High Court: States Must Allow Prayer, Touch in Executions
The Supreme Court said Thursday that states must grant the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions.
The Graham Inquisition
We interpret the Constitution and rule Graham’s questions out-of-bounds. Then we give a second hearing to a related misstep by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in questioning now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Finally, we render our verdict about the role religion should play in U.S. judicial hearings.
Scholars, Activists Brief Lawmakers on Role of Christian Nationalism in Insurrection
Members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus met with a group of scholars and activists on Thursday evening to review a new report detailing the role Christian Nationalism played in the insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Taking Exception
In this edition of A Public Witness, we offer a brief history course detailing the background of the ministerial exception and the specifics of the lawsuit against GC. We conclude our class session by considering the value and role of the ministerial exception in a democratic
Missouri House OKs Guns on Buses, in Churches
Missouri’s GOP-led House on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow guns in churches and on public transportation. The House voted 101-40 in favor of the measure, which now goes before the Republican-led Senate for approval.
Sorry, Not Sorry
In this edition of A Public Witness, we revisit one of the most famous quests for political absolution in recent history. We then go to church with Andrew Cuomo to consider his plea for mercy. Finally, we meditate on the larger, troubling pattern of our unapologetic
The State of the Union is Uncivil
in this edition of A Public Witness we speak as Christians appalled at the incivility of our public life. We cut through the noise to show how our nation is growing accustomed to such antics from Rep. Boebert to the point that media outlets treat it as
Residents of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village Rally on Steps of Church as Russia Invades Ukraine
When Chicagoans gathered to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine on Thursday, hours after Russia launched a large-scale invasion of its western neighbor, they gathered on the steps in front of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in the city’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood
Families Sue West Virginia School District Over Christian Assembly
A group of parents and students are suing a West Virginia school district for allowing an evangelical preacher to hold a religious revival assembly during the school day earlier this month that some students were required to attend.
Unvaccinated Medical Workers Turn to Religious Exemptions
Religious exemptions are increasingly becoming a workaround for unvaccinated hospital and nursing home workers who want to keep their jobs in the face of federal mandates that are going into effect nationwide this week.