When Shrugging is Not an Option
- May/June 2025
- April 30, 2025
A new television program dares to cross religious and political minefields—and manages to produce a kinder, more nuanced approach to difficult conversations. What happens when you bring two polarizing topics together in one half-hour television program? You get a fast-moving, thought-provoking, and sometimes confronting discussion of current events called Faith & Politics. The host of
READ MORE“Blisteringly acrimonious” is perhaps a mild description of recent public discussions about the federal Respect for Marriage Act, a new law that codifies recognition of same-sex marriage. Two polar extremes have defined the debate. Both showcase our continuing national confusion about religious freedom. On one hand, some on the extreme left allege that religious free
READ MOREOnce a centerpiece of the French liberal tradition, laïcité takes an intolerant turn. French laïcité can be translated into English as “state secularism.” In line with this translation, laïcité is often seen as an official form of state hostility toward organized religion, banning displays of religiosity from public spaces. However, neither this translation nor this
READ MORERunning for public office is undisputedly the hardest, most humbling, and most exhilarating exercise of American civics. In my quest to become an Oregon state legislator, I had the privilege of enduring both the majesty and seamy underbelly of electoral politics. As a candidate of solid faith and spiritual conviction, my approach to being a
READ MORERethinking our assumptions about Constantine, Theodosius, and the origins of the Christian persecutory impulse. Religious intolerance takes many different forms, and through the centuries many faiths have persecuted. Christians first began to persecute in the late Roman Empire; however, this persecutory mentality was not something forced on the church by emperors, eager to use its
READ MORELast year’s Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin laid the foundation for a new era in the flow of state funds to religious schools in the United States. Was this decision a much-needed corrective to school-choice programs? An end to unjustified discrimination against religiously affiliated schools? Or was it the work of a conservative
READ MOREEvery so often a Supreme Court case comes to define a cultural moment. This year’s abortion-rights decision, Dobbs v. Jackson, will likely go down in history as just such a case. What will be the ripple effects of this landmark constitutional decision? Illustrations by Michael Glenwood This summer the Supreme Court held in Dobbs v.
READ MOREWelcome to Liberty magazine’s inaugural year-end roundup of outstanding books exploring the thorny intersection of religion, law, politics, and culture. The books listed here address many different topics and represent a variety of political and religious perspectives. Some of these books are written by scholars, others by lawyers or theologians. Some are aimed at a
READ MOREA conversation with Britain’s Lord Alton of Liverpool about genocide, human rights, and international apathy David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, is an academic, author, and member of the British House of Lords, where he serves on the International Relations and Defence Select Committee. He began his career as a teacher in England’s northwestern port
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