Defending America’s Best Idea
In the first of a three-part special podcast series produced in partnership with Moravian Theological Seminary, Randall Balmer discusses how church-state separation has been good for both government and religion.
Defense Secretary Hegseth Tests Constitution in Pentagon Worship Services
Speaking at a recent worship service at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the US needs to be ‘in prayer, on bended knee, recognizing the providence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’
Suggestions for God Month in Texas
In the latest effort to sidestep the separation of church and state, Republicans in the Texas legislature want an official month dedicated to God.
Alarm Bells to Start the School Year
This issue of A Public Witness looks at the need for those who oppose Christian Nationalism to fight not just with lawsuits but also in the court of public opinion, so we can effectively protect religious liberty.
Judge Rules Some Texas School Districts Don’t Have to Display Ten Commandments
A federal judge temporarily halted a law requiring public schools to display a version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom, echoing faith leaders and others who argue the statute violates the First Amendment.
Pentaccost
While reporters and peaceful protesters were accosted on Pentecost by militarized forces, tanks have been rolling into the nation’s capital so President Trump can enjoy a military parade on his birthday this Saturday.
Supreme Court Sides With Catholic Charities in Religious-Rights Case Over Unemployment Taxes
The group Freedom From Religion condemned the ruling, saying that ‘treating religiously affiliated nonprofits the same as all other nonprofits is not a violation of the First Amendment.’
If Trump Pulls Harvard’s Tax Status, It Won’t Be the First Time the IRS Penalized a University
Reviving a 1976 decision against a fundamentalist Christian school will likely fail, say legal experts. But if it succeeds, it could trigger conservative Christians’ ‘nightmare scenario.’
Flushing Remonstrance on Display for First Time in 7 Years at New York Public Library
The 17th-century letter is widely considered to have inspired the religious freedom clause in the First Amendment.
Arkansas Religious Leaders Fight Ten Commandments Bill Rushing Toward Governor’s Desk
Arkansas became the latest flashpoint in church-state politics this week as legislation introduced less than a month ago now only needs one more round of voting to make it to the desk of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.