Canopy Forum

“Does Biblical Literacy Enrich Constitutional Literacy? The Bible’s Forgotten Influence on the American Constitutional Tradition” by Daniel L. Dreisbach

Sep 23, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesChristianity, Constitutional Law, Dreisbach, Daniel L., History, Politics, September 2020

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash This article is part of our “Law, Religion, and the Constitutionalism” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. The American Constitution drew on diverse intellectual traditions. Among the influences constitutional scholars and political theorists have identified and studied are English common law and…

“Baptist History and Pentecostalism” by Doug Weaver

Sep 21, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysChristianity, History, Religious Freedom, September 2020, Weaver, Doug

The Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA in 1907 / Wikimedia Most observers (and participants!) do not see much if any connection between Baptists and Pentecostals. Baptists are generally known as cessationists — contending that the miracles in the New Testament and the extraordinary spiritual gifts practiced like glossolalia (speaking in tongues),…

“American Faith Leaders and Criminal Justice Reform” by Adrienne Phillips

Sep 18, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysChristianity, Criminal Law, Human Rights / Civil Rights, Phillips, Adrienne, September 2020

Recent killings of black Americans have incited anger, leading to large and sometimes violent protests across the country. The most notable deaths are those of Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed by two white men in February while out for a run; Breonna Taylor, who was sleeping in her apartment when she was shot by police;…

“Divine Sovereignty, Popular Sovereignty, and the Dilemma of American Constitutionalism” by Sanford Levinson

Sep 17, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesHuman Rights / Civil Rights, Levinson, Sanford, Politics, Religious Freedom, September 2020

Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash This article is part of our “Law, Religion, and the Constitutionalism” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. By wonderful happenstance, this year’s Constitution Day (Thursday, September 17) occurs just two days before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of…

“Constitutional Basic Values and the Religion Clauses” by Alan Brownstein

Sep 16, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesBrownstein, Alan, Constitutional Law, Politics, Religious Freedom, September 2020

Photo by Jesse Collins on Unsplash This article is part of our “Law, Religion, and the Constitutionalism” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. The meaning of the religion clauses in judicial opinions has changed dramatically over the last 150 years. Doctrine has shifted, sometimes precipitously. The case law…

“Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: Christianity and the Creation of the American Republic” by Mark David Hall

Sep 15, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesChristianity, Constitutional Law, Hall, Mark David, History, Religious Freedom, September 2020

Photo by Sean Valentine on Pexels This article is part of our “Law, Religion, and the Constitutionalism” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This essay was originally published on June 16, 2020 in Cato Unbound: A Journal of Debate The Liberty Bell is one of the most prominent…

“Does Religion Have a Place in the Diverse Marketplace of Ideas?” by Charles J. Russo

Sep 14, 2020Canopy ForumEssaysConstitutional Law, History, Religious Freedom, Russo, Charles J., September 2020

Photo of Ludwigsburg, Germany marketplace/ maxmann/ Pixabay/ CCO In his dissent in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, wherein the Supreme Court invalidated student-led prayer prior to the start of high school football games, a dismayed Chief Justice William Rehnquist expressed the sentiment of many Americans, that “[t]he Court … bristles with hostility to…

“Don’t Write off Sharia’s Forgiveness Option Just Because of the Khashoggi Case” by Matthew P. Cavedon

Sep 11, 2020Canopy ForumConvictionCavedon, Matthew P., Criminal Law, Islam, Religious Law and Legal Systems, September 2020

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “Don’t Write off Sharia’s Forgiveness Option Just Because of the Khashoggi Case” Matthew P. Cavedon Jamal Khashoggi was a prominent international journalist and Saudi dissident. He was tortured to death and dismembered in 2018 at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. On September 7, eight Saudis were sentenced for…

“Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies” by Michael Welker and John Witte, Jr.

Sep 10, 2020Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsChristianity, Ethics, History, September 2020, Welker, Michael, Witte Jr., John

“Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies” by Michael Welker and John Witte, Jr. Five hundred years ago, Protestant reformer Martin Luther argued that “three estates” (drei Stände) lie at the foundation of a just and orderly society — marital families, religious communities, and political authorities. Parents in…

“Angels Do Not Govern: Constitutional Sovereignty as a Response to Humanity’s Sinful Nature” by William E. Thro

Sep 9, 2020Canopy ForumSeriesChristianity, Constitutional Law, Religious Freedom, September 2020, Thro, William E.

Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash This article is part of our “Law, Religion, and the Constitutionalism” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.…

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