The biggest school districts in Texas have voted against allowing unlicensed Christian chaplains to replace professional school counselors and to evangelize students at will, leaders of a six-month, faith-based campaign against the policy announced Feb. 29. Groups including Baptist Joint…
100 chaplains urge Texas schools not to take the bait on school ‘chaplains’
Texas school districts should reject a new state law that permits hiring government-approved chaplains to counsel public school children, more than 100 chaplains say in an Aug. 22 letter to school board members statewide. The chaplains warn the policy created…
Texas is first step in a national plan to install ‘chaplains’ in public schools instead of professional counselors
A Texas proposal to allow unlicensed “chaplains” to take the place of public school counselors undermines religious liberty, according to Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and others. The Texas Legislature is considering House Bill 3614 and Senate Bill 763,…
In Black and Hispanic congregations, parishioners often turn to pastors for mental health issues, which in turn creates mental health stress for pastors
New research shows that pastors remain the go-to mental health providers for many members of Black and Hispanic churches in the United States. Congregants report this stems from belief that faith alone can heal emotional trauma, from stigma surrounding treatment…
Clergy, social workers, counselors fear they could be targeted by new Texas abortion law, which Supreme Court lets stand for now
After initially remaining silent as a highly restrictive new abortion law went into effect in Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a late-night ruling, 5-4, Sept. 1 letting the controversial law stand — for now. Had Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg…