Law Meets Gospel

Josh talks with Dave Roland, the Director of Litigation and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri about the center's mission. The Freedom Center of Missouri is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and public-interest litigation in six key areas: freedom of expression, economic liberty (the right to earn a living), property rights, religious liberties, limited government, and government transparency. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="150"] Dave Roland, Executive Director and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri[/caption] Josh and Dave first met when they were both studying at Vanderbilt University, where they both earned graduate degrees in theology jointly with their law degrees. Dave talks about his path from pursuing ministry to law school, working for the Institute for Justice and the Becket Fund, then moving with his wife and cofounder Jenifer Zeigler Roland to Missouri to work at the Show Me Institute. Finally, they began the Freedom Center of Missouri in Jenifer's hometown of Mexico, Missouri. Josh and Dave discussed the following organizations with similar goals as the Freedom Center of Missouri, three of which Dave worked for:

• The Becket Fund Religious Liberty for All
• Institute for Justice (litigating for economic liberty, school choice, private property, and First Amendment liberties)
• Show-Me Institute Where Liberty Comes First
• The Heritage Foundation

Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="170"] James G. Blaine in the 1870s[/caption] The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer on April 19, 2017. The church is challenging Missouri's exclusion of religious groups from the state's grant program for playground surfaces, which is based on the state's constitution. The relevant amendment is one of many often referred to as "Blaine Amendments." Josh interviews Dave Roland, the Director of Litigation and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri about the history behind these amendments and their ramifications for modern American law. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="150"] Dave Roland, Executive Director and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri[/caption] Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer on April 19, 2017. The church is challenging Missouri's exclusion of religious groups from the state's grant program for playground surfaces. Josh speaks with Dave Roland of the Freedom Center of Missouri about the argument, the justices' questions, and how the Court's decision could affect religious organizations across the country. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="150"] Dave Roland, Executive Director and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri[/caption] To learn more about Trinity Lutheran Church, Inc. v. Comer, check out the following:

• Transcript of oral argument at Supreme Court
• Audio of Supreme Court oral argument
• Oyez's page on Trinity Lutheran
• SCOTUSblog's page on Trinity Lutheran

Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case in which a church asserts that Missouri's exclusion of religious organizations from a generally available grant program for playground surfaces violates the Free Exercise protection of the First Amendment and Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. To discuss the background of the case, Josh interviews Dave Roland, the Director of Litigation and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="150"] Dave Roland, Executive Director and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri[/caption] To learn more about Trinity Lutheran Church, Inc. v. Comer, check out the following:

• Transcript of oral argument at Supreme Court
• Audio of Supreme Court oral argument
• Oyez's page on Trinity Lutheran
• SCOTUSblog's page on Trinity Lutheran

Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

There are many ways that faith communities can help immigrants make their way after they arrive in the United States. In this episode, immigration lawyer Dallin Lykins shares some of these, how the current political debates about immigration affect immigrants' experiences of American life, how the refugee system works, and where people of faith and lawyers can go to connect with immigrants who need help. Resources for faith communities mentioned in this episode

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Episcopal Migration Ministries
• Exodus Refugee Immigration
• Immigrant Welcome Center
• Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
• United Nations Refugee Agency
• The Constitutional Rights of Noncitizens

• Find the decision about Indiana's refusal of Syrian refugees here: Exodus Refugee Service v. Pence

Lawyers: For a free introduction to how you can help immigrants and free course materials, check this out from the Practising Law Institute. You can get in touch with Dallin and see his biographical information here. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="193"] Dallin Lykins represents clients in matters involving a host of immigration issues.[/caption] Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

[caption id="attachment_397" align="alignleft" width="300"] Used under Creative Commons license by Nick Youngson at http://NYPhotographic.com through http://picserver.org/i/immigration.html[/caption] During a heightened time of debate and anxiety, many faith communities have joined or are considering joining what's known as the "Sanctuary Movement." The concept of sanctuary has historical roots, but it isn't legally supported. Faith communities and other nonprofits should investigate the potential risks they can assume before joining the Sanctuary Movement. Dallin Lykins of Lewis & Kappes in Indianapolis explains sanctuary, the history of sanctuary, what providing sanctuary means, what it doesn't mean, and some considerations to keep in mind before becoming a sanctuary congregation. See below for details about Dallin and resources on sanctuary. Resources for congregations considering sanctuary

• ACLU Sanctuary Congregation and Harboring FAQ
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo on "sensitive locations"
• Sanctuary Movement homepage
• Q&A: What Churches Should Know About Immigration Law, Church Law & Tax
• How Churches Can Give Sanctuary and Still Support the Law, Christianity Today

You can get in touch with Dallin and see his biographical information here. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="193"] Dallin Lykins represents clients in matters involving a host of immigration issues.[/caption] Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Direct links to this episode

• Google Play
• Online download

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

Immigration law affects every employer, including religious organizations. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="193"] Dallin Lykins represents clients in matters involving a host of immigration issues.[/caption] Dallin Lykins of Lewis & Kappes in Indianapolis explains Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the history of deferred action, what DACA means for millions of people in the United States, and what changes to DACA religious employers can expect from the Trump administration. You can get in touch with Dallin and see his biographical information here. Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="188"] Dallin Lykins represents clients in matters involving a host of immigration issues.[/caption] Immigration law affects every employer, including religious organizations. Dallin Lykins of Lewis & Kappes in Indianapolis provides religious and other employers an overview of immigration issues they need to know about.

Dallin mentioned these websites for people looking for help about basic immigration questions:

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• American Immigration Lawyers Association

You can get in touch with Dallin and see his biographical information here.

Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

American law has many protections of religious freedom. Among these are various means by which religious people and organizations can seek exemptions from otherwise-applicable legal requirements when those rules would burden their religious beliefs. This episode discusses the development of those exemptions under the First Amendment, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and state versions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.Here are some of the legal documents Josh discusses in the episode:

• Reynolds v. United States, 98 U.S. 145 (1878)
• Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963)
• Employment Div., Ore. Dept. of Human Res. v. Smith 494 U.S. 872 (1990)
• Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., 134 S. Ct. 2751 (2014)
• Holt v. Hobbs, 135 S. Ct. 853 (2015)
• Religious Freedom Restoration Act
• Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.

While I advise to use the current edition of Robert's Rules and explained several reasons in the last episode, there are also good reasons to use a different parliamentary authority. Here are three:

1. It's one size fits all. Much of the procedures included in Robert's Rules are unneeded for the majority of nonprofit boards. My suggested resource for this is Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief.
2. Robert's Rules is not based on consensus-building, which today's leadership models emphasize.
3. People think they know Robert's Rules when they don't, so there can be a lot of confusion.

I recommend you follow Robert's Rules, using the latest version: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th Edition. But I also recommend you get the current version of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief, which is in its second edition. Click on the links for my Amazon affiliate links. Subscribe to the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• iTunes
• Google Play
• RSS

Support the Law Meets Gospel Podcast

• Patreon.com Sign up to contribute an amount you choose for each episode the Law Meets Gospel Podcast publishes.