The president who famously said he’s never prayed to ask for God’s forgiveness claimed Sept. 8 he’s going to reinstitute prayer in public schools — a practice outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962. Ever since the court’s ruling…
Texas schools given conflicting advice on Ten Commandments
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ordered school districts unaffected by a recent court ruling to comply with a state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms beginning Sept. 1. The Aug. 25 directive came less than a…
Lawsuits stack up, but Trump administration stonewalls challenges to Anti-Christian Bias Task Force
A constitutional watchdog group has filed a second lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Anti-Christian Bias Task Force. The president created the commission in a Feb. 6 executive order directing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch investigations into “anti-Christian conduct”…
Federal judge stops Arkansas from posting Ten Commandments in public schools
A federal judge has blocked Arkansas from implementing a new law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public-school classrooms. In issuing the Aug. 4 preliminary injunction, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks described Arkansas Act 573 as “plainly unconstitutional” under the…
Americans United sues over Anti-Christian Bias Task Force
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is refusing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, prompting AU to sue the Trump administration. The lawsuit contends the VA is violating federal…
Get ready for lawsuit, groups warn Abbott over Ten Commandments bill
Texans will sue once Gov. Greg Abbott signs a bill requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, three national civil liberties groups said May 29. The announcement came a day after state senators voted to approve an amended version…
AU warns agencies not to believe Trump’s view on Supreme Court rulings
Don’t be misled about U.S. Supreme Court decisions on religious liberty, Americans United warned 18 federal agencies in a May 15 letter. The letter cited a recent presidential memorandum issued by President Donald Trump that “encourages the unlawful repeal of rules…
Americans United calls out ‘Christian boy band’ for proselytizing in NC schools
A North Carolina public school system required students to attend a religious assembly that included a performance by the Christian boy band 3 Heath Brothers, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The March 11 school-day event…
Supreme Court hears case of parents wanting to opt out of story time
Should evangelical parents be allowed to opt-out their children’s participation in public school lessons they find objectionable, and how far should those objections be allowed to go? These are some of the key questions debated at the U.S. Supreme Court…
Speak up to defend public education, AFT president urges
These are not normal times, and normal responses to the Trump administration will not do, the president of the American Federation of Teachers said April 7. Randi Weingarten was the closing keynote speaker at the Summit for Religious Freedom sponsored…
April Ajoy has the receipts on her journey out of Christian nationalism
When critics accuse April Ajoy of not ever having been a conservative Christian, she shows them the receipts. One of those she showed for the first time at the Summit for Religious Freedom April 6 was a video of her…
White Christian nationalism is an ancient story, Denker says
“White Christian nationalism in America is but our most recent chapter of an ancient story of what happens when Christianity is co-opted by empire,” according to Lutheran pastor and author Angela Denker. Her brand-new book is Disciples of White Jesus:…