Latest Church and state News
Oklahoma's Republican AG jumps early into race for open governor's seat
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has at times pushed back against his own party's governor and other politicians who sought to push religion into public schools, announced Monday his candidacy for governor. Drummond's announcement at...
Some US lawmakers want more Christianity in the classroom. Trump could embolden their plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing to introduce more Christianity to public school classrooms, testing the separation of church and state by inserting Bible references into reading lessons and requiring teachers to post the Ten Commandments. The...
Jimmy Carter and Playboy: How ‘the weirdo factor’ rocked ’76
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine. Carter was not misquoted. But he was...
Texas board advances plan to allow Bible material in elementary school lessons
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' education board on Tuesday advanced a new Bible-infused curriculum that would be optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades, one of the latest Republican-led efforts in the U.S. to incorporate more religious teaching into classrooms. ...
Ohio offers a new way to use public money for Christian schools. Opponents say it’s unconstitutional
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding legal ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. One new approach in Ohio is benefiting schools tied to a burgeoning conservative political group and facing objections from...
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) — A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public classrooms is “unconstitutional on its face," a federal judge ruled Tuesday, ordering state education officials not to take steps to enforce it and to notify all local school boards in the...
White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump's presidency
After former President Donald Trump gave his victory speech early Wednesday, at the Palm Beach Convention Center, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby to sing “How Great Thou Art,” reciting from memory the words and harmonies of a classic hymn, popular among evangelical Christians. ...
