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Axios
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Exclusive: Faith leaders want religious groups to "recommit to Pride"
A coalition of faith leaders is urging religious organizations to openly show their support for LGBTQ+ people ahead of this year's Pride Month. Why it matters: The effort comes as corporations are pulling support for Pride events and as GOP-led states are pushing laws banning Pride flags and at least 10 states have introduced bills banning marriage equality. The big picture: This year's Pride Month comes amid uncertainty after President Trump signed an executive order against diversity, equity, and inclusion, prompting DEI walk-backs from companies. Driving the news: In a letter with a pledge obtained by Axios, the mostly left-leaning faith leaders said "2025 Pride will test the courage of our nation" and "too often religion is used to attack LGBTQ+ people." The leaders said millions of dollars are being spent "targeting our Trans siblings" and promoting bills like those banning marriage equality. "We, who are from diverse faith traditions and beliefs, are showing up and refusing to back down. We support the LGBTQ+ community, and we Recommit to Pride," the letter said. The leader said they would speak out with public prayers, bold statements, and visible acts of support for the LGBTQ+ community and urged other faith leaders to sign the pledge. Zoom in: Interfaith Alliance is organizing the campaign. The open pledge to be released Tuesday has already been signed by groups like the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Hindus for Human Rights and Muslims for Progressive Values. State of play: Trump issued his anti-DEI order, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is rushing to ban transgender troops from the U.S. military under pressure from evangelicals and conservative Catholics. Both were among Trump's strongest supporters in the 2024 election. The orders and moves by the administration have resulted in several companies ending DEI programs and stopping supporting Pride events. Zoom out: Mastercard, Citi, Pepsi, Nissan and PwC pulled sponsorship of NYC Pride. Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte pulled out of WorldPride Washington, D.C., Axios' Eleanor Hawkins reports. Anheuser-Busch, Comcast and Diageo also stopped sponsoring San Francisco Pride. Meanwhile, Minneapolis' Twin Cities Pride rejected Target's sponsorship dollars citing wishy-washy support of the LGBTQ+ community and its DEI rollbacks. By the numbers: 39% of corporations are scaling back external Pride Month engagements this year, according to Gravity Research data. This is a sharp increase from last year when only 9% said they were changing their external Pride engagement. 57% of companies that are federal contractors plan to reduce external engagement, highlighting the risk of federal investigations. What they're saying: "This Pride, it is more urgent than ever that we lock arms with our neighbors and build a community of solidarity," Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, an education LGBTQ advocacy organization, said in a statement. "In a moment when the fundamental rights and physical safety of LGBTQ+ people are under in Public Life joins in honoring Pride and recommitting to our continued advocacy," Jeanné Lewis, CEO of Faith in Public Life, said. "It's more important than ever for communities of faith to make absolutely clear our solidarity and support," said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. Friction point: The risk for engaging around LGBTQ+ issues has increased 42% since this time last year, per Gravity Research's insights.
