An August 15th Trump administration proposal to clarify the religious hiring rights of religious employers in federal contracting is being labeled a “license to discriminate” against LGBT job seekers. Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies suggests an alternative framework for understanding this proposed rulemaking: it is a much-needed effort to affirm the religious staffing freedom that exists in the federal contracting rules and that was left untouched when President Obama added protections for LGBT people. There are not many religious organizations that contract with the federal government (in distinction from receiving federal grants). Still, the proposed changes are important protections for their religious rights and important also for ensuring that such organizations—who may be the best providers of goods and services—are not excluded from eligibility.

The systemic social, economic and spiritual challenges facing working-class Americans in Middle America are palpable and deserving of attention. Chelsea Langston Bombino argues this demographic has immense, yet untapped potential. These Americans need to be intentionally engaged by local faith-based organizations, from the neighborhood congregation and the pregnancy resource center, to the church-run early childhood program and the faith-based community food-bank. Faith-based organizations have what many working-class Americans desperately want and need: a place to connect, to be spiritually nourished, and to feel heard.

In his book Pluralism and Freedom, Stephen V. Monsma challenges an individualistic, Enlightenment-shaped perspective that interprets our constitutional right to religion as a private matter. Such an understanding dictates that religious behavior does not belong in the public square. Andrea Rice compares and contrasts Monsma’s arguments with a public justice framework. She concludes that a vision of religious freedom that encompasses the contributions of faith-based organizations, institutions and community groups must be included in our definition of freedom and human rights.

How should Christian citizens respond to the devastation of the opioid epidemic? A public justice approach recognizes the indispensable role of both government and civil society institutions to combat this crisis. But what does that look like? In particular, Caleb Acker asks: How do faith-based organizations—what we call “the sacred sector”—offer distinctive care for vulnerable individuals and communities battling the scourge of this epidemic?

Collin Slowey, a former intern with the Center for Public Justice, reflects on Kimberly Kuo’s Faith & Law presentation on assisted suicide and euthanasia. Kuo’s story of her encounter with terminal illness is deeply moving. Her statistics and research make it clear, however, that end-of-life issues are not just personal. They are also a matter of public health, and it is dangerous to ignore them any longer.

Daily, organizations that make up the diverse faith-based sector are providing housing to low-income families, serving senior citizens with dignity, advocating for foster youth, connecting people with disabilities to vocational training, empowering returning citizens to reintegrate into their communities, and so much more. Chelsea Langston Bombino explores how the government and a plurality of faith-based organizations can work together to provide tangible social good to diverse Americans with distinctive needs.

Former CPJ intern and Westmont College student Andrea Rice makes the case for a pluralist, public justice-based approach to combating human trafficking. Institutions of civil society often have a better understanding of the particular political and cultural contexts of their communities and the resources available. Consequently, Rice argues that local governments should make space for diverse organizations to continue in their hands-on efforts, while also pursuing opportunities to partner with faith-based and community-based nonprofits that will encourage solutions to end human trafficking.

In the wake of the recent Dunn v. Ray decision, yet another non-Christian chaplain was denied access to a prisoner’s execution chamber. This time the Supreme Court granted a stay of the procedure. Collin Slowey, an intern with the Center for Public Justice, reflects on what this tells us about the current state of religious freedom in the U.S.

Collin Slowey, an intern with the Center for Public Justice, discusses how faith-based organizations are responding to the 2017 Tax Act, based on information received from a March 26 telebriefing from the Faith & Giving Coalition. He explains how the act is problematic in a public justice framework.

Does the age-old wisdom of keeping religion and business separate hold up in the modern workplace? Center for Public Justice intern Collin Slowey examines testimonies from three major companies that have integrated religious diversity and business. He discovers that, in most cases, the benefits of allowing employees to bring their whole selves—including their spirituality—to work outweigh the costs.

In this article, CPJ intern Andrea Rice explores how our vision of human rights ought to include not just individual rights, but the space to protect the distinctive groups and communities in which we live our lives. Human rights cannot be protected by merely focusing on the roles and responsibilities of government to individuals, but by also considering other civil society groups and their roles in advancing societal well-being. This enlarged vision of human rights recognizes the role of other, non-governmental groups in securing social well-being and ensuring individuals have access to quality of life.

Is God still present through individuals and institutions even if not explicitly mentioned? Examining the story of Esther, Sacred Sector Director Chelsea Langston Bombino demonstrates how a woman of the Bible exemplifies a public justice framework through the way she take seriously all of her roles: daughter, wife and queen.