CHARLOTTE, N.C.(RNS)—The political ad begins with a clip of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, wearing glasses, a gray suit and tie, leaning in toward a pulpit.

“But you must realize that in the last days, the times will be full of danger,” Graham declares. “Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money.”

Suddenly, a clip of former President Donald Trump is spliced in. Standing before a row of American flags at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Trump says: “My whole life I’ve been greedy, greedy, greedy. I’ve grabbed all the money I could get. I’m so greedy.”

For the next few seconds, the ad, which has racked up over 30 million views, flips between Graham’s 1988 sermon, contrasting his points with shots of Trump using violent language, claiming to be “the chosen one” and talking about kissing women without their consent.

That ad, the result of a $1 million ad campaign by Evangelicals for Harris, is now the subject of a potential lawsuit from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that supports the ministries of Billy Graham’s son and grandson.

‘Cease and desist’ letter sent

In late September and early October, Evangelicals for Harris, a grassroots campaign of the political action committee Evangelicals for America, said it received multiple letters from lawyers representing the association, including a “cease and desist” letter.

An Oct. 2 letter, sent from outside counsel and obtained by RNS, threatened to sue Evangelicals for Harris on the basis of copyright infringement.

In a statement to RNS, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said they do not generally comment on potential disputes, but they acknowledged having communicated with Evangelicals for Harris regarding their concerns about the “unauthorized, political use of BGEA’s copyrighted video,” and said they would continue to address the matter.

“It may be worth noting that, in all of his years of ministry and across relationships with 11 U.S. presidents, Billy Graham sought only to encourage them and to offer them the counsel of Christ, as revealed through God’s Word. He never criticized presidents publicly and would undoubtedly refuse to let his sermons be used to do so, regardless of who is involved,” said the statement.

In August, Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association,  turned to the social platform X to voice his displeasure at Evangelicals for Harris’ use of his father’s sermons.

“The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image. They are trying to mislead people,” he wrote.

“Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President @realDonaldTrump in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”

In response to the threatened lawsuit, Evangelicals for Harris released a statement saying Franklin Graham is taking a page from Trump’s playbook by trying to silence the group through legal action.

“Franklin is scared of our ads because we do not tell people what to do or think. We merely hold Trump’s own words up to the light of Scripture, the necessity of repentance, and Biblical warnings against leaders exactly like Trump,” they wrote in a post on X.

Group defends use of video clips in ad

The lawyers representing Evangelicals for Harris also released their formal legal response to the threatened lawsuit.

Originally sent on Sept. 28, the letter asserts that the ad does not constitute copyright infringement or violate the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s right.

They write that the public discussion of Trump’s moral failings is “essential First Amendment expression,” and the use of Billy Graham’s sermon is protected under the Copyright Act.

“EFH will not be removing the ‘Keep Clear’ advertisement in response to your demand. The advertisement is a transformative, noncommercial use of less than two percent of a widely disseminated video, aimed at a market that BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) was prohibited from targeting,” the letter says.

Evangelicals for Harris was founded by Jim Ball, an evangelical minister and former head of both the Evangelical Environmental Network and Evangelicals for Biden.

Since its launch in August, the group has had more than 300,000 people sign up for information about the campaign, according to Ball. Jerushah Duford, Billy Graham’s granddaughter; Bishop Claude Alexander of The Park Church in Charlotte, N.C.; and Texas Baptist pastor Dwight McKissic of Arlington are among the group’s ranks.

Ball said the “Keep Clear” ad, named after Graham’s admonishment to “keep clear of people like that,” was inspired by a desire to rely on the biblical wisdom of Billy Graham, whom Ball considers a personal hero, and to reintroduce young people to the evangelist.

“We’ve never had a situation where a single individual has threatened democracy and the rule of law like Mr. Trump has,” said Ball. “We’re also hoping to provide a witness to others that love should be at the heart of how we look at politics.

“How are we called to love our neighbors in the public square? We think hands down that Kamala Harris is the candidate that everyone should be voting for on that regard.”

(RNS)—Oklahoma is in the market for some Bibles. They might get some help from Donald Trump.

The state’s education department is on the hunt for 55,000 copies of the Scriptures, bound in leather or a similar material and including a mix of religious and historic documents like the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

While the Bible remains one of the most popular books for sale, few versions fit Oklahoma’s requirements, according to Oklahoma Watch, which contacted Mardell, a major Christian retailer where none of the 2,900 Bibles on sale reportedly fit the bid criteria.

One Bible that might fit is country singer Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” Bible, which President Trump endorses. That Bible has the right translation and historic documents and is available in leather for about $60.

“The supplier must provide only the King James Version Bible for historical accuracy and contain both the Old and New Testaments,” according to a bid description for the Bibles, published by Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit investigative publication.

“The supplier’s Bible must include copies of The United States Pledge of Allegiance, The U.S. Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and The U.S. Bill of Rights.”

