News Releases and Articles

2011

October 21, 2011: News Release: Does Religious Conservatism Diminish or Elevate Women? – A Panel Discussion… 

October 17, 2011: Article by Karin Kapsidelis in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Shariah, Islam to be discussed at UR town hall…

October 13, 2011: News Release: Islam, Shari'ah, and Religious Freedom in the U.S. – A Town Hall Meeting… 

October 13, 2011: Op-Ed by Ambassador Randolph Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: TURKEY – Religious freedom: keeper of the peace… 

September 19, 2011: News Release: Does Religion Infringe Upon the Rights of Women? – A Panel Discussion… 

July 19, 2011: Article by Barton Hinkle in Richmond Times-Dispatch: The religious fanatics are already here...

June 13, 2011: News Release: Minority Religious Communities at Risk – A Panel Discussion...

April 4, 2011: Article by Katherine Calos in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Panelists consider the question: Is America a Christian Nation?...

March 25, 2011: News Release: Is America A "Christian Nation?"...

March 13, 2011: Editorial by Times Dispatch staff in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Freedom of Religion - Martyrdom...

March 9, 2011: Column by Ambassador Randolph Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Observing from this hallowed ground...

March 6, 2011: Article by Olympia Meola in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Bible classes in public schools debated...

March 6, 2011: Article by Times-Dispatch Staff in Richmond Times-Dispatch: First freedom – Time to Talk...

February 24, 2011: News Release:  Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge - A Debate on the Bible in the Public Schools...

January 26, 2011: News Release: CAR Approves First Freedom Project...

January 25, 2011: Column by Ambassador Randolph Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Religious freedom comes home...

January 15, 2011: Editorial by Times-Dispatch Staff in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Annual Rite: First freedom...

January 14, 2011: Article by Katherine Calos in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Three receive First Freedom Awards...

January 13, 2011:  Article by Times-Dispatch Staff in Richmond Times-Dispatch: 2011 First Freedom Awards to be presented...

January 13, 2011: News Release: First Freedom Center Issues Major Report on Vulnerable Religious Communities Worldwide...

January 10, 2011: Article by Adventist News Network Staff, Adventist News Network: Adventist religious liberty advocate recognized with First Freedom Award?

January 3, 2011: News Release: 2011 First Freedom Award Gala to Honor Three Religious Freedom Advocates...

2010

December 8, 2010:  Article by Robert Marus, Associated Baptist Press: BJC's Walker to receive religious-freedom award...

November 28, 2010:  Column by Ambassador Randolph M. Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Asia-Religious Freedom Faces Peril...

November 22, 2010:  Article by Will Jones in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Panelists at VCU Program Debate Same-Sex Marriage...

November 10, 2010:  News Release: States of Union—Same-Sex Marriage in Religion, Public Policy and the Constitution (pdf)...

September 27, 2010:  Video and article by Luz Lazo in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Attorneys face off in hate-speech debate...

September 26, 2010:  Article by Tom Kapsidelis in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Westboro attorney will debate Richmond lawyer...

September 25, 2010:  Article By Wesley P. Hester in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Hate group to picket churches Sunday...

September 14, 2010:  Column by Ambassador Randolph M. Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: A Free Conscience Knows No Bounds...

September 13, 2010:  News Release: Hate Speech, Freedom of Speech, and the Westboro Baptist Church - A Mock Supreme Court Argument...

May 26, 2010:  Article by Will Jones in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Construction proposal for Slip praised...

May 10, 2010:  Article by Luz Lazo in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Career diplomat now president of First Freedom Center …

May 3, 2010:  Column by Ambassador Randolph M. Bell in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Sarkozy Wants to Ban Whole-Body Burqas …

March 27, 2010:  Article by Zachary Reid in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Race in Religions' seminar shows common purpose, great divide exist on key issues...

January 16, 2010:  Article by Ethan Cole in The Christian Post: Obama Declares Religious Freedom Day...

