The Institute on Religion & Democracy is a faith-based alliance of Christians. Thank you for visiting!
We keep our readers in touch with the issues and our activities via www.TheIRD.org and Faith & Freedom, our quarterly magazine. In resources mailed to homes around the country, we address the issues from just war to denominational politics to same-sex marriage to immigration.
Operating as usual
08/17/2023
Earlier this month, ISIS announced that its leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, had died fighting a rival terrorist group in Eastern Syria. With five caliphs in less than four years, the Islamic State makes governments in the Sahel seem stable.
ISIS Just Got a New Boss. Does Anyone Care Anymore? With five caliphs in less than four years, the Islamic State makes governments in the Sahel seem stable.
08/16/2023
The beginning of the universe, the fine tuning of the physical constants of the universe, the origin of life, and its later complex patterns all point to a transcendent designer.
Stephen Meyer Proposes God as a Conclusion of Science Only theism is adequate to explain the “ensemble of evidence that we now have about biological, physical, and cosmological origins” ... this brings the possibility of an intelligent origin of life into the area of public truth.
08/15/2023
With the instructions that they had nothing to do but save souls and reform the nation, the first Methodist preachers crisscrossed the land, held revivals, organized camp meetings, and were primarily responsible for creating in America a new religious culture, which was not only the basis for democracy but for the flourishing of Christian faith.
America! The Glory of the World for Religion We should view our present religious situation not as a time of despair but as a time of opportunity, writes Riley B. Case.
08/14/2023
The year 1941, a truly ominous year in the struggle between civilization and barbarism, apparently prompted an obscure Oxford scholar — C. S. Lewis — to think more deeply about the problem of evil in the world, to great literary effect.
C. S. Lewis against the Darkness The year 1941 prompted obscure Oxford scholar C. S. Lewis to think more deeply about the problem of evil in the world, to great literary effect.
08/11/2023
“These departures are indicative of a disconnect between two groups within the Anglican Church in North America: former mainline Protestants, including former Episcopalians, standing against revisionist theology, and post-evangelicals reacting against cultural hallmarks of their prior church homes, such as complementarianism or Christian nationalism,” IRD's Jeff Walton tells Christianity Today.
Two Anglican Church Plants Leave for the Episcopal Church Resurrection South Austin is the latest to go, citing issues around race, women, s*xual minorities, and abuse response.
08/11/2023
There is always the temptation by religionists to believe that power in their hands can enact a holy regime.
The Politics of Jesus We must be very slow to speak politically for Him.
08/10/2023
Jettisoning the liberal principle of “separation” will not revive piety. Only revivals do that.
‘Regime Change’ and Postliberal False Hope At a time when the United States suffers from serious political ailments, it is tempting to bash liberalism.
08/09/2023
Progressive divinity schools are teaching a Q***r theology that branches from both Marxist-influenced liberation theology and q***r theory.
Mainline Seminaries All-In on ‘Q***ring the Divine’ Progressive divinity schools have transitioned from an embrace of inclusivity to instead uproot fundamental principles of theology.
08/08/2023
For centuries, the Chaldean Church has actively promoted inclusive dialogue within Iraqi society, and has represented sister Christian communities in its relations with the Iraqi Government. However, a recent move by Iraqi President Abd al-Latif Rashid threatens the critical role of the Chaldean Church in Iraq.
A Threat to the Chaldean Patriarchate is a Threat to All Christians in Iraq A recent move by Iraqi President Abd al-Latif Rashid threatens the critical role of the Chaldean Church in Iraq.
08/08/2023
How big is the United Methodist split, really?
How Big is the United Methodist Split So Far? How big is the United Methodist split so far? Here's some important perspective on this schism and the growth of the Global Methodist Church.
08/07/2023
How can Christians live in a contemporary culture which is hostile to Biblical faith and yet be faithful to Christ?
Contending for Truth and Justice in Love Christians are in a moment that’s going to require a level of courage but truth consistently and sincerely and lovingly stated is its best answer and will certainly be finally honored by God.
08/04/2023
Each non denominational church is fully autonomous; there are no higher tribunals that can resolve intra-church disputes. Who will step in and resolve disputes if not the civil courts?
Will Non Denominational Surge Lead Courts to Review More Intra-Church Disputes? How might intra-church legal disputes be resolved absent mediating bodies in the church?
08/03/2023
J. Robert Oppenheimer believed that science could save humanity. The film Oppenheimer reminds us he was wrong.
08/03/2023
“Nobody wants to die,” they say, and many of us do not even want to think about it, writes Bishop Timothy Whitaker. But, "The moment has arrived for me when death has become personal."
Bishop Tim Whitaker on Learning to Die Bishop Timothy Whitaker shares on the unwanted challenge of living with disease, theological reflections on death, and his personal attitudes toward dying.
08/02/2023
What happens when churches go vague on theology and detailed on politics?
The National Council of Churches’ Collapse But other churches can learn lessons from the NCC’s demise: Be firm on doctrine and careful on political activism.
08/02/2023
The changed heart may begin with the individual and his or her cooperation with the grace of God, but that changed heart lives in community, and learns to love others with the holy love of God.
Wesleyans and the Public Square Direct political conversation is avoidable. But what isn’t avoidable is the fact that the Gospel has social repercussions.
08/01/2023
Jon Ward in his new book Testimony identifies the root of evangelical anti-intellectualism as a spiritual experience of the heart, as opposed to the head. Ultimately, this hyper-spiritualized worldview is rooted in self-absorbed experiences.
Testimony and the Dangers of Anti-Intellectualism By combining personal vulnerability and investigative journalism, Jason Ward in "Testimony" confronts paradoxes and hypocrisies of his evangelical experience.
07/31/2023
Any Southeastern United Methodist who has seen radicalism in other regions and thought, “it can’t happen here!” must now face the reality of how such radicalism has already come to dominate and spread across what is left of United Methodism in the Southeast.
What Every Southeastern United Methodist Needs to Know Documentation of the liberalism now shaping every major corner of the Southeastern United Methodist Jurisdiction.
07/28/2023
Christians ought not reject masculinity, as some in our culture would have us do. The problem is not masculinity, it is men's sin.
Defending Good Men: A Review of The Toxic War on Masculinity Evangelical scholar Nancy R. Pearcey provides a thoughtful and factually grounded rebuttal to popular narratives about manhood.
07/28/2023
The elevation of nobodies into somebodies is a unique gift of Christianity to the world, writes IRD's Mark Tooley.
"Christian Nationalism" & Mocking Victims The elevation of nobodies into somebodies is a unique gift of Christianity to the world.
Join us for a discussion on confronting jihadism in Africa: lessons from Nigeria and Somalia. This discussion will be presented by Max Prowant, Philos Project Research Fellow at IDC.
07/27/2023
IRD's Jeff Walton writes that there is a jarring disconnect between Anglicans who separated from the Episcopal Church’s theological revisionism at great cost, and post-Evangelicals newly weighing such truth claims.
Second Anglican Parish Heads for Episcopal Church A prominent Anglican Church in North America parish departs the denomination to pursue affiliation with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
07/26/2023
Recently IRD's Joe Loconte joined The Jacob Kersey Program to discuss the Christianity of John Locke, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Listeners can access the recording in podcast form via the below link.
The God of Locke, Lewis, Tolkien and the West IRD's Dr. Joseph Loconte joins The Jacob Kersey Program to discuss the Christianity of John Locke, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
07/26/2023
Regionalization would allow United Methodists in the United States and Europe to declare themselves a “region” to have their own Discipline, not subject to review, revision, or input from African Methodists.
Slavery, Homos*xuality, and United Methodist Regionalism United Methodist regionalism implies that “culture” can now stand as an interpreter of Scripture, writes Riley B. Case.
07/25/2023
United Methodism is in a free fall, a loss for U.S. society and American Christianity. What is going on?
Methodist Split & Post-denominational USA Very few U.S. denominations are growing, although the liberal ones are declining the fastest.
07/25/2023
Welcome to the new Southern United Methodism: Drag-queens preach to children. Top denominational officials openly violate church rules they promised to uphold. Gay weddings. New clergy openly engage in homos*xual practice, flippant blasphemy, and casual profanity.
Today’s Southern United Methodism: Non-Celibate Gay Clergy, Weddings Already Here Now top Southern United Methodist officials trample church rules, biblical morality as blatantly as had been seen in radicalized regions.
07/24/2023
Three Idaho Christians sued after their arrest at the spot of a worship service on September 2020 for violating Moscow, Idaho’s COVID-19 policy. After two and a half years in litigation, the city has settled.
Idaho Christians Secure $300,000 Settlement After Disputing City COVID Policy, Wrongful Arrest Judge finds Christ Church Moscow, Idaho plaintiffs should not have been arrested for refusal to wear masks at an outdoor Psalm sing.
07/21/2023
The South was once the bastion of United Methodist conservatism, but now has become about as liberal as other regions of the denomination. Even in previously conservative regions, no congregation that chooses to remain UMC will be left alone by the new intolerant liberalism that has taken over the denomination.
Even in the South, the United Methodist Church Has Changed Even in the once conservative-leaning South, the United Methodist Church has now become dramatically more liberal than even a few years ago.
07/21/2023
This week we welcome College Outreach and Events Director Sarah Stewart, who comes to IRD from Leadership Institute. Sarah has a Master of Divinity in the Development of Christian Thought and Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics from Liberty University. Welcome, Sarah!
07/21/2023
A story centered upon the gritty world of child s*x trafficking is among the highest profile films this summer. For Christians, what’s our answer to an old and complicated problem?