Not all Bibles fit the bill

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, has championed teaching the Bible in public schools and has mandated that it be taught in grades 5-12. That mandate seems to have prompted the quest to buy the Bibles.

The bid description does not mention the Apocrypha—a group of texts found in Catholic Bibles—but does ban any “study guides, publisher narration, or additional commentary.”

The “We the People Bible,” endorsed by Donald Trump Jr., might also fit the bill. That Bible is available in packs of 10 for about $500 online and has the state education department’s desired documents.

Other patriotic versions of the Bible might not qualify for the bid. The “American Patriot’s Bible”—available online—has the King James Version and patriotic images but does not appear to have the Constitution or Declaration of Independence.

The “Founder’s Bible,” from controversial conservative author David Barton, has the wrong translation and about 1,000 pages of commentary about the Bible and America’s history. It also does not appear to have the founding documents.

One caveat could derail Trump’s favorite Bible from ending up in the hands of Oklahoma school kids. The “God Bless the USA” Bible includes lyrics from Greenwood’s hit song, which might be disqualifying content.

A spokesman for the “God Bless the USA” Bible did not respond to a request for comment about whether a bid for that Bible will be submitted to Oklahoma.

When asked if the “God Bless the USA” Bible was eligible, Dan Isett, communications director for the Oklahoma Department of Education, declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate since the bidding process is now open.

“We are excited to bring back the Bible in its essential historical and literary context to Oklahoma classrooms,” he said in an email. “Superintendent Walters has committed the agency to an open and transparent RFP (request for proposal) process, consistent with the norms for state procurement, that will be adequate to meet the needs of Oklahoma classrooms. There are hundreds of Bible publishers and we expect a robust competition for this proposal.”

Greenwood Bible has controversial history

The “God Bless the USA” Bible’s controversial history could prove to be an advantage in the bidding process. An earlier version of the Bible, featuring a licensed version of the New International Version, was canceled after public outcry in 2021. That led the group marketing the “God Bless the USA” Bible to switch to the King James Version, which fits the bid proposal.

Greenwood’s project found new life earlier this year when Donald Trump released a video promoting it. That endorsement is a paid promotion.

The Trump campaign has also used “God Bless the USA,” Greenwood’s 1984 hit patriotic song, at rallies.

Fans of the former president can also buy a signed version of the “God Bless the USA” Bible for $1,000. For those looking for a less expensive option, a “The Day God Intervened” version of the Bible is available for $60—featuring a cover embossed with July 12, 2024, the date of the failed attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Penn. Some religious followers of Trump have claimed God miraculously intervened to save the former president’s life.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—More than 200 evangelical Christian leaders—moderates as well as influential conservatives—have signed an open letter urging the presidential candidates of both parties to reflect “biblical principles on immigration.”

While challenging both parties, the letter signals particular discomfort with the approach taken by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, to the issue.

The letter, released Sept. 30, was organized by the evangelical humanitarian aid organization World Relief and signed by the group’s vice president of advocacy and policy, Matthew Soerens, as well as Timothy R. Head of the Faith and Freedom Coalition; Daniel Darling of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and National Association of Evangelicals President Walter Kim.

Other signers include Gabriel and Jeanette Salguero, leaders of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition; Raymond Chang, president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative; Dave Dummitt, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church; and Rich Nathan, pastor of Vineyard church in Columbus, Ohio.

“There’s no single evangelical perspective on U.S. immigration policy,” the letter argued. But it added, “The vast majority of American evangelicals are neither anti-immigrant nor advocates for open borders.”

The letter instead detailed three “core principles” regarding evangelical beliefs and immigration: the belief that immigrants are made in the image of God and have innate dignity, a desire for secure and orderly borders, and opposing immigration policies that separate families.

The call for more secure borders seemed to appeal to critics of the current administration, as did the letter’s concern about the “record number of apprehensions of individuals who have unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border” and those who have entered without being apprehended.

The signers argue the influx increases “the risk of entry of those intent on harming the United States and its citizens,” a concern heavily emphasized by Trump’s presidential campaign.

“We believe our government can and must both maintain a secure, orderly border and protect those fleeing persecution,” the letter reads.

‘Dehumanizing language’ condemned

But the letter appeared more reflective of criticism lobbed at Vance and Trump, particularly in light of controversy sparked by their repeated false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

“Dehumanizing language is offensive to evangelicals, especially because many of us are immigrants, are descendants of immigrants or have personal relationships with the immigrants who make up a growing share of our movement,” read World Vision’s letter, using language similar to religious leaders who have come to the Haitian community’s defense, with local and national clergy signing statements rallying in support.

The letter also singled out the “zero tolerance” policy instituted in 2018 by the Trump administration, which led to immigrant children detained along the U.S.-Mexico border being separated from their parents and sent to other facilities, sometimes without enough information to easily reunite them later.

