It's Thursday, January 20, 2022.

I'm Albert Moller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from

a Christian worldview.

It's very interesting to ask yourself the question, are the religious liberty issues just

now far more pervasive, far more common or challenges and controversies, just now more the rule of the day

than they were in the past? Well the answer the short answer is yes they are

far more common and we need to think about this for a moment even in light of some recent actions by the Supreme Court of the United States.

In both cases, by the way, we are looking at actions we believe will defend religious liberty.

But why have these issues just arisen over? we believe will defend religious liberty.

But why have these issues just arisen over and over again?

And when exactly did that start?

Well, in one sense it started at the beginning of the American Republic.

It started in the beginning as of our constitutional order.

As you look at the United States Constitution,

it would not exist as ratified without the first 10 amendments

known as the Bill of Rights. The first of those amendments,

among other provisions, affirms the freedom of religion or religious liberty. And it does so very

famously in two clauses. You might say one is negative and one is positive.

Positively you have a right of religious expression or free expression of religion.

The other clause states in the negative that the state, the federal government, may not establish a religion, may not take any measure that would amount to the establishment of a religion.

That was a huge advance in terms of codifying, constitutionalizing religious liberty, and it does take

both that positive and negative principle, those two clauses.

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