Albert Mohler believes that the United States was built, and should continue to be built, on a Christian foundation. Read his entire argument here. The piece stems from his 2024 speech to the National Conservatism Conference. Let’s see how Mohler […]
church and state
Were the Puritans “Christian nationalists”?
I encourage you to read Bob Smietana’s piece at Religion News Service. It is titled, “We tried Christian nationalism in America. It went badly.” It’s a good piece of reporting on modern-day Christian nationalists like Charlie Kirk, Al Mohler, and […]
“The Role of the Bible in the Founding of the United States and Religious Mandates in Public Schools”
Last month I participated in an American Historical Association “History Behind the Headlines” webinar on recent attempts in Louisiana and Oklahoma to bring the Bible into public schools. I have not seen a video of the event yet, but over […]
AHA’s History Behind the Headlines: “The Role of the Bible in the Founding of the United States and Religious Mandates in Public Schools”
I am looking forward to this event tomorrow at noon. It is hosted by the American Historical Association and is free and open to the public. Check it out. Join us on Friday, July 26, at 12 p.m. ET, for an […]
Two quick thoughts on Joe Biden campaigning in South Carolina over the weekend
Two quick thoughts this morning: Yes, Biden is old. But he does not lack energy: Churches are sacred spaces. They are places where the Gospel–the Good News–is proclaimed. Keep politics and political candidates out of the pulpit:
Trump prophet reads a fake Jefferson quote and then says “take that and choke”
Hank Kunneman is a New Apostolic Reformation preacher and Seven Mountain Dominionist. He is part of the Dutch Sheets and Lance Wallnau crowd of “prophets” that we covered here. In this video Kunneman expounds on the history of church and […]
Should America be a Christian nation?
45% of Americans say the United States should be a Christian nation, according to a new study from Pew Research. An even higher number–60%–believe that the founding fathers “originally intended” for the United States to be a Christian nation. And […]
The American history some conservative evangelicals wish weren’t true
Baptist News Global’s Rodney Kennedy asked historians Randall Balmer, Bill Trollinger, and yours truly to suggest a few historical facts that conservative evangelicals wish weren’t true. Here is my contribution to the piece: Fea says evangelicals wish it weren’t true […]
The Author’s Corner with Steven K. Green
Steven K. Green is Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law and Democracy at Willamette University. This interview is based on his new book, Separating Church and State: A History (Cornell University Press, […]
Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel does not believe in the separation of church and state
In a recent debate between Ohio U.S. Senate candidates Morgan Harper (D) and Josh Mandel (R), the question of the separation of church and state came up. Watch: Here is Mandel’s answer in writing: I do not believe in the […]
Why the ACLU supports the flying of a Christian flag in front of Boston’s City Hall
Here is David Cole of the American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU has long fought to enforce the separation of church and state. We were the plaintiff in both Allegheny County v. ACLU and McCreary County v. ACLU, in which the Supreme Court held […]
On French secularism
The French government wants a secular state. In other words, they want to keep religion out of public life. What does that mean and how is the French view of the separation of church and state different from the United […]
Kamala Harris featured in Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s “Souls to the Polls” initiative
Here is Yahoo News: Hundreds of churches across Virginia are set to air a political ad starring Vice President Kamala Harris — a move that has raised eyebrows regarding the legality of bringing political campaigns into houses of worship. Between […]
Kathleen Parker on religious liberty…in 2004
As I prepared for this week’s episode of A History of Evangelicals and Politics podcast I came across a column from syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker. I read it in the June 28, 2004 issue of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. […]
How do Christian nationalists deal with the Establishment Clause?
Recently, a scholar in another discipline asked me how Christian nationalists who study the American past “ignore, navigate around, or distort the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.” I address this in Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A […]
Attorney in 1946: Everson vs. Board is the “last great constitutional question which can come before the court…”
I am doing some background research today for the “A History of Evangelicals and Politics in America” podcast on Everson v. Board of Education of the Township of Ewing, NJ. (1947). Some of you know that this was an important […]