The policy, overwhelmingly condemned by faith leaders at the time, induced hundreds of United Methodists to join an unsuccessful effort to bring church discipline against then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a UMC member who had attempted to justify the policy with Scripture.

At least one Catholic bishop also suggested “canonical penalties”—which includes denial of Communion—for any Catholics who helped implement the policy.

The letter connected the policy to recent proposals by Trump to enact the “largest deportation” in U.S. history.

“While those convicted of serious violent offenses should face deportation,” the letter reads, “any initiative to deport all unauthorized immigrants—the vast majority of whom have lived within the United States for at least a decade and have not been convicted of any serious crime—would result in family separation at an unconscionable scale.”

In an email to RNS, Soerens argued the Trump campaign “is making not just a moral error in using dehumanizing language and proposing policies that would separate families on a large scale, but also a political misstep.”

He said that while Trump has long enjoyed ironclad support from white evangelical voters, his approach to immigration could damage the former president’s prospects come Election Day.

“I’m obviously not predicting that most white evangelicals in Wisconsin or any state are going to vote for Harris, but if even a small share of 2020 Trump voters make that switch or—perhaps more likely—are so dismayed by both candidates that they simply stay home, it could be decisive in states like Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia, where the margin of victory is sure to be very close,” Soerens wrote.

‘Love our neighbors—including our immigrant neighbors’

The signers of the letter, who hail from all 50 states, include Myal Greene of World Relief, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities David Hoag and an array of local faith leaders in states such as Wisconsin, among others.

“As you seek to appeal to evangelical voters, we urge you to reflect each of these biblically-informed values in the rhetoric you employ and the policy solutions you propose,” the letter concludes.

“Regardless of the outcome of this or any election, American evangelicals remain committed to the biblical call to love our neighbors—including our immigrant neighbors.”

The letter comes less than two days after a faith-themed event in Pennsylvania where Vance offered a theological defense of Trump’s border policies.

Speaking before a conservative Christian crowd, Vance—a Catholic—suggested his hardline position on immigration is rooted in the “Christian idea that you owe the strongest duty to your family,” and that leaders should prioritize their own citizens first.

“It doesn’t mean that you have to be mean to other people, but it means that your first duty as an American leader is to the people of your own country,” Vance said.

(RNS)—Even before Hurricane Helene made landfall in the United States—near Tallahassee, Fla., on Sept. 26—faith-based disaster groups were on the move.

Disaster relief staff from the Southern Baptist Convention shipped food and other essentials to Valdosta, Ga., where Send Relief, a Southern Baptist humanitarian group, runs a ministry center. From there, supplies could be sent to the Gulf Coast and other areas affected by the devastating storm.

Coming ashore as a Category 4 hurricane, Helene killed more than 130 people at last count and left millions without power in at least eight states across the Southeast U.S., according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, as the storm headed north, SBC officials and leaders from other faith-based groups were holding conference calls and planning their relief efforts.

In the early days of their response, along with assessing damages, Southern Baptists and Salvation Army officials planned to establish mobile kitchens capable of turning out 10,000 meals a day in Georgia and Florida.

Two of the first mobile feeding sites will be based at Baptist churches in Live Oak, Fla., and Perry, Fla., both within an hour of Tallahassee.

“The Baptists set up their field kitchens, begin cooking, and then Salvation Army field units gather the meals and distribute them into the communities that were impacted,” Jeff Jellets, disaster relief coordinator in the Southeast for the Salvation Army, said in a telephone interview.

The Salvation Army also will set up shower units and other support services in communities affected by Helene. Other faith groups will send teams of relief workers with chainsaws to clean up debris and tools to help muck out flooded houses and will provide chaplains to support those affected by the storm.

Jellets said disaster relief teams may end up working in communities farther north along Helene’s route as well, in Virginia and Tennessee, because of the extensive damage from the hurricane—which he called one of the worst storms he had seen in years.

Texas Baptists respond

Texans on Mission volunteers already have begun helping churches clean out flooded homes in the area around Tampa Bay, Fla.

A large group of Texans on Mission volunteers are on their way to Tennessee and North Carolina to help with flood recovery, chainsaw work and food service, as well as incident management.

They are supported by a shower and laundry unit, electrical repair teams, asset protection volunteers and chaplains.

The widespread effects of Helene will prove challenging for disaster relief groups. Normally volunteers and other staff come from nearby states. Helene was such a large system, however, that people are being mobilized as far away as the Midwest.

“This hurricane is more than 500 miles across and will impact as many as eight states within our territory,” Jellets said in an update on the Salvation Army’s work.

“In my more than 20 years of disaster experience, I can’t think of a time when such a large area was at risk and the Salvation Army could be called to support so many people.”

Josh Benton, a vice president at Send Relief, said Southern Baptists have trained volunteers and leaders in each state and can draw from that pool of volunteers in states affected by the storm as well as other states.

