Though I am serving this year as theologian-in-residence for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, this reflection on the annual CBF General Assembly this past week represents my independent, unvetted opinion.
I write on the day of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, culminating its 2013-14 term. This is what Twitter is spewing as I write. Report: “Religious Liberty Wins, Religious Liberty Wins," scream the fans of the 5-4 decision on Monday. White House: “Ruling Jeopardizes the Health of Women.” Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas): Hundreds more lawsuits will fight the White House’s “incredible assault” on religious liberty. Noah Shachtman: “With Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court just declared themselves America’s new high priests.” Planned Parenthood: “This is about justice, and we’re fighting back.” Samuel Rodriguez: “SCOTUS affirmed the God-given right of conscience and religious liberty.” My personal over-the-top favorite, from @Readersaresmart: a picture of the majority five judges today with the heading, “The faces of fascism.”
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