Shows
Cross & Gavel Podcast198. How Religious Actors Help Shape the AI Dialogue — Whittney BarthMy guest this week is Whittney Barth, an associate teaching professor at Emory Law School and the Executive Director and Charlotte McDaniel Scholar at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Our conversation centers around her new piece arguing that religious actors act as friction creators in the discussion and development of AI tools, ethics, and regulation. Full paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/14/5/67 Full bio: https://cslr.law.emory.edu/people/cslr-leadership/barth-whittney.html Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh D...
2025-10-0832 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastBernice King - Christianity, The Law, Racial Justice, and Martin Luther's King Jr.'s Legacy- Part 2In 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...
2024-04-2526 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastBernice King - Christianity, The Law, Racial Justice, and Martin Luther's King Jr.'s Legacy- Part 1In 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...
2024-04-2322 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastKelly Brown Douglas - Christianity, The Law, Racial Justice, and The Moral Imaginary: Part 2In 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 co...
2024-04-1832 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastKelly Brown Douglas - Christianity, The Law, Racial Justice, and the Moral Imaginary: Part 1In 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 co...
2024-04-1622 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastBryan Stevenson - Christianity, The Law, and Racial JusticeIn 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...
2024-04-0954 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastMatthew P. Cavedon – From the Pope's Hands to Indigenous LandsIn 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 clergyme...
2024-03-0136 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastJohn Witte, Jr. – Table Talks on the Weightier Matters of Law and ReligionToday’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...
2023-12-2042 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastDeepa Das Acevedo — The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law, and Gender in Contemporary IndiaToday’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 c...
2023-12-0633 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastMichael Broyde — AI and Jewish Law: Seeing How ChatGPT 4.0 Looks at a Novel IssueIn 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 J...
2023-11-0137 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastSpecial Episode: CSLR Study on Law and MinistryIn 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 th...
2023-09-261h 03Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastAt Home and Abroad: Cooper Harriss on Muhammad AliThere 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...
2023-06-0641 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastAt Home and Abroad: Winnifred Fallers Sullivan on Religious Due ProcessImagine 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 e...
2023-05-2334 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastAt Home and Abroad: Greg Johnson on Indigenous Hawaiian RepatriationIn 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 Nativ...
2023-03-1742 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastAt Home and Abroad: Sarah Imhoff on Jewish IdentityWelcome 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...
2023-02-2438 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastThe Right/Rite to Death: Part IIIn 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...
2022-08-0141 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastThe Right/Rite to Death: Part IIn 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 co...
2022-07-2545 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: Power Imbalances and Abuse Dynamics in Christian ConciliationIn 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 bas...
2022-07-1815 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: West Virginia v. EPA: Teaching the Virtues of Climate Responsibility by Henry KuoIn 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 fo...
2022-07-1119 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: Is 303 Creative v. Elenis Masterpiece Cakeshop 2.0?In today’s episode of Interactions, we hear from Mark Satta and his Canopy Forum 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 Creati...
2022-07-0423 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: Jehovah's Witnesses and Religious Persecution: Do Signed Declarations Help?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 fam...
2022-06-1339 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: Religious Exemption Laws and the Conservative Legal MovementIn today’s episode, we hear from Elizabeth Reiner Platt and her Canopy Forum article “Religious Exemption Laws and the Conservative Legal Movement.”Adapted from “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 be...
2022-06-0624 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: A Native of Conklin, NY Discusses QAnonWhy 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 lef...
2022-05-2322 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Limiting Oppression: Duress and Unconscionability in Islamic Law"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...
2022-05-1614 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastRoundtable Ep. 1: Kennedy v. BremertonIn 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 m...
2022-04-2555 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Empire of Media: Ukraine and the Russian Orthodox Church"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 lackin...
2022-04-1918 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Non-Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation"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 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 prov...
2022-04-1118 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Why Do White Christians in America Think They Are Persecuted?"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 Pro...
2022-04-0516 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Imperial Pieties: the Sanctification of Whiteness"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...
2022-03-2820 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Losing Religion: #BLM, the Sacred, and the Secular""At first glance it would appear as though the Movement for Black Lives, or the more general Black Lives Matter movement, has 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...