“That coordination allows us to respond in multiple areas,” he said.

Though the Southern Baptist Convention is a relatively decentralized denomination, disaster relief is an instance where churches coordinate closely for the benefit of communities hit by disaster, Benton said.

Benton said Send Relief works closely with the Salvation Army and other faith groups, as well as with federal officials, FEMA and local officials. Jellets said faith groups already are coordinating their plans and will continue to do so in the days ahead.

On Friday, the ministry center in Valdosta already was serving meals to those affected by the storm, including a family with 10 children who lost their home in the storm, said Jay Watkins, a pastor who coordinates the ministry center.

More than half of the groups in the National Voluntary Organization Active in Disasters—a network of nonprofit disaster response agencies—are faith-based groups that remain an essential partner in the nation’s response to natural disasters.

“This is one of the darkest days in many people’s lives,” said Jellet.

“When the disaster hits them, there is an incredible amount of trust and responsibility involved. God opens the door for us to bring a little bit of light into those situations.”

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp.

(RNS)—As many as 100,000 church-owned buildings are expected to be sold or repurposed by 2030, according to an analysis in a new book, Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition.

Though Sunday attendance has recovered in part from COVID-19 restrictions, a decades-long decline has continued to take its toll, and the squeeze on churches only has gotten tighter in the post-pandemic economy, according to fall 2023 data from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

As a result, congregations face hard choices about what to do with large sacred structures that are underutilized, costly to keep up and suffering from deferred maintenance.

“Everything keeps getting more expensive, but we have fewer people in the congregation to pay for it,” said Jainine Gambaro, a member of Franklin Reformed Church in Nutley, N.J. “We keep going by the grace of God, but it’s an issue.”

Gambaro was one of some 100 church leaders and congregants who gathered online and in person, Sept. 20-21, to hear from a lineup of real estate experts about how to reimagine a new future for church buildings.

The Future of Church Property conference, organized by Princeton Theological Seminary, focused on turning community needs into grants, partnerships with developers and new business-driven income streams.

Thanks to the federal Inflation Reduction Act, lots of new dollars are available for renovations, said Lindsay Baker, CEO of the International Living Future Institute, an advocacy group for making buildings healthier, greener and more affordable.

“There is a lot of money for you all right now, and that’s not always the case, so that’s exciting,” said Baker.

Consider social enterprise

Congregations were urged to consider social enterprise, a term for using business principles to address social problems while generating revenue. Attendees heard about congregations that had escaped financial dire straits and galvanized new ministry momentum by leasing space to the public for community and commercial use.

Sunset Ridge Church of Christ in San Antonio leases a former “junk room” to NYX Wellness, which painted walls and began offering yoga classes. It now brings in $650 per month for the church.

Sunset Ridge’s commercial-quality kitchen now is used by entrepreneurs to prepare food for retail sale, for another $400 per user per month. A coworking space brings together remote workers on a membership model: Each user pays $75 per month for unlimited access.

Getting the congregation on board for these innovations involved many “coffee chats” with the congregation—in which pastoral leaders listened to fears and answered questions—said Jess Lowry, executive director and pastoral leader of the Sunset Ridge Collective, which coordinates the church’s social enterprises.

“That time we invested ended up really helping people get ownership and understand,” Lowry said. “Even if they weren’t moved to participate in some part of the particular mission, they at least felt safe and comfortable that they weren’t just losing their church.”

The assembled church leaders were directed to resources such as the Good Futures Accelerator course from Rooted Good for other ideas on how to forward their missions while raising revenue.

Churches with land or buildings that can be developed into housing have huge opportunities in the current housing crisis, said Nina Janopaul, president of Virginia Episcopal Real Estate Partners.

She pointed to Arlington Presbyterian Church, across the Potomac River from Washington—which built 173 affordable housing units, working with a nonprofit developer who pieced together $71 million in direct funding and tax breaks for the project from multiple sources.

The project not only allowed the congregation to keep a presence at its location, Janopaul said, but it also spawned new energy for the congregation as it has mobilized to reach out to its new community and serve its needs.

Many nonprofit developers will cover costs before a project gets started as well, said Janopaul. They may cover predevelopment costs—which can run up to $50,000 for appraisals, zoning analysis and feasibility modeling—in exchange for a commitment to use that developer if the project goes forward.

In many cases, the church will be asked to lease the land to the affordable housing partner for a minimum of 50 years, Janopaul said, which sounds risky.

However, she added: “At least with a nonprofit, you know that in 50 years you’re not dealing with an individual who will sell it. … Nonprofits, you hope, are going to be around longer.”

Even when partners cover most of the costs, most housing projects take years to complete, and the deals themselves or neighborhood relations can become highly contentious. So, congregations that lack the wherewithal and need cash fast might do better to subdivide and sell off parcels, Janopaul said.