Axios
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Exclusive: Christian leaders blast Trump's "anti-Christian bias" unit
A group of Christian leaders is denouncing a new White House task force aimed at rooting out "anti-Christian bias" at a time when the Trump administration is going after liberal Christian groups that help immigrants and the poor. Why it matters: It's the latest example of divisions between moderate and conservative Christians who are at odds over the administration's free speech and immigration policies. Zoom in: In a letter signed by two dozen leaders and scholars, the group of leaders say they reject the idea that there is widespread persecution of Christians in the United States — a popular claim among white evangelicals. The leaders say they fear that the "anti-Christian Bias Task Force" will be weaponized to privilege one tradition within Christianity over others, creating anti-Christian bias even as it claims to combat it. "We are also aware of how claims of 'anti-Christian bias' are shown to provide cover for white supremacy," the letter says. The letter was signed by Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and president of the Interfaith Alliance, and Rev. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, among others. State of play: In February, President Trump signed an executive order " establishing a task force to end the anti-Christian weaponization of government and unlawful conduct targeting Christians." It fulfills a promise Trump made to white evangelicals — who were among his strongest supporters — to prevent the federal government from requiring them to provide reproductive care to employees or protect the rights of transgender people. Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi held the task force's first meeting and took comments from evangelicals who alleged the Biden administration had targeted them. What they're saying: The groups critical of the task force are telling the White House that the messages from many Christians "are very clear: You're not speaking for us," Raushenbush tells Axios. He's been a Christian minister for more than 25 years, but says he doesn't feel protected by the White House. The administration's efforts seem meant to "only protect a certain sector of Christianity that is pre-approved by this government," he added. Raushenbush pointed to Trump's harsh words for the Rev. Marianne Budde over her plea for mercy at an inaugural prayer service. The other side: "The Trump administration is committed to rooting out anti-Christian bias and protecting religious freedom for all people of faith," said White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers. "We finally have a president that is bringing faith back to America and is using his executive power to protect our God-given rights. Combating anti-Christian bias is not only important to the 140 million Americans who are Christians, but also, the Christians around the world who look to us as the beacon of religious freedom." By the numbers: 78% of Americans oppose the establishment of a task force focusing on anti-Christian bias, according to a survey out this week from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Six in 10 Americans disagree with the notion that discrimination against Christians and white Americans has become as big of a problem as discrimination against other groups, the poll found. The intrigue: The leaders called out the administration for targeting groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Lutheran Family Services, which historically have helped immigrants and refugees. "We are appalled by the hypocrisy of the Trump administration in shutting the door on our siblings in Christ who are attempting to flee real Christian persecution around the world," they wrote. The Trump administration is aggressively going after such groups amid its push for mass deportations and crackdown on student visas. Between the lines: Some religious leaders, such as Gabriel Salguero, president and co-founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, have said Scripture calls on Christians to help immigrants, known as the "stranger" in the Bible. Meanwhile, polls indicate white evangelicals are among the strongest supporters of Trump's mass deportation policies. The backstory: Progressive Christian leaders say the Gospels indicate Jesus was a refugee. In the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph is told through a dream that King Herod is sending soldiers to kill Baby Jesus over fears that he was the new King of the Jews. Joseph then gathers Mary and Jesus in the dead of night to flee to Egypt, making them refugees who are escaping persecution. They return to the land of Judea only after King Herod has died. In the Gospel of Luke, Joseph is forced to take a pregnant Mary to Bethlehem to register for the required Roman Empire census. She gives birth to Jesus and places him in a manger because "there was no room for them in the inn." Bible scholars say the Holy Family's dire situation — in poverty, forced to travel by order of the government — is echoed in many of today's immigrants.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In Case the Choice World ‘Dreaded,' Justices Appear Open to Religious Charters