2022-03-2113 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read "The No Religious Test Clause: "Animus" and "Bigotry" at the Supreme Court"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 re...
2022-03-0716 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Ramirez v. Collier: Religious Freedom on the Death Row"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.
2022-02-2814 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "The Limit Case: Fulton and Vaccine Mandates"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...
2022-02-2132 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "#Abortion: The Religious Right Meets TikTok"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...
2022-02-1427 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastFROM THE ARCHIVES: Robert Bellah on MarriageJoin 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 an...
2022-02-1149 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "The Mainstreaming of Alt-Right Media"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...
2022-02-0717 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastSERIES: Jan. 6th, One Year Later Ep. 4: Chaplain Barry Black's Prayer by John E. KingThis 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...
2022-01-3115 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastSERIES: Jan. 6th, One Year Later Ep. 3: Trump, Insurgency, and Religious GrievanceThis 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.Re...
2022-01-2414 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastSERIES: Jan. 6th, One Year Later Ep. 2: Law-Preserving and Law-Making ViolenceThis 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 La...
2022-01-1724 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastSERIES: Jan. 6th, One Year Later Ep. 1: Not An Act of Religious FreedomIt 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...
2022-01-1019 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastFROM THE ARCHIVES: The Catholic Church and the Death PenaltyIn 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 ap...
2021-12-2748 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "The Qur'an, Islamic Veiling, and Laïcité"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 de...
2021-11-2222 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Abortion, Foreign Law, and the U.S. Supreme Court"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. cour...
2021-11-1521 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "American Jesus, At Home And Abroad"In her Canopy Forum 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 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 politi...
2021-11-0119 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Addiction, Moral Responsibility, and the Atlanta Spa Massacre"In March of this year, 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, 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...
2021-10-2818 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Stop Accusing Religious Conservatives of 'Using' Religion"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...
2021-10-1816 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Disgust and Discrimination in Tehran"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 disloyal to the regime, as agents for other countries, and, most notably, as “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 rece...
2021-10-0709 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Secular Corporations, Religious Subjects"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...
2021-09-2721 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Texas Abortion Law: The Religious Right to Disregard Mandatory Ultrasounds"Against the backdrop of a controversial new law restricting abortion procedures in Texas, we’re hearing from Professor Caroline Mala Corbin and her Canopy Forum article, “The Religious Right to Disregard Mandatory Ultrasounds.” Legal victories by conservative Christians have expanded the scope of religious exercises that qualify for protection under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. As a result, people who oppose same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and other progressive ideals now have stronger legal footing to opt out of policies that conflict with their religious values. But conservative Christians aren't the only people in America with strongly...
2021-09-2017 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastFROM THE ARCHIVES: Part Two: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Happiness in the Jewish PerspectiveIn last week’s episode of Interactions, we heard from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks in his lecture on happiness from the Jewish perspective. He outlined three types of happiness in Judaism: the happiness of struggle, the happiness of peace, and the happiness of covenant.In today’s episode, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks delves deeper into the meaning and measure of happiness in Judaism, and how the ancient wisdom of the Jewish tradition remains relevant for issues of the modern world. What insights on happiness does the ancient wisdom of Judaism have to offer? Find out in to...
2021-08-2320 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastFROM THE ARCHIVES: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Happiness in the Jewish PerspectiveWhile the concept of happiness is obviously not unique to Judaism, Jewish tradition and Jewish law offer a unique perspective on the many forms and meanings of happiness in human life and society. In today’s episode of Interactions, we hear from Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on the meaning and measure of happiness in the Jewish tradition. "There is a very beautiful image of happiness as being at one with the universe, but that is not the Jewish way," says Rabbi Sacks. "Judaism is a religion of active engagement with the world driven by th...
2021-08-1630 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Christian Nationalism and Anti-Trans Legislation"Legislatures in the United States have introduced more new laws targeting transgender rights in 2021 than in any year previously. While the GOP and many social conservatives have long opposed the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights, it is important to understand the context and reasons for their recent focus on transgender issues. In this episode of Interactions, Professor Dan Miller of Landmark College attributes the rise of anti-trans animus to Christian nationalism and a coinciding obsession with purity of the body – whether it be the body politic, or the physical bodies of transgender persons. To learn more, read th...