Consider engaging uses

Churches were urged to consider uses that will engage people in their community.

“Young people are really motivated by climate action and thoughtful community engagement,” Baker said.

Sometimes simply “greening” old buildings can show prospective churchgoers that a congregation shares their values.

Baker suggested improving the health profile of churches while shrinking their impact on the environment by using nontoxic flooring materials, increasing ventilation, replacing oil or gas with electric heat pumps and installing solar panels for power and shade.

Then, she said, take credit for doing so. “There are ways you can make that visible on your landscape and on your signage.”

The lofty visions presented at the conference partly were tempered by financial realities in congregations where even paying utility bills is a challenge.

“That’s how we got into this mess, all of us, because there wasn’t money to say, ‘Oh, let’s just fix this’ when something comes up,” said Meagan Manas, pastor of Clinton Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Mass., in the session.

But Manas realized surviving was going to take more than simple donations. “The answer to so many of the things (discussed) today feels like it’s money, but that’s not an answer for us. So, I’m looking for more creativity.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (RNS)—“Jesus said that he is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is with us in truth. And the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets in Springfield,” said Pastor Carl Ruby, gripping the pulpit of Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio.

Moments later, the 60-person congregation rose to its feet, applauding the five Haitian community leaders visiting on Sept.15.

“We love you,” Ruby said to them. “We are glad you’re here.”

Earlier in the week, the small church hadn’t been certain they would be worshipping on Sunday. Bomb threats and the presence of hate groups had the city on edge. But the board voted to meet, and Ruby took the opportunity to appeal to both President Biden and former President Trump.

“I call on our former president, President Trump, out of the goodness of his heart, out of the divine spark of God’s image that lives in every human being, to let people know that he was misinformed about what’s happening in our community, and to ask hate groups who are here to leave,” Ruby said.

He also called on President Biden to provide additional resources to support the expanding city, which has seen an influx of as many as 20,000 Haitian migrants in the past decade.

Bomb threats and verbal attacks

The appeal came after the midwestern city was thrust into the national spotlight during the most recent presidential debate, when former President Trump claimed Haitian migrants are “eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Since then, the debunked pet-eating line has become a “memeified” punchline. But for community members, effects of the remark have been no joke.

On Sept. 12, two schools, Springfield City Hall and Clark County offices closed in the wake of bomb threats. On Saturday, two Springfield hospitals closed due to bomb threats.

Flyers claiming to be from the Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan—a Kentucky offshoot of the white supremacist group—reportedly were distributed in Springfield.

“Foreigners & Haitians Out,” the flyers read, according to a photo obtained by RNS. “Join us and stand against forced immigration.”

Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, which provides legal and case management services in Springfield but does not resettle migrants there, has faced verbal and written attacks, chief executive Tony Stieritz told America Magazine.

“My daughter asked me, ‘What’s going on dad?’” said Harold Herard, an engineer and member of the Haitian Community Help & Support Center who visited Ruby’s church on Sunday. “I tried to explain to her the situation, but I don’t want to put her in a situation of feeling fear about school.”

On Sunday, patrons and cashiers at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the south end of the city traded rumors about Haitians being arrested and consuming pets.

Churches say, ‘I am with you in the difficulties’

But later that afternoon, a different narrative unfolded just around the corner, where about 60 Haitians met at First Evangelical Haitian Church of Springfield for a weekly English-Speakers-of-Other-Languages course. Normally, the classes are stretched to find English-speaking conversation partners. But this week, about 30 volunteers—many from local churches—participated.

“I am with you in the difficulties,” the Haitian students practiced speaking in English. “Mwen avèk ou nan difikilte yo,” the English-speakers learned to respond in Haitian Creole.

At the end of the event, the English speakers distributed flowers and baked goods, while Haitian leaders thanked them for their solidarity.

“We are in amazement at how so much good is coming out of such difficulty,” said Heidi Earlywine, an English teacher and advocate who co-coordinates the ESOL classes.

Despite the welcoming atmosphere, some Haitian ESOL students voiced concerns about the level of scrutiny they’ve faced in Springfield this week, saying the toxic atmosphere had pushed them to consider relocating out of state.

Viles Dorsainvil, president of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center and a former Moravian pastor, said he’s also heard Haitians debating whether to leave Springfield. But he hopes people stay a few more weeks before deciding.

“We have so many good leaders working with us,” Dorsainvil said. “And we do our best in our nonprofit to work through this situation with the community. I think that if we just take our time, we will navigate this together. But the tension is here. The fear is here.”

Skilled workers bring ‘tremendous gifts’

Once a bustling manufacturing town that produced farm equipment and other machinery, Springfield faced race riots in the early 20th century, and struggled with closing factories and a declining population at the tail end of the century.

Then, about a decade ago, the city launched a successful effort to bring in several businesses and companies that created thousands of new jobs. Haitian migrants facing political turmoil and gang violence in their home country began to arrive, filling job shortages and opening churches, shops and cafes.

