The Hosanna-Tabor case, however, really should be humbling to the entire religious community, in that down deep we all know that we are getting such favored treatment in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it.

Thoughts I have shared with other members of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, regarding Hosanna-Tabor:

This case was not teed up very well. A teacher with an illness is threatened with being fired and then IS fired for saying she will go to the EEOC. You can’t show me a judge who likes retaliatory discharge. How could anyone dream that this would become a landmark case–in favor of the school? As Coach Jim Mora would say, “Playoffs? Are you kiddin’ me? Playoffs? Who’s talkin’ about goin’ to the playoffs?”

Most of our religious liberty battles are played on the road, in THEIR house. We are usually trying to see how much religion we can get away with in THEIR place, whether it’s Community School District No. 10 or Hastings College of the Law. These road games are difficult. We win some, we lose some.

Hosanna-Tabor was different. It was a home game, the opponents coming into OUR house (yes, I know it’s not ours) to see how much THEY can get away with. This is high stakes. If we lose, or even if we “win” with a fractured Supreme Court, there will be hell to pay for who knows how long.

I can revel in the glory of what the Supreme Court did yesterday because I had nothing to do with it. My joy in what happened is unalloyed with any accomplishment-based pride. Had I been in charge, there would have been no petition for certiorari, not with knucklehead behavior like this and not with a record this woeful. That’s the problem with experience (I’m 61). You’ve learned that bad facts (or missing facts) do indeed make bad law.

Except for Hosanna-Tabor.

Now, about the Court’s unanimity. Is this the Supreme Court? No, it’s heaven. The wolf is dwelling with the lamb, and the leopard is lying down with the goat. We love you, Elena Kagan! We just knew it! We knew it all along . . . what kind of person you really are! Let’s get together again sometime!

I marvel when people accept honors like the “Best Person of the Century” award with the response that they are “humbled.” The Hosanna-Tabor case, however, really should be humbling to the entire religious community, in that down deep we all know that we are getting such favored treatment in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Timothy Belz has practiced law for the last 35 years, and serves on the national board of the Christian Legal Society and Center for Law and Religious Freedom. He is an elder at Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis.

(Editor’s Note: Yes, it is true – not all members of the extensive Belz family are in journalism or education! Tim is one of the grandson’s. He practices law with Ottsen, Mauze, Leggat & Belz, L. C. in St. Louis.

[email protected]). Below is info concerning the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, not to be confused with the more infamous American Center for Law and Justice or Liberty Counsel)

Center for Law and Religious Freedom (an arm of the Christian Legal Society)

America’s oldest Christian advocacy ministry for religious freedom, the Center for Law and Religious Freedom argues high impact cases and advises Congress on vital legislation to protect religious freedom. We are blessed to serve as America’s RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ADVOCATES®.

Since 1980, the Center has worked on hundreds of court cases, legislative initiatives, and influential publications concerning religious freedom. The Center has represented Christian students denied the right to meet for prayer and Bible study at their high schools, including the first case heard by the Supreme Court on the issue. The Center was also instrumental in Congress’s passing the Equal Access Act to protect the right of public school students to meet for prayer and Bible study at school.

Today the Center advocates on behalf of not only religious student groups, but also faith-based social services, religious educational institutions, and pro-life health care providers:

Advocacy in Court

The Center actively fights for First Amendment rights at all levels of the American judicial system, including the Supreme Court. Based on the recommendations of a committee of First Amendment experts, the Center targets potentially influential cases and taps leading law professors and practitioners to assist Center staff in writing briefs and arguing cases to protect religious freedom.

Advocacy in the Legislature

The Center advances legislation protecting First Amendment rights by working with congressional colleagues and interested organizations to pass laws at both the state and federal level. The Center tracks legislation that threatens First Amendment rights and provides legal analysis and commentary on critical issues. As one example, the Center helped draft guidelines that formed the basis of the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance letter to school superintendents on religious expression in public schools. The Center also helped craft the White House’s guidelines protecting federal employees’ religious expression.

Advocacy through Educational Resources

The Center’s staff develops and disseminates educational information for professors, teachers, students, parents, and the legal community. Examples include a handbook for K-12 teachers who want to live their faith at work, guidelines for student Bible studies, letters to school boards and government offices, continuing education seminars, and webinars.