In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 32, Jesus tells his disciples, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  This is no casual remark. It is a foundational claim about the nature of freedom itself — that liberty is inseparable from truth. President Ronald Reagan, a statesman who grasped the religious roots of American liberty, once said, “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”  Both Scripture and

On The Drew Mariani Show  this week, Professor William Wagner  addressed the deeply emotional and legally complex question of grandparents’ visitation rights  in light of a recent Boston Globe  investigation into an ongoing Rhode Island Family Court case. The Globe article highlighted a dispute in which a grieving set of grandparents sought court-ordered contact with their young granddaughter over the objections of her father.  Professor Wagner began by acknowledging the prof

The Constitutional Doctrine of Standing in the Context of Parental Rights Across our nation, a quiet but profound constitutional conflict is unfolding. It is not confined to distant federal agencies or obscure regulatory codes. It is happening in families. In living rooms. In conversations between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. It is unfolding in the deeply personal, often painful moments when parents seek to guide their children through adolescence, identity strugg

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University is pleased to invite friends and supporters to a special luncheon program in Scottsdale, Arizona , on Monday, March 16, 2026 , at the beautiful Olive & Ivy  restaurant. This gathering will bring together members of the Spring Arbor University community for an afternoon of fellowship, encouragement, and thoughtful reflection on the vital intersection of faith, family, freedom, and Christian higher education . Feature

Hon. Wm Wagner (Ret) recently authored the Statement of the State Bar of Michigan Religious Liberty Law Section condemning disruption of church service. Click below to read the official RLS Position Statement: The Religious Liberty Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan solemnly condemns the recent disruption of a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators entered the sanctuary during the course of a religious service and effectively halted

January 27 On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pause to remember one of the darkest chapters in human history—the systematic, state-sponsored annihilation of six million Jewish men, women, and children, and the persecution and murder of millions of others, carried out with chilling deliberation under the Nazi regime. The Holocaust stands as a permanent warning of what occurs when law is severed from moral truth, when the inherent dignity of the human person is deni

A Rebuttal to the Leftist Report, In Harm’s Way —  Exposing the Flaws in Research, Law, and Logic Behind the Call to Repeal Michigan’s Parental Consent Statute In recent years, Michigan has emerged as a focal point of a national effort to dismantle long-standing parental involvement requirements in abortion law. This article offers a comprehensive rebuttal to In Harm’s Way : How Michigan’s Forced Parental Consent for Abortion Law Hurts Young People, a report published by the

Washington, D.C.  — The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in two closely watched cases addressing the future of women’s sports and whether female athletic programs may be required to permit male athletes to compete in women’s competitions. Among the amici curiae supporting female athletes were Spring Arbor University President Dr. Brent Ellis and the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center, represented by the Hon. William Wagner (Ret), who authored the amici briefs

Clergy content casting Mary as the “main character” of the Christmas story, infers she possessed the power to abort Jesus. This recast provides a revealing case study of a broader theological and jurisprudential shift. Drawing on constitutional theory, natural law, Christian theology, and historical precedent, the Article argues that such framing reflects the ascendancy of a secular progressive humanist worldview grounded in radical personal autonomy rather than unalienable r

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with chi

By the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) Executive summary Nigeria stands at a crossroads between social collapse and constitutional renewal. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), in its statement “Peace in Nigeria: Moving from Fragility to Stability,” offers an urgent, morally lucid, and legally grounded diagnosis of Nigeria’s spiraling insecurity and repression. The instant Issue Brief amplifies this warning and calls the international community to attend to it. This

By Hon. William Wagner (Ret) WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom, Spring Arbor University Executive Summary Violent attacks and hate crimes against Christians in Europe rose sharply in 2024, according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) —data first brought to international attention through reporting by The Christian Post. While the total number of incidents decreased slightly from the previous year, the severity

The Michigan Department of Education’s most recent revision of the Health Education Standards represents not merely administrative fine-tuning, but a wholesale ideological shift in the purpose and scope of health instruction in Michigan schools. The Board voted to approve the updated health-education/sex-education standards on Thursday, November 13, 2025. The magnitude and nature of these changes raise profound constitutional concerns—particularly regarding parental rights, l

November 1, 2025 Washington, D.C. / Abuja The United States Department of State announced that Nigeria has been designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)  under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, citing what it called “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.”  President Donald Trump, in a social-media post on October 31, asserted that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being kil

The Hon. William Wagner, Distinguished Chair of the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University, participated in the 2025 Education Freedom Legal Network (EFLN) Annual Summit held October 23, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. The EFLN—an initiative that convenes attorneys, scholars, and policy advocates focused on protecting and advancing the freedom to educate—brought together leaders from across the country for a day of high-level strategy and collaboration.  Advan

Lansing, MI — October 20, 2025 This past Sunday, the Honorable William Wagner , Distinguished Chair for Faith and Freedom at the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center , addressed the congregation of South Church in Lansing  with a message centered on courage, conviction, and compassion . Speaking to a packed room, Wagner challenged Christians to live out biblical truth boldly—yet with the humility and respect that reflect Christ’s character. Courage Rooted in Truth Drawing from Scri

Marshal Michigan, October 19, 2025 This past weekend, men from across Michigan gathered at the Historic Withee Farm  for the Annual Bonfire Event , a tradition that blends fellowship, faith, and the renewal of purpose. Set against the crisp autumn backdrop of rural Michigan, the two-day gathering offered both reflection and challenge for those committed to living out their faith in public and private life. Fellowship Around the Fire The event opened Friday evening with the li

Lansing, MI — October 11, 2025 This past weekend, the Freedom Embassy in Lansing hosted Go Local: School Board Training , a daylong event equipping current and aspiring school board members to lead their districts with truth, courage, and a firm grounding in constitutional governance. The training was sponsored by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy , the Leadership Institute , and SLG. The program offered practical, faith-informed instruction on issues central to good gove

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