“First Baptist Church is one part of a larger faith community and group of public service agencies that believe in the tremendous gifts that come along with the increase in population,” said Pastor Adam Banks, who pointed out the benefit of welcoming skilled Haitian professionals, including educators and health care specialists. “As a city that has seen its population decline for decades, this increase provides a great deal of hope.”

Countering rumors that resettlement organizations have been “bussing in” migrants, Herard said Haitians have arrived organically after hearing about jobs from other Haitians in the area.

The vast majority are here legally, many as recipients of Temporary Protected Status due to conditions in Haiti. Springfield’s Haitian population has swelled to between 12,000 and 20,000 in recent years, city officials estimate.

Influx of residents a boon but carries costs

Some longtime Springfield residents called the “pet-eating” rhetoric a distraction from the very real strains on local health, education and government resources facing the city.

The influx of residents has, according to many business owners, landlords and city officials, been a boon for the declining city, but it has also come with costs. Schools and hospitals are struggling to keep up with the growing population and the need for translation services and ESOL classes. Housing costs have risen, and the sudden increase in new drivers has prompted safety concerns.

In August 2023, tensions between Haitians and longtime Springfield residents ruptured when 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed in an accident caused by a Haitian migrant who crashed into a school bus. Clark’s parents have since asked that their family’s tragedy not be used to stoke hatred or be exploited for political gain.

City Council meetings were suddenly flooded with concerned residents, and Haitians became the targets of beatings and robberies. First Evangelical Haitian Church of Springfield was reportedly broken into.

But the fractures were subsiding when, this summer, Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance cited Springfield as a failure of Biden’s immigration strategy.

“It really kind of quieted down until our local leaders reached out to J.D. Vance for help getting financial assistance,” said Ruby. “And instead of providing financial assistance, he politicized it.”

Herard said Springfield’s Haitian community is most in need of better translation services, as well as mental health support, particularly in the wake of last week’s debate. For now, many of Springfield’s churches are giving support by way of English classes, correcting misinformation, and displaying solidarity.

At the end of Central Christian Church’s Sunday service, congregants shuffled to the front of the sanctuary where they took Communion elements and bundles of small fliers intended for distribution.

“Mwen byen kontan ou la. Kris la renmen ou e mwen menm tou,” the fliers said in Haitian Creole. “I’m glad you are here. Christ loves you, and so do I.”

To Herard, the service was a welcome respite.

“It was a tough week,” he said. “Fear. Confusion. But today, we feel free.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Americans who hold Christian nationalist views are also likely to express support for forms of authoritarianism, according to a new report from the Public Religion Research Institute.

The report points to a possible link between those who advocate for a Christian nation and people who agree with statements such as the need to “smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.”

Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI, framed the study as an effort to connect recent research on Christian nationalism with longstanding efforts to assess authoritarianism.

“While most Americans do not espouse authoritarian views, our study demonstrates that such views are disproportionately held by Christian nationalists, who we know in our past research have been more prone to accept political violence and more likely to hold antidemocratic attitudes than other Americans,” Deckman said.

The survey included questions from PRRI’s ongoing study of Christian nationalism, which tracks support for the ideology by rating people on a scale of Adherents, Sympathizers, Skeptics or Rejecters.

Respondents also were asked whether they agree with statements such as, “What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path,” and whether they think children should exhibit traits such as obedience and curiosity.

Measuring authoritarian leanings

Such questions were based on two well-known rubrics to measure authoritarian leanings: the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale, developed in 1950 by a group of scholars at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale, which social scientists use to measure similar trends with child-rearing preferences as a framework.

Researchers found striking connections in the responses. A large majority of Christian nationalism supporters (namely, Adherents and Sympathizers) also scored high on both the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (74 percent) and Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale (61 percent)—significantly more than Christian nationalism Skeptics and Rejecters (30 percent and 31 percent, respectively).

In addition, about half (51 percent) of those who scored high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale also qualified as Christian nationalism supporters. The reverse was true among those with low Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale scores: only 7 percent could be classified as Christian nationalism supporters.

And while few Americans overall (34 percent) agreed the U.S. needs a “strong leader who is willing to break some rules,” the statement was supported by majorities of both Christian nationalism supporters (55 percent) and those who score high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (59 percent).

Patriots or insurrectionists?

PRRI also asked questions about current events, such as whether respondents agreed that those who were convicted of crimes for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection are “patriots” who are “being held hostage by the government,” or that Donald Trump should do “whatever it takes to be president” if he is not declared the winner outright in November.

Few Americans overall agreed with either statement (23 percent and 14 percent, respectively), but support was noticeably higher among supporters of Christian nationalism (44 percent and 28 percent) and those who scored high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (38 percent and 24 percent).

