Religious Freedom – Domestic

Fulton Decision Affirms Religious Freedom Rights of Faith-Based Agencies

Press Release •
June 17, 2021 ...

“We are delighted that faith-based agencies will be able to continue serving our nation’s most vulnerable children in a way that honors the faith convictions that motivate their efforts,” said NAE President Walter Kim. “We need an all-hands-on-deck response to the foster care crisis, not government mandates that eliminate an important segment of the population based on their religious beliefs. As in the Fulton case, there are numerous foster agencies …

Equality Act Lacks Religious Freedom Protections

Statement •
February 25, 2021 ...

While the Equality Act offers protections for LGBT individuals, its current form threatens to turn houses of worship and other religious spaces into “public accommodations” subject to intrusive government intervention, in violation of the First Amendment. Where these new rights conflict with the rights of religious people, the Equality Act offers no protection and explicitly removes the existing protection of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.    “Instead of offering …

U.S. Department of Education Upholds Religious Freedom for College Students

News •
September 10, 2020 ...

Walter Kim, NAE president, said, “The right to assemble together based on religiously informed beliefs is foundational to a tolerant and truly pluralistic society. This right includes the ability to choose leaders who support the distinctive religious tenets of our groups.” The NAE has long advocated for regulations that protect the Constitutional rights of student …

Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Pandemic Restrictions on Churches

Statement •
July 31, 2020 ...

“This is a disappointing decision,” said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). “Churches should support necessary and equitable regulations that apply across the board, but cannot accept double standards that favor casinos over churches.” Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, most churches have voluntarily taken significant steps to protect parishioners …

Supreme Court Affirms Rights of Religious Schools on Employment

Court Brief •
July 9, 2020 ...

The decision upholds the constitutional doctrine known as the “ministerial exception” to civil rights employment claims. The doctrine was first established in Hosanna Tabor in 2012, and is part of a line of cases decided under what the Supreme Court called “principles of church autonomy.” The Supreme Court rejected the Ninth Circuit’s decision that limited …

Supreme Court Prohibits Discrimination Against Religion in Public Benefit Programs

Court Brief •
July 1, 2020 ...

Like over half the states in the United States, Montana has a constitutional provision known as a “Blaine Amendment” that bars state aid to religious organizations. Based on that provision, the Department of Revenue prohibited the use of the scholarship funds by students attending religious schools, while they allowed scholarship funds to be applied other …

NAE Webinar on Title VII Supreme Court Decision

Webinar • Carl Esbeck, Shirley Hoogstra
June 16, 2020 ...

In this member-only webinar, NAE Legal Counsel Carl Esbeck and CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra unpack the Supreme Court’s decision and discuss its impact on religious employers and employees for years to come. Carl Esbeck publishes widely in the area of religious liberty and church-state relations. In particular, this article published in the Oxford Journal of …

Title VII Decision Leaves Unanswered Questions

Statement •
June 15, 2020 ...

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination by employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. When Congress included the word “sex” in Title VII, Americans thought their representatives were creating a level playing field for women in the workplace. These recent cases before the Supreme Court …

John Inazu | Surviving and Thriving in Deep Difference

Audio • John Inazu, Walter Kim
February 15, 2020 ...

NAE President Walter Kim hosts Today’s Conversation, where you’ll hear John share: His assessment of the state of First Amendment law and religious freedom; How premises of “inclusion” and “dissent” provide a framework for current conflicts; What led him to speak and write about how Christians ought to engage with those whom they deeply disagree; …