With questions that carved out a middle way through a thicket of legal precedents, Chief Justice John Roberts could cast the deciding vote on whether charter schools funded with public dollars can be free to practice religion. Oklahoma's high court ruled last year that a Catholic charter school — the first such school in the nation — violates state and federal law. Initially, Roberts appeared to agree that the questions presented differ from those in the court's previous opinions about public funds for religious schools. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'This does strike me as a much more comprehensive involvement,' Roberts said. Related But later in the arguments, Roberts indicated that there may be less daylight between those earlier cases and the Oklahoma school. One involved whether a religious school could participate in a program providing playground paving materials. Another focused on whether a Christian school could serve students receiving tax credit scholarships. The debate Wednesday centered on whether the state or the Catholic church created St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. He asked Gregory Garre, a former U.S. solicitor general, considered to be one of Roberts' legal 'disciples,' if the test in this case was whether the school was 'a creation and creature of the state.' Garre argued the case for Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican who sued the school and the charter board. 'All of those were,' Roberts said of the earlier cases, 'and we held that under the First Amendment, you couldn't exclude people because of their religious belief.' With Justice Amy Coney Barrett's recusal, the four remaining conservative — and mostly Catholic — justices were more sympathetic to the school's petition. Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned how the state could prevent St. Isidore from opening a charter without running afoul of constitutional protections against religious exclusion. 'All the religious school is saying is 'Don't exclude us on account of our religion,' ' he told Garrre. 'When you have a program that's open to all comers, except religion …that seems like rank discrimination.' Related The debate over religious charter schools has captivated — and divided — school choice and religious advocates nationwide since early 2023, when Catholic church leaders in Oklahoma City and Tulsa first asked the state to grant a charter to St. Isidore. The case has rocked the charter sector at a time when many Christian conservatives, emboldened by President Donald Trump's election, have pushed to infuse more biblical teaching into public classrooms. The scene outside the court, where supporters and opponents alike gathered on the plaza, demonstrated the high stakes surrounding the case. 'Faith flourishes best when it is supported voluntarily,' said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and the great grandson of Justice Louis D. Brandeis. 'Will our government endorse one particular faith with taxpayer dollars? We believe the answer must be no.' Nearby, a black-robed choir from a Virginia Christian school sang hymns and EdChoice, an advocacy organization, organized a rally in support of St. Isidore. Related Nicole Stelle Garnett, the Notre Dame law professor who crafted the legal argument that inspired the school's application, took photos with her students and prayed with them before entering the court. Walking through the door, she said, brought back memories of her year as a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. That's when she became friends with Barrett — the reason, many believe, why Barrett recused herself. The two who taught at Notre Dame, were neighbors in South Bend, Indiana, and their children grew up together. Following the arguments, she said she was still processing the debate. But she later issued a statement saying that the court made 'abundantly clear that Oklahoma cannot discriminate against religious organizations in a program that supports privately operated schools.' As Roberts noted, the court's previous cases on public funds for religious education focused on whether states must include faith-based schools in voucher-like programs. But here, Oklahoma leaders chose to directly fund a school that teaches Catholicism — a leap, many argue, that would violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause and clearly entangle government with religion. 'These are state-run institutions,' said Justice Elena Kagan, one of three liberals on the court. 'They give the charter schools a good deal of curricular flexibility, because that's thought to be a good educational thing. But with respect to a whole variety of things, the state is running these schools and insisting upon certain requirements.' Oklahoma attorney general Drummond, backed by 17 states, made the same argument last year to the state supreme court, parting ways with most of his conservative state's political leaders, who support the school's application. They include Gov. Kevin Stitt, who attended the oral arguments, and state Superintendent Ryan Walters. Related Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson drew a line between charter schools and the previous cases in which religious groups wanted an equal chance to participate in a state-run program. In this case, the state law requires schools to be non-sectarian, she said. 'As I see it, it's not being denied a benefit that everyone else gets,' she said. 'It's being denied a benefit that no one else gets, which is the ability to create a religious public school.' Some of the opposition to religious charters comes from unexpected quarters. The libertarian Cato Institute's Neal McCluskey, for example, is a staunch supporter of private school choice. But he warns that allowing explicit religious teaching in charter schools would 'dangerously entangle the state with religion.' While he thinks a 5-3 ruling for St. Isidore is still a strong possibility, he said, Roberts could return a more narrow ruling that only allows a religious charter when its governing board members are private individuals. That could invite states that don't want religious charter schools to require most board members to be public officials. As Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested, proponents of religious charter schools may end up with more state control than they want. 