2021-08-0931 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Slaughterhouses, Sacredness, and the COVID-19 Pandemic"Over the course of the last two centuries, the American slaughterhouse has been carefully designed to function as a site of legal exception, where violence against both animals and workers—many of whom are immigrants and people of color—is hidden from the public’s gaze, while being rendered licit.In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Ph.D. candidate Joanna Smith of UNC Chapel Hill as she examines how slaughterhouses function much like a sacred spaces. They are hidden from sight. They maintain exceptional status to the law. And they are a place where violence agains...
2021-08-0215 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Defunding the (Border) Police"The U.S. border is a place of intense racialization and militarization. It’s a place where there are fewer protections against governmental abuse of power than anywhere else in the country. And it’s a place that over 200 million people call home. In today’s episode of Interactions, we examine the politics at the U.S. border as a way of understanding the racism and militarization at work everywhere else in the nation.“The militarization of American life and its entanglements with white supremacy come as no surprise to those who have been paying attention to the U.S. b...
2021-07-1321 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "The Religion of QAnon"Even though the FBI has labeled QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, for some Christians this conspiracy system has become a hermeneutical lens to interpret the Bible--and the world. According to Annabelle Bichler, QAnon has ridden the line of religiosity from its inception, but the conspiracy has become so enmeshed with evangelical Christianity that it could be considered a religion. In today's episode of Interactions, we discuss why the Supreme Court is hesitant to decide on a strict definition of religion, and what this means for "religions" like QAnon. Is QAnon's misinformation and hate speech entitled to special protections under...
2021-07-0522 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Soul Repair: A Jewish View"How can we make atonement after serious wrongdoing? How do we repair our souls—even amidst shame, guilt, and irreparable damage? Today’s episode of Interactions features the work of David R. Blumenthal, who illustrates how the Jewish tradition approaches the question of rejoining life after grave sin. “Feeling guilt for having done wrong is a blessing,” Blumenthal writes. “Feeling guilt is a sign of our being morally awake.”Browse our book brochure.
2021-06-2815 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Gender Role Attitudes of Traditional Arab Women and Haredi Jewish Women in Israel: A Comparison"Despite not typically interacting with each other in Israeli society, Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) and traditional Arab women seem to share common qualities, such as covering up most of their bodies for modesty reasons, and living in relatively closed societies. In this episode of Interactions, Gilan Miller-Gertz and Nour Abu-Ghosh interview women from both groups to discover similarities and differences. “Some of our assumptions about the attitudes and lifestyles of Haredi and traditional Arab women were revealed to be unfounded,” the authors reflect. “They turned out to see themselves as strong women who are leading their families and building t...
2021-06-2111 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "COVID-19 and the Family: Drawing Good and Sacramentality Out of Evil"The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated inequalities, financial devastation, and loneliness. How can families observe a mindset of sacramentality in this time of uncertainty and loss?In this episode of Interactions, Marguerite Spencer explores how the pandemic can be a “marker of growth” that can be “reflected upon with reverence”: a sacrament to be pondered over as much as water, bread, and wine. Browse our book brochure.
2021-06-1412 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "A Natural Law for Queer and Racial Justice"Appeals to natural law have been seen as oppressive--or even backwards--by social progressives. But does natural law have something to offer feminist, queer, and antiracist movements? In his Canopy Forum article, “A Natural Law for Queer and Racial Justice,” Dr. Craig A. Ford, Jr. argues that the abandonment of the natural law by progressives is misguided. "The natural law tradition does not speak univocally," he writes, "but rather is as polysemous as any other intellectual tradition, featuring both socially progressive and socially conservative strands."Browse our book brochure.
2021-06-0714 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "The Right to Shun: Ghent's Misguided Jehovah's Witness Decision"What happens when a criminal court in Ghent, Belgium finds the Jehovah’s Witness community guilty of discrimination for "disfellowshipping" its former members? In his article for Canopy Forum, “The Right to Shun: Ghent’s Misguided Jehovah's Witness Decision,” Matthew P. Cavedon explores the practice of shunning among Jehovah’s Witnesses: its impacts on believers, but also its impacts on the freedom of religion and association.Browse our book brochure.
