Free Speech

A large majority of Americans consider it appropriate for public schools to be allowed to rent to churches and other community groups, according to a new study by LifeWay Research.

While those opposed to churches having access to schools willing to rent their space say doing so would violate a part of the Constitution addressing separation of church and state, 65 percent of those polled by the research group think differently.

LifeWay Research released the study as the deadline for banning use of New York City schools by churches is scheduled for Feb. 12. Up to 160 congregations that have used school buildings for worship services in the last year will be directly affected by the ban, which can be reversed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor has not taken any action. more >>

The Sixth Circuit ruled Friday in favor of Christian graduate student Julea Ward, who nearly three years ago was expelled from Eastern Michigan University's counseling program for trying to have a homosexual client reassigned to someone else because of her religious beliefs.

The court decision was hailed by the Alliance Defense Fund and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty – groups representing Ward – as a major victory for the constitutional rights of individuals with religious beliefs.

The Sixth Circuit opinion was strongly worded, reversing a district court decision in favor of the university and sending the case back for trial, ADF explained in a statement released by the Christian lawyers group shortly after the ruling. The appeals court said, "A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward's professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith…." more >>

A 15-year-old Wisconsin student has been "censored and punished" for expressing his Christian beliefs – supporting the biblical family view – in a school newspaper op-ed article about homosexuality and same-sex parent adoption.

Brandon Wegner, a contributor for Shawano High student paper "The Hawk's Post," wrote the editorial column in support of children being raised in a home by a mother and a father.

He cited various authorities and sources, including Scripture, in defense of his opinions. Wegner argued that children raised in an environment in which the mother and father are present had the best chance for success and that homosexual adoption should be prohibited. His article was released in conjunction with an opposing viewpoint provided by another student, Maddie Marquardt, also "The Hawk's Post" copy editor. Marquardt countered in her argument that gay couples should be able to adopt because the foster system is broken and children need a two-parent home. more >>

A nonprofit law center has taken up a petition with the Supreme Court over a controversial case involving a California math teacher who had patriotic banners with Christian messages removed from his classroom – while displays related to other faiths were allowed to remain on campus.

A 30-year policy by the Poway School District in California had allowed Bradley Johnson, a high school teacher, to place banners in the style of the American flag with phrases such as "In God We Trust," "One Nation Under God," and "God Bless America" in his classroom. He had done so without any controversy for the past 25 years, with not one student or parent complaining. 

Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, which took up the Bradley Johnson v. Poway Unified School District case, shared in an interview with The Christian Post that the policy changed in 2007, when school officials told Johnson he could no longer display his banners. more >>

A newly appointed state director of an atheist activist group said that he will fight two national Christian-based organizations for what he alleges to be proselytizing at public schools while "targeting the impressionable minds of our children."

Al Stefanelli, the former president of United Atheist Front and presently the Georgia state director for American Atheists, Inc., said he will take action against the Child Evangelism Fellowship and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes this year. Both groups conduct after-school and break-time activities on school campuses throughout the United States with the approval of school officials.

When asked by The Christian Post as to what actions he would take against these groups, Stefanelli said, "I cannot get into specifics at this time, as we are still in the planning/strategizing stages. You can be confident that we will, as always, operate within the law, using peaceful means." more >>

An after-school Christian club is looking to lift the flier ban placed on their organization by the Dysart Unified School District in Phoenix, Ariz., prohibiting them from distributing invitations and permission slips to attend their meetings.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed suit in federal court on Thursday on behalf of the Good News Club, a ministry of the Child Evangelism Fellowship, stating that the district's ban was unconstitutional and in violation of the First Amendment.

While the district permitted a variety of other organizations to distribute their literature at the schools, including the Boy Scouts, Cesar Chavez Foundation, Interfaith Community Care, Sun City Area Interfaith Services, and the Salvation Army Sun City Corps, it denied CEF Phoenix's request because it purportedly went against their policy to distribute literature of a "religious nature." more >>