'Have you thought about that boomerang effect for charter schools?' he asked. A ruling in favor of St. Isidore would 'cause uncertainty, confusion and disruption for potentially millions of schoolchildren and families across the country,' Garre told the court. But the extent of that impact could vary by state. In Virginia, for example, school districts authorize and have tighter control over charter schools, which makes them more like state actors, said Carol Corbet Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education and a frequent critic of charter schools. In Ohio, by contrast, nonprofits are among the organizations that can authorize charters, and for-profit companies are involved in running over half of them. 'For years, charters have benefited from being in a nebulous space between public and private,' Burris said. She notes that charter schools, for example, received paycheck protection program loans during the pandemic, but public schools didn't. 'They claim public when it is in their interest, private when it is not. There is a reason that this is the case that the charter world dreaded.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi Unleashes On Alleged 'Anti-Christian Bias' — And A Christian Leader Has Thoughts
On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi hosted an inaugural meeting of a task force consisting of other members of President Donald Trump's cabinet, to discuss its mission to eradicate alleged 'anti-Christian bias' within the federal government. The task force is an initiative born out of a February executive order by Trump, in which the president accused former President Joe Biden's administration of fostering an 'anti-Christian weaponization of government.' Bondi quoted a part of Trump's order at the beginning of Tuesday's meeting, saying, 'The Biden administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent anti-Christian offenses.' Among the severalexamples of supposed anti-Christian bias Trump listed in his executive order, was the mention of federal cases in which anti-abortion activists had been convicted of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act. He referenced the federal indictment of 11 anti-abortion protesters who were indicted for violating federal law by physically blocking the entrance of a reproductive clinic outside of Nashville, Tennessee, in 2021. Six were later convicted on felony conspiracy charges — and some sentences included prison time. Trump pardoned them in January. Trump also falsely suggested in his executive order that Biden declared 2024 Easter Sunday, which fell on March 31 last year, as Transgender Day of Visibility. International Transgender Day of Visibility has been recognized on March 31 since it was created over a decade ago by trans activist, psychotherapist Rachel Crandall Crocker — and Easter's date changes every year. Biden first recognized Transgender Day of Visibility with a proclamation on a Wednesday in 2021. The U.S. Department of Justice has additionally released a press release outlining a slew of examples that supposedly show anti-Christian bias, like past COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal workers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a member of the task force, shared allegations that federal employees have faced retaliation for 'opposing DEI/LGBT ideology that violated their religious conscience,' the release stated. But Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and an ordained Baptist minister, joins the chorus of those who have taken issue with the Trump administration's apparent messaging that Christianity, the largest faith group in the U.S., is under attack. 'If you're not acknowledging as a Christian that you've got a lot of privilege in this country, you're out of your mind,' he told HuffPost, emphasizing the privilege particularly associated with white Christians. (Raushenbush was formerly the executive editor for HuffPost's Religion section.) Raushenbush said that while there may be 'real Christian persecution' that exists in other parts of the world, the Trump administration is speaking into an 'echo chamber' where some conservative and Christian media platforms are fueling concerns about 'Christian persecution' in the U.S. 'It's always about, 'They're coming for us,'' he said about the messaging on those platforms. He said efforts like the anti-Christian bias task force is the current administration's way to communicate that they're 'coming in and saving the day.' Raushenbush said he believes, if anything, hostility toward Christians has come from the White House. He referenced Trump's attacks on The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde earlier this year, after she made a plea for him to have 'mercy' on people in the country who are fearful about the future, as well as Vice President JD Vance's clashes with Catholic bishops helping immigrants, among other examples. Trump's executive order and task force is creating a 'distraction,' and an avenue, to fight 'political ideologies that the Trump administration doesn't agree with, and using religion to further those aims,' he said. Raushenbugh also charged that much of what the Trump administration really means when they say 'anti-Christian bias,' is 'anti-Christian bias against the Christian nationalists who most fervently supported them.' 'These are largely white protestant groups that insist that America is a Christian nation, and that everyone else who's here is a secondary status,' he said. Trump's executive order 'cites the First Amendment protection of religious liberty as its guiding principle, but in fact the order itself is a remarkable incursion against the separation of church and state,' said Brian Clites, Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor in Catholic Studies II at Case Western University. 