With the recent healthcare mandate put into effect by the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there is a growing concern on the part of many that the American federal government has transgressed constitutional parameters guaranteeing religious liberty. In fact, many believe that the government is on a slippery slope toward obliterating religious liberty altogether.

The concern stems mainly from the provision in the HHS mandate which requires employers to offer their employees healthcare insurance that covers, among other things, abortifacients like the “morning after” pill. Any employer who fails to do so faces a stiff fine of $100 per employee, for each day of non-compliance. Aside from “houses of worship” (i.e. churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.), there is no exemption for religious organizations. That means that any “secular” employer who objects to the healthcare mandate on religious grounds is, well, out of luck.

Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC) recently hosted a lecture about the HHS mandate and its implications on religious liberty. The keynote speaker was Kyle Duncan from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The event also featured a response by Carl Trueman, professor at Westminster Theological Seminary.

Watch the full lecture here:

This is an important discussion about the trajectory of religious liberty in the United States. As we consider what it will look like to live in a civil democratic society with increased religious pluralism, it is vital that Americans grapple with what it means to remain faithful to our own beliefs–as unpopular as they may be in some spheres of society–while always seeking to preserve the freedom and dignity of those who disagree with us.