Interactions

In this episode we speak with Dr. Mark Storslee about his work on History and the school prayer cases. Mark Storslee is an Associate Professor of Law and McDonald Distinguished Fellow at Emory Law School. He holds many degrees, including a JD from Stanford Law School and a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. Storslee's article, History and the School Prayer Cases was recently published in the Virginia Law Review and examines the Supreme Court's rulings that prohibit state-sponsored prayer in public schools under the Establishment Clause, despite opt-outs for dissenters. In this episode, Whittney Barth and John Bernau join Mark to dive deeper into the history of these cases and talk about their implications for today's broader debates about government-sponsored prayer.https://virginialawreview.org/articles/history-and-the-school-prayer-cases/https://law.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/storslee-profile.html

In this episode we speak Ariel Liberman, a legal scholar whose work touches on education through an interdisciplinary perspective, as well as inter-religious engagement and legal theory. Dr. Liberman has an SJD from Emory Law School, and currently serves as the Paul and Marion Kuntz Scholar in Law and Religion, the Director of Undergraduate Outreach and Engagement, and the Managing Editor of Canopy Forum. In January 2025, Liberman will join the Department of Political Science at Auburn University as Assistant Professor in Law and Legal Studies. In this episode, John Bernau and Whitney Barth, join Dr. Liberman to discuss his current book project on civic education, what we can learn from the Jewish tradition, effecting change in the political system, and his reflections on the effects of legal education for undergraduate students.

In this episode, we're excited to welcome Alexa Windsor, a legal scholar and educator whose work focuses on the intersections of law and religion, contract law, and arbitration, especially in relation to gender and sexuality. Alexa Windsor is currently completing her SJD at Emory University School of Law. She has dedicated her research to exploring how contract law principles can be adapted for alternative dispute resolution in faith-based communities and for LGBTQ individuals. Her work brings fresh perspectives on religious freedom and inclusivity within legal frameworks. In this episode, we'll discuss Alexa's motivation to research these areas, her insights on the role of contract law in resolving conflicts within diverse communities, and her vision for inclusive legal practices.

In this season of Interactions, Whitney Barth and John Bernau engage with contemporary voices in the field to discuss recent works in law and religion. Today's guest is Dr. Thomas Jared Farmer, the McDonald Scholar in residence at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. In this episode, Dr. Farmer talks about his motivation to write a biography about Gianni Vattimo, and the importance of Vattimo's contributions to modern western philosophical thought. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.Thomas Jared Farmer Faculty PageCenter for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum

In this season of Interactions, Terri Montague, and Brandon Paradise, engage with contemporary leaders and social change agents regarding the influence and convergence of Christianity, the law, and racial justice. Today's guest is Reverend Bernice King, the daughter of Corretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr, a social activist in her own right and regularly speaks truth to power. Additionally, as the CEO of the King Center, Dr. King teaches the principles of nonviolent resistance, honors and shares her father's legacy, and protects against its misuse. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.Bernice King: The King CenterCenter for the Study of Law and Religion: Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum: Canopy Forum

In this season of Interactions, Terri Montague, and Brandon Paradise, engage with contemporary leaders and social change agents regarding the influence and convergence of Christianity, the law, and racial justice. Today's guest is Reverend Bernice King, the daughter of Corretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr, a social activist in her own right and regularly speaks truth to power. Additionally, as the CEO of the King Center, Dr. King teaches the principles of nonviolent resistance, honors and shares her father's legacy, and protects against its misuse. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.Bernice King: The King CenterCenter for the Study of Law and Religion: Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum: Canopy Forum

In this season of Interactions, Terri Montague, and Brandon Paradise, engage with contemporary leaders and social change agents regarding the influence and convergence of Christianity, the law, and racial justice. Today's guest is Reverend Doctor Kelly Brown Douglas, the Canon Theologian at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, author of several books, and the president of Episcopal Divinity School. Douglas is also a leading scholar of womanist theology, social justice, sexuality, and the Black Church, as well as racial reconciliation. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.Kelly Brown Douglas: Episcopal Divinity SchoolCenter for the Study of Law and Religion: Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum: Canopy Forum

In this season of Interactions, Terri Montague, and Brandon Paradise, engage with contemporary leaders and social change agents regarding the influence and convergence of Christianity, the law, and racial justice. Today's guest is Reverend Doctor Kelly Brown Douglas, the Canon Theologian at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, author of several books, and the president of Episcopal Divinity School. Douglas is also a leading scholar of womanist theology, social justice, sexuality, and the Black Church, as well as racial reconciliation. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.Kelly Brown Douglas: Episcopal Divinity SchoolCenter for the Study of Law and Religion: Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum: Canopy Forum

In this season of Interactions, Terri Montague and Brandon Paradise, engage with contemporary leaders and social change agents regarding the influence and convergence of Christianity, the law, and racial justice. Today's guest is Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, and the author of the 2014 memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.This book was adapted for film in 2019 and features Michael B Jordan. Stevenson is also the creator of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, and a winner of a MacArthur Genius Grant. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in collaboration with Canopy Forum.‌Bryan Stevenson: Just Mercy by Bryan StevensonCenter for the Study of Law and Religion: Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GACanopy Forum: Canopy Forum

In this episode, we hear from Matthew P. Cavedon, the Robert Pool Fellow in Law and Religion at Emory's Center for the Study of Law and Religion, and a Senior Lecturer at Emory Law School.His recent book, “From the Pope's Hands to Indigenous Lands: Alexander VI in Spanish Imperialism,” explores the historical impact of "inter caetera"– a papal bull issued in 1493 with wide-ranging influence on Spanish Christendom and the Catholic Church's stronghold on the New World at the cusp of modern imperialism.The book seeks to shed light on the influence of notable clergymen and social reformers, including Bartolomé de Las Casas, and their efforts to advocate for indigenous rights. Matt's work meticulously contextualizes these contested stories and sheds light on the nuance of lived experience under Spanish Imperialism. From the Pope's Hand to Indigenous Lands: From the Pope's Hand to Indigenous Lands Matthew P. Cavedon faculty page:Robert Pool Fellow in Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA CSLR Website:Center for the Study of Law and Religion | Emory University School of Law | Atlanta, GA

