S5, Ep. 01: Live Q&A with Holly and Amanda

Is the Supreme Court immune from public pressure? What is the role of the government when it comes to nondiscrimination laws, gender identity, and posting Scripture? As we begin season 5 of Respecting Religion, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman take live questions from an audience on these topics and more. Hear their updates from the summer as they share what we can expect from this new Supreme Court term, as well as how decisions are impacting our country at all levels.

SHOW NOTES: Segment 1 (starting at 1:18): Welcome back for season 5

Amanda spoke about the role of religious nationalism in the Israel-Gaza War this week at a church in Pennsylvania during a previously-scheduled talk on Christian nationalism. "I believe God weeps at the sight of God's children killing one another, and God yearns for peace," she said. You can watch her remarks here.

Amanda and Holly discussed the decisions in Groff v. DeJoy and 303 Creative v. Elenis in our season 4 finale.

Read Holly's column on Groff: The Supreme Court got something right on religion

Read more reactions to the Supreme Court's decision striking down race-conscious college admissions in this article from BJC's fall magazine, including the statement from the BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation.

Holly talked about the new Supreme Court term in this article by Pamela Manson for UPI: Religious liberty cases could land on Supreme Court docket this term

Amanda mentioned this op-ed she wrote for CNN: New Texas law deprives families of religious liberty rights

Read more about Amanda's move to Texas in her recent column: Faith freedom across the country

Segment 2 (starting at 12:00): Questions from our audience

The first question referred to remarks Justice Samuel Alito made about supposed hostility to religion in a 2022 speech, which you can watch here.

This episode was recorded during Banned Books Week, which took place from October 1-7. Learn more on the website of the American Library Association.

Learn more about the troubling law in Texas requiring school boards to vote on creating a "chaplain" program and how you can take action on our website at BJConline.org/publicschoolchaplains

Amanda mentioned this statement from the current and former leaders of Texas Baptists denouncing "School Choice Sunday." Read more in this article by Ken Camp for the Baptist Standard: BGCT leaders call Gov. Abbott's appeal 'out of bounds'

Amanda and Holly had an in-depth discussion on the Respect for Marriage Act in episode 7 of season 4.

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.