2021-06-0112 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Contemporary Homeschooling: Black Children's Best Interests, Freedom from Religion, and Anti-Racism"While homeschooling is largely seen as a White, middle-class, and Christian fundamentalist phenomenon, more Black families are choosing to homeschool. However, their perspectives are too often left out of conversations about homeschooling. “Homeschooling advances the best interests of Black children,” write authors Cheryl Fields-Smith and Andrea L. Dennis. “But Black parents face challenges due to the predominance of White Christian homeschoolers in the movement.” In their newest Canopy Forum article, Fields-Smith and Dennis explore the potential benefits, meanings, and challenges of homeschool from an African-American perspective.Browse our book brochure.
2021-05-2422 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Participatory Defense During the Pandemic"The United States already had the biggest prison population in the world. Then the pandemic struck. Not only has the virus disproportionately affected Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), but the COVID-19 Policing Project found that BIPOC are “2.5 times more likely to be policed and punished for violations of COVID-19 orders than white people.” In his newest essay for Canopy Forum, Darrin Sims outlines how families can use participatory defense, a community organizing tool, to navigate the criminal justice system during the pandemic.Browse our book brochure.
2021-05-1712 min
Interactions – A Law and Religion PodcastAmerican Jesus, At Home And AbroadIn 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 reveals the ways religion and America have become mutually constitutive, to the point where protestant Christianity in America has come to symbolize “good religion," voluntary and free, with religions abroad considered "bad"--coercive and mandated.
Building on the scholarship of Hurd and Sullivan in their book https://cup.columbia.edu/book/at-home-and-abroad/9780231198998 (At Home And Abroad), Dr. McIvor shows how American exceptionalism has been used to justify the militaristic interventionist polices abroad that would be considered unconst...
2021-01-1119 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMonday Read: "Assessing the Christian Legal Movement's Response to Coronavirus Restrictions"How has the Christian legal movement responded to coronavirus regulations on religious gatherings, and how will the politics of this response affect support for religious liberty in general? Find out in this reading of Andrew Lewis and Daniel Bennett's essay, “Church Closures, Religious Freedom, and the Coronavirus Pandemic: Assessing the Christian Legal Movement’s Response.”Browse our book brochure.
2020-10-2609 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMatthew P. Cavedon on Death Chamber Chaplains and the LawMatthew P. Cavedon, a criminal defense attorney who holds graduate degrees in both law and theology, asks whether death row inmates have a right to have a clergyperson or spiritual advisor present at the time of their execution. Do those who are convicted of the most heinous crimes deserve spiritual consolation at the moment they are put to death?Browse our book brochure.
2020-10-0508 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastAmerica's First Religion - The Religion of RaceToday’s episode features Dr. Audra Savage, an expert in law, religion, and human rights, talking about what she sees as America's first religion - the religion of racism. Though this talk was given by Professor Savage a little over a year ago at Emory University, her insights are relevant today amidst ongoing movements for racial justice.For more, visit Canopy Forum.Browse our book brochure.
2020-08-2115 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastPublic Health and the Jewish TraditionWhat does Jewish law and tradition teach about protecting individuals and communities during a pandemic? Rabbi Michael Broyde explains why religious communities should be treated fairly under quarantine restrictions, why religious practitioners shouldn’t disobey public health orders – even for pious reasons – and what role medical and public health experts should play in regulating religious observances. For similar topics visit our Covid series at https://canopyforum.org/covid-19/. And see more from Rabbi Michael Broyde's at www.broydeblog.net. Browse our book brochure.
2020-07-2612 minInteractions – A Law and Religion PodcastMelissa Rogers on the Trump Administration's Religious Freedom Claims"The Trump administration is promoting new proposed rules on social service partnerships with faith-based organizations under the banner of religious freedom. A closer look, however, reveals that the proposals would actually eliminate certain religious liberty protections for social service beneficiaries, and that none of the Trump administration’s justifications for its actions holds water..."Melissa Rogers is author of Faith in American Public Life (Baylor University Press 2019). A Baptist and a lawyer, Rogers served as special assistant to President Barack Obama and as executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships from 2013-2017. Yo...
2020-05-1809 min