Researchers also asked respondents whether they were supporters of “7 Mountains” theology, a belief system popular in some conservative circles that calls on Christians to seek control over the seven “mountains” of society, including politics.

Most Christian nationalist Sympathizers and Adherents (57 percent) said they backed the sentiment, as did significant percentages of those who scored high or very high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (43 percent) or the Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale (35 percent).

The theology found its greatest support among white evangelical Protestants in the survey (48 percent), followed by around 4 in 10 Black Protestants (42 percent) and Hispanic Protestants (42 percent).

“Our new survey shows, too, a close intertwining of apocalyptic and dominionist views among Americans who support authoritarianism. In short, authoritarianism in America is not wholly secular, but has important religious dimensions,” Deckman said.

Supporters of Christian nationalism were also highly likely (84 percent) to agree that “the final battle between good and evil is upon us, and Christians should stand firm with the full armor of God,” as were those who scored high or very high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (70 percent) and the Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale (61 percent).

While no group exhibited majority support for the idea that “American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” (only 16 percent of Americans overall agreed), the idea was most popular among Christian nationalism supporters.

The survey revealed 33 percent of Adherents and Sympathizers saying they agreed, while 28 percent of those who scored high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale and 21 percent who scored high on the Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale agreed.

MIAMI (BP)—The U.S. Republican presidential ticket’s unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets in Ohio are alarming, harmful rhetoric that “fuels xenophobia and perpetuates damaging stereotypes,” a group of Southern Baptist pastors and other Christian leaders advocating for Haitians globally told Baptist Press.

“We must reject inflammatory remarks,” the Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition told Baptist Press Sept. 12, “and uphold the dignity and respect every human being deserves, including Haitian immigrants.

“This nation was built by the hard work of immigrants, and Haitians have played a significant part in shaping its identity.”

Keny Felix, an HCLC vice president who is also president of the Southern Baptist Convention National Haitian Fellowship of about 500 Haitian churches, lamented the accusations lodged against Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, by Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance, and repeated by Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump on the global stage in reference to all immigrants in Springfield during the Sept. 10 U.S. presidential debate.

The Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition objects in particular to Vance’s Sept. 9th X post, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” and his post that Haitians were “draining social services” in Springfield.

And HCLC objects to Trump’s debate response to moderators’ inquiry about immigration: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats … the pets of the people that live there.”

False claims

Both Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and Springfield police have said there have been no reports of such crimes in the city, with the Springfield News-Sun reporting Sept. 9 that Springfield police had “received no reports related to pets being stolen and eaten.”

“We were shocked and dismayed by the statements of Donald Trump,” Felix told Baptist Press, amplifying a Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition prepared statement. “We know that words have consequences. Words that are disparaging against any group, let alone a group that is already suffering … is not reflective of who we are as a people.”

Spreading such disinformation can “lead to significant harm” to Haitians in Springfield, Felix said, and is “problematic. It comes down to common sense. But I think it’s all reflective of this trend of, whether we call it racism, or whether we call it xenophobia. It’s dangerous.”

Disappointment

Messengers to the 2023 SBC annual meeting adopted a Bible-based Resolution on Wisely Engaging Immigration, and Felix said it is disturbing evangelicals are not calling out Trump’s and Vance’s behavior, just as evangelicals critique the leaders’ stances on abortion and other policies.

“For me, the disappointing factor is that evangelicals are not calling out the behavior that is not consistent with what we call evangelical life,” Felix said, “which is love your neighbor as you love yourself. And so when we fail to do that, it puts us in a challenging position then to share the gospel—we often say the ospel of love and grace—when we support someone who spews the opposite through their words.”

Trump’s and Vance’s words are reminiscent of statements that were made to denigrate Felix and his peers on middle school playgrounds, he said.

“But to hear this from a national debate stage, which is pretty much a job interview for a role that we recognize as the presidency of the United States, the commander in chief, the leader of the free world,” Felix said, “and to talk in those terms without any regard, it’s very hurtful. It’s very sad.”

Felix and other Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition leaders planned to establish contacts with Springfield community leaders and Haitian civic leaders from across the United States, hopefully in advance of visiting Springfield to collaborate on ways to support the Haitian community there.

Haitian community

Bomb threats forced the mass closure of Springfield government buildings and schools Sept. 12, and additional closures of some Springfield schools and other public buildings Sept. 13.

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants are living legally in Clark County, Ohio, many of them with Temporary Protected Status, ABC News reported, based on information from government officials.

Low living costs and work opportunities attract migrants to the area, ABC reported, but it wasn’t clear what percentage of the immigrants were from Haiti. The county’s population of about 135,000 includes about 60,000 in Springfield.

Condemnation and advocacy

David Eugene, pastor of Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami, is president of the Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition, a nonprofit incorporated in April that describes itself as representing thousands of Haitian Christian churches worldwide, advocating for social justice, economic development and civic engagement.

