The United States Constitution protects religious freedom and prohibits the state establishment of religion. Join Professor Perry Dane, a leading church-state expert, as he discusses some of the important moments in the development of the American tradition of religious liberty and equality from the 17th century to the present. These stories will reveal how our secular constitutional principles are largely rooted in religious ideas and often forged in the nation’s real and imagined encounters with religious minorities.

Perry Dane is a Professor of Law at the Rutgers School of Law ‐ Camden. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School. Professor Dane was previously on the faculty of the Yale Law School, and served as a law clerk to William J. Brennan, Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His research and teaching interests include religion and the law, constitutional law, and legal pluralism. He is the Secretary of the Council on Religion and Law and a frequent speaker on church‐state questions.

This event, hosted in partnership with Network for Responsible Public Policy, is part of the American Creed: Community Conversations program series. Thanks to the Friends of the Cherry Hill Public Library for their generous support.