The pastor who delivered the inaugural prayer last year for President Donald Trump said Sunday there should be no separation between church and state.
These Texas students organized to defend church-state separation
A group of Texas high school and college students received the David Norr Youth Activist Award from Americans United for Separation of Church and State this year — recognizing a well-organized youth movement making a difference. The award is named…
Professor outlines three common rebuttals to church-state separation
The principle of church-state separation is not a myth even though those exact words don’t appear in the U.S. Constitution, according to scholar David R. Brockman. Brockman, nonresident scholar in religion and public policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute and…
MAGA’s accidental argument against school vouchers
Unless you’ve been living under a huge cliché, you’ve heard the raging controversy over Bishop Mariann Budde’s message at the National Cathedral prayer service held in conjunction with the recent inauguration of President Donald Trump. If you missed it, here’s…
Supreme Court will hear Oklahoma charter school case
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide the constitutionality of using taxpayer dollars to fund a religious K-12 charter school in Oklahoma. The justices announced Jan. 24 they will review a June 2024 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling determining the…
‘My church may not be entered by federal agents, but it is not only my church that concerns me’
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Jan. 21 that attempts to build the framework for federal immigration enforcement agencies to have the right to enter schools and churches to make arrests. This statement overturns previous ICE precedent…
Fighting Ten Commandments law is part of ‘the civil rights movement of our generation,’ ACLU leader says
“We are in the civil rights movement of our generation,” Alanah Odoms said of the battle to oppose posting the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana school classroom. Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said the Ten Commandments law…
National Prayer Breakfast gets new sponsorship but still looks like government-sponsored religion, BJC leaders say
Congressional leaders say they have split the National Prayer Breakfast from its longtime organizer to bring clarity and healing to the annual event, but constitutional experts Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman believe government leaders should get out of the prayer…
State support for a religion usually makes that religion decline, new study shows
Achieving the status of a government-backed religion usually creates a dependence on state political and financial support that erodes the ability of faith groups to attract new followers and foster participation, a new study has found. “Further, the involvement of…
Samford and Candler grad at center of Tennessee controversy over Bible history class in public schools
A middle school teacher with an undergraduate religion degree from a Baptist university and a master of divinity degree from a Methodist seminary now finds herself at the center of a controversy over alleged hate speech against Jews. Moreover, Chattanooga’s…
Biden reestablishes Faith-based Partnerships Office and names Melissa Rogers to lead it
A familiar face to Baptist religious liberty advocates has been named to lead the newly reconstituted White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Melissa Rogers will lead the office, an appointment announced by President Joe Biden on Sunday morning,…
Baptist churches used as misleading ballot drop locations in California
At least two Baptist churches — and most likely others — have been used as controversial ballot collection sites organized by the California Republican Party and declared illegal by state elections officials. National Republican Congressional Committee Deputy Chair Ken Calvert…