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:…
Learn from Cory Booker and the Black Church witness, Tisby urges
Sen. Cory Booker’s historic 25-hour speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate last week was “the precise embodiment of the historic Black Christian political witness,” Jemar Tisby told a gathering of church-state separationists April 6. Tisby, professor of history…
‘Do No Harm Act’ gets introduced yet again
A coalition of Democratic legislators has reintroduced the “Do No Harm Act” in the U.S. Congress with hopes of clarifying that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act cannot be used to harm others. The bill has been reintroduced every year since…
Oklahoma parents sue Walters to stop Bible curriculum in schools
The families, teachers and religious leaders already suing to block Oklahoma from buying classroom Bibles are now attempting to prevent the state from purchasing a Scripture-based curriculum for elementary school children. The plaintiffs filed a brief with the Oklahoma Supreme…
Show up and speak up to save democracy, panelists urge
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he is struggling to fully comprehend the Trump administration’s overwhelming assault on basic freedoms as well as its ongoing attempt to dismantle federal programs and agencies. Calling the situation a “crisis” would be an…
Battle continues over Louisiana Ten Commandments law
All Louisiana school districts must comply with a recent federal court ruling barring classroom Ten Commandments displays despite contradictory guidance from a state official, civil rights groups said in a Jan. 6 letter to district superintendents. Three days earlier, Louisiana…
Religious liberty groups say they’re ready to oppose Trump
Donald Trump’s next presidency promises to be more frightening and damaging than the first given his threats against immigrants, democracy and religious liberty, said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “As outlined in Project 2025,…
Americans United investigating Ohio construction grants to religious schools
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has launched an investigation into the state of Ohio reportedly funding at least $3 million of construction and renovation at private religious schools. This year, the state made history by offering grants…