Today's guest is John Witte, Jr. — Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law, McDonald Distinguished Professor of Religion, and Faculty Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. A specialist in Legal History, Human Rights, Religious Freedom, Marriage and Family Law, and Law and Religion, he has published more than 300 articles, 19 journal symposia, and 45 books. As the latest addition to this large body of work, Witte's new book —Table Talks—is a collection of short reflections on what he calls “the weightier matters of law and religion.” It was published Open Access through Brill Academic Press earlier this year and is intended for both law students and the broader public.In this conversation, we talk with John about the inspiration for the book, his advice for students, and the role of academics in public discourse, among other topics. Table Talks (Open Access): https://brill.com/display/title/64126 John Witte, Jr. faculty page: https://law.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/witte-profile.html John Witte, Jr. website: https://www.johnwittejr.com/ CSLR Website: https://cslr.law.emory.edu/

Welcome to the Interactions podcast — brought to you by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Now in its 40th year, our Center explores the interactions of law and religion through research and scholarship, teaching and training, and public programs. This season of the podcast explores recent scholarship in law and religion from members of the Center community. This podcast is produced by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University and in collaboration with canopyforum.org.Today's guest is Deepa Das Acevedo, Associate Professor of Law at Emory University. In this episode, we talk about her forthcoming book from Oxford University Press, “The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law, and Gender in Contemporary India.” The book tells the complex and ongoing story of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, India —–a site of heated dispute over gender equality, religious freedom, and religion-state relations. Drawing on more than a decade's worth of research, the book delves into the intersection of anthropology and law, providing innovative solutions that effectively navigate the intricate legal landscape of the temple, while also contextualizing it within the larger framework of Indian and constitutional law.In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground, including the background and historical importance of the Sabarimala Temple, why recent disputes can be considered a turning point for the Indian judiciary, and the relationship between anthropology and law.

In this episode, we hear from Michael Broyde, a law professor at Emory Law School, and Berman Projects director at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Recently, Professor Broyde has turned his scholarly attention to the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on law and religion. He and the Center's Executive Director Whittney Barth have convened a working group on law, religion, and AI, that includes faculty from institutions around the world. The Center is also involved in two scholarly publishing projects related to law, religion, and AI. One is a symposium issue of the Journal of Law and Religion, published by Cambridge University Press, and the other is a special issue of the journal LAWS, published by MDPI with Michael Broyde and Whittney Barth as co-editors. You can visit the Center's website for more information.In a Work in Progress session at the Center, Professor Broyde shared his most recent work: “AI and Jewish Law: Seeing How ChatGPT 4.0 Looks at a Novel Issue.” During the talk, he explores the translation capabilities of Chat GPT 4.0 from Hebrew to English, how well Chat GPT 4.0 analyzed a novel issue for Jewish Law when prompted with a curated set of sources, and some of the implications of this and future technological developments for Jewish Law as well as for the American federal courts. After his remarks, we will hear from a few audience members as the floor opens for a wider discussion of the implications of this research.

In a special episode of the Interactions podcast, Whittney Barth and John Bernau sat down to discuss some of the report's main findings with three distinguished guests: Rev. Dr. Ted Smith, Rev. Caroline Magee, and Rev. Ingrid McIntyre. While our guests were not involved in the study, we brought them in to talk about three themes that emerged from the study, including the nature of theological education, the role of a pastor versus the role of a lawyer, and ministers' interactions with government.CSLR would like to thank the Lilly Endowment, Inc., for their generous support of the Center's law and ministry study. Our executive producer is Eythen Anthony. Our theme music is “Elevator Pitch” by Shane Ivers from silvermansound.com. To learn more about Center for the Study of Law and Religion and the study on law and ministry, please visit cslr.law.emory.edu

There are few figures so engrained in pop culture and world history like Muhammad Ali. Along with being one of the best professional heavyweight boxers in history, Ali was a civil rights and anti-war activist, a follower of the Nation of Islam, later converting to Sunni Islam, an author, and an artist. Beyond these titles though, Muhammad Ali stands as this almost mythological figure; a symbol, supported by all the literature, films, theater, and artwork that exemplifies his life and impact. It's like Muhammad Ali always said, “I am the greatest.” In our finale, Matt Cavedon and Ira Bedzow speak with Cooper Harriss of Indiana University. Harriss is an associate professor in religious studies and an adjunct professor in comparative literature, folklore, and ethnomusicology. His research focuses on the relationship between religion and major cultural figures in American history, and how they defined the culture then as well as today. Harriss has written about Ralph Ellison, Kurt Vonnegut, Nat Turner, Zora Neale Hurston, and Muhammad Ali. In his essay, “On the Abroad of a Different Home: Muhammad Ali in Micro-Scope,” Harriss uses the history of the athlete, as well as how his life is represented in media, to explore how the selectiveness of identity can paint specific pictures of an individual. The three begin by discussing why Harriss chose to write about Ali, explaining how Ali acts as a symbol for post-war American religion. The conversation then shifts into the art meant to illustrate the life of Ali, from work that highlights a certain span of time, such as all the film biopics that follow Ali between 1964-1974, to work that focuses on a specific moment, such as in Will Power's play Fetch Clay, Make Man. And along with discussions of how white popular memory and black popular memory remember Ali, as well as the ways “irony” and “double cross” relate to the athlete, the three consider the question: How do we explain our identity, or is there no such thing; only perception?Listen today!

Imagine this scenario: There's an American who's part of a congregation of a Protestant church. While attending church, this American enters a discussion with a few leaders of that church about the meaning behind a certain scripture. This discussion develops into a disagreement and this disagreement results in the American being excommunicated from the church with little to no opportunity to defend his position within the congregation. With all this information in mind, I ask do you think this is fair? Or, does the American deserve due process within the church, and, if so, why? Why is it expected, specifically in an American context, that religious law follows the same procedures as secular law?It's this scenario and this final question that form the backbone of “The Rule of Law,” an essay part of the collection, At Home and Abroad, written by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan.In today's episode, Matt and Ira speak with Sullivan, provost professor in religious studies at Indiana University, where she teaches courses on religion, law, and the politics of religious freedom, among other topics. Sullivan is the author of many books, including four that analyze legal discourses about religion. She's also the co-editor of At Home and Abroad.Her essay, “The Rule of Law,” explores the ways that religious law and secular law overlap and diverge in an American setting. Sullivan uses the experience of one of her former students, who sought due process after being excommunicated from the church, to set the scene for the essay. Along with examining the mindset of this student, the three discuss the beginnings of American legal history, the complexity surrounding the term “fundamentalism,” and the benefits of categorizing the political and the religious.Listen today!

