Many chaplains and interfaith organizations oppose the campaign, calling the motivation offensive and dangerous — especially without standards around proselytizing or serving students from different religious backgrounds.
This issue of A Public Witness digs into the hotly debated 'render therefore unto Caesar' Bible verse to consider its usage in a recent notable legal opinion.
On April 2, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could allow a Catholic charter school to open — which critics say would demolish the line between church and state in education.
U.S. religious institutions enjoy tax exemptions, most notably from property taxes. Debate has raged for decades over whether the exemptions are fair.
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.
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.
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.
The existence of the breakfast on Capitol Hill — and at all — has been opposed by church-state separationists.
The action comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the state must remove its Ten Commandments monument from Capitol grounds.
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.