Faith and Law

In the best of times, Capitol Hill is an open marketplace where visions for governing our diverse and multi-ethnic republic are sorted out and employed for the common good. But these are not the best of times. In this conversation, we’ll learn some of the principles and practices of peacemaking that allow Christians to live as ambassadors of reconciliation and collaborate across lines of difference, even in an age of toxic polarization.Todd Deatherage spent sixteen years in senior positions in the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government before co-founding the Telos Group. From 2005 to 2009, he was Chief of Staff in the Secretary of State’s Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department. He also spent two years as Senior Advisor in the Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom, where he specialized in religious freedom in the Middle East. Todd worked for a decade in the U.S. Congress, including six years as Chief of Staff to Senator Tim Hutchinson. He is a native Arkansan and a graduate of the University of Arkansas. He began his career as an educator. He and his family live in Fairfax County, Virginia.Support the show

From racial injustice protests to divisive electoral politics to a Confederate flag in the Capitol on January 6th and impeachment hearings, our country’s divisions have been on full display. This has challenged many Americans - and those around the world - to relook at democracy and its principles. This discussion will explore what democracy means in a divided country and whether unity is possible in a democratic republic. Prof. Nicole Bibbins Sedaca serves as the Deputy Director of Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program. She also serves as the Co-Chair for the Global Politics and Security Concentration and is a Professor in the Practice of International Affairs in MSFS.Support the show

Because of the Covid pandemic, many jurisdictions have placed limits on religious worship. Protests that such limits infringe the religious liberty guarantees of the First Amendment have reached the Supreme Court. What are the permissible limits on religious worship? How can we expect the Supreme Court to rule before its terms ends in June?Mark Rienzi is Professor at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and President of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Mark teaches constitutional law, religious liberty, torts, and evidence. He has been voted Teacher of the Year three years in a row, and he is widely published, including in the Harvard Law Review. He is Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Columbus School of Law.Mark has broad experience litigating First Amendment cases. He represented the winning parties in a variety of Supreme Court First Amendment cases including Hobby Lobby, Wheaton College, and Holt. In January 2014, Mark successfully argued before the Supreme Court in McCullen v. Coakley, a First Amendment challenge to a Massachusetts speech restriction outside of abortion clinics, winning the case 9-0. Mark and his colleagues at Becket won several important religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court in the past year, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Agudath v. Cuomo.William Saunders is a graduate of the Harvard Law School, who has been involved in issues of public policy, law and ethics for thirty years. A regular columnist for the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Mr. Saunders has written and spoken widely on these topics. He is the Director of the Program in Human Rights for the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America. (For information about his innovative Master of Arts in Human Rights, go to mahumanrights.com) Saunders works closely with Chinese dissident and CUA Distinguished Fellow, Chen Guangcheng, on human rights issues, and he is co-director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Columbus School of Law. Mr. Saunders’ new book, Unborn Human Life and Fundamental Rights: Leading Constitutional Cases Under Scrutiny, was published in 2019.Support the show

Genesis 1:26 reveals that God made humanity in His image, and reflecting His nature, for an awesome task and responsibility: to rule responsibly over all He has made. Being good stewards of God’s creation is both a biblical mandate and the historical legacy of the Christian church. In this lecture, Dr. Jessica Moerman of the Evangelical Environmental Network presented on how environmental stewardship is at its heart a discipleship issue and part of our Christian witness, as well as a matter of defending the lives and health of the most vulnerable -- including our children, both born and unborn. She will also separate fact from fiction on the science of climate change and the role of human activity on today’s global warming. Lecture will be followed by discussion with Dr. Moerman, John Hart and David Bond of C3 Solutions.Support the show

Succeeding on Capitol Hill isn't quite a mathematical equation, but there are some important guideposts that will make that success much more likely. In this session, long-time Hill veteran Bill Wichterman will offer very practical guidance about how to become an excellent staffer who is more likely to advance.Support the show

James 1:19 teaches that we should be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." As Christian policy advocates strive to honor God's heart for all of his creation, it is important to listen to the experiences of our Black brothers and sisters in Christ. After a year of racial unrest, we should lead by listening and learning. This forum will feature a conversation with African-American Christian leaders about how we can better reflect God's heart for ethnic diversity and foster racial unity among Christians, and make a positive impact on our nation. For additional resources on this topic:Read "Black Lives Matter? Embracing the Proclamation or the Organization" by Kelvin Cochran.Visit the American Bible Society's website for Bible-based resources on justice.Support the show

Have rancor and hyper-partisanship in our politics gone so far that recovery is impossible? Is America now a fading, failing democracy? Or can we come together as one nation to revitalize our experiment in ordered liberty in the 2020s? David Blankenhorn will address these questions and discuss them with us. David is president and co-founder of Braver Angels, a national citizens' initiative working to bridge the political divide in politics and society. David Blankenhorn is president of Braver Angels, a citizens’ organization working for less rancor and more goodwill in politics and society. Before co-founding Braver Angels, David led the Institute for American Values, a think tank on civil society he founded in 1988. He also founded the Mississippi Community Service Corps and the Virginia Community Service Corps and co-founded the National Fatherhood Initiative. The author of four books, David grew up in Jackson, Mississippi; graduated from Harvard College in 1977; received an M.A. in history from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, in 1979; and lives today in New York City.Support the show

We are in the midst of a very controversial election period in which there have been reams of commentary about the role played by evangelicals. How can the church engage in political issues without having a politicized faith? What should we be thinking about the role of Evangelicals in the riot at the Capitol? How does the American evangelical church come back together and heal as one body even with divergent political views? Join us as Dr. Timothy Dalrymple, President and CEO of Christianity Today and Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, tackle these difficult questions.Support the show

Michelle Altman, Chief of Staff to Senator James Lankford shares her story "Excellence in Work and Following Christ on the Hill.” Support the show

Americans have long cared about preserving a tradition of liberal arts education, seeing it as key to a free society of citizens with both the knowledge and virtue to sustain self-governance and to advance social order and prosperity. In this webinar, Professor Mooney will analyze the major philosophical debates about educational policy, such as between pragmatist, Marxist, classical liberal and Christian views of education. She will explain key principles that could shape the goals and practices of American educational policies, curricula, and institutions. Based on the conviction that humans are created in the image of God, a good, practical and just education should focus on learning as an end in and of itself that forms intellectual and moral virtue and allows students to pursue a diversity of vocations, regardless of one’s social origins.Introduction by Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC)Support the show