In today's episode, Matt and Ira speak with Greg Johnson, Professor in the department of religious studies at UC Santa Barbara and director of the Walter H. Capps Center for the study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life. His essay “Domestic Bones, Foreign Land, and the Kingdom Come: Jurisdictions of Religion in Contemporary Hawaii” explores the legal efforts of Native Hawaiians in repossessing land and human remains and its connection to religion and spirituality. The three begin discussing Johnson's experience as a delegate a part of a team of experts retrieving iwi kupuna, the bones and skulls of Native Hawaiians, from the Dresden Museum of Ethnology. The conversation shifts to discussing the ways Native Hawaiians maneuver around legal jurisdictions, a term that Johnson refers to as “auto-jurisdiction.” Finally, they highlight the United States' perception of Native Hawaiians and the continued search for land reclamation.All this and more on today's episode of Interactions.

Welcome back to Interactions, a podcast about law and religion, and how they interact in the world around us.On March 2nd, 2021, Columbia University Press released the book At Home and Abroad: The Politics of American Religion. Edited by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd and Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, this collection of fifteen essays explores the ways religion connects with law and politics on topics ranging from religion in Hawaii to the culture of Yoga. With reviews describing the book as “a profound and inspiring volume [that] turns American religion inside out,” At Home and Abroad is an engaging collection that is incredibly relevant today. And it is this relevance that inspired us to dive deeper into the topics of this book.Over the next few months, we'll be exploring and discussing the importance of these chapters with the people who are most knowledgeable of the subject: the authors themselves. In our first episode, Matt Cavedon and Ira Bedzow speak with Sarah Imhoff, author and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and the Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University. Her essay “Homemaking in Palestine: Jessie Sampter, Religion, and Relation” explores poet and Zionist Jessie Sampter through the lenses of “home” and “abroad.” The three of them discuss the history of Sampter, the role of Zionism and Judaism in her identity, and the power of biographies for social change.

In today's episode of Interactions, we're going to talk about the r-i-t-e rite to death—the religious rites and rituals that accompany death, made particularly salient in death row cases. For this, we'll be looking at the case of Ramirez v. Collier.  In this case, John Ramirez, a Texas death row inmate, requested that he be permitted to have his pastor present at his execution, pray over him and lay hands on him. But Texas denied the request, and the case went to the Supreme Court. The question became whether Texas's denial represented a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and a violation of RLUIPA. In this interview, we ask the question: What rights do religious inmates have on death row?  In this second episode of our two-part series, we talk to Peter Wosnik, the owner and founder of https://wosniklaw.com/ (Wosnik Law, LLC), which is a trial-based law firm serving the Metro Atlanta area. Wosnik is also a graduate of Emory University School of Law (Juris Doctor) and Candler School of Theology (Master of Theological Studies), where he received the Savage-Levey scholarship in law and religion. Listen now.

In today's episode of Interactions, we want to talk about prisoners on death row and the r-i-g-h-t right to death—the right, if there is one, for death row inmates to have a say in deciding the way in which they die. For this, we're going to be looking at the case of Michael Nance, a death row inmate who requested death by firing squad in the state of Georgia. By current law, death row inmates are allowed to contest the means of execution, which currently is by lethal injection.  But to do so, they have to come up with the alternative means of execution themselves. We'll be getting into relevant cases like Glossip v. Gross, how retributive justice unfolds in American prisons, and discussing the ethics of what happens when the burden falls on the prisoner to decide the way they die.  In this first episode of two, we talk to Daniel LaChance of Emory University, an author and legal scholar working at the intersection of American legal and cultural history, criminology, and literary studies. Listen now. Check out LaChance's two books: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo16393214.html (Executing Freedom: The Cultural Life of Capital Punishment) and https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=30161 (Crimesploitation).

In today's episode, we hear from Daniel Teater and his article “Power Imbalances and Abuse Dynamics in Christian Conciliation," which was featured as part of the religious arbitration conference hosted by Canopy Forum in June of 2022. In his article, Teater argues that while Christian conciliation is “a valuable tool in everyday conflict situations,” it is not an appropriate method of conciliation when there is a power imbalance between parties. Instead, conciliation can only work when the relational dynamic is mutual and all parties assume joint responsibility in the conflict. “I recommend conciliators educate themselves on the basics of power dynamics,” writes Teater, “develop an understanding of the implications of power imbalances for parties, and construct a wise trauma-informed strategy to account for such dynamics in their conciliation methods.” All this and more on today's episode of Interactions. Read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2022/06/24/power-imbalances-and-abuse-dynamics-in-christian-conciliation/ (Canopy Forum.)

