A Wisconsin Ruling on Catholic Charities Raises the Bar for Religious Tax Exemptions
U.S. religious institutions enjoy tax exemptions, most notably from property taxes. Debate has raged for decades over whether the exemptions are fair.
Voucher Expansion Leads to More Students, Waitlists, and Classes for Some Religious Schools
Using public funds to pay for religious school tuition — especially with generous income limits or none at all — remains controversial as proponents gain ground in Republican-majority states.
Florida Considers Allowing Volunteer Chaplains in Public Schools
The only requirements for a chaplain participating in a school program would be a background check and having their name and religious affiliation listed on the school website.
Conservative Nebraska Lawmakers Push Bills That Would Intertwine Religion With Public Education
These bills are part of a broader Republican push nationwide to target a variety of culture issues in education, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and the type of books allowed in school libraries.
At National Prayer Breakfast, Biden Speaks of Praying, Working for Peace
The existence of the breakfast on Capitol Hill — and at all — has been opposed by church-state separationists.
Lawmaker Seeks to Restore Ten Commandments Monument to Oklahoma Capitol
The action comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the state must remove its Ten Commandments monument from Capitol grounds.
Speaker Johnson Doesn’t Know How Walls Work
This issue of A Public Witness looks back at Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Baptists penned 202 years ago this week and explores why prominent figures deliberately misrepresent the metaphorical “wall of separation” between church and state.
In Texas, Debate Over School Chaplains Escalates School Board Culture Wars
Conservative Christian activists are hoping to turn Texas public schools into a ‘mission field.’
Satanic Nationalism in Iowa?
This issue of A Public Witness treks to the Hawkeye State to consider a recent stunt by the Satanic Temple and what options are available beyond endorsing Christian Nationalism (or Satanic Nationalism).
Oklahoma Christian Leaders Seek To Join Suit Opposing State-Funded Catholic School
St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School could become the country’s first publicly funded religious charter school.