Kingdom Rights
- January/February 2001
- January 1, 2001
At the opening of the third millennium there appears to be positive global consensus regarding religious liberty as a fundamental human right. In fact, it has become, generally speaking, politically incorrect to be
READ MOREA few days ago I attended a press briefing presented by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Brookings Institution. Topic A was a presentation of a Pew survey on religion and the 2000 presidential election, followed by a panel discussion by representatives of various Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish groups of their
READ MOREYet the pressing questions of freedom or acquiescence under state authority continue. The issue might be framed as one of kingdom rights. How are individuals and a society to address the trade-off between individual freedoms and collective benefit? The right to dissent from a majority consensus may be a laudable philosophical ideal, but as a
READ MOREA few months later, on October 25, 1990, Russia passed its first law guaranteeing the freedom of religion. Its aim was to protect the rights of people of all faiths, not to regulate religious life. The law forbade the establishment of
READ MOREEncounters like this reflect the long, honorable tradition of churches helping the downtrodden through both physical and psychological crises. From the perspective of most churches, the provision of financial and spiritual sustenance is essential to accomplishing their religious missions, and they back up this judgment with hard work, sincere commitment, and a great deal of
READ MOREToward the end of Marshall
READ MORE