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA, we are releasing Henry Kuo's Canopy Forum article “Teaching the Virtues of Climate Responsibility.” In his article, Kuo weighs the effectiveness of climate pacts which are more generalized against the focused power of grassroots movements. “The various difficulties confronting institutional proposals to reverse climate change suggest that a strategy which foregrounds grassroots movements and religious organizations may offer more promising results,” writes Kuo, “because such movements personalize the climate crisis, making it a concrete matter that demands individual responsibility.” Kuo advocates for a climate responsibility enacted “from below” rather than “from above,” emphasizing the necessity for religious insitutions to organize climate action. The Summa Theologiae  of Thomas Aquinas could prove a helpful resource for churches seeking to mobilize for the climate. “St. Thomas's philosophy of law focuses on the ways in which law forms individual moral consciousness,” Kuo argues, and “is helpful in thinking through the legislative and political difficulties behind universal climate action agreements.” Read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2022/02/08/teaching-the-virtues-of-climate-responsibility/ (Canopy Forum). Browse our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Mark Satta and his Canopy Forum https://canopyforum.org/2022/06/27/303-creative-v-elenis-masterpiece-cakeshop-2-0/ (article) “303 Creative v. Elenis: Masterpiece Cakeshop 2.0?”.  In his article, Satta considers an upcoming Supreme Court Case, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which concerns whether a Christian website designer has the right to refuse services to same-sex couples, in relation to a similar case: Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado. “In many ways, 303 Creative picks up where Masterpiece Cakeshop left off,” Satta writes. “But social, political, and legal circumstances have shifted over the last five years." And, as Satta explains, the free speech issues in 303 Creative are markedly different. “It is not clear that the website constitutes, even in part, the web designer's speech,” says Satta. “The more pointed free speech issue — which has no analog in Masterpiece — is the statement that the web designer wishes to include on her business webpage explaining why she refuses to make wedding websites for same-sex couples.” The statement in question communicates her religious motivations for refusing to provide services to same-sex couples. Is such a statement protected under the First Amendment? Does a business owner not only have the right to discriminate against same-sex couples, but also the right under the First Amendment to voice why? And what might the surge of Christian nationalism in the U.S. mean for how this case could be decided? Find out on today's episode of Interactions. Read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2022/06/27/303-creative-v-elenis-masterpiece-cakeshop-2-0/ (Canopy Forum). Browse our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from George D. Chryssides of York St. John University and his Canopy Forum article “Jehovah's Witnesses and Religious Persecution: Do Signed Declarations Help?” In his article, Chryssides explores the ways in which Jehovah's Witnesses have been religiously persectued and questions the usefulness of documents meant to criticize this persecution after the release of a joint statement by the US Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom in 2021. “Few people to whom I have spoken,” writes Chryssides, “including my own Member of Parliament in the UK, have shown any familiarity with the document, which raises the question of how effective such declarations are likely to be.” Chryssides examines the antagonization that the Jehovah's Wittness movement has faced in Russia. At the forefront of this antagonization is the self-proclaimed sectologist Aleksandr Dvorkin, who considers himself a cult expert. Chryssides explains that “Dvorkin succeeded in perpetrating the belief that new religious movements,” like the Jehovah's Witnesses, “were dangerous.” How did this all begin? What's the cause of this persecution toward Jehovah's Witnesses both in Russia and around the world? And are declarations effectual in the diminishment of mistreatment? https://canopyforum.org/2022/06/13/jehovahs-witnesses-and-religious-persecution-do-signed-declarations-help/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse )our book brochure.

In today's episode, we hear from Elizabeth Reiner Platt and her Canopy Forum article “Religious Exemption Laws and the Conservative Legal Movement.” Adapted from “https://lawrightsreligion.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Policy%20Analyses/Parading_the_Horribles_The_Risks_of_Expanding_Religious_Exemptions.pdf (Parading the Horribles: The Risks of Expanding Religious Exemptions),” which was co-authored by Platt, the article explains how conservative Christians have disproportinately benefited from the right to free exercise of religion. “In recent years,” says Platt, “religious exemptions have been used to advance not only conservative religious beliefs about sex, marriage, and reproduction but also the broader goals of the conservative legal movement.” Platt examines three ways in which religious exemptions have been used to advance the goals of the legal conservative movement: by confining the administrative state, deregulating the public marketplace and shifting government funds to private entities. “Religious exemptions have undercut emergency public health orders, curbed oversight of religious schools and childcare facilities, limited worker protections and union organizing, and undermined laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment,” says Platt. “The expansion of religious exemptions may therefore be seen not only as an effort of the religious right, but as one facet of the larger conservative legal movement's commitment to deregulation and privatization.” https://canopyforum.org/2022/04/22/religious-exemption-laws-the-conservative-legal-movement/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

Why is QAnon significant, and why has the conspiracy theory taken root in certain evangelical circles? In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Sarah Louise MacMillen of Duquesne University, who investigates these questions in her Canopy Forum article “A Native of Conklin, NY Discusses QAnon.” Drawing on the work of Jacques Ellul and Theodor Adorno, Macmillen puts forward that one reason QAnon so strongly took hold in the evangelical sphere has to do with the evangelical emphasis on the free rational choice of the individual. “When the search for knowledge and authority is left to the individual (and their mobile phone search) there is no gatekeeper for theological knowledge," writes Macmillen, "and it is more difficult to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate interpretations of scripture. This lack of gatekeepers, combined with a perceived grievance about secularization and diversity, creates a 'perfect' storm for the anti-intellectual forces of QAnon.” https://canopyforum.org/2022/05/23/a-native-of-conklin-ny-discusses-qanon/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

How can vulnerable parties, such as minorities and women, best be protected during religious arbitration within the Islamic tradition? Should parties be informed of their legal rights under American law or their rights within their religious tradition? For Rabea Benhalim, the answer is a balance of both. In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Benhalim and her Canopy Forum article, “Limiting Oppression: Duress and Unconscionability in Islamic Law”. In her article, Benhalim explains that vulnerable parties will be better protected if they have a dual understanding of their rights under both their religious legal tradition and American law. While "anti-Shariah movements tend to assume that Islamic law will provide inferior protections to vulnerable parties," Benhalim writes, this simply isn't the case: "Islamic law in fact often provides stronger protections, especially as Islamic law prioritizes the subjective experience of a coerced party and strictly limits financial exploitation." https://canopyforum.org/2022/04/07/limiting-oppression-duress-and-unconscionability-in-islamic-law/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

