Just Liberty

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

Since 1950s, the so-called Johnson Amendment has been a lightning rod for controversy. Is it an unconstitutional restriction on the speech rights of pastors, as a new lawsuit argues? Or a last line of defense against the politicization of America's houses of worship?

Guest:

Dr. Stephen Cook, Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Memphis, TN

FB: https://www.facebook.com/2ndBaptistMemphis

Show Notes:

Liberty magazine article about the Johnson Amendment: Unleashing the Churches, by Michael Peabody. https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/unleashing-the-churches

When deeply held religious beliefs clash with public school lesson plans, finding workable solutions can be a challenge. What happens, though, when a solution is obvious, but compromise has been taken off the table?

Guest:

William Haun, Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

X: https://x.com/BecketLaw

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

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/becketlaw/

Show Notes:

Case details on the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty website: https://www.becketlaw.org/case/mahmoud-v-mcknight/

Next Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 we launch Season 3—take a peek at some of our upcoming guests!

Conversation between hosts Alan Reinach and Bettina Krause.

__________________

Oklahoma's school superintendent has told teachers they must integrate the Christian Bible into all their classes. For Christians, is this a welcome development or a reason for concern? And what legal issues are raised by this growing movement in the US to return the Bible to public school classrooms?

Show Notes:

AP news story about lawsuit in response to Oklahoma's mandate for Bibles in classrooms: https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-bible-mandate-schools-lawsuit-c5c09efa5332db1ab16f7ff2da7be0b8

Liberty magazine article about how our understanding of history shapes our beliefs about whether America is a "Christian nation."

https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/history-lies-we-tell