'In crafting the First Amendment's separation clause, our nation's founding fathers were most concerned that the government not intervene in disputes between and among Christians themselves,' he added. Clites, whose expertise includes the separation of church and state, and the history of Christianity within the U.S., said it's 'with the humble recognition that there is no fixed point that represents 'Christianity' as a whole.' He said he believes 'George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would cringe in horror' at Trump's executive order since 'it directly inserts the government into disputes between and among various Christian groups.' 'By calling out the protection of women's rights as 'anti-Christian,' the administration is uplifting the views of some Christians over and against the views of other Christians,' he said, later pointing out that research has shown that a majority of American Catholics think abortions should be legal. 'American Christians hold diverse views about reproductive justice and Transgender rights,' Clites said, adding that the administration's actions surrounding its task force is a 'clear violation of the separation of church and state,' rather than it being a protection of 'religious liberty.' And speaking about the indictments of anti-abortion protesters that Trump mentioned in his executive order, Raushenbush emphasized that those convicted were breaking the law. 'If they were treated differently than anyone else that was breaking the law, then of course, it would be important to look into that. Because no one should be prosecuted more because they're operating out of Christian faith,' he said, before he added: 'But it's also not a get out jail free card.' Raushenbush said the Trump administration has been vague about the criteria that constitutes 'anti-Christian bias,' and that their examples — like Biden's proclamation honoring International Transgender Day of Visibility — is them 'showing their hand.' He said he believes the messaging communicates a resistance to treating LGBTQ people with 'dignity and equality.' But as 'a public employee of the government, you have to treat everybody the same.' 'Everyone has a right to their beliefs — and they have a right to have accommodations... [but] make it a welcoming space for everyone,' he later said. 'Don't privilege one rather narrow sect of Christianity over all the other people. That's against the Constitution.' Trump Administration Urges Workers To Snitch On One Another For 'Anti-Christian Bias' Judge Blocks Trump Push To End DEI Programs In Public Schools Some U.S. Lawmakers Want More Christianity In Classrooms. Trump Could Embolden Their Plans.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AG Pam Bondi holds first meeting of anti-Christian bias task force
April 22 (UPI) -- Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday held the inaugural meeting of a task force dedicated to eradicating "anti-Christian bias" in the federal government. According to Bondi, the task force will identify any anti-Christian policies across the U.S. government, seek input from faith-based organizations to end anti-Christian bias, and fix deficiencies and regulations that may contribute to anti-Christian bias. Bondi told senior Cabinet officials during the meeting that since returning to the White House on Jan. 20, the Trump administration had dropped three ongoing cases against anti-abortion protesters and redefined the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act to ensure "abuse would not continue and that American tax dollars were not used to support the weaponization of our legal system to target Christians." "The Department of Justice will protect religious liberty for Christians and for all Americans," she said during the meeting. "We'll work closely with everyone around this table and take a whole-of-government approach to solving this problem and ultimately protect Americans' First Amendment rights." "Protecting Christians from bias is not favoritism," she continued, "it's upholding the rule of law and the constitutional promise." The launch of the task force comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February titled Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias. It highlighted the Biden administration's Justice Department prosecutions of protesters who obstructed abortion clinics as an example of what they seek to root out of the federal government. It also pointed out President Joe Biden's declaration of March 31 as Trans Day of Visibility, which last year coincided with Easter, as an example of anti-Christian bias, despite the date having for years been recognized as an international day of celebration for transgender people. While Trump enjoys strong support from evangelical and Christian voters, the Interfaith Alliance, which staunchly supports religious freedom of all Americans, has been critical of the Trump administration's emphasis on addressing anti-Christian bias. The group states there is "no evidence" of it in the United States and that "perpetuating this myth is deeply offensive to actual Christian persecution that happens in other countries around the world." In a statement published in response to Trump's executive order, the Interfaith Alliance said it will infringe upon the rights of those in the name of protecting the rights of Christians. "Instead of protecting the rights of Christians to pray and worship as they please, it uses the language of religious freedom to attack trans people, critique our right to reproductive freedom and defend discriminatory adoption policies," it said.