January 13, 2010:  American Jewish Committee news: First Freedom Center Honors AJC's Felice Gaer for Religious Freedom Advocacy...

January 13, 2010:  Article by Katherine Calos in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Three honored with First Freedom Awards...

January 12, 2010:  Article by Bob Allen and Robert Marus in Associated Baptist Press: New statement "first-ever consensus" on religious expression and U.S. law...

January 6 , 2010:   News Release:  2010 First Freedom Award Gala to Honor Three Religious Freedom Advocates...

2009

December 4, 2009:  Article by Ambassador Randolph M. Bell in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Religious Diversity - In Europe, Cultural Consensus Often Excludes...

February 5, 2009:  Article by Patty Kruszewski in Henrico Citizen:  An Evening of Firsts at First Freedom Awards...

January 16, 2009:  Article by Robin Farmer in Richmond Times Dispatch:  3 Get Religious-Freedom Awards

January 15, 2009:  Article on MormonTimes.com (from BYU, University Communications):  BYU law professor honored for religious freedom

January 12, 2009:  Article in BYU Law, News and Events:  Prof. Durham to receive International First Freedom Award

January 8 , 2009:   News Release:  2009 First Freedom Award Gala to Honor Three Religious Freedom Advocates

2008

December 13, 2008:   Op-ed by Fritz Kling in Richmond Times Dispatch:  The World Knows the U.S. is Special

June 12, 2008:  Comcast Newsmakers interview of Ambassador Robert A. Seiple

June 8, 2008:  Op-ed by Isabelle Kinnard Richman in Fredericksburg's Free Lance-Star: Belief vs. a nation of laws; When does government step in?

May 14, 2008:  Article by Robin Farmer in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Religious Freedom Ambassador to Retire

May 13, 2008:  News Release:  Ambassador Seiple to Retire

May 11, 2008:  Article in OrlandoSentinel.com:  Kudos (to First Freedom essay finalist Megan Mascarenhas)

January 21, 2008:  Article by Mithu Maheswaranathan in Emory Wheel:  Law Professor Gets Religion Award

January 17, 2008:  Article by Robin Farmer in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Three Get First Freedom Awards

January 16, 2008:  Article by Jane Lampman in Christian Science Monitor on honorees at 2008 First Freedom Awards Dinner  

January 16, 2008:  Article by Katherine T. Phan in The Christian Post:  America Marks Religious Freedom Day

January 14, 2008:  Article by Robin Farmer in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Religious Freedom Awards Go to 3

January 7, 2008:  Article in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Remonstrance

2007

December 28, 2007:  Media Alert:  January 17, 2008 Jakob A. Finci Lecture:  Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and Reconciliation - Sixty Years of Life and Death in Bosnia

December 28, 2007:  Advertisement for January 17 Jakob A. Finci Lecture (CANCELLED)

December 15, 2007:  Article by Isabelle Kinnard Richman in Fredericksburg's Free Lance-Star:  Bill of Rights Day Right No. 1

December 12, 2007:  News Release:  2008 First Freedom Award Recipients Announced;

Awards Dinner January 16, 2008

December 12, 2007:  2008 First Freedom Award Recipient Bios

December 6, 2007:  Op-ed by Robert A. Seiple in Richmond Times Dispatch:  'Tis the Season to Embrace the Sacred in Our Celebrations

October 20, 2007:  Letter to the Editor by Isabelle Kinnard Richman in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Religious Freedom Allows Intolerant Beliefs

October 1, 2007:  Article by Bethany Emerson in the CT (independent student press of Virginia Commonwealth University):  New exhibit examines history of religious freedom

September 28, 2007:  News Release:  The Constitution and Religion in the Classroom, First Amendment Teaching Materials Launched to Nation's Schools

September 19, 2007:  Article by Janet Caggiano in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Religious Freedom Exhibit Set to Open, 'Religious Freedom is Still an Imperfect Struggle'

September 19, 2007:  "Faces of Religious Freedom" exhibit opening honoring Ukrops/First Market Bank.  See: Selected exhibit text.

