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The Rise of Protestant Perfectionism

Today we are witnessing the re-emergence of a Protestant perfectionist vision of the Christian life. This vision has at least two forms, an Anabaptist understanding of the church as embodying a set of practices that realize the Kingdom of God and a Wesleyan optimism of grace in which the people of . . . . Continue Reading »

Buffering Abortion Speech

On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided to strike down as unconstitutional the 2007 Massachusetts law which mandated a thirty-five foot buffer around medical facilities that offer abortions. Since the decision was handed down, the fallout has been contentious. One article, emblematic of a genre of literature which focuses on radicalism, sees little in the way of fruitful discourse happening outside of clinics: Continue Reading »

What Christians Agreed On

Elesha Coffman’s analysis of the rise of the Christian Century and mainline Protestantism is fascinating reading. Toward the end of the book, she recounts the reaction of the churchmen associated with the Christian Century to the emergence of Billy Graham—in particular, his . . . . Continue Reading »

Accreditation and Religious Colleges

In an essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education—my industry’s trade journal—Penn’s Peter Conn argues that the regional accrediting agencies, which hold the keys to federal student aid, should under no circumstances give religious colleges and universities their imprimatur. To say the least, Professor Conn is hostile to religion and appears to be utterly unacquainted with what happens on most “faith and learning” infused campuses. Continue Reading »

First Links — 7.01.14

Opinion: Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Opinion Analysis: Does the New Religious Exemption Go Far Enough?
Lyle Denniston, SCOTUSblog

The Republic of Gilead is Not Nigh
Julian Sanchez, Cato

How the Internet Blamed the Wrong Twitter Handle for Today’s Hobby Lobby Ruling
Jamie Fuller, Washington Post

The Hobby Lobby Decision Was a Victory for Women’s Rights
Andrew Koppelman, The New Republic

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