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“Born of Bigotry, Died in Religious Liberty: The Supreme Court Ends the Blaine Amendments in Empowering Parental Choice” by Charles J. Russo & William E. Thro

Jul 14, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysConstitutional Law, July 2020, Politics, Religious Freedom, Russo, Charles J., Thro, William E., US Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay “The Blaine Amendment was ‘born of bigotry.”’ Reasonable people can certainly disagree over whether Chief Justice John Roberts’ forceful words in the opinion of the five-to-four judgement in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Taxation, which produced seven different opinions, was the stake through the heart of the anti-Catholic Blaine Amendments…

“Defund the Border Police: Racial Justice and the American Border” by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd

Jul 13, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysHuman Rights / Civil Rights, Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman, Immigration Law, July 2020, Politics

Photo by Fifaliana Joy (Pixabay) Americans looking for a way forward in this national crisis are calling for prioritizing anti-racism, demilitarizing American society, and democratizing the political and legal system. To do so will require understanding which institutions are most in need of reform. My research on the American border suggests that border policy should…

“Trump’s Problem with Race and Religion” by Steven K. Green

Jul 10, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysChristianity, Green, Steven K., July 2020, Politics, Race and Ethnicity

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay The images have already become iconic: militarized police using tear gas and rubber bullets to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Park, positioned across from the White House, so that President Trump and his entourage could walk to the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op…

“Great Christian Jurists in American History” by Daniel L. Dreisbach and Mark David Hall

Jul 9, 2020Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsChristianity, Dreisbach, Daniel L., Hall, Mark David, History, July 2020

Great Christian Jurists in American History edited by Daniel L. Dreisbach and Mark David Hall This book is part of a 50-volume series on “Great Christian Jurists in World History,” exploring the interaction of law and Christianity through the biographies of 1,000 legal figures of the past two millennia. Commissioned by the Center for the…

“The Comfort and Discomfort of Meaninglessness: Christian Faith in the Time of Coronavirus” by Paul Dafydd Jones

Jul 8, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysChristianity, Healthcare, Jones, Paul Dafydd, July 2020, Philosophy

Photo by ollivves on Pixabay Although the sudden emergence of a novel form of coronavirus might bring Martin Luther to mind, it is revealing that many apparently secular voices are thinking along lines laid down by the venerable John Calvin. Not in the sense that gloomy declarations of “total depravity” are making a comeback, no…

“Answering the Call: How the Church Can Respond to the Call to Defund the Police” by Deirdre Jonese Austin

Jul 7, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysAustin, Deirdre Jonese, Christianity, Criminal Law, Human Rights / Civil Rights, July 2020, Politics

Photo by Alex Holyoake / (Flickr, CC BY 2.0) Growing up in the Black Church, I have been raised in a context in which call-and-response is invoked often. In call-and-response, a singer sings or a preacher issues a call, and others respond with an answer. One may greet another with “God is good all the…

“The Right to Self-Defense as the Grundnorm for Human Rights: A Response to David Little” by John Witte, Jr.

Jul 6, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesEthics, History, Human Rights / Civil Rights, July 2020, Witte Jr., John

Photo by kareni on Pixabay This article is part of our “Self-Defense and Human Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. David Little has pioneered the study of religion, human rights, and religious freedom during 60 years of distinguished scholarly work at Yale, Harvard, Virginia, Georgetown, and the…

“Non-Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation” by Johan D. van der Vyver

Jul 2, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysAfrica (Geography), Ethics, Human Rights / Civil Rights, July 2020, Sex and Gender, van der Vyver, Johan D.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels The judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, decided on June 15, 2020, is, to say the least, quite controversial. It relates to non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment practices and has been applauded by many who champion the legal protection…

“Christianity and Criminal Law” An Introduction by Mark Hill QC

Jul 2, 2020Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsChristianity, Criminal Law, Hill, Mark, History, July 2020

Christianity and Criminal Law edited by Mark Hill QC, Norman Doe, R.H. Helmholz, and John Witte, Jr. This volume is one of several new introductions to Christianity and Law commissioned by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Each volume in the series is an anthology of some two dozen chapters written by leading scholars…

“Is there a Right to Healthcare? Towards a Comprehensive Jewish Approach” by Jason Weiner

Jul 1, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysHealthcare, Human Rights / Civil Rights, Judaism, July 2020, Weiner, Jason

Image by Darko Stojanovic from Pixabay The question of the “right” to fair, universal and comprehensive healthcare has been circulating for quite a while, but rapid expansion of modern medical technology has transformed the question from a periodic issue into a perennial one. Controlling rising costs, determining priorities, and ensuring fair distribution and access to…