Respecting Religion
Now that Election Day 2024 is in the rearview mirror, what did we learn? Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman look at the results and what they might mean for our country and the protection of faith freedom for all. They discuss where we saw religion used on the campaign trail, what we might expect to see in the next four years under a second Trump administration, and ways all of us can make a significant difference in local communities. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:37): Did Americans vote for authoritarianism when they voted for Trump? Holly mentioned being in Georgia after the...
info_outline S6, Ep. 03: On the road with ‘How to End Christian Nationalism’Respecting Religion
Today’s episode takes you on the road with Amanda Tyler as she travels the country with her book, titled “How to End Christian Nationalism.” You’ll hear a conversation with Amanda and the Rev. Dr. Bill Leonard about the problems of Christian nationalism, held October 29 at Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “How to End Christian Nationalism” is a vital companion for countering the dangerous ideology, and you can order a copy wherever you get your books. Our next podcast episode will be released November 21, and it will include Amanda’s and Holly’s...
info_outline S6, Ep. 02: Oklahoma and Texas try to force Bible teaching in public schoolsRespecting Religion
We continue to see bold attempts by people who espouse Christian nationalism to influence our youngest population, and news this summer out of Oklahoma and Texas show two troubling examples. In this episode, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman talk about the edict from Ryan Walters in Oklahoma to mandate having the Bible in public schools – alongside our nation’s founding documents – and the new proposed curriculum in Texas that strangely uses religious beliefs as fact in lessons for students as young as kindergarten. Segment 1 (starting at 00:37): How does Christian nationalism...
info_outline S6, Ep. 01: The Supreme Court is back … and so are weRespecting Religion
To kick off season 6 of Respecting Religion, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman take stock of the Supreme Court. There is no religion case on the docket – yet – for this term, but there are several cases that do impact religion. They review the most important things we saw out of last year’s term – from the “Trump docket” to the abortion cases – and they talk about how the Rahimi decision about a gun regulation illustrates the trouble with the Court’s new “history and tradition” test. Plus, this is the last episode before the release of Amanda’s book How to End...
info_outline S5, Ep. 30: Season finaleRespecting Religion
As the weather heats up, so does the pace of Supreme Court decisions. On our season 5 finale of Respecting Religion, Amanda and Holly recap some recent decisions and discuss what we can expect in the next month. Religion is still at play in several cases, even if religious legal statutes aren’t the questions being considered. Plus, they look at some recent statements from Supreme Court justices during extracurricular activities and share what those reveal about the justices themselves and the work at the Court, including a rare – and surprising – statement one justice gave directly to...
info_outline S5, Ep. 29: LGBTQ rights and religious freedomRespecting Religion
LGBTQ rights and religious freedom are often pitted against one another, but they are not mutually exclusive. This episode of Respecting Religion looks at the recent decision by the United Methodist Church to repeal its ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings as well as the broader conversation. Holly Hollman is joined by guest co-host Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, BJC Communications Director. He shares some of his personal story, then he and Holly reflect on work bridging differences between LGBTQ rights advocacy and religious groups that oppose LGBTQ protections. They highlight the Respect...
info_outline S5, Ep. 28: Conscience protections in SCOTUS abortion casesRespecting Religion
How do religion and religious freedom arguments interact with cases about abortion access? The legal landscape here is beyond complex, and in this episode, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman look at how conscience protections were discussed in two recent Supreme Court cases about abortion. There is a deepening religion and policy conversation in our country, and they discuss how that conversation is reflected in these oral arguments – from Church Amendments to the doctrine of preemption. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:38): U.S. Food and Drug Administration v....
info_outline S5, Ep. 27: 100 episodes and 100,000 downloadsRespecting Religion
For the 100th episode of Respecting Religion, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman answer listener questions, ranging from the law surrounding the tax-exempt status of religious institutions to their favorite Supreme Court justices. They also look at some of the big Supreme Court decisions and the shifts on the Court since this podcast began four years ago, sharing some of their favorite and most impactful episodes. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:38): How did we get to 100 episodes? The podcast series on the dangers of Christian nationalism ran in 2019, and it’s available on...
info_outline S5, Ep. 26: Archaic laws and new theories emerge from state abortion debatesRespecting Religion
The intersection of abortion and religion often grabs headlines, and this episode of Respecting Religion looks at recent developments in two states: Arizona and Indiana. Amanda and Holly discuss an Indiana case that involves free exercise arguments under state law to support abortion, and they examine the impact of Arizona’s 1864 law that criminalizes abortion. Both situations are resulting from the tremendous change in the law after the Dobbs decision in 2022, leading to some unexpected situations. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:38): The Arizona situation Our...
info_outline S5, Ep. 25: The crisis in teaching constitutional lawRespecting Religion
Some troubling trends at the Supreme Court are starting to affect the legal profession and how students in law school approach the U.S. Constitution. As SCOTUS continues to upend decades of established precedent in church-state law, Amanda and Holly discuss what’s changed since they were in law school and the rapid changes in church-state law itself. They look at the views of legitimacy of the Court, and Holly shares specifically what she sees in her work teaching church-state law at Georgetown University Law Center. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 01:15): Respect for the...
info_outlineFor the 100th episode of Respecting Religion, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman answer listener questions, ranging from the law surrounding the tax-exempt status of religious institutions to their favorite Supreme Court justices. They also look at some of the big Supreme Court decisions and the shifts on the Court since this podcast began four years ago, sharing some of their favorite and most impactful episodes.
SHOW NOTES
Segment 1 (starting at 00:38): How did we get to 100 episodes?
The podcast series on the dangers of Christian nationalism ran in 2019, and it’s available on the BJC Podcast feed, and you can see all of the episodes on this page of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism website.
Holly and Amanda mentioned some of their favorite episodes, including:
- S3, Ep. 21: The live show reacting to the Kennedy v. Bremerton decision
- S4, Ep. 22: Amanda’s experience at the ReAwaken America tour
- S1, Ep. 15: Reacting to President Trump’s photo-op with a Bible in 2020
You can see a list of every single episode at BJConline.org/RespectingReligion
Segment 2 (starting at 19:06): Questions on tax-exempt status, tough conversations, and more
Holly mentioned the 1983 case of Bob Jones University v. United States. You can read the decision here.
For more about the Respect for Marriage Act, check out episode 7 from season 4: Does the Respect for Marriage Act protect religious liberty?
For more on the Johnson Amendment and the way it protects churches and other groups who are eligible for the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, visit this page on our website. Amanda and Holly also discussed it a bit on episode 4 of season 2: Grading the Trump administration on religious freedom.
Holly mentioned episode 6 from season 3: Challenging misinformation: How to have productive conversations with friends and family.
Segment 3 (starting at 34:07): Questions on podcast recommendations, favorite Supreme Court justices, and more
The podcasts mentioned by Amanda and Holly were:
Amanda and Holly discussed being interns at BJC. The internship program is ongoing – learn more about the opportunities by visiting BJConline.org/internships
Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC’s generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.