In a culture that prizes outrage over reconciliation, forgiveness is increasingly seen as weakness--an outdated concept that fails to take harm seriously. But what if forgiveness is not about minimizing justice but about restoring hope? In a Friday Forum titled “The Power of Forgiveness in a Culture of Rage”, international author, speaker and theologian Amy Orr Ewing joined us to discuss the transformative power of this important biblical command. Support the show

In a recent interview, the campus free speech advocate, Greg Lukianoff, noted that Americans are waking up from the “Vegas Delusion” when it comes to what’s happening at the nation’s colleges and universities regarding the freedom to express one’s views. No more does “what happened on campus, stay on campus,” he opined, this aversion to free speech was happening in our council chambers and corporate boardrooms. Our First Amendment ensures important protections of speech, press, and reli...

You're listening to the Faith and Law podcast. This spring, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, protecting the right of parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children and to opt their young children out of one-sided gender ideology curriculum in public schools. Our panel of experts, in partnership with the Becket Fund For Religious Liberty, explored the Mahmoud decision and what it means for the future of parental rights and religious freedom...

The culture of freedom we enjoy in the United States is deeply shaped by religious minorities seeking to honor God in their beliefs and orders of worship from the colonial period to the present day. Marc Wheat, General Counsel for Advancing American Freedom, introduced the historical and legal context for the First Amendment, thereby establishing the foundation for our Friday Forum titled “Religious Liberty and Parental Opt-Outs: School Choice at the Supreme Court” in partnership with B...

Most Americans either do not understand legislative politics, or if they do, they are repulsed by the process. But Congress is the most important institution in the American government because without it, democracy is impossible. Working in Congress gives you the opportunity to do good for thousands, perhaps millions of people. Where else in the world can you do that, so early in your career? Mark Strand, former President of the Congressional Institute and current member of the Faith an...

In 1988, Ben Spencer was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit. He spent 34 years wrongfully imprisoned. Now, Ben has teamed up with award-winning journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty to share his story – and larger story about the flaws in the legal system that allow mistakes to occur, and how some states are trying to fix them. Conversation was moderated by Scott Peyton, director of government affairs at Prison Fellowship. Support the show

Many Christians talk earnestly about ‘the Christian roots of America,’ but never say what they were. Equally the MAGA movement aims to ‘make America great again,’ but never stops to say what made America great in first place. Dr. Os Guinness, foreign admirer of the US, joined us to discuss what it was that gave the American republic a freedom like no other – which needs to be recovered today. Support the show

People with disabilities are created in the image of God, imbued with the same intrinsic value and bestowed the unalienable rights declared in our nation’s founding document. However, the history of disability policy and social norms have not always mirrored this foundational truth. Drawing from her experience, surviving a life threatening and rare spinal cord tumor that left her as a quadriplegic and her decades working on Capitol Hill, Rachel Barkley director of the National Cen...

Is the purpose of religious liberty to end religious oppression or is it to change, perhaps even eradicate, religion as it has been known across history? That question has been at the heart of America’s debates about religious liberty since the founding era and it still plagues us today. Dr. Richard Samuelson, Associate Professor of Government at Hillsdale College, presented a study of this founding era debate to help us understand this important tension that has persisted across American his...

In his 1962 book, Propaganda, Jacques Ellul outlines three conditions for propaganda’s success. Bombard people with excessive information so they will forget, always have “breaking news” so they do not reflect or think critically, and have no North Star or standard to measure deviation. As Christians we are called to remember, called to think, and called to follow our certain and firm North Star. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic officer for Lig...

During a time when political conversations are marked by deep division, polarization, and challenging moral questions, what resources do evangelicals have to think and act critically, coherently, and theologically about public life? In their new book, Hopeful Realism: Evangelical Natural Law and Democratic Politics, political theorists Dr. Jesse Covington of Westmont College, Dr Bryan T. McGraw of Wheaton College, and Dr. Micah Watson of Calvin College lay out an evangelical theory of the nat...

Dr. Amy E. Black, Professor of Political Science at Wheaton College (IL) joined us to share ideas from her forthcoming book, Civil Religion and the Renewal of American Politics. Dr. Black rejects strict secularism and Christian nationalism, suggesting instead that an inclusive civil religion is the best model for the interplay of religion and politics in a pluralist democracy like the United States. Support the show

American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Timothy Carney challenges modern parenting strategies that prioritize over-scheduling, intense academic pressure, and material success. Drawing from years of research and his own experience as a father of six, Carney reveals how the relentless drive for perfection is harming both parents and children, is leading to skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression, and how parents, policymakers, and believers, should respond. Support the show

We partnered with the Institute for Human Ecology for a conversation between Dr. Joseph Capizzi, the first ever lay Dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, and The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. Our panelists discussed the “democratization of theology” facilitated by new media and parallel trends. Drawing from Douthat’s latest book, Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious, the conversation highlighted the changes in the religious l...

In this annual panel discussion with Capitol Hill veterans, we were joined by Michelle Altman, a former U.S. Senate Chief of Staff, Arne Christenson, a former Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House, and A.T. Johnston, a former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense. Panelists shared their stories of success and failure as they navigated the complicated ethical waters of faith and work on the Hill. John Palafoutas, Chairman of the board of Faith and Law served as moderator. Support the show

In a democratic society, differences and disagreements are inevitable—but they don’t have to lead to dysfunction. For leaders, especially those guided by faith, understanding pluralism is key to navigating tensions and fostering unity. Ben Klutsey, Executive Director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, will share insights on bridging divides and advancing the common good. Drawing from his experience growing up under military rule in Ghana and his research on pluralism, he ...

In May 2025, respected academic journal, Nature/Springer will publish a special Global Flourishing Study collection of papers, a product of four years of collaboration among more than 40 leading experts from Harvard University, Baylor University and Gallup. This $43.4 million dollar initiative involves data collection from approximately 200,000 participants, from 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries. Their goal, to answer ​​questions such as what causes people in some coun...

Deadly violence dishonors the innate, God-given dignity of all people and brings grave loss to families and communities. In this Friday Forum in partnership with Prison Fellowship, a panel of experts in criminal justice joined us to discuss how policymakers both on Capitol Hill and in the states should act to reforms that prioritize violence reduction, proportional punishment, and rehabilitation. Support the show

Secularists have failed spectacularly in their quest for a “naked public square”, devoid of religious values. Christians enjoy a dominant presence in public life, especially civil government. But how has this extraordinary opportunity impacted politics and public policy? The Honorable Paul McNulty, the ninth president of Grove City College and co-founder of Faith and Law joined us to discuss the wisest road ahead for believers working in the public square. Support the show

Is it correct or even possible to be optimistic about our future given the rapid pace of technological change and all the challenges these developments bring? Along with technology, our modern society has reaped great abundance and stands to gain more, but Christians must also think about how to steward a materially abundant society. What could a radically abundant future look like, especially for our children, and how might it be achieved? How might Christians think about a future of radical...