Kaley Chiles is a devoted Christian woman, licensed by the State of Colorado as a counselor. Pet. App.212a-14a.  Her conversations and guidance aid, support, and comfort those with whom she speaks. Pet. App.215a.  As part of her identity as a Christian, and as a matter of religious conscience, Kaley believes that individuals thrive when living in alignment with their biological sex as designed by their Creator. Pet. App. 212a-14a . Kaley merely desires to communicate "in a m

Dr. Hélio Angotti Neto, this month’s featured speaker at the Christian International Professors Forum hosted by the Instituto dos Juristas Cristãos do Brasil and the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center , offered a profound reflection on first principles that unite faith, reason, and moral order.  Drawing from his background in medicine, philosophy, and theology, Dr. Neto emphasized that human life possesses inherent dignity derived from being created in the image of God—a truth tha

Lansing, MI — October 13, 2025  — The Honorable William R. Wagner, WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom, joined a distinguished group of speakers at a special training session for state school board members. Sponsored by the Mackinac Center, Salt & Light Global, and the Leadership Institute, the event brought together thought leaders and policy experts to equip board members with foundational knowledge and practical tools for effective governance. Professor Wagner del

Hon. William Wagner Speaks at Duke Law on Constitutional Virtue and Judicial Restraint Durham, N.C. — The Federalist Society at Duke University Law School recently hosted Hon. William Wagner (Ret.), the WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor University, for a keynote lecture titled “The Virtue of True Meaning and the Tyranny of the Few.” One of the nation’s top law schools, Duke provided a distinguished forum for Professor Wagner’s address on the relatio

The life of Voddie Baucham Jr. is a testimony to the enduring strength of a man who stood faithfully for biblical truth—yet always did so with compassion, humility, and respect. His legacy is not only remembered in the words he spoke or the convictions he held, but in the manner in which he bore witness to them: with kindness, integrity, and a heart firmly anchored in Christ. A Faithful Witness to Truth In every age, there arise men whose lives remind us that truth is not def

LANSING, Mich.  — The Hon. William Wagner (Ret.), former chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s Religious Liberty Law Section, called on the Michigan Supreme Court to uphold constitutional guarantees of Free Exercise of Religious Conscience and Due Process while opposing proposed amendments to Michigan’s Code of Judicial Conduct and Rules of Professional Conduct. The Michigan Supreme Court is considering ADM File No. 2023-35 , which would revise Canon 3 and Rule 6.5 to prohibi

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Law and Public Policy Conference, recently met in Dallas, Texas. This premier gathering of Christian scholars, legal practitioners, university presidents and human resource leaders engaged pressing cultural and constitutional questions shaping public life today. William was privileged to provide the opening devotion. His Biblical exposition reflected on “Guarding That Which Has Been Entrusted to Us,” setting a tone of prayerf

Executive Summary   Some athletes claim legal protection for new classifications flowing from fluid gender identity formulations, rather than objective biological science showing sex as immutable. When this contemporary cultural clash challenged the advancement of fairness for women in sports, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) sought a just resolution.   An NAIA Task Force conducted a two-year study under the direction of the Council of Presidents.

Judicially active writing—what some call organic jurisprudence—erodes the Rule of Law by empowering judges to abandon their limited duty of applying the Constitution and laws, and instead to usurp the policymaking authority reserved to the elected Executive and Legislative branches. When lawyers encourage courts to create conclusions not textually grounded in statutory law or the Constitution, they bypass the democratic process and enable judges to substitute unprincipled jud

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University was honored to co-sponsor the 2025 Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Law and Public Policy Conference, held in Dallas, Texas. This premier gathering of Christian scholars, legal practitioners, university presidents and human resource leaders engaged pressing cultural and constitutional questions shaping public life today. As part of the conference, the Honorable William Wagner (Ret.), Distinguishe

Each September 17, we pause to honor the wisdom of those who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787. The Constitution they drafted was not merely a framework for government—it was a covenant designed to preserve liberty by restraining power. The Framers, mindful of human fallibility, understood that unchecked authority threatens the unalienable rights endowed to every person by their Creator. They therefore divided power horizontally among three coequal branches, and vertically bet

As a nation mourns, let us celebr ate a life devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Charlie Kirk was not merely a thinker or a public voice. His heart burned with a desire for truth. His pursuit of truth was never harsh or dismissive, for he understood that to stand firmly for what is right does not require wounding those who disagree. Instead, he chose the higher way—truth spoken in love, conviction bound together with compassion, and courage balanced with respect. A Bold Discip

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center, the Institute of Christian Jurists, and others recently co-founded International Christian Professors. International Christian Professors  is a global fellowship of distinguished Christian scholars representing many academic disciplines and countries. Together, they form an online think tank where faith and scholarship intersect to address some of the most pressing issues facing our world today. Through this network, professors contribute th

A proposal for a new Executive Order would require states to adopt free-market education policies as a condition of receiving federal funds is a decisive step toward empowering parents, protecting religious liberty, and ensuring educational excellence across the nation. At the heart of this proposed order is a simple principle: parents, not bureaucracies, should control education dollars. By mandating that state appropriations follow the child in the form of vouchers or educa

The Ben Franklin Fellowship Working Group on Human Rights just published a short white paper that is worth the read. It offers a vigorous defense of the natural rights foundation of the United States’ political order, situating the Declaration of Independence within the broader Lockean and Stoic traditions. It emphasizes that governments exist not to create rights, but to secure those unalienable ones—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—through which human beings atta

Comment praises Department of Veterans Affairs’ proposed rule (RIN: 2900-AS31(P)) as a measure that protects the dignity of human life and restores good governance under the rule of law. SPRING ARBOR, MI  — William Wagner, Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor University, and others, filed an official public comment today in strong support of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), proposed rule  “Reproductive Health Se

Religious Oppression in Turkey

Labor Day 2025 Message

Faith & Freedom Episode 143  – Professor Wm. Wagner interviews the WFFC’s new Chief Operating Officer, Salvatore Biondo, and explores opportunities with the Center’s Faith & Freedom Fellowship. Listen Here To listen to more episodes of Faith & Freedom with Prof. Wm Wagner, go here:

Governments increasingly infringe on parents' liberty to direct and control the upbringing of their children. Does the Constitution limit the exercise of government power in this area. Can government school officials, for example, secretly participate in the social gender transitioning of a child without notifying the child's parents? Fundamental Liberty, Strict Scrutiny, and the Deeply Rooted Legal History and Tradition of a Parent's Right to Direct and Control the Upbrin