How Should Christians Respond to ‘Sound of Freedom’? Sound of Freedom employs emotional connection to raise awareness about modern-day slavery, but manipulation tactics, not kidnapping, are the more common culprit.
07/20/2023
A government that can crush religious liberty can crush other civil rights, too.
Defending the Integrity of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Attenuating the protections of the federal RFRA, which is now a real danger, will lead to more conflict in how we respect religious liberty.
07/20/2023
A Colorado school argues that it is being forced to choose between compromising its religious conviction to exclusively employ Christian teachers, or abide by their religious beliefs and forgo the state’s funding program.
Christian School Challenges Colorado on Exclusionary State-Wide School Funding Darren Patterson Christian Academy argues that Colorado forces it to choose between its religious integrity and participation in a state funding program.
07/19/2023
When we are no longer under the authority of unfaithful rulers, it is morally incumbent upon us to speak the truth so as to help others who are still under their authority. Yet so many churches and leaders who have gotten free from the UMC have chosen to simply move along, leaving behind those who haven’t been so fortunate as to move as quickly, writes the Rev. Jeffrey Rickman.
Pastor Jeffrey Rickman’s Caution to Disaffiliated Methodists Global Methodist elder Jeffrey Rickman urges fellow disaffiliated Methodists to not abandon faithful brothers and sisters "left behind."
07/18/2023
Every active United Methodist bishop in America oversees a culture of theological anarchy. Clergy can — and do — publicly discourage belief in core doctrines, with no response from bishops.
How ALL United Methodist Bishops Fail the Discipline How even orthodox United Methodist bishops have become complicit in the unraveling of the Discipline as the denomination's supposed covenant.
07/17/2023
Despite the presence of charismatic renewal themes at the Episcopal Church’s recent “It’s All About Love” festival, including language of revival, healing prayer stations, and anointing with oil, the event spotlighted proponents of revisionist theology emphasizing s*xuality, gender identity, and race.
‘She's Tickling Our Souls’ Episcopalians Proclaim of Holy Spirit at Jesus Festival Top Episcopal Church officials warn of increasing anxiety at climate change as well as the need for healing amidst mental health and wellness crises.
07/14/2023
In a move that has significant implications for Christian medical practitioners, a Tennessee law banning gender-altering procedures for minors can take effect.
Court Halts Challenge to Tennessee Ban on Gender-Altering Procedures In a move that has implications for Christian medical practitioners, a Tennessee law banning gender-altering procedures for minors can take effect.
07/13/2023
First Amendment scholar Thomas C. Berg’s Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age highlights the rising polarization in America and how religious liberty can remedy a rising tide of animosity among opposing camps in American political culture.
Berg's Strange Bedfellows: A Review of Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age Can religious liberty can remedy polarization and animosity among opposing camps in American political culture?
07/12/2023
A unanimous Supreme Court rules in favor of a Christian postal service worker who sought relief from having to work Sundays, as doing so would curtail his ability to honor the Sabbath.
Supreme Court Strengthens Religious Workplace Accommodations in Sweeping 9-0 Decision A unanimous Court rules in favor of a Christian postal service worker, Gerald Groff, who sought relief from having to work on Sunday.
07/11/2023
Kokomo, Indiana is a case study in seeking to understand the changing religious scene in America, writes Riley Case. Evangelical, Pentecostal and Roman Catholic churches grow rapidly along a 5-mile stretch of road, while mainline Protestantism seems locked in steady decline.
Sorting Out America’s Religious Climate Kokomo, Indiana is a case study in seeking to understand the changing religious scene in America, writes the Rev. Riley Case.
| Monday | 9am - 5:30pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5:30pm |
Competitive Enterprise Institute The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a public interest group dedicated to free enterprise and lim
Environmental Change and Security Program - ECSP Since 1994, the Woodrow Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) has explore
The Institute for College Access & Success www.ticas.org | Promoting affordability, accountability, and equity in higher education.
NANBPWC Inc NANBPWC, Inc. was founded by seven courageous visionaries who sought to: promote and protect the int
American Dental Education Association The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the sole national organization representing acade
American Battlefield Trust We've saved more than 56,000 acres of American Battlefield land. Join us as we work to protect more!
Boren Awards for International Study Up to $25,000 for U.S. undergraduates and up to $30,000 for graduates to study in Africa, Asia, Centr
Georgetown Law Library The Georgetown Law Library supports the research and educational pursuits of the students and facult
Running Start Running Start is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created to educate young women
Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) Georgetown University Box 571031, ICC 111 Washington, DC 20057-1031 202-687-6080 Hours: 9:00-17:00
Bound4LIFE International Bound4LIFE is a grassroots movement to pray for the ending of abortion, carry the spirit of adoption,
Institute for Organization Management Institute for Organization Management (IOM) is the nonprofit professional development program of the