Opinion
Don’t Let North Carolina Become California
Guidelines from the NC Division of Social Services direct case workers to assess whether a child is at risk from parents who refuse to affirm gender identity.
News
NC home to key figures in renewed religious freedom debate
Although the debate is national in scope, NC has become an unexpected focal point, with figures like Greear, Wolfe, and Spangler reflecting an ongoing divide within American conservatism over the role religion should play in public life.
Opinion
NC church disaffiliation battles test entanglement doctrine
Because these types of denominational disputes are likely to continue, courts will be faced with the difficult task of navigating between exercising their rightful jurisdiction and avoiding interference with matters of church doctrine.
Opinion
Establishment Clause ‘Lemon Test’ lingers despite SCOTUS decision (Part I)
The first sentence of the US Constitution’s First Amendment provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion[.]” This is known as the “Establishment Clause,” and to say it has long generated controversy is an understatement. The Establishment Clause has been interpreted so that states, and all other governmental entities (not merely...
Opinion
Don’t forget the gift of religious freedom this Christmas
Living in the United States, we don’t often dwell on how unique it is in history to be able to worship God as we see fit and celebrate the holidays we hold dear. For most of human history, kings and other rulers generally wanted those they ruled to join in the approved rituals and holidays....
Opinion
A good week for God and country
People of faith across America, including here in North Carolina, had good reason to celebrate Independence Day this year. In the week preceding the July Fourth holiday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two landmark decisions which significantly clarified and extended constitutional protection of religious liberty in American life and law. With a hostile administration...
Opinion
To brief or not to brief: Roy Cooper’s bad Hamlet act
We’re all more suspicious of public health guidance than we used to be, but pandemic policy forced me and my goombahs into meeting weekly over a Zoom video feed rather than across coffee shop tables. While there’s no substitute for ordering a macchiato under cafe speakers where Mick Jagger and his bandmates are oozing their...
Opinion
Should big tech shield us from science, even if it’s controversial?
When it comes to cancel culture and big tech, nothing is more high profile right now than medical doctors or other health professionals being de-platformed over dissenting views on COVID-19.
Opinion
Jefferson neighbors seek liberty
The travails of Albemarle County Baptists and other religious dissenters during the 1760s and 1770s had a strong impression on Thomas Jefferson.
Opinion
Charlotte’s newest attempt to elevate political chaos can’t work this time
Charlotte is at it again with its latest attempt to sow chaos into North Carolina politics. The effort should fall on deaf ears. In other words, don’t take the bait. Proponents of the city’s new anti-discrimination ordinance have not shown there is a prevailing reason for it in the first place. Is there a mass...
Opinion
Resist the temptation to coerce
Freedom requires us to be grown-ups, to settle for living in a society in which some people just aren’t going to do what we say or believe what we believe.
Opinion
Bah, humbug from your HOA
Imagine opening your mailbox one blustery December morning to find a letter from your homeowners’ association. For a passing moment, you think it may be a Christmas card. Your naive hopes are dashed when you open it. No, they are fining you $100 a day for putting up a cross at Christmas time. Crosses aren’t...
