Biden’s emphasis on uniting our nation, and his implicit reference to the role of faith in declaring his “whole soul” was in it, are significant. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will advance an approach to working together across differences, particularly between government and diverse faith-based and community-based organizations. Whatever approach the Biden administration takes, it will be building upon over two decades of bipartisan principles advancing faith-based and government collaboration.

Just days ago, in the heart of Advent, the Supreme Court upheld the religious freedom of Muslim Americans whose most sacred capacities to live out their faith were deeply violated by those in power in the federal government. This Supreme Court decision should be celebrated by Christians. And the spiritual import of the season in which this ruling came down should not be lost on Christians.

On Jan. 6, a group of people who felt disenfranchised were led to do something incredibly destructive. These people were not just bad actors. Their sense of disenfranchisement was exploited by those with political power. The events of violence at the Capitol on Wednesday were a horrific assault on our essential democratic institutions.

On Jan. 6, we celebrated Epiphany - the Magi’s revelation of the Christ-child. This year, Epiphany was also the day a group of domestic terrorists invaded the U.S. Capitol.

The COVID-19 pandemic and political turmoil have left Black communities and faith-based groups struggling and in need of a large-scale response that can stabilize and strengthen their vital role in American society. Read this article by Rev. Khary Bridgewater and Chelsea Langston Bombino.

Like many other school districts around the country, Columbus City Schools (CCS) announced midsummer that they would not be reopening for in-person instruction in the fall due to COVID-19. Earlier in the year, when the schools had been forced to close, almost a quarter of all CCS students did not receive instruction through the district’s online learning system. Church networks and faith-based nonprofits around the city realized that they had the resources that could provide a solution to this pressing need that had become evident, and sought to collaborate with CCS and other community-based organizations. In a collaborative effort with Catalyst, the Columbus Dream Center, and other faith-based nonprofits, the faith community is coordinating an effort, dubbed ‘For Columbus Kids,’ to offer CCS students Learning Extension Centers (LECs). An LEC is a safe, adult-supervised environment provided by a faith-based or neighborhood partner organization in which students can work on their online learning. LECs follow public health recommendations, including mask wearing, social distancing and thorough sanitizing. They also offer students and families instructional assistance, access to meals, peer engagement and connections to other supports, such as spiritual community, if desired.

This article explains how this collaboration works, exploring how these LECs are carefully monitoring public health guidance and the governmental rules on religious organizations and government partnerships. It is worth noting, this collaboration between congregations, faith-based networks and the local school district could be carried out quickly and comprehensively in Columbus both because of the strong, pre-existing faith-based networks and because of successful past collaboration between religious organizations and other groups. Now, with this well developed collaboration and all of the resources it has made available, other places can consider using ‘For Columbus Kids’ as a model for doing the same.

On Friday, July 25th, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 decision, denied an application for injunctive relief submitted by a Christian congregation, Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, in Nevada. In denying this church’s request, the Court refused to assess a troubling fact scenario wherein worship services are capped by the state at 50 people, yet casinos, bars and other like businesses are able to operate at 50% capacity. The church has requested that congregational communities be treated on an equal basis with casinos, being allowed to operate at 50% of their capacity while implementing appropriate social distancing and other public health measures. The five Justices who denied the church’s request- Chief Justice Roberts joined the Court’s four liberals- did not give any explanation or analysis. Not giving a reason is not uncommon in emergency requests such as this, and yet the disparate treatment cries out for explanation. Justice Alito, joined by Justices Thomas and Kavanaugh, wrote a 24 page dissent stating that they believed injunctive relief should have been granted to Calvary Chapel while the Court weighed in on the case’s merits.

The July 8 Supreme Court decision allows religious institutions to choose teachers who align with their spiritual commitments. This is especially important for minority faiths like Judaism and Islam.