Latest Church and state News
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. ...
Judge hears arguments to block Louisiana's Ten Commandments displays in schools
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A federal judge heard arguments at a hearing Monday on whether he should temporarily block a new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1. Louisiana, a reliably Republican state in the Bible...
Oklahoma parents and teachers sue to stop top education official's classroom Bible mandate
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group of Oklahoma parents of public school students, teachers and ministers filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop the state's top education official from forcing schools to incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12. The...
Asian American evangelicals' theology is conservative. But that doesn't mean they vote that way
The Rev. Wayne Lee leads an English-speaking church of second- and third-generation Chinese Americans in the heart of Philadelphia’s Chinatown. His 120-strong evangelical Christian congregation in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania is under the same umbrella as two other...
Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools that initially matched a version of the holy book endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The request was amended Monday and no longer requires the Bibles to include U.S....
Bibles that Oklahoma wants for schools match version backed by Trump
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's top education official is seeking to purchase 55,000 Bibles for public schools and specifying that each copy contain the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, which are not commonly found in Bibles but are included in one endorsed by former President...
Vouchers ease start-up stress for churches seeing demand for more Christian schools
Florida pastor Melvin Adams knows a few hours of church programming every week is no match for the more than 30 hours children spend at secular schools, absorbing lessons that he says run counter to their family’s Christian beliefs. Like other theologically conservative pastors in...
Oklahoma teachers were told to use the Bible. There's resistance from schools as students return
BIXBY, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma's Bixby school district has lots to show off for a fast-growing Tulsa suburb: a state-of-the-art new high school set to open by 2025, a new ninth grade gymnasium and plans for a $12 million upgrade to a football complex that already rivals that of many small colleges....