TV NEWS. September 17, 2007:  Richmond Channel 12 news report by Gene Lepley: Faces of Religious Freedom Exhibit

September 17, 2007:  Article in Adventist News Network:  Religious liberty experts call for increased understanding among faith groups

August 3, 2007:  Keynote Address: After Twenty-five Years by Robert A. Seiple in Brigham Young University Law Review

June 21, 2007:  Op-ed by Robert A. Seiple in Christian Science Monitor: The World's Prominent Faiths Should Protect Religious Freedom for All

June 3, 2007:  Op-ed by Eve Sugar in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Tolerant Senator Leaves the Room

April 17, 2007: News Release: National First Freedom Student Competition Winners Announced

First Place Essay: National First Freedom Student Competition

March 27, 2007:  Article by Gary Robertson in Richmond Times Dispatch:  Pearl's Death Inspires Dialogue

March 12, 2007:  Article by Andrew Trotter in Education Week on-line:  Consensus Sought on Religion in Schools

March 9, 2007: Media Alert -- Rethink: From Hatred to Hope: A Daniel Pearl Dialogue

March 1, 2007:  Article in Adventist News Network:  Seiple Speeks to IRLA World Conference encouraging the "Separation of Church and Hate."

March 1, 2007: Article in Liberty Online: Focused on Freedom (IRLA in South Africa)

January 26, 2007:  Article by Alberta Lindsey, Richmond Times Dispatch, on Madeleine Albright at the Center's First Freedom Awards Dinner

January 25, 2007:  Article in Richmond Times Dispatch: Albright among four liberty award winners

January 7, 2007: Op-ed by Robert A. Seiple in Richmond Times Dispatch: Tolerating 'Offenses': Religious Free Will in America Must Continue to be Protected

January 6, 2007: Religious Briefs, Richmond Times Dispatch: Groups joining forces on religious diversity

January 3, 2007: Article by David Ress, Richmond Times Dispatch: Religious-Freedom Group Shifts Emphasis (But it still plans a museum at 14th Street site)

2006

December 21, 2006:  Top 10 Myths About Religious Freedom

December 6, 2006:  Article by Edwin Slipek, Jr. in StyleWeekly.com: Small Development, Big Impact

November 15, 2006:  Article by Melissa Scott Sinclair, StyleWeekly.com: The Most Important Parking Lot

October 12, 2006:  Framing the Debate:  Religion in the Public Schools, University of Richmond

September 20, 2006:  2007 First Freedom Award Recipients Announced; Madeleine Albright to Keynote

September 18, 2006:  Framing the Debate:  Religion in the Public Square, Baylor University

April 13, 2006: First Freedom Student Competition Winners Announced

January 25, 2006: First Freedom Center Names New President

January 25, 2006: Seventh annual Mattox Debate to discuss the place of public prayer in Virginia law

January 25, 2006: Media Alert - Seventh Annual Mattox Debate

January 19, 2006: Richmond Times Dispatch - Seiple to lead Freedom Council

January 18, 2006: Media Alert - 2006 First Freedom Awards Dinner & Presentation

January 11, 2006: Sisisky Family Donates $250,000 to First Freedom Center

2005

December 5, 2005: First Freedom Award Recipients Announced

October 3, 2005: Most Americans Conflicted on Church-State Separation, National Survey Finds

January 7, 2005: Extremist Islam, Genocide in Sudan Top 2004 List of Issues Affecting Religious Freedom (First Freedom Center Cites "Perils and Progress" at Home and Abroad in Year-End Assessment)

January 6, 2005: 2005 First Freedom Award Recipients Announced (First Freedom Center Honors Three Advocates for Religious Liberty with 11th Annual Prize)

January 3, 2005: Local High-School Student(s) to be Honored

January 3, 2005: Williamsburg Teacher to be Honored for Teaching Excellence

2004

2003