Nearly 20 groups affiliated with Christians Against Christian Nationalism have been formed in more than a dozen states to advocate for religious freedom and to resist the religious hatred and violence sweeping the nation. And more churches or clusters of…
Fight against federal school vouchers isn’t dead yet
Organized opposition to federal school vouchers in “the big beautiful bill” was so effective it nearly derailed the program altogether, an education advocate said after the U.S. Senate’s 51-50 passage of the legislation July 1. “Thousands of Americans took action…
‘Big beautiful bill’ is ugly, BJC webinar shows
President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” is downright ugly when it comes to education, health care and hunger, social justice advocates said during a webinar hosted by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. The gigantic budget measure now before the…
Trump’s actions in LA are popular only with Republicans
Nearly half of Americans are opposed to the deployment of U.S. Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. A June 9 CBS News/YouGov poll found 45% of adults surveyed…
Supreme Court sides with Catholic Charities in tax case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court erred in not granting a Catholic social agency the same exemption from state unemployment assistance taxes enjoyed by churches, religious schools and other faith groups, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 5. The unanimous opinion written…
BJC leader calls Trump’s new travel ban ‘dangerous and discriminatory’
President Donald Trump’s new travel ban against nationals from a dozen countries is “dangerous and discriminatory” and is a significant threat to religious freedom, according to Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler said the ban,…
Judge blocks Trump’s plan to dismantle Department of Education
A federal judge in Boston called out the Trump administration for attempting to abolish the U.S. Department of Education while claiming it was merely seeking to restructure the agency. “The record abundantly reveals that defendants’ true intention is to effectively…
Texas House joins Senate in bill requiring Ten Commandments
The Texas House of Representatives voted 82-46 to require the Ten Commandments be posted in public school classrooms across the state. The May 25 vote followed days of debate and was passed with an amendment requiring the state, not school…
‘Big beautiful bill’ creates school voucher program that benefits the rich
The national school voucher program included in a bill passed by the U.S. House will make the rich richer and further marginalize students based on religious, economic and disability status, panelists said during a recent town hall meeting. The May…
Some Baptist leaders hopeful about Pope Leo XIV
“I did not think this would happen in my lifetime,” Baptist scholar Elizabeth Newman said of the election of an American as pope. Newman, a theologian and ethicist who serves as co-chair of the Baptist-Catholic dialogues convened by Baptist World…
Due process for all Americans now threatened, Melissa Rogers warns
The wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia poses a looming threat to the right to due process in the U.S., said Melissa Rogers, a former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Garcia is the…
Not all conservatives are Christian nationalists, Tyler explains
Simply holding conservative religious or political views does not make a person a Christian nationalist, Amanda Tyler told a group of Texas religion journalists April 7. Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, was a panelist at…