A clause for confusion? The much-debated meaning of the First Amendment's establishment clause. What exactly did our colonial forebears have in mind when they forbade laws "respecting an establishment of religion"?

And why have we been arguing about it ever since?

We take a tour through American history and Supreme Court jurisprudence with First Amendment scholar and author Charles Haynes.

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X: @1stForAll FB: https://www.facebook.com/FirstAmendmentForAll/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/1stforall/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freedomforum/"

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Show Notes:

Freedom Forum website: https://www.freedomforum.org

Background on the establishment clause: https://www.freedomforum.org/the-establishment-clause/

News story on recent Supreme Court establishment clause decisions: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/07/17/supreme-court-church-state-religion-coach/

"How and when did evangelical Christians become a predictable voting bloc? And what does this shift mean--not only for American politics, but for the church itself? We talk with Barry Hankins, an author, professor, and renowned historian of the evangelical movement, about the consequences of politicized Christianity and the forces that drive it."

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Show Notes:

Liberty magazine article: ""It's All About Me: How the culture wars are redefining evangelicals and religious liberty."" https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/its-all-about-me

Books authored or co-authored by Dr. Hankins: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Barry-Hankins/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABarry+Hankins

College-age students have opinions about the Israel-Gaza war and they're finding ways to share them. But when does political protest morph into something darker?

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X: @MAHelfand

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Show Notes

News report: "Free Speech Survey Signals Distrust and Disconnection." https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/free-speech/2024/09/09/free-speech-survey-signals-distrust-and-disconnection

Flags and fury: the most important Christian movement you've never heard of. Interview with Matthew D. Taylor.

The so-called "Appeal to Heaven" flag entered the national conversation recently with news it had been flown over a house owned by Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito. But what is the story behind this flag and the powerful, yet relatively unknown, Christian movement that has embraced its symbolism?

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.taylor.9231

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Show Notes:

Liberty magazine article: America's Spiritual Warriors. https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/americas-spiritual-warriors

What's the quickest way to turn any social occasion sour? Just steer the conversation toward either religion or politics. Or both. In today's polarized media environment, civil discourse seems like a long-lost art. But a new television program is daring to explore fresh, kinder ways to tackle topics that divide Americans.

We talk with attorney Orlan Johnson, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, and host of the weekly television show "Faith and Politics.

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"Faith and Politics" Website: https://www.faithandpolitics.tv. 

"Faith and Politics" YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@faithandpolitics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndPoliticsTV.

Liberty magazine interview with Orlan Johnson: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/where-angels-fear-to-tread

Who should we blame for the rise of Christian nationalism? Is it simply the work of white Christian supremacists or far-right evangelical political leaders? Or could it also have been fueled by ordinary American Christians, and their decades-long, unquestioning embrace of something called "civil religion"?

We talk with award-winning author and journalist Brian T. Kaylor about his newly published book, Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism.

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Follow Brian:

X: @BrianKaylor

Instagram: @BrianKaylor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantkaylor

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Book: Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. https://www.amazon.com/Baptizing-America-Protestants-Christian-Nationalism/dp/0827203381

Podcast: "Baptist Without An Adjective"  https://podcast.wordandway.org

Website: Word&Way https://wordandway.org

Website: Brian Kaylor https://briankaylor.com/

Over the past three decades, the federal government has come to rely on religious organizations to help deliver essential social services--everything from running domestic violence shelters and food pantries, to providing elder care and job training. But new regulations from the Biden administration are again highlighting longstanding concerns.

Can faith-based organizations take billions in federal dollars and still stay true to their religious identity? And, on the other hand, are some of these organizations serving up religion along with social support? We talk about the history and the future of federal funding for faith-based charitable organizations with Stanley Carlson-Theis, who served in the inaugural White House faith-based partnership office under President George W. Bush.

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Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance website: https://bit.ly/4d4Fnwf

Are there practical ways for Christians to innoculate themselves against the toxicity of today's politics? Can Christians be politically active--whether as Republicans or Democracts--without compromising their higher allegience to God?

Chris Butler, lead pastor of Chicago Embassy Church Network and cofounder of the AND Campaign, brings his years of experience in community organizing and politics--including a recent run for a seat in Congress--to this conversation about faithful civic engagement.

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Follow Chris Butler:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorchrisbutler

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AND Campaign website: https://andcampaign.org/about/

Book: Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement https://www.amazon.com/Compassion-Conviction-Campaigns-Faithful-Engagement/dp/083084810X

Could historical mis-readings of America's founding be helping fuel today's political polarization? What difference does it make what we believe about Thomas Jefferson's religious views or his attitude toward slavery?

An interview with Warren Throckmorton. 

Show Notes:

The "Telling Jefferson Lies" podcast hosted by Dr. Throckmorton: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/telling-jefferson-lies/id1720424853

Where to find Warren Throckmorton

X: @wthrockmorton

Mixing faith and politics? It's always a dangerous brew--at least, that's what common wisdom says. But is there a more productive way for Christians to engage with politics? And could Christian values actually help heal our country's widening political divisions?

A veteran political strategist thinks the answer to these questions is "Yes," but suggests the place for Christians to start is with their own spiritual life.

Interview with Michael Wear.

Show Notes

The Center for Christianity and Public Life https://www.ccpubliclife.org

Book: The Spirit of Our Politics by Michael Wear https://www.zondervan.com/9780310367239/the-spirit-of-our-politics/;