Faith and Law

Senator Tim Scott is the first Black American elected to the U.S. Senate from a Southern state since Reconstruction and the only black Republican in the U.S. Senate.Growing up in a poor, single parent household in North Charleston, South Carolina, Scott had to beat many odds to end up as a lawmaker on Capitol Hill. The work ethic, resilience, and faith he learned from his mother and mentor helped Scott to graduate from university, build his own successful small business, and eventually led him to public service. Scott has broken many barriers in his years as a public servant; serving on the Charleston County Council (1995-2009), the South Carolina House of Representatives (2009-2011), the United States House of Representatives (2011-2013), and the United States Senate (2013 - present).Support the show

The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which struck down the pro-life statutes of every state in the Union, was described by John Hart Ely as “not constitutional law,” that is, he wrote, “this super- protected right is not inferable from the language of the Constitution.” Sweeping as Roe v. Wade was –and the precedent has been used to strike down literally hundreds of pro-life laws since 1973 - today’s advocates for unlimited abortion work daily to expand its boundaries to further deny protection to children on the threshold of and even after birth, to compel taxpayer support of all abortions, to deny informed consent and parental notice, and to distribute abortion pills for “do-it-yourself” use, a practice that will make homes and dormitories the 21 st century analog of back alleys.A panel of distinguished scholars and researchers will discuss these themes and describe how the new radicalism on abortion transcends anything America has seen before. A half century after Roe, U.S. abortion policy continues to speed on a collision course with itself. On the one hand, human life can be and is being saved at ever younger gestational ages through the wonders of perinatal medicine, and dozens of states are acting anew to recognize these life-affirming practices and precepts. On the other hand, the campaigns to nullify the legal status of the innocent and vulnerable unborn grow increasingly raw and brutal across a number of states and now the Biden-Harris Administration.Support the show

Our country is living through a social crisis, to which many Americans have responded with populist anger at our institutions, and metaphors of destruction to describe the path forward: cleaning house, draining swamps. But now is not a time to tear down. It is a time to build and rebuild by committing ourselves to the institutions around us. From the personal and local to the national and political, these institutions provide the forms and structures we need to be free. By taking concrete steps to help them be more trustworthy, we can renew the ties that bind Americans to one another.Introduction by former Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) and Ambassador Tim Roemer (D-IN). Dr. Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founding and current editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor of The New Atlantis and a contributing editor to National Review.Dr. Levin and scholars in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies research division study the foundations of self-government and the future of law, regulation, and constitutionalism. They also explore the state of American social, political, and civic life, while focusing on the preconditions necessary for family, community, and country to flourish.Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. He was also executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics and a congressional staffer at the member, committee, and leadership levels.In addition to being interviewed frequently on radio and television, Dr. Levin has published essays and articles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Commentary. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently “A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream” (Basic Books).He holds an MA and PhD from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.Support the show

We are created to flourish: to experience the wholeness (shalom) God desires and to be agents of bringing that flourishing to others. The Bible’s big story of “ought-is-can-will” provides the navigational grid that can animate an engagement with the world that’s marked by faithfulness, creativity, and hope.Dr. Amy L. Sherman is a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, where she directs the Center on Faith in Communities. Named by Christianity Today in 2012 as one of the 50 most influential Evangelical women in America, Sherman is the author of seven books and nearly 100 articles in a variety of periodicals including First Things, The Public Interest, Policy Review, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, and Books & Culture, as well as various online platforms. Sherman works closely with Made to Flourish, a pastors network for the common good focused on issues of faith and work. Her 2012 book, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good, was awarded “Book of the Year” status in the Christian living category by CT. Her articles appear regularly in MTF’s Resource Library and on The Green Room, a blog sponsored by the Theology of Work Project. Her forthcoming book with Intervarsity Press examines how the Church can live into God’s call to seek the shalom of the city.Sherman is the founder and former executive director of a Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, an urban ministry in Charlottesville, VA. She served for several years as a volunteer Senior Fellow with the International Justice Mission. She is a long-time member of Trinity Presbyterian Church. She earned her B.A. in political science at Messiah College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in international economic development from the University of Virginia. Her life verse is Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”Support the show

Notre Dame Law Professor Dr. John Finnis will lead a discussion of his much-discussed First Things article, "Abortion is Unconstitutional".Known for his work in moral, political and legal theory, as well as in constitutional law, John Finnis joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in 1995. He earned his LL.B. in 1961 from Adelaide University (Australia) and his doctorate in 1965 from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar at University College Oxford. He was lecturer, then reader and then a chaired professor in law in the University of Oxford for over four decades until 2010, while also a tutorial fellow of University College Oxford. He was associate in law at the University of California at Berkeley (1965-66), the professor of law at the University of Malawi (Africa) (1976-78), and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at Boston College Law School (1993-94). A barrister of Gray’s Inn, he practiced from 1979 to 1995 and was appointed Queen's Counsel [QC] (honoris causa) in 2017. He is a Fellow of the British Academy (Law and Philosophy sections), was a member of the Philosophy sub-faculty at Oxford, and was an adjunct professor in the Notre Dame Department of Philosophy. He was a member of the International Theological Commission of the Holy See 1986-91, the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace (1990-95), and the Pontifical Academy Pro Vita (2001-2016).Support the show

In Partnership with the  Institute for Human EcologyA broad consensus has formed for improved instruction in American history and civics. Multiple studies and assessments indicate that Americans have an appallingly deficient understanding of their history and their governing process. And, of course, the events of political violence over the last year exacerbate those concerns. But what should such an effort look like? Should it be based within the states? Should Congress adopt a national strategy? If so, should that be overseen by the federal bureaucracy and implemented by the states?Support the show

Never have U.S. atrocity determinations, which are uncommon to begin with, happened against a country as wealthy and powerful as China, lead by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). This bold justice initiative is galvanizing those around the world to rally against the atrocities taking place in Xinjiang Province.Background reading on this topic:Organ Procurement and Extrajudicial Execution in China: A Review of Evidence. (By Matthew Robertson, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, 3/10/2020)2020 Judgment – Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China (China Tribunal, 3/1/2020)Sterilizations, IUDs, and Mandatory Birth Control: The CCP’s Campaign to Suppress Uyghur Birthrates in Xinjiang (By Adrian Zenz, The Jamestown Foundation 3/17/2021)Who are the Uighurs and why is the US accusing China of genocide? (BBC, 2/9/21)Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape" (BBC, 2/2/21)A cultural genocide before our eyes (World Magazine, 2/2/20)Biden's Choice in China (First Things, 2/9/21)Keeping China accountable for Xinjiang (World Magazine, 1/29/21)There is now more evidence than ever that China is imprisoning Uighurs (The Guardian, 9/24/20)State Department Lawyers Concluded Insufficient Evidence to Prove Genocide in China (Foreign Policy, 2/19/21)Ambassador Morse Tan served as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, the top position in the federal government regarding mass atrocity crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. As such, he led the efforts for the crimes against humanity legal determination and the genocide policy determination against the Chinese Communist Party, called "the single most important U.S. human rights measure of the past four years" (in First Things). Previously, he served as the youngest full professor of law at his institution, having published extensively, including the critically acclaimed book: "North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises" (Routledge).Support the show

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