In today's episode of Interactions, we discuss the ongoing court case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District with Ira “Chip” Lupu and Holly Hollman. The case concerns a public high school football coach in Washington State who argues that he has the right to pray on the fifty-yard line of the field after each game—and that his high school players should be allowed to join in. Coach Kennedy argues that his “brief and quiet” prayer is private speech protected under the First Amendment and the Free Exercise clause. But his position as a football coach at a public school means that his prayer could actually be in violation of the wall of separation between church and state.  Ira, nationally recognized scholar in constitutional law, is professor of law emeritus at George Washington University and coauthor of https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eerdmans.com%2FProducts%2F7079%2Fsecular-government-religious-people.aspx&data=05%7C01%7Ceythen.aaron.anthony%40emory.edu%7C6bf41ae639a44ff41d2b08da26cc9f9f%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637864957535493840%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ENOeKj5BJwyvRsCbCeATAjRd2CZVGDXe32gLv%2FdQsaM%3D&reserved=0 (Secular Government, Religious People). Holly is a leading expert on religious liberty and general counsel at Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). She is also cohost of the Respecting Religion podcast with BJC executive director Amanda Tyler and adjunct faculty at Georgetown University. Is Coach Kennedy's prayer public or private speech? Does it violate the establishment clause? And should teachers be allowed to pray with students in public schools? Find out in today's episode of Interactions. Legal scholars to speak in support of Coach Kennedy were invited to the discussion but declined to participate. Follow Ira on Twitter https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Ficlupu&data=05%7C01%7Ceythen.aaron.anthony%40emory.edu%7C6bf41ae639a44ff41d2b08da26cc9f9f%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637864957535493840%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3lnXrXb71zD3CVnmxtzm78xhyGyVGeRg6BedeeWHJEQ%3D&reserved=0 (here), and click https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eerdmans.com%2FProducts%2F7079%2Fsecular-government-religious-people.aspx&data=05%7C01%7Ceythen.aaron.anthony%40emory.edu%7C6bf41ae639a44ff41d2b08da26cc9f9f%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637864957535493840%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ENOeKj5BJwyvRsCbCeATAjRd2CZVGDXe32gLv%2FdQsaM%3D&reserved=0 (here) to purchase his book. Subscribe to Holly's podcast, Respecting Religion, on https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F29IoVEN0fXxTdjhZgw9KMc%3Fsi%3Dd25c35376fca4a49&data=05%7C01%7Ceythen.aaron.anthony%40emory.edu%7C6bf41ae639a44ff41d2b08da26cc9f9f%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637864957535493840%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Cc2OoQCKGPZuo9xZMQ3awr9B4YrZRcI4OObeJFKJxL4%3D&reserved=0 (Spotify). Her amicus briefing, written in tandem with Christopher C. Lund, Douglas Laycock, and several denominational groups and referenced in today's episode, can be...

In today's episode, we hear from Jacob Lassin and his Canopy Forum article “The Russian Orthodox Church's Empire of Media” in light of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. In his article, Lassin explores the ways that the Russian Orthodox Church has used the media in an attempt to aid the Russian state in maintaining control over Ukraine. A strategic use of the media and an alignment with Putin's regime allows the Russian Orthodox Church to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and gain power despite a preponderance of national borders. “In a contemporary world lacking a formal empire, the Russian Orthodox Church has found itself in need of alternative ways of holding its territory together,” writes Lassin. “Media and public statements have become its primary tool to do just that.” As the war in Ukraine shows, however, the media alone is not sufficient to cohere the canonical territory or to maintain the ideological underpinnings of the Russian Orthodox Church. https://canopyforum.org/2022/03/28/the-russian-orthodox-churchs-empire-of-media/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

In today's episode, we'll be exploring the ways in which law plays a role in discrimination based on sexual orientation. In his article for Canopy Forum, Johan D. van der Vyer of Emory University compares discrimination in employment practices in the U.S. to dissimilar legislation in South Africa to investigate international discussions on sexual orientation. "The https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996-1 (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa) was the first in the world to provide constitutional protection to homosexual and transsexual persons by including sexual orientation in the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the constitutional non-discrimination provision," notes van der Vyer. As these conversations on sexual orientation protection materialize, however, there are discussions of the “fine print” that inhibits these laws from fulfilling their effect. In the case of South Africa, the question concerns whether sphere sovereignty, where the State in principle does not interfere with domestic decisions and practices, has allowed for the Church to suspend queer ministers. As for the United States, the question becomes whether or not Chapter VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees protection against sexual orientation discrimination. The latter has been debated, as legal scholars question if sexual orientation is included in the concept of “sex,” emphasized in the Civil Rights Act. Must “sex” in this context be interpreted as it was perceived in 1964 or must it be applied in view of a contemporary understanding of the term? https://canopyforum.org/2020/07/02/non-discrimination-based-on-sexual-orientation/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

In today's episode, John Corrigan in his Canopy Forum article “Why Do White Christians in America Think They Are Persecuted?” considers the narrative of white Christian persecution in America and shows that throughout history, white Christians have often been the perpetrators rather than victims of religious violence. This violence, Corrigan argues, has been willfully obscured through the white Christian emphasis on the religious freedom afforded by the First Amendment. While for the U.S. religious freedom has been an admirable ideal, Corrigan shows that its implementation has been difficult, largely due to sectarian intolerance. “White Protestants,” he writes, “the majority religious group for most of the nation's history, regularly have launched their own inquisitions into the legitimacy of other American religious groups, always under the pretense that such groups were out to get them.” So: Why do white Christians in America think they are persecuted? Find out in today's episode of Interactions. Read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2020/06/23/why-do-white-christians-in-america-think-they-are-persecuted/ (Canopy Forum). https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Joseph Winters of Duke University and his Canopy Forum article “Imperial Pieties: Religion, the Sanctification of Whiteness, and the Duplicity of the Sacred”. In his essay, Winters analyzes the slogan “make America great again” against the now infamous photograph of Trump holding a Bible on church steps forcefully cleared of protesters.  Both, Winters argues, belong to a religious performance of whiteness. These gestures form a project of what he terms white re-sanctification, a response intimately tied to the recent movement for black lives that endeavors to honor black life and death. In this view, the photo on the church steps was not an aberration but rather the manifestation of an ongoing problematic involving race, empire, and the sacred, one that only becomes apparent if considered in terms of whiteness as religion. “To elaborate on the qualities and features of whiteness,” Winter writes, “I maintain that we think of it as a religion with a repertoire of beliefs, pieties, rituals, and sacred figures.” https://canopyforum.org/2020/07/21/imperial-pieties-religion-the-sanctification-of-whiteness-and-the-duplicity-of-the-sacred/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

