The Atlantic Union Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) Department held its 20th Attorneys Conference, October 4-5, in Stamford, Connecticut. Lawyers and individuals interested in religious liberty were enthralled by presentations from some who have fought in the trenches for many years. Under the theme “Religious Freedom and Peaceful Coexistence,” presenters shared experiences and their work to educate, engage, stimulate conversation, and evoke awareness about our freedoms and right to worship.
Several students attended this year’s conference, much to the delight of Atlantic Union Conference PARL leaders and conference organizers Charles Eusey, director, and John Ashmeade, assistant director. “I was thrilled to see so many outstanding young scholars who are interested in law and religious liberty in particular,” Eusey says. “I am encouraged that our church will receive good guidance and counsel from these students as they pursue and complete their formal education.”
Skip MacCarty, retired associate pastor for evangelism at Pioneer Memorial church on the campus of Andrews University, began the conference with a glimpse into confusion and misunderstanding over the biblical old and new covenants. The next day, MacCarty took attendees on a deep dive into God’s everlasting covenant and considerations for interpreting the covenants. He led the group into a thorough compare and contrast exercise to further demonstrate God’s unchanging love and desire to save the world through His everlasting covenant.
Additional presenters included Barry Bussey, a lawyer and founder of First Freedoms Foundation and author of 210˚ Celsius: 16 Ways the Truckers Ignited Canada for the Long Haul. Through firsthand accounts and interviews, Bussey shared lessons he learned about the right to protest from the 2022 Canadian Trucker Protest in Ottawa. He also provided tips for navigating these turbulent social and political times and remaining at peace. Tina Ramirez, Hardwired Global president/executive director, shared testimonies of how Hardwired, a human rights nonprofit, has helped countries with little to no foundation for religious freedoms build legal and educational/social supports to encourage religious freedom. She also shared about their groundbreaking work with schools and education leaders to advance pluralism and respect for religious freedom through their fun and engaging curriculum.
Hsertha Yusay, a Union Springs Academy (USA) senior, found the conference “informative and intriguing.” For Yusay, whose family were refugees from Myanmar, the presentations by Ramirez particularly moved him. “It’s helped me narrow down what I want to do in the future. [One day] I want to use her program in my country.”
USA junior Mackenzie Brockway initially came to the conference out of curiosity and a desire to learn more. Bussey’s story about an interesting interaction between a protester and a sympathetic police officer resonated with her. “It affected my view about humanity. How could someone not care about [other’s] views? We’re all human, living the same lives but with different perspectives.” She added, “It makes me happy that people fight for their rights and [exercise] their right to protest, that they actually want to stand up for what’s right and what they believe in.”
Abraham J. Jules, Atlantic Union Conference president, greeted the attendees and affirmed the PARL leadership in their efforts to uphold the separation of church and state and assist those whose religious freedom has been threatened. He reiterated that conferences such as this are valuable in many ways. Eusey agrees, “In a society that is changing almost daily, it is difficult to keep up to date on trends and challenges to religious freedom. There is a need to hear from experts in this field who can provide us with correct information.”
