Center for Liberty of Conscience

There are still Christians in Sudan, although they are now in the minority with the large exodus of Christians to the newly created South Sudan. However, Christian leaders in the north point out ‘that Sudanese government officials had expressed a keenness to work with them.’ While Christmas is no longer a general holiday, government officials indicated a willingness ‘to participate in Christian celebrations.’

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Roger Williams was born about 1603. Sir Edward Coke, England’s greatest jurist, referred to him as a son. Through Sir Edward Coke’s influence, Roger Williams attended the University of Cambridge where he studied theology. A controversial figure in his day, Roger Williams remains so today. While some state the Roger Williams never contributed anything to America’s constitutional right of religious freedom, John Barry credits Roger Williams with creating ‘the freest society in the Western world’ when he founded Rhode Island with a ‘hedge or wall of Separation between the Garden of the Church and the Wildernes of the world.’ Although Roger Williams was a Puritan of the seventeenth century, Barry believes that Williams’ thought and writings are relevant for today. Williams believed that government’s authority resided with the people and that it was “‘monstrous’ to compel conformity to his or anyone else’s beliefs.” He also believed that ‘God’s will was better discerned by individuals than by institutions’, an interesting claim given recent developments in US law.

Read Barry’s Article on Roger Williams.

A church school teacher was fired when she sought to enforce her rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the case (Hosanna-Tabor) January 11, 2012 and found for the church. While the decision has been hailed by some such as the Baptist Joint Committee (read BJC analysis), others state that it is a poor decision because it denies the rights of individuals over those of religious institutions.

Read Analysis.