Setting the Standard for Christian Nationalism in Schools
This issue of A Public Witness cracks opens the books to study problems with the new social studies standards where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain.
Educators, Clergy Object to Lack of Training Requirements in School Chaplain Bill
Public schools could engage religious chaplains under a bill that Republican lawmakers advanced out of an Iowa House subcommittee on Tuesday.
Education Department Seeks To Buy Bible Lessons for Oklahoma Elementary Kids
While its effort to buy Bibles for classrooms is tied up in court, the Oklahoma Department of Education initiated a new vendor search to purchase materials containing Bible-infused character lessons for elementary-aged students.
An Interfaith Response to Trump’s Attacks on Religious Communities
Interfaith Alliance conducted a briefing featuring several notable speakers who covered the Trump administration’s unprecedented violations of religious freedom during its first month and discussed the best ways to counter through collective action.
Lawmakers, Faith Groups Push Bill To Prevent ICE Raids on Churches, Sensitive Locations
‘We cannot become a government that normalizes cruelty,’ Rep. Jesús G. Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, said while discussing the bill on the House floor.
Challenging ICE’s Chilling Effect
As Trump claims he’s creating a task force to fight ‘anti-Christian bias,’ it is worth examining the various legal challenges that major Christian denominations have filed seeking protection from Trump’s administration.
27 Religious Groups Sue Trump Administration To Protect Houses of Worship From Immigration Arrests
More than two-dozen groups representing millions of Americans — including the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — filed a federal court lawsuit.
Trump Reestablishes White House Faith Office, Places Paula White-Cain in Charge
Americans United for Separation of Church and State condemned the appointment, saying White-Cain is a “Christian Nationalist powerbroker” who promotes discriminatory public policies.
Amid Criticism From Religious Detractors, Vance Speaks at Religious Freedom Summit
The speech came as the Trump administration, just 2 weeks old, is already facing lawsuits arguing that it violated the religious freedom of Christians in the U.S.
ICE’s Cold Shoulder to Churches
This issue of A Public Witness seeks sanctuary to understand the history of how ICE interacts with houses of worship and the pushback against Trump’s changes from various Christian groups.