"At first glance it would appear as though the Movement for Black Lives, or the more general Black Lives Matter movement, has https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/black-activism-baltimore-black-church/474822/ (lost its religion)," says Ari Colston of Emory University. "But the Movement for Black Lives, its theories of liberation, and the social and political actions for which it is responsible are far from purely secular or atheistic." In today's episode, we hear from Ari Colston as she puts forward the question of whether the Movement for Black Lives is only a secular movement. Whereas history might associate the Civil Rights Movement with Black middle-class congregations and church leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Colston writes that the Black Lives Matter movement seems to model itself after the more populist and secular organizing frameworks of Ella Baker and the Black Panthers. Many of the millennial and Gen Z members of the movement struggle to reconcile the inactivity of the Judeo-Christian God of the Exodus with the realities of police brutality, mass incarceration, and systemic racism. These activists stand at odds with the Black church's predominantly reformist stances on incarceration and policing and the institutional culture of respectability politics and cisheterosexism. From the outside looking in, this troubled relationship between young Black activists and the church suggests that the “new” iteration of the Black freedom struggle is completely secular. The reality, as Colston shows, is much more complicated--and more sacred--than one might expect. With this push away from religious institutions, what does the future look like for Black activist movements? Listen now. https://canopyforum.org/2020/08/12/losing-religion-black-lives-matter-the-sacred-and-the-secular/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

The "No Religious Test Clause" is the only reference to religion in the original Constitution before the addition of the first amendment. It stipulates that there can be no religious test of a candidate to determine whether they are suited to public office. In her article for Canopy Forum, M. Christian Green writes that the No Religious Test Clause is symbolic of America's commitment to religious tolerance. But how does this commitment to religious pluralism register in our current political sphere, given the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and the ensuing reality of a Supreme Court overwhelmingly dominated by a single religious tradition--Roman Catholicism? “What role does or should religion play in the deliberations of judges?" Green asks. "And should we care?” Listen now. https://canopyforum.org/2020/12/23/religious-tests-religious-freedom-and-animus-and-bigotry-at-the-supreme-court/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

Does a death row inmate have a constitutional right to the presence of a spiritual leader of their choice in the death chamber? In today's episode, we hear from criminal defense attorney Peter Wosnik about the religious rights of death row inmates. In his Canopy Forum article "Ramirez v. Collier: Will the Supreme Court Expand the Right to the Presence of a Spiritual Advisor for Prisoners During Execution?", he explains that the Supreme Court has been largely "unreceptive" to death penalty appeals in recent years. But the case of John Ramirez has proved an exception. In September 2021, Ramirez, a death row inmate convicted of manslaughter and robbery, was granted a rare, eleventh-hour stay in execution on the basis of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). His grievance? A Texas law that prohibited clergy from laying their hands on inmates inside the execution chamber. The Ramirez case highlights an important question: Do prisoners, or even death row inmates who have been convicted of terrible crimes, have a right to freely exercise their religion? If so, what does religious freedom mean for people who are incarcerated or sentenced to die at the hands of the state? Listen now. https://canopyforum.org/2022/01/21/ramirez-v-collier-will-the-supreme-court-expand-the-right-to-the-presence-of-a-spiritual-advisor-for-prisoners-during-execution/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

Should states be able to mandate vaccinations without providing any accommodation for those whose religious beliefs prohibit it? That is the question posed by Patrick Hornbeck of Fordham University. On today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Hornbeck and his article "The Limit Case: Vaccination Mandates without Religious Exemptions." Amidst all the litigations concerning COVID vaccination mandates, this question represents the limit case. Four states, scattered localities, and numerous private institutions have declined to carve out religious exemptions from vaccination mandates. Hornbeck notes that our constitutional question arises during a period when the U.S. Supreme Court has given religious convictions an increasingly wide berth. In one line of cases, the Court held that pandemic-era restrictions must treat religious exercise at least as well as comparable secular activities. In a second, the Court limited the reach of a controversial precedent enabling the state to burden religious exercise as an incidental side-effect of neutral, generally applicable laws. Both lines of cases indicate that a majority of justices are uneasy with, and perhaps willing to overturn, principles of the free exercise jurisprudence they inherited from their predecessors. Listen now. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure!

Religious conservatives' opposition to abortion is so prevalent in our political sphere that it might seem like a given. But Rachel Wagner of Ithaca College puts forward that this wasn't always the case. In today's episode of Interactions, in light of the abortion hearing in Mississippi, we hear from Wagner and her Canopy Forum article "#Abortion: The Religious Right Meets TikTok." In her article, she traces the history of the religious right in America, and how key figures in the movement strategically rallied opposition to abortion in order to cover up their real grievance--the racial integration of public schools. Ever since, Wagner argues, the religious right has organized around certainty: things like biblical liberalism, Constitutional originalism, and the insistence that life must begin at conception. The social media platform TikTok could offer a way forward, Wagner writes. The fluidity of the platform resists the kind of rigidity that fundamentalism demands. Listen now. https://canopyforum.org/2022/01/17/abortion-the-religious-right-meets-tiktok/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

Join Eythen Anthony and Ana Knudsen, cohosts of "From the Archives," as they look back, re-listen, and reconsider past talks, lectures, and speeches given at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Today, they listen to a lecture by sociologist of religion Robert Bellah called "Marriage: Sacred Institution or Obsolete Tyranny?” In his speech, Bellah responds to what he sees as the modern opposition to institutions. He believes that in modernity, there is a popular idea that institutions are inherently oppressive, or that all of our inherited traditions are unexamined and backwards.  Bellah disagrees with this. He argues that institutions are absolutely essential. Without them, he claims, we would all be dead. "What's particularly interesting," says Ana, "is the way Bellah argues that institutions are necessary. The institution that Bellah uses to illustrate his point isn't actually the institution of marriage. Instead, he bases his argument on the institution of language." Listen now. New episodes every other Friday. https://open.spotify.com/show/43VvqBgDYEDcGOPp1ib0Vf?si=e506f2921f4448f2 (Subscribe) to the Interactions podcast. Read more articles on the intersections of law and religion on https://canopyforum.org (Canopy Forum).

What does the future hold for alt-right social media platforms? In today's episode, we hear from Sarah Riccardi-Swartz as she considers Trump's announcement of TRUTH Social, his new social media platform, and traces the long history of alt-right media in America, from apps like Parler to radio host Rush Limbaugh. In her Canopy Forum article, “The Mainstreaming of Alt-Right Media,” Swartz writes that “The far right is looking for a digital alternative to mainstream media platforms where they are viewed as social outliers. They are seeking alternative spaces where their radical ideas, conversations, and events will be viewed as normative and mainstream.” Are alt-right media spaces such as TRUTH Social protected under the First Amendment? Find out now. https://canopyforum.org/2021/12/14/the-mainstreaming-of-alt-right-media/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (Browse) our book brochure.

This week, we finish our series on the January 6th Capitol riots. Last year, Canopy Forum contributors weighed in on what the siege meant for law, religion, and democracy. Some turned to political theorists to cast a light on the violence sanctioned at the heart of American democracy. Others dismantled the argument that Capitol rioters were simply exercising their religious freedom. Still more drew connections between the Trump era, the rise in Christian nationalism, and the narrative of grievance among some conservatives. In today's episode, John E. King closely examines Senate Chaplain Barry Black's prayer, given early in the morning on the day following the insurrection, to see if his words might offer a way forward for America after the riots. "Chaplain Black https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=778125173054037 (prayed) that God might 'use us to bring healing and unity to our hurting and divided nation and world. Thank you for what you have blessed our lawmakers to accomplish in spite of threats to liberty,'" King writes. "Part of the healing that Chaplain Black petitions for includes dialogue and engagement with the very people who attempted to occupy the Capitol. His prayer makes evident that when people of faith like Chaplain Black engage in politics, the outcomes sometimes seem to defy logic." This is “An Analysis of the Capitol Protests Through Senate Chaplain Barry Black's Prayer" by John E. King. Read all articles in the Canopy Forum Capitol riots series, "Chaos at the Capitol: Law and Religion Perspectives On Democracy's Dark Day," https://canopyforum.org/chaos-at-the-capitol/ (here). https://canopyforum.org/listen/ (Subscribe) to Interactions now.

This week, we continue our series on the January 6th Capitol riots. Last year, Canopy Forum contributors weighed in on what the siege meant for law, religion, and democracy. Some turned to political theorists to cast a light on the violence sanctioned at the heart of American democracy. Others dismantled the argument that Capitol rioters were simply exercising their religious freedom. Still more drew connections between the Trump era, the rise in Christian nationalism, and the narrative of grievance among some conservatives. This is “Trump, Insurgency, and Religious Grievance" by Steven K. Green. Read all articles in the Canopy Forum Capitol riots series, "Chaos at the Capitol: Law and Religion Perspectives On Democracy's Dark Day," https://canopyforum.org/chaos-at-the-capitol/ (here). https://canopyforum.org/listen/ (Subscribe) to Interactions now.

This week, we continue our series on the January 6th Capitol riots. Last year, Canopy Forum contributors weighed in on what the siege meant for law, religion, and democracy. Some turned to political theorists to cast a light on the violence sanctioned at the heart of American democracy. Others dismantled the argument that Capitol rioters were simply exercising their religious freedom. Still more drew connections between the Trump era, the rise in Christian nationalism, and the narrative of grievance among some conservatives. This is “An Insurrection of Law and Order? The Cycle of Law-Preserving and Law-Making Violence” by J. Brent Crosson. Read all articles in the Canopy Forum Capitol riots series, "Chaos at the Capitol: Law and Religion Perspectives On Democracy's Dark Day," https://canopyforum.org/chaos-at-the-capitol/ (here). https://canopyforum.org/listen/ (Subscribe) to Interactions now.

It has been one year since the January 6th Capitol riots. Last year, Canopy Forum contributors weighed in on what the siege meant for law, religion, and democracy. Some turned to political theorists to cast a light on the violence sanctioned at the heart of American democracy. Others dismantled the argument that Capitol rioters were simply exercising their religious freedom. Still more drew connections between the Trump era, the rise in Christian nationalism, and the narrative of grievance among some conservatives. This is "Not an Act of Religious Freedom" by Patrick Hornbeck. Read all articles in the Canopy Forum Capitol riots series, "Chaos at the Capitol: Law and Religion Perspectives On Democracy's Dark Day," https://canopyforum.org/chaos-at-the-capitol/ (here). https://canopyforum.org/listen/ (Subscribe) to Interactions now.

In today's episode from the archives, the most reverend Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop of Atlanta from 2005 to 2019, addresses the position of the Catholic Church on the death penalty in a speech given at the Emory Center for the Study of Law and Religion in 2012. Now Archbishop of Washington, U.S., Wilton D. Gregory emphasizes the case of Troy Davis, a death-row inmate in Georgia who appealed to Pope Benedict XVI for clemency. The Archbishop stresses that Catholic bishops have long been opposed to the death penalty, and that there are systemic flaws in the application of capital punishment. Listen now. Explore other new publications from the Center for the Study of Law and Religion in our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).

Today's episode of Interactions discusses French secularism and its targeting of Muslim communities. In his article for Canopy Forum, Dr. James McBride of New York University traces a series of French statutes that claim to be religiously neutral but in fact marginalize the Islamic community in France, especially in regards to public schools. "Despite the claim that the ban on headscarves is incidental to the statutes' supposed purpose of prohibiting all ostentatious religious signs and symbols in French public spaces," writes McBride, "their historical context reveals the true motivation: Islamophobia. Where did the debate over the wearing of the headscarf in French public schools originate, considering that many Muslim women see veil wearing as a free and personal choice? Is French laïcité truly neutral? Listen now. https://canopyforum.org/2021/09/23/the-quran-islamic-veiling-and-laicite-french-law-and-islamophobia/ (Read) the original article on Canopy Forum. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/blessings-of-liberty/650E67F5268BB12BFB787B5CA94AC4CE (Purchase) John Witte, Jr.'s new book, The Blessings of Liberty.

Should foreign law play a role in U.S. jurisprudence? In light of the upcoming case on abortion in Mississippi, M. Christian Green outlines the debate in the U.S. Supreme Court between justices Kennedy and Scalia about whether foreign rulings should be considered when deciding U.S. law. This conversation becomes even more pressing when speaking about abortion rights. Scholars have pointed out that “the right to make individual reproductive health decisions is a fundamental human right, protected under international law.” Whether or not foreign law should have an influence in the U.S. court system has implications for abortion rights, reproductive freedom, and the bodily autonomy of women everywhere.  Is dismissal of foreign law in U.S. decisions just another instance of American exceptionalism? Could the influence of international law lead to a more democratic America, especially for women? Find out in today's episode. Explore other new publications from the Center for the Study of Law and Religion in our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).

