants to help reimburse rubberizing play areas with materials made from recycled tires. Trinity applied and was listed 5th out of 44 applications, but, their application was rejected. The Department of Natural Resources ruled that because the playground is owned by a church, it’s ineligible for any public funding, despite the playground being open to all the neighborhood children. Among the constitutional issues facing the Supreme Court in this decision are Free Exercise of Religion under the 1st Amendment and Equal Protection under the 14th Amendment.

Oral Arguments were held this morning before the Supreme Court concerning these very issues. The argument for the church was held by the Alliance Defending, and today’s guest is Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for ADF. Follow updates to the case at playgroundcase.org.

Baronelle Stutzman is the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Washington state. When a long-time customer asked her to make a special floral arrangement celebrating gay marriage, she refused. The customer, along with help from the State’s Attorney General and the ACLU filed a challenge. Last month, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Stutzman could indeed be forced to make such an arrangement, and punishment for refusing includes paying fines and attorney fees. Alliance Defending Freedom is defending Stutzman, and have appealed to the United States Supreme Court. ADF Counsel Kerri Kupec joins moderator Kip Allen to discuss this case and the other religious liberty cases in the court systems. Learn more about ADF at adflegal.org.

The 44th Annual March for Life took place last month in Washington, D.C., protesting the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v Wade ecision legalizing abortion on demand. Despite marchers numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the event received scant media coverage in the past. This year was different. Our guest March for Life President Jeanne Mancini talks about these differences and what March for Life is looking forward to in 2017.

44 years ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its infamous Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion on demand. Since that time, nearly 60 million babies have been killed in the womb. Every year since then, people have gathered in Washington, D.C., and other cities in protest. March for Life president Jeanne Mancini discusses the history of the March for Life and provides a preview for this year’s March. Learn more at marchforlife.org/mfl-2017. Tag your social media posts about the March for Life with #WhyWeMarch.

Is Christmas becoming secular? Is the very phrase "Merry Christmas" becoming "inappropriate"? It seems that way with religious displays increasingly under criticism from secular sources. Free to be Faithful moderator Kip Allen discusses this disturbing trend with Pastor Christopher Thoma of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, Michigan.

Now that the election is over, what policies will the new president and Congress follow? What are the expected impacts on the LCMS? Free to be Faithful moderator Kip Allen and Washington Observer Tim Goeglein analyze the election results on today’s program.

What is the obligation of Christians in the Kingdom of the Left regarding the election of officials? Are Christians required to vote? What is the role of the conscience in the election process? Guest Rev. Larry Beane from Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna, Louisiana, digs into these questions and more as we talk about the responsibility of Christians in the Kingdom of the Left.

September marks the start of a new school year. It also presents many challenges for the faithful, both students and faculty, in an environment that is increasingly hostile to religion. First Liberty Institute attorney Justin Butterfield and Florida State University student and teaching assistant Darrell Jordan join moderator Kip Allen in identifying these challenges and the rights of believers in the academy.

What issues are most important to Lutherans in the upcoming election? How do the candidates and parties stand on these issues, and how does that compare to the LCMS stance? Moderator Kip Allen discusses these issues with Rev. Chris Thoma, senior pastor of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, Michigan.

Religion played a major role in the shaping of America from colonial times to the present. Moderator Kip Allen welcomes guests Professor Matthew Spalding of HIllsdale College and the Rev. Dr. Dan Harmelink of the Concordia Historical Institute.