Church State

The Obama family is sending out Christmas cards with no mention of Christ or Christmas, but apparently, that is what presidents have been doing for nearly 100 years.

According to a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece by David Greenberg, a professor of history, journalism, and media studies at Rutgers University, White House Christmas cards have traditionally been secular and inclusive in nature, going back all the way to the 1920s when President Calvin Coolidge, a devoted Christian in his personal life, sent out cards void of specific religious references.

Rather than religious references, Coolidge's card referenced a “state of mind” that cherished “peace and goodwill,” Greenberg wrote, adding that the cards had an inclusive tone at a time of great divisiveness, with immigration, Prohibition, and the Ku Klux Klan, among the controversial issues of the time. more >>

An estimated 5,000 people showed up for a rally Saturday in Athens, Texas, to support a Nativity display in opposition to an atheist group that had requested the county remove the display.

Nathan Lorick, pastor of First Baptist Church in Malakoff, one of four pastors that helped organize the rally, said in a Sunday interview with The Christian Post that they had hoped that 2,000 or 2,500 would show up. They printed 3,000 flyers for the event, but came up 2,000 short.

“We hoped this would be a statement across the nation that would resonate in the hearts of people, that they would know it's OK to stand up for the faith,” Lorick said, “and maybe that this would spark a movement across the nation and people would rise up in every small town, every metro city and contend for the faith.” more >>

The Alliance Defense Fund is the latest to enter the controversy over a religious Christmas carol being used in an Alabama school's holiday program, sending a letter backing the school in inclusion of “Silent Night,” according to an ADF report issued Friday.

The ADF sent a letter to Tuscumbia City School Superintendent Joe Walters and Fred Williams, president of the school board, Wednesday. The letter stated the school does not need to remove the traditional song, as the Americans United for Separation for Church and State had complained previously to school officials.

“It’s ridiculous that people have to think twice about whether it’s okay to include ‘Silent Night’ in a Christmas program,” David Cortman, senior counsel for the ADF, stated in the report. “An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that it’s okay to celebrate Christmas in schools and in the public square, and they are right. There is nothing unconstitutional about inclusion of this song in the school’s program, and that is supported by how the courts have consistently ruled.” more >>

A thousand or more people organized by a coalition of about 70 pastors are expected at a rally Saturday in support of a Texas county courthouse nativity display that is being challenged by an atheists group as unconstitutional.

The “Rally for the Nativity” event planned for the Henderson County Courthouse located in Athens is being spearheaded by Pastor Nathan Lorick of First Baptist Church in Malakoff, a neighboring town off Highway 31.

Lorick told The Christian Post Thursday that people are coming to the noon-time rally from as far away as Amarillo, which is a seven to eight hour drive. He said he has received word that supporters are coming from other states, such as Oklahoma and Louisiana, as well. more >>

Presidential candidate Rick Perry admitted Sunday that he does not know who the Supreme Court justices are. Perry also defended his statement that President Obama is waging a “war on religion.”

“The fact is I can't tell ya, I don't have memorized all of the Supreme Court judges,” the Texas Governor said on “Fox News Sunday.”

The admission came after Perry was asked about an earlier flub in which he said that there were eight Supreme Court justices (there are nine) and he could not remember Justice Sonia Sotomayor's name. more >>

The governing board at the Texas Department of Vehicles approved a Calvary Hill license plate featuring the slogan “One State Under God,” resulting in both praise and disappointment from supporters and opponents.

By a 4-3 vote on Thursday, the state board decided to allow the religious design created by Glory Gang, a nonprofit youth organization, to be accepted into their specialty plate program, angering some who felt the state was favoring one religion over another.

“It’s become pretty clear that our governor [Rick Perry] is dismissive of religious beliefs other than his own, and now his governmental appointees have voted to send a message that Texas is unwelcoming to the religious faiths of some of its citizens,” Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said in a statement. more >>