Felix is also senior pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami, and is joined as vice president by Jackson Voltaire, pastor of the multisite Grace Connection Baptist Church in the Miami area.

“Our condemnation of these baseless accusations is rooted in our commitment to defend human dignity,” HCLC said in its statement, “not as political ammunition for any party. We uphold justice for all Haitians and urge the public to recognize the Haitian community’s valuable contributions.”

HCLC pointed out Haitians in the United States “play crucial roles as business owners, healthcare workers, educators, and public officials.

“Their efforts not only boost local economies but also strengthen the nation through civic engagement and leadership. These contributions deserve recognition and respect, not defamation through harmful, unfounded accusations.”

More than 350 evangelical leaders—including some Texas Baptists—have endorsed a “Confession of Evangelical Conviction,” affirming allegiance to Jesus Christ and his gospel alone, “apart from any partisan agenda.”

In a Sept. 9 online news conference, some initial signers of the confession announced a call to prayer for renewal and revival involving churches and denominations representing up to 4 million worshippers.

“No political ideology or earthly authority can claim the authority that belongs to Christ,” the confession states.

Several participants in the online press conference noted the confession “wouldn’t have been controversial” just a few years ago. But today, some evangelicals view its statements of faith through the filter of their political identity rather than their Christian identity, they asserted.

‘Growing sense of political idolatry’

Skye Jethani, co-host of The Holy Post podcast, identified himself as one of the original drafters of the confession. He noted it was inspired in part by the Barmen Declaration, a 1934 theological document adopted by the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany.

In response to “a growing sense of political idolatry,” Jethani said he and others wanted to offer a statement calling Christians to “realign allegiance” exclusively to Christ.

“Our worship belongs to him alone, because our true hope is not in any party, leader, movement, or nation, but in the promise of Christ’s return when he will renew the world and reign over all things,” the Confession of Evangelical Conviction states.

Texas Baptists who have endorsed the statement—released Sept. 5—include Steve Bezner, senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church; John Ogletree, senior pastor of First Metropolitan Church in Houston; Dwight McKissic, senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington; and Beth Allison Barr, Baylor University professor and author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.

Others who have signed the confession include Russell Moore, editor in chief of Christianity Today; Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination and professor of English at evangelical institutions more than 25 years;Kristin Du Mez, professor at Calvin University and author of Jesus and John Wayne; Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition; and Richard Mouw, former president of Fuller Theological Seminary.

Phil Vischer, co-creator of VeggieTales, not only endorsed the statement, but also created an animated video—Parables of Puddingham: Knight of Terror—encouraging people to “vote with love, not fear.” The cartoon is among several resources released in conjunction with the confession, including a Bible study and worship album.

“We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by God as our Savior, or that a Christian’s loyalty should belong to any political party,” the confession states. “We reject any message that promotes devotion to a human leader or that wraps divine worship around partisanship.”

Lead with love, not fear and anger

The statement rejects the “false security promised by political idolatry and its messengers,” insisting Christians are called to lead with love rather than fear and anger.

“We reject the stoking of fears and the use of threats as an illegitimate form of godly motivation, and we repudiate the use of violence to achieve political goals as incongruent with the way of Christ,” the confession states.

The statement affirms the need to submit to the truth of Scripture and “speaking the truth in love.”

“We reject the misuse of holy Scripture to sanction a single political agenda, provoke hatred, or sow social divisions, and we believe that using God’s name to promote misinformation or lies for personal or political gain is bearing his name in vain,” the confession states.

The statement rejects division within the church along partisan, ethnical or national lines, it affirms the church’s prophetic mission, and it underscores the value of every person as created in God’s image.

The confession also affirms character matters both in political and spiritual leaders, and it warns against serving “the false gods of power, wealth, and strength rather than the true God.”

“When any leader claims to have God’s approval, whether in the Church or in politics, we will not confuse effectiveness for faithfulness, but carefully discern who is truly from God,” the confession states.

“We reject the lie that a leader’s power, popularity, or political effectiveness is confirmation of God’s favor, or that Christians are permitted to ignore the teachings of Christ to protect themselves with worldly power.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Former President Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric on abortion has unsettled some conservative faith-based activists.

Some evangelical Christian leaders especially have fretted over the Republican presidential candidate’s recent remarks on Florida’s proposed abortion amendment and allowing federal funding for IVF procedures that some say are tantamount to abortion.

But even amid the backlash, several of Trump’s long-term evangelical supporters are insisting the former president, who still publicly takes credit for nominating the conservative justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, remains the best candidate for their cause.

Trump has distanced himself from hardline abortion stances since at least September 2023, when he riled anti-abortion activists by calling Florida’s six-week abortion ban a “terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”

But last month, he called Florida’s current limit on abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy “too short” and, when asked about a ballot initiative in the state that would enshrine abortion access, said, “I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.”

Some warn Trump he will lