Critics Jump the Gun on Tebow Ad
(March 2010)
In the weeks and days leading up to the Super Bowl on CBS, a number of pro-choice proponents took aim at a 30-second ad sponsored by Focus on the Family, even though none had seen the spot until the airing of the NFL championship game on February 7th.(Full Story)

Divisions Deep Over Health Care Reform Legislation
(February 2010)
Even before House and Senate conferees put the finishing touches on a sweeping, compromise health care reform bill, there was contentious debate both on Capitol Hill and elsewhere on certain elements of the measure.(Full Story)

More Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Open to Federal Funding
(January 2010)
The National Institutes of Health last month approved 13 new human embryonic stem cell lines. In addition, dozens more of the controversially derived stem cell lines were under NIH review.(Full Story)

Expanded Hate Crimes Law Stirs Controversy
(December 2009)
President Obama recently signed into law, a bill that extends federal hate crimes protections to homosexuals, lesbians, transgender and disabled people. The statute adds acts of violence based on sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes statute that Congress initially passed in 1968 following the assassination of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and which previously protected people from attacks motivated by race, religion or ethnicity.(Full Story)

War Memorial Cross Weighed by High Court
(November 2009)
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case that raises several questions over a small, white, metal cross, that was first erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in a remote area of the California desert, which later became part of the Mojave National Preserve. The cross, which was part of a memorial honoring World War I veterans, has since been replaced several times, with all versions being about 8 feet tall.(Full Story)

Revamped Faith-Based Office is Assessed
(October 2009)
President Obama's revised and renamed Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships was part of a panel discussion during last month's annual meeting of the Religious Newswriters Association held in Minneapolis.(Full Story)

Health Care Reform Debate Heats Up
(September 2009)
As the Obama administration urged lawmakers to tout the benefits of proposed health care reform legislation during the August recess, opponents questioned the scope of such changes, as well as the costs involved, in the midst of an economic downturn. (Full Story)

Federal Marriage Law Challenged by Massachusetts
(August 2009)
Massachusetts, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. (Full Story)

Reaction is Varied on President's Call For Dialogue on Religious Freedom
(July 2009)
President Obama delivered a speech in Cairo last month directed toward the Muslim world, and which touched on religious freedom and expression. (Full Story)

White House Scale-back of Prayer Day Draws Mixed Response
(June 2009)
The Obama administration did not schedule any public events for last month's observance of the National Day of Prayer, opting instead to issue a proclamation as some past administrations had done. (Full Story)

Traditional Marriage Advocates Dealt More Setbacks
(May 2009)
Last month, same-sex marriage was approved for two more states, Iowa and Vermont, while the District of Columbia gave preliminary approval to recognizing gay marriages performed in other states. (Full Story)

Federal Restrictions on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Rolled Back
(April 2009)
President Obama has signed an executive order reversing limits placed on federal funding of controversial embryonic stem cell research eight years ago, by former President Bush.(Full Story)

New Administration Changes Course On Abortion Policy Overseas; Is U.S. Next?
(March 2009)
As one of his first official acts in office, President Obama signed an executive order directing U.S. funds to organizations that perform and promote abortions overseas. (Full Story)

"Conscience" Protections Afforded to Health Care Workers
(February 2009)
The Department of Health and Human Services last month approved the Provider Conscience Regulation, a federal rule that protects a broad range of health care professionals who refuse to participate in providing services such as abortions, because of moral or religious objections. (Full Story)

Renewed Christmas Emphasis Countered by Some
(January 2009)
Although there has been a concerted effort made this decade by a number of public interest law firms and conservative organizations to defend public displays related to the birth of Jesus, and to go after retailers who censor Christmas, a pair of atheist organizations launched their own counter campaigns during the just- ended holiday season. (Full Story)

Traditional Marriage Prevails On Election Day
(December 2008)
Voters in California, Florida and Arizona approved constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage on Nov. 4th. While traditional marriage advocates hailed the approval of the gay marriage bans in the three states, that was tempered by the legalization of same-sex marriage in Connecticut just eight days later. (Full Story)

Faith Community Divided Over "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"
(November 2008)
The Alliance Defense Fund launched an initiative last May aimed at challenging Internal Revenue Service rules dating back to 1954 which bar houses of worship from politicking by supporting or opposing candidates. The effort culminated with "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," on Sept. 28, in which more than 30 pastors across the U.S. delivered what were deemed by some to be political sermons. (Full Story)

"Life" Issues Emphasized More This Presidential Campaign
(October 2008)
Republican presidential nominee John McCain's choice of running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has brought more focus on life issues during Campaign 2008. (Full Story)

Appellate Court Affirms Home-Schooling in California
(September 2008)
The Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles has reversed a ruling it issued in February that required home-schooling parents be credentialed. The initial ruling by the three-judge panel prompted an outcry from home-schooling advocates, religious organizations and politicians. (Full Story)

High Court Affirms Individual's Right To Bear Arms
(August 2008)
A divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 ruling, struck down the nation's strictest gun control law. Adopted by the District of Columbia 32 years ago to curb handgun violence, the statute banned the private possession of handguns, and required that any rifles or shotguns kept at home be unloaded and dissembled, or bound by a trigger lock mechanism. (Full Story)

Second State Allows Same-Sex Marriages
(July 2008)
Four years after first-in-the-nation gay marriages began being performed in Massachusetts, the state of California followed suit, in a divided ruling by that state's Supreme Court. (Full Story)

Modern-Day Israel Turns 60
(June 2008)
Celebrations were held throughout Israel on May 14th, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of its founding as a modern, independent state. (Full Story)

High Court To Consider Another Ten Commandments-Related Case
(May 2008)
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case dealing with religious monuments and displays on public property. At issue is a Utah case, in which a little-known religious organization formed 33 years ago, wants to have its principles posted in a municipal park in Pleasant Grove near a monument of the Ten Commandments. (Full Story)

Political Future Of "Religious Right" Debated
(April 2008)
Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins, recently hosted a forum that addressed the question of the influence of the religious right in the 2008 elections. (Full Story)

President Makes Final Push For Faith-Based Initiative
(March 2008)
In his last State of the Union Address, President Bush urged Congress to make his faith-based proposals permanent. (Full Story)

High Court Weighs Lethal Injection Amid Decline in Executions
(February 2008)
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments on whether the lethal injection method of execution violates constitutional protections against unnecessary pain and suffering. An appeal of the three-drug regimen used to carry out executions was filed on behalf of two death row inmates in Kentucky. (Full Story)

U.S. Summit Spurs a Resumption of Mideast Peace Talks
(January 2008)
The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was the setting of a recent one-day summit called by President Bush with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. More than 40 nations were represented at the gathering as well, including Arab states such as Saudi Arabia which do not have diplomatic ties with Israel. (Full Story)

Efforts Emphasizing True Meaning of Christmas in Full Swing
(December 2007)
Some conservative organizations are again taking on retailers and others who de-emphasize the word "Christmas" or challenge public displays related to the birth of Jesus. (Full Story)

Faith in Action Sunday Observed
(November 2007)
The inaugural national Faith in Action Sunday was held on October 14th, the culmination of a four-week church-wide campaign. Regular worship services were cancelled that day; the congregations, in turn, engaged in service projects in, and with, the community.(Full Story)

Traditional Marriage Protection in Iowa Struck Down by Judge
(October 2007)
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson recently struck down Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act. His 63-page decision stemmed from a case in 2005 in which six same-sex couples were denied marriage licenses in Polk County.(Full Story)

ELCA Assembly Defers Action on Changing Clergy Standards
(September 2007)
Delegates who attended the recent biennial assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago opted to put off final action on a celibacy requirement for gay clergy until a special task force on sexuality releases its report in advance of the next assembly in 2009.(Full Story)

Divided High Court Ends Term With Rulings in Four High Profile Cases
(August 2007)
The U.S. Supreme Court ended its recent term by issuing a series of 5-to-4 decisions in cases dealing with President Bush's faith-based initiative, religious expression, interest group-funded campaign ads and racial diversity in public schools.(Full Story)

Appellate Court Sides With TV Network in Indecency Case
(July 2007)
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, in a recent 2-to-1 decision, ruled in favor of a Fox Television-led challenge of a new Federal Communications Commission policy penalizing accidentally aired expletives. The FCC issued its indecency finding against Fox over two separate live swearing incidents. The court questioned the basis of a 2004 FCC policy revision targeting "fleeting expletives." It did not outlaw the policy outright, and returned the case to the FCC. The FCC did not issue any penalties against Fox because both incidents predated the 2004 rule change.(Full Story)

Pro-Life Community Encouraged by High Court Ruling on Partial-Birth Abortion
(June 2007)
A divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a recent 5-to-4 decision, upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which President Bush signed into law, but which never was enacted due to legal challenges. It marked the first time since the high court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that the justices upheld a nationwide ban on a specific type of abortion procedure. Under the statute, doctors who perform the late-term procedure face up to two years in federal prison.(Full Story)

President Vows to Veto Another Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill
(May 2007)
The Senate recently approved the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 on a vote of 63-to-34. Seventeen Republicans joined majority Democrats in approving the bill, which would expand federal funding for controversial embryonic stem cell research, in which the process of extracting the stem cells results in the destruction of the embryo.(Full Story)

Faith-Based Initiative Weighed by High Court
(April 2007)
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives which President Bush created in 2001, has its first legal challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court.(Full Story)

Faith Community Takes More Pro-Active Stance On Mideast Affairs
(March 2007)
Religious leaders from various faiths in both the U.S. and Holy Land lobbied for, and prayed for, a lasting peace in the Middle East ahead of key meetings sponsored by the U.S. and the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators on the resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and on a new Palestinian unity government.(Full Story)

Embryonic Stem Cell Bill Advances In Congress
(February 2007)
For a second straight year, controversial legislation expanding federal funding of embryonic stem cell research appeared on track for approval by both chambers of Congress. However, President Bush, who last year issued the first veto of his presidency, of a similar bill, vowed to do the same should it reach his desk this year.(Full Story)

Renewed Emphasis On Christ Made During Christmas Season
(January 2007)
Several conservative organizations continued with various efforts aimed at rolling back the secularization of Christmas in recent years. The end result was more stores putting "Christmas" back into the holidays and more public displays and expressions of the true meaning of the season.(Full Story)

"Values" Issues Generally Well-Received by Voters
(December 2006)
In various ballot issues in last month's mid-term elections, voters in seven of eight states approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, and an increase in the minimum wage was adopted in all six states where that was under consideration.(Full Story)

New Book Takes Aim At Faith-Based Initiative
(November 2006)
Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Sedition, is penned by David Kuo, who left as deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in late 2003. The book was released three weeks before this month's mid-term congressional elections.(Full Story)

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Measure Put On Backburner
(October 2006)
Leading up to the mid-term elections next month, lawmakers on Capitol Hill sidestepped the contentious issue of immigration reform, opting instead to narrow their focus on border security.(Full Story)

Legal Maneuvers Continue Over Mount Soledad Cross
(September 2006)
President Bush recently signed into law a measure transferring control of a long-standing war memorial featuring a 29-foot cross from the city of San Diego to the federal government, as a national monument, with the goal of preserving it permanently.(Full Story)

Gay Marriage Ban Fails In Congress, But Makes Legal Strides In Some States
(August 2006)
One month after the Senate failed to approve the Marriage Protection Amendment, the measure likewise fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to clear the House, as well. The proposed 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution defined marriage as the “union between a man and a woman.”(Full Story)

Tougher Penalties Imposed For Broadcast Indecency Violations
(July 2006)
Just days after the House finalized the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act by an overwhelming margin, the measure was signed into law by President Bush, and became effective immediately. Broadcasters who violate restrictions on indecent language or content in their programs will see their fines increased ten-fold, from $32,500 to $325,000 per incident, with a focus on the hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children are more likely to be watching.(Full Story)

“The Da Vinci Code” Movie Draws Mixed Reviews
(June 2006)
The $125-million film version of author Dan Brown’s controversial best-selling book, "The Da Vinci Code," opened recently in more than 3,700 U.S. theaters and nearly 8,700 overseas. Brown’s book, which sold more than 40-million copies, theorizes that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, that they had a child, and that the Roman Catholic Church tried to cover up the matter.(Full Story)

Controversy Swirls Over Timing, Unveiling of “Gospel of Judas”
(May 2006)
Just days before the onset of Holy Week, the National Geographic Society displayed at its Museum in Washington, D.C., the only known surviving copy of the so-called “Gospel of Judas,” a document that portrays the apostle who betrayed Jesus in a more flattering light than what appears in the New Testament.(Full Story)

Gay Marriage Showdown Looming In Congress, Courts
(April 2006)
In advance of a scheduled vote in early June in the U.S. Senate on the Marriage Protection Amendment, legal challenges surrounding traditional marriage will be taken up in at least two states.(Full Story)

Alito Confirmed By A Divided Senate
(March 2006)
The Senate, on a vote of 58 to 42, recently confirmed Samuel Alito as the 110th Associate Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court following contentious debate in both the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor.(Full Story)

"The Book Of Daniel" Draws Mixed Reviews
(February 2006)
NBC stirred controversy with the recent airing of the limited-run television series, “The Book of Daniel,” prior to the network’s airing this month of the 2006 Winter Olympics.(Full Story)

Renewed Emphasis Made On Origin Of Christmas Season
(January 2006)
There was a concerted effort by some conservative organizations to get back to the traditional celebration and meaning of Christmas and away from the political correctness that has accompanied the holiday in recent years.(Full Story)

Intelligent Design Makes Spotlight In Both The Classroom And Courtroom
(December 2005)
Just days after closing arguments concluded in the nation’s first test case of intelligent design being taught in public schools, Kansas became the fifth state in the country to allow students to learn about the scientific evidence both for and against Darwin’s theory of evolution.(Full Story)

Reactions Before And After To Miers' Withdrawal From Nomination To High Court
(November 2005)
White House Counsel Harriet Miers removed her name from consideration as President Bush’s choice to succeed retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, less than two weeks before her Senate confirmation hearings were to have begun. In doing so, Miers cited requests by members of the Senate for confidential documents in relation to her work at the White House for withdrawing her nomination.(Full Story)

Pledge Of Allegiance Back In The Courts
(October 2005)
A federal judge in Sacramento recently ruled that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the nation’s public schools is unconstitutional. The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton stemmed from a revised lawsuit filed by California atheist Michael Newdow, who for years has challenged the legality of the phrase, “under God” in the pledge.(Full Story)

Frist Changes Stance On Stem Cell Research
(September 2005)
Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist did an about-face on controversial human embryonic stem cell research during a recent floor speech. The Tennessee lawmaker and cardiologist formally broke ranks with the Bush administration’s opposition to proposed legislation that would expand federal funding for such research.(Full Story)

Ten Commandments Ruling Fail To Fully Clarify The Issue
(August 2005)
A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently in two cases involving public displays of the Ten Commandments on government property. In one case, the Justices ruled 5-4 to allow a longstanding granite monument to remain on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol. In another 5-4 decision, the high court barred framed copies of the Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses. (Full Story)

Florida Right-To-Die Case Raises Questions And Emotions
(July 2005)
Two months after 41-year-old Terri Schiavo died at a Florida hospice, Pinellas County Medical Examiner, Dr. Jon Thogmartin, released the autopsy results. Thogmartin said, Schiavo died of dehydration, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed at her husband Michael Schiavo’s request, and against her family’s wishes. (Full Story)

Legal Briefs Filed In Assisted-Suicide Case
(June 2005)
A number of religious and conservative organizations have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s challenge of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation assisted-suicide law.(Full Story)

Late Pope Recognized By Catholics, Non-Catholics Alike
(May 2005)
Pope John Paul II died recently of a series of ailments triggered by breathing problems aggravated by the flu and a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 84. The third-longest serving pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church at more than 26 years, John Paul was also the most traveled. He logged some 773,000 miles in trips to 129 countries and territories.(Full Story)

Episcopal Church Responds To Rebuke From Anglican Communion
(April 2005)
Primates from the 38 national churches which comprise the Anglican Communion met recently in Northern Ireland over the growing rift caused by the ordination of an openly homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church U.S.A., and the blessing of same-sex unions by clerics in both the American church and the Anglican Church of Canada.(Full Story)

A New Era Of Diplomacy Is Seen In Middle East
(March 2005)
Some Mideast observers say, a series of recent events have opened a path toward a process of achieving a lasting peace in the region between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.(Full Story)

Establishment Clause Subject Of Intense Litigation
(February 2005)
There has been a recent flurry of lawsuits alleging violations of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which calls for the separation of church and state.(Full Story)

High Court In U.S., Canada, Take Different Approaches On Gay Marriage Issue
(January 2005)
The U.S. Supreme Court recently sidestepped a dispute over first-in-the-nation legalized same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, while the Canadian Supreme Court paved the way for gay marriages nationwide. (Full Story)

President, Conservatives, Big Winner On Election Day
(December 2004)
President Bush was re-elected on November 2nd with a majority in both the Electoral College and in the overall turnout by more than three million votes. The election also saw Republicans increase their majority in both the U.S. House and Senate.(Full Story)

Ten Commandments Displays To Be Decided By High Court
(November 2004)
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear two cases regarding the constitutionality of Ten Commandments plaques and monuments on government property.(Full Story)

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Dealt Legal Setback
(October 2004)
Three federal judges recently ruled that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is unconstitutional.(Full Story)

Gay Marriage Issue Makes Way Through Courts, Legislatures
(September 2004)
Recent same-sex marriages in Massachusetts have resulted in a flurry of activity in both the judicial and legislative branches of state and federal government.(Full Story)