Without conscience rights, we cannot truly speak, write, assemble, or advocate freely from our deepest beliefs. That’s why the freedom of religion is often called “the first freedom.” Its position in the Bill of Rights highlights its importance.
Though in the throes of war, these ideals were rarely followed, the code held among the nobles. For example, if a knight unnecessarily killed another knight in combat, he could be charged with murder. This was not considered a war crime, however.
Nationalism becomes idolatry whenever love of nation devolves into an excessive or uncritical devotion, is confused with the Kingdom of God, justifies evil, or engages in a partiality that treats citizens of other nations as less worthy of love or justice or charity.
All of the activities on Benjamin Rush’s very impressive resume were informed by his faith. His stands on mental health, prisons, and slavery came from his understanding that each person is made in the image of God and is, therefore, worthy of dignity and respect.
What if I told you Islam is dead? What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran? What if I told you no one follows Islam inside of Iran? Would you believe me? This is exactly what is happening inside of Iran. God is moving powerfully inside of Iran.
Christians bringing the Gospel to pagan societies have always – always – found themselves defending children from bad ideas and abusive cultural norms.
In nearly every sector of society — media, education, medicine, public policy, even sports — children are now subjects of social experimentation.
As citizens of a republic, we need to consider how to apply biblical teaching to our political activities.
When we celebrate Christmas, we rehearse the Christmas story and may even dig deeper into the story to find deeper layers of meaning in the details just hinted at in the text.
Do we abide by restrictions on public worship set by the government (who are constitutionally not permitted to prohibit the free exercise of religion)? What if those restrictions are more stringent than those on secular businesses?
