History's lessons about antisemitism are fading from our collective memory. A new generation must grapple with this age-old form of hate and what it means for minorities of every kind in today's world.

Can the state of Oklahoma fully fund a Catholic charter school that exists to "evangelize" its students? The Supreme Court will soon say "yes" or "no" in a case that may overturn decades of church-state constitutional law.

As the Trump administration redraws the boundaries of executive authority, are we merely in the midst of a constitutional "adjustment"? Or are we staring down a constitutional crisis with long term implications for civil liberties?

Guest:

David French, New York Times columnist

Show Notes:

Advisory Opinions podcast: https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/

Houses of worship are no longer off-limits for immigration enforcement as the Trump administration pursues aggressive new policies. But some faith groups are drawing First Amendment lines and asking the courts to enforce them.

Guest:

Noah Merrill, Secretary, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends

Show Notes:

The legal complaint filed by Quakers and others against the new immigration enforcement policies: https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Complaint.pdf

Background information to the case and preliminary injunction: https://www.friendsjournal.org/quakers-sue-immigration/ Website for the New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends: https://neym.org

Do public schools have to be faith-free zones? Or is this a misunderstanding of our Constitution's First Amendment? We delve into the dos and don'ts of religious expression at school, as well as the rationale for these guardrails.

Guest: Richard Foltin, Senior Fellow, Freedom Forum

Show Notes: "Freedom Forum's Guidelines for Religion in Public Schools: https://www.freedomforum.org/content/uploads/2025/01/religion-and-public-schools.pdf

Liberty magazine article on teaching human origins at school: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/adam-and-eve-go-to-school

Liberty magazine article on Louisiana effort to place "In God We Trust" signs in classrooms: https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/pushing-the-boundaries

The stories keep on coming--with new federal policies in place, even immigrants with legal status are afraid to go to church or send their children to school. How can individuals navigate this new immigration enforcement landscape?

Could immigration enforcement policy be a religious liberty issue? Under new federal enforcement policies, churches and church properties are no longer off limits for raids or other enforcement activities. How should churches respond?

Guests:

Steve Allred, attorney and religious liberty advocate

Jason Mustard, immigration attorney

It sounds plausible. There must be some net positives from exposing school children to biblical values, right? But is this true? What are the issues that Christians should consider in the face of the growing push for so-called "10 Commandment laws"?

Guest: Amireh Al-Haddad, religious liberty advocate

Show notes:

Liberty magazine articles:

"Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods." https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/thou-shalt-have-no-other-gods

"Thou Shalt Not Lie" - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/thou-shalt-not-lie

Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Southern Union of Seventh-day Adventists https://www.southernunion.com/ministries-services/religious-liberty/

The avalanche of COVID-era vaccine exemption requests represented a "stress test" for the American legal system. What did we learn about how religious liberty is protected in America today?

Show Notes:

Church State Council wesbite: https://www.churchstate.org

Cherne Law P.C. website: https://www.chernelaw.com 

A little-known political philosophy seeks to fuse religious mandates with a new understanding of political power. What is Catholic integralism? And how would it revolutionize church-state relations in America?

Guest:

Dr. Kevin Vallier, author and professor, University of Toledo.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/kevinvallier1

Shownotes:

Kevin Vallier author website: https://www.kevinvallier.com