Interactions Podcast

Interactions Podcast

The Interactions podcast, a podcast about the interactions between law and religion, is produced by the CSLR and distributed by Canopy Forum. New episodes now available.

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Australian Journal of Law & Religion Collaboration

Australian Journal of Law & Religion Collaboration

Canopy Forum and the Australian Journal of Law and Religion, are publishing a set of essays that address the impact of “nones”–individuals who do not identify with any particular religion–on law, politics, religion, and society.

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Ongoing Series

Ongoing Series

Our latest series include essays on Masking Religious Violations, Transnational Christian Nationalism, IVF and ART, and a collaboration with the journal, Derecho en Sociedad. Explore our latest series by scholars around the globe.

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“The Southern Baptist Convention Cases and the Limited Option for Holding Religious Institutions Accountable for Clergy Sex Abuse” by Carolyn M. Warner

Southern Baptist Church by Warren LeMay (CC0 1.0) In May of 2022, the news broke that the US Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had released an independent report investigating the SBC’s handling of sexual harassment and assault by clergy and other employees of SBC-affiliated churches. The report described an institution that prioritized avoiding liability, was callous

“Pushing States to Attach Regulatory Strings to Vouchers” by James G. Dwyer

This article is part of our “Kennedy, Carson, and Dobbs: Law and Religion in Pressing Supreme Court Cases” series. If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. In its Carson v. Makin decision, the Supreme Court held that the State of Maine violated the Free Exercise rights of parents who wished

“Protecting Students From Religious Coercion After Kennedy v. Bremerton” by Gabriela Hybel and Alex Bodaken

This article is part of our “Kennedy, Carson, and Dobbs: Law and Religion in Pressing Supreme Court Cases” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. 2021-2022 was a blockbuster Supreme Court term for opponents of church-state separation. In the course of a few short months, the Court stripped women of

“Religious Diversity’s Benefit for Democracy” by Robert Wuthnow

Religious Diversity’s Benefit for DemocracyRobert Wuthnow The following is a modified except from Robert Wuthnow’s Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy (2021), out now from Princeton University Press. Religious advocacy is not the answer to the political challenges confronting the United States at this critical juncture in its history, any more than religious conviction

“Natural Rights and the First Amendment Religion Clauses” by Vincent Phillip Muñoz

Natural Rights and the First Amendment Religion ClausesVincent Phillip Muñoz The following is a modified excerpt from Vincent Phillip Muñoz’s 2022 book Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meanings of the First Amendment Religion Clauses, available now from University of Chicago Press. It is now no more that toleration is

“Has Religion Been Fueling the Politics of Conflict in Ethiopia? A Cautionary Tale” by Jon Abbink

body of water under cloudy sky during sunset by Storiès on Unsplash. Conflict and Religion Is religion a conflict dimension in today’s Ethiopia? Does it have an impact on the ongoing armed confrontations in the country? Some observers think so, but I disagree. Ethiopia, the second-most populated country in Africa, with approximately 112 million people,

“Sketching the Legal Landscape of Religious Liberty in the States in 2022” by Jordan J. Ballor

silhouette of trees covered by fog by Paul Pastourmatzis on Unsplash. The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, is a remarkable document. It is the oldest written and operating constitution in the world. There have been twenty-seven amendments to this text since its inception, from the original Bill of Rights, inclusive of the first ten

“Dignity and Belonging in Family, Church, and State” by Rafael Domingo

This essay is adapted from Prof. Rafael Domingo’s address at the ICLARS (International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies) conference in Cordoba, Spain, on Sept. 19 2022. 1. Introduction  Joseph E. David and John Witte, Jr. have both written books that deserve particular attention because of these two scholars’ massive contribution to the field of

“Religion: Relevant to Public Policy but Shielded from Critical Discussion?” by David A. Hollinger

Religion: Relevant to Public Policy but Shielded from Critical Discussion?David A. Hollinger This essay draws on my new book, Christianity’s American Fate: How Religion Became More Conservative and Society More Secular (Princeton University Press, 2022). The United States today confronts a remarkable paradox: an increasingly secular society is saddled with an increasingly religious politics. In