Dr. Ryan MacPherson
Religious Free Exercise: A Contemporary Look at the First Amendment
Do people have a “natural right” to religious liberty? What should the government do when crimes are committed in the name of religion? Is the free exercise of religion “essential” to society in the COVID-era sense of that term? Can a Christian school preserve its religious free exercise while receiving state-funded tuition vouchers? What about government-endorsed accreditation agencies? Or teacher training programs for state licensure? These and other pressing questions will be addressed by exploring Supreme Court decisions, legal scholarship, and historical case studies.
Dr. Ryan MacPherson serves as the Academic Dean of Luther Classical College. He holds a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Notre Dame and is author/editor of several books, including: Rediscovering the American Republic, Studying Luther’s Large Catechism, and The Culture of Life. He also has assisted constitutional lawyers with legal research and appellate brief writing. He and his wife, Marie, are homeschool parents to seven children. Dr. MacPherson is passionate about leading his family in home devotions and guiding his students through the primary texts that have shaped Western Civilization and Christian thought.