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Battles over property rights are one of the hottest topics in religious liberty litigation today. ADF lawyer Jordan Lorence discusses four current cases involving the ability of churches to rent public school space in New York City, an overdue tax bill for a church that is supposedly tax exempt, the size of signs advertising worship services, and a minimum acreage requirement for a small congregation.

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In a “simul-podcast” with the Euvoluntary Exchange blog, Samuel Wilson interviews Tony about whether, and to what extent, religion connects with the new economic concept of “euvoluntary exchange” (EE). Samuel describes what EE is and then our conversation ranges over a wide array of topics including whether children have a real choice in choosing their faith and

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An often overlooked aspect of the rise of religious freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries was the role of Dutch toleration for religious dissent. Prof. Evan Haefeli of Columbia University documents the critical role that the Netherlands played in fostering religious tolerance in the Low Countries and how this translated across the Atlantic Ocean in the colonial territory they held in the Americas for a half century. He offers a surprising conclusion on what the political-religious landscape would have looked like in post-colonial America had the Dutch been able to retain possession of their territories into the 18th century.

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Despite being a nation prided upon religious freedom, the United States has witnessed several episodes of intense persecution of religious minorities. Prof. David Smith (University of Sydney) discusses why these episodic violations of civil liberties happen with specific reference to the Latter Day Saints in the mid-19th century and the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the early 20th century. He links these (and other) events to the threat that they generate towards the political status quo. We also discuss how this may relate to harassment of Catholics, Jews, and Muslims in US history over the past two centuries.

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In a very special “simul-podcast,” Russ Roberts of EconTalk interviews Tony about the economics of religion and religious liberty. This interview is broadcast both on our website and over at EconTalk (www.econtalk.org). This is extra special for Tony given that it was EconTalk that inspired the creation of this show and he is a big fan of Prof. Robert’s work. We discuss the origins of religious liberty as well as some additional observations about the economics of religion.

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On October 10, 2013, a distinguished panel of scholars gathered at Georgetown University to discuss the relationship between religious liberty and economic prosperity. Sponsored by the Religious Freedom Project of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and moderated by Prof. William Inboden, the panelists included Ilan Alon (Rollins College), Timur Kuran (Duke), Ian Linden (Tony Blair Faith Foundation), and Rebecca Shah (Religious Freedom Project). They discuss the various causal (and sometimes non-causal) pathways wherein greater religious toleration and freedom promotes an environment conducive to entrepreneurship, immigration, and the institutional expansion of othe civil liberties.

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On October 10, 2013, a distinguished panel of scholars gathered at Georgetown University to discuss the relationship between religious liberty to political freedom and social flourishing. Sponsored by the Religious Freedom Project of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and moderated by Prof. Timothy Shah, the panelists included Dan Philpott (Notre Dame), Nukhet Sandal (Ohio U), Ani Sarkissian (Michigan State), and Tony Gill (U of Washington). They examine issues whether democracies can suppress religious liberty and still remain democratic, whether increases in religious liberty can promote other civil liberties, and whether religious freedom can facilitate transitions from authoritarianism.

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We take a look at several issues on the religious liberty landscape, from Christmas songs in public schools to prayers at city council meetings to health care mandates. David Cortman, of the Alliance Defending Freedom, provides a review of these cases and addresses some of the challenges that Tony puts before him. This is a wide-ranging discussion that covers some of the more well-known court cases as well as some lesser known issues.

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The surprising outcome of the Hosanna-Tabor v EEOC Supreme Court case forms the basis for our discussion of religious liberty and how far the “ministerial exemption” to federal anti-discrimation laws can be carried. Prof. Matthew Franck (Witherspoon Institute) discusses the details of the case, how it wound its way through the court system, and what happened at the Supreme Court. Along the way, Tony learns a great deal of the U.S. legal system. We then put this case in the broader context of religious freedom and labor regulations.

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For the past two and a half years, Tony Gill has interviewed over 135 guests on this podcast. Today, Prof. Steve Pfaff takes over as guest host and interviews Tony about his recent book, “The Political Origins of Religious Liberty.” We discuss what religious liberty is and why a government would ever want to allow religious groups to have greater freedom. Tony emphasizes the political and economic motivations behind “deregulating the religious marketplace”, including the need to attract immigrants, promote free trade, and generate economic growth and tax revenue. We focus attention on colonial American history, but also discuss religious freedom in Russia, China, Mexico, Chile and a few other places. This interview is a great complement to other podcasts we have had on the topic of religious liberty, and an opportunity to see what your weekly host is really thinking about!

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