In her Canopy Forum https://canopyforum.org/2021/06/14/american-jesus-at-home-and-abroad/ (article) “American Jesus, At Home And Abroad,” Dr. Méadhbh McIvor of the University of Oxford shows how “religion and America are mutually constitutive,” to the point where protestant Christianity comes to stand for a “good religion,” voluntary and free, whereas religions practiced abroad are thought to be bad, coercive, and mandated. Building on the scholarship of Hurd and Sullivan in their work https://cup.columbia.edu/book/at-home-and-abroad/9780231198998 (At Home And Abroad), Dr. McIvor demonstrates how Christian nationalism has been used to justify the militaristic interventionist polices abroad that would be considered unconstitutional "at home". How do the politics of protestant Christianity and American exceptionalism operate not only abroad but on a level that is deeply personal? What effect does exceptionalism have on the individual and their understandings of what it means to be a person? And what it means to be a nation? Listen now to find out. Professor John Witte, Jr.'s new book, "The Blessings of Liberty," is available for purchase https://www.johnwittejr.com/the-blessings-of-liberty.html (here).

In March of this year, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/17/us/shooting-atlanta-acworth (Robert Aaron Long) claimed his sex addiction was responsible for his shooting spree in Atlanta-area spas that resulted in the deaths of eight people, the majority of whom were Asian women. And in the Christian evangelical sphere, https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/february/ravi-zacharias-rzim-investigation-sexual-abuse-sexting-rape.html (Ravi Zacharias) is merely one of countless examples of men in positions of power who claim they have a sex addiction--an assertion that too often allows them to sidestep allegations of sexual violence. This appeal to sex addiction, for Dr. Kevin Jung of Wake Forest University, can be seen as "playing the addiction card," and in his Canopy Forum https://canopyforum.org/2021/07/19/using-the-addiction-card/ (article), he poses an important question: If someone is an addict, does that mean they are immune from moral responsibility? Listen now. Professor John Witte, Jr.'s new book, "The Blessings of Liberty," is available for purchase https://www.johnwittejr.com/the-blessings-of-liberty.html (here).

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Raphael Friedman and his Canopy Forum Article "Stop Accusing Religious Conservatives of 'Using' Religion." What happens when an individual or institution claims a religious exemption from a law that protects others' rights? LGBTQ+ rights, for example, or the rights of women? These are complex questions in the area of law and religion, and when these conflicts arise, the dialogue gets heated. As with all emotionally charged debate, Friedman argues, the rhetoric we use matters--a lot. Certain terms leveled against conservatives carry the danger of distracting from the legal issues at stake. If we are to have the chance of a productive debate, we can't accuse religious conservatives of “using” religion. To learn more, https://canopyforum.org/2021/06/09/stop-accusing-religious-conservatives-of-using-religion/ (read) the original article on Canopy Forum. You can purchase Professor John Witte, Jr.'s new book, "The Blessings of Liberty," https://www.johnwittejr.com/the-blessings-of-liberty.html (here).

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Kristina Arriaga and her Canopy Forum article "Disgust and Discrimination in Tehran," where she demonstrates how the recent surge of hate propaganda against members of the Baha'i faith in Iran is rooted in a politics of disgust. "The campaign casts the Bahai's as https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Firanbahaipersecution.bic.org%2Farchive%2Fshabestan-news-agency-bahais-are-soldiers-colonialism&data=04%7C01%7Cshlomo.pill%40emory.edu%7C657990461d984c2bdc2f08d95109088c%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637629921508343222%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=2s95jp0pX%2F3E3ViMd1r2a20O0uMJXhB26U7UTFqnzDk%3D&reserved=0 (disloyal to the regime), https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Firanbahaipersecution.bic.org%2Farchive%2Fbahaism-iran-why-do-we-consider-bahaism-british-sect&data=04%7C01%7Cshlomo.pill%40emory.edu%7C657990461d984c2bdc2f08d95109088c%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637629921508353179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ieDhyeye5UGX3c1Glis2BOcBrb4xmnSdVyHywY9nfco%3D&reserved=0 (as agents for other countries), and, most notably, as “https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Firanbahaipersecution.bic.org%2Farchive%2Ffras-news-agency-quoting-ayatollah-khamenei-bahais-are-unclean-and-enemies-your-religion&data=04%7C01%7Cshlomo.pill%40emory.edu%7C657990461d984c2bdc2f08d95109088c%7Ce004fb9cb0a4424fbcd0322606d5df38%7C0%7C0%7C637629921508353179%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=9bqucM7%2F6deREb6I70FutLc3tnHHT9%2FbYpyzFQ1f9Ow%3D&reserved=0 (unclean)," Arriaga says. According to Arriaga, a politics of disgust can have long-lasting and adverse consequences. And the Baha'i are not the only religious group who have been at the receiving end of a weaponized disgust: Arriaga outlines multiple examples of groups throughout history, religious or otherwise, who have been marginalized by a politics of disgust. How has disgust characterized the hate campaigns against the Baha'i, as well as against minority groups throughout history? And how can we combat a politics of disgust? Find out in today's episode. To learn more, read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2021/08/04/disgust-and-discrimination-in-tehran/ (Canopy Forum) and explore other new publications from the Center for the Study of Law and Religion in our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).

In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Dr. Isaac Weiner and his Canopy Forum article "Secular Corporations, Religious Subjects" about the interesting question religious corporations pose for law and religion. What is a religious corporation? That's the question everyone would like to answer, seeing as religious corporations are extremely powerful, possessing certain exemptions in U.S. law. Over the past decade, a number of high-profile U.S. Supreme Court decisions have made this term all the more crucial to define. "Strikingly, organizations often find greater success than an individual person would when seeking protection under the law for their religious rights of conscience," explains Dr. Weiner. All the more reason, then, to define what a "religious corporation" is. But what if that's impossible? What if, in some sense, all corporations are somehow religious? When drawing a bright line between "religious" and "non-religious" proves unsustainable, how do we focus on making all collective formations worth building, sustaining, and protecting? Find out in today's episode. To learn more, read the original article on https://canopyforum.org/2021/05/21/secular-corporations-religious-subjects/ (Canopy Forum) and explore other new publications from the Center for the Study of Law and Religion in our https://cslr.law.emory.edu/scholarship/cslrbooks2016-2021.pdf (book brochure).