Religious liberty advocates, including BJC, are asking the Department of Health and Human Services to go further in articulating all exemption requirements needed to comply with federal religious freedom law.
BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler writes for CNN about a troubling new law in Texas that would allow almost anyone to call themself a “chaplain” and have access to children in public schools. “I’m hopeful that most Americans — of all faiths and of no faith — do not want the government deciding religious matters for our families.”
In her lecture titled “The Myth of American ‘Chosenness,’” Dr. Catherine Brekus traced the development of white Christian nationalism from Puritan leader John Winthrop’s 1630 “city on a hill” sermon to its inspiration of the MAGA movement in the 21st century.
BJC and the BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation are urgently needed to counter the white supremacy menacing religious liberty for all in the United States, said the Rev. Dr. Adam Bond, a scholar and Baptist minister.
Several Baptist-affiliated groups decried the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling overturning race-conscious affirmative action policies for college admissions.
A lawsuit brought by a group of Muslim and Christian plaintiffs appears headed to a federal appeals court, and it bears watching. The families wanted to opt their children out of reading books with LGBTQ+ characters because the books conflict with their religious beliefs.
“The Groff decision explains in clear terms how religion is privileged under the statute but not necessarily to the detriment of others.”
BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler shares about her move to Texas, including how the state has become a major flashpoint in the resurgence of Christian nationalism.
Ana Roché is the executive assistant at BJC, providing crucial administrative and operational support. A graduate of Brooklyn College, she has experience working in entertainment and intellectual property law.
A coalition of Texas chaplains say that training for the chaplaincy counsels against providing such support for school-aged children.