In this current COVID-19 crisis, local, state and federal governments are taking a wide range actions, some of them unprecedented, that affect the ability of faith-based nonprofits to sustain their basic operations and to provide services. Governments are also adopting new policies that directly influence the quality of life of the employees of faith-based organizations and the well-being of people in the communities those organizations serve. Are these aid programs, expenditures, and prohibitions, positive or do they need refinement? Advocacy and lobbying are activities, protected by law, that faith leaders and faith-based organizations can speak to government and the public about the justice and effectiveness of these and other policies. Advocacy helps the government know what works, and helps organizations affected by government policy seek changes important for their own religious freedom and effectiveness and for the good of the people they serve.
Beyond the Public Gatherings Debate: Religious Freedom for Faith-based Organizations During COVID-19
The national conversation regarding religious freedom right now is largely focused on the question of public, in person gatherings for worship services. This public conversation and its nuances have been relatively well covered. And yet, it is important to recognize that this is not the only element of the institutional religious freedom discussion that needs to be had at the moment. In the weeks to come, this column will take up in detail emerging public policies that impact the freedom of faith-based organizations. This column will focus on making visible the right now largely invisible, untold and often surprising elements and stories of how institutional religious freedom advances human flourishing during COVID-19 and beyond.
The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program is designed to be accessible to houses of worship and religious charities, along with other nonprofit organizations. IRFA Founder and Senior Director Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies notes two recent changes that should further ease the concerns of faith-based organizations about participating in the program. But he calls for further fine-tuning so that the program will fully acknowledge institutional religious freedom.
Through recently enacted legislation and new guidance, Congress and the Department of Labor have made changes to the unemployment insurance system that affect individuals across…
This resource was originally published on the Sacred Sector blog. Sacred Sector, an initiative of the Center for Public Justice, launched in 2017 with the…
By Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies The Small Business Administration (SBA) on April 3 issued a Frequently Asked Questions document affirming the eligibility of religious organizations, including…
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which provides a variety of forms of…
Check this page for updated resources about the religious freedom implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign-On Letter: Faith Leaders Urge Congress to Protect Civil Society,…
The Fairness for All Act (FAA) introduced into the House of Representatives on December 6, 2019, is intended to resolve ongoing conflicts between LGBT civil rights advocates and religious freedom advocates. FFA will add protections for LGBT people to federal civil rights laws while simultaneously strengthening protections for religious freedom and other rights. Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies explains why FFA takes a pluralist approach and how that aligns with the Institutional Freedom Alliance.
**STATEMENT** The Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance Endorses the Fairness for All Bill December 6, 2019 (WASHINGTON, DC) – The Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance supports the…