Lawyers for Jesus

Carl Esbeck is Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Missouri where he taught classes on civil procedure, constitutional law, religious liberty and civil rights. Carl has been active in promoting and defending religious liberty throughout his career and has published widely in the area of religious liberty and church-state relations, including a new book, Disestablishment and Religious Dissent: Church-State Relations in the New American States, 1776–1833.

Clarke Forsythe has been serving as Senior Counsel with Americans United for Life for 35 years. Americans United for Life is a national public policy organization with a mission to achieve comprehensive legal protection for human life from conception to natural death. In addition to writing numerous law review articles, Clarke is also the author of two books: Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe V. Wade, and Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square.

Clarke Forsythe has been serving as Senior Counsel with Americans United for Life for 35 years. Americans United for Life is a national public policy organization with a mission to achieve comprehensive legal protection for human life from conception to natural death. In addition to writing numerous law review articles, Clarke is also the author of two books: Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe V. Wade, and Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square.

Rita Lowery Gitchell is a defense litigator who speaks on and has authored several publications about the legal status of frozen human embryos. Her expertise has been called on by the Thomas More Society to help with several cases involving the personhood of human embryos, including several briefs on behalf of the American Association of prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one of which was read by the US Supreme Court.

Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom is the professor of Theology and Ethics at North Park University and the Director of North Park Theological Seminary’s School of Restorative Arts. Housed in Stateville Correctional Center, the School of Restorative Arts offers an MA in Christian Ministry and allows both free and incarcerated students to study together.

Rev. Alvin Bibbs is President and CEO of the Justice Journey Alliance, a Christian ministry in Chicago with a vision to reach an ever-increasing population divided by race and injustice. He also serves as the Community & Faith Engagement Officer with Together Chicago, a local initiative aimed at transforming communities and ending gun violence in the City by addressing the root causes.

Today we will be speaking with Jim Campbell who serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom where he has worked on religious freedom cases such as Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, where he successfully defended cake artist Jack Phillips, who was sued for declining to design a custom wedding cake celebrating a same-sex marriage. Currently Jim is involved in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving a Michigan funeral home that is being challenged over their enforcement of a sex-specific dress code.

David Koyzis is the author of Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies, which is now in its second edition. David is also Fellow in Politics at the St. George's Centre for Biblical and Public Theology after teaching politics for thirty years at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Kim Colby is the Director of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law & Religious Freedom. Kim has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two heard by the United States Supreme Court and also assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, which protects the right of secondary school students to meet for prayer and Bible study on campus.

Access her Religious Freedom Toolkit here: https://www.clsreligiousfreedom.org/resources/religious-freedom-toolkit

Dan Gruber is an author, teacher, and student of the Scriptures, often dealing with longstanding political and religious questions. He teaches the Bible and faith in Jesus the Messiah from a radical Jewish perspective which has led him to a stinging critique of the fundamentals of our laws and legal systems.

Most recently he has written, "Law Without Authority or Limits: Kelsen's Dilemma". Find the book here: www.amazon.com/Law-without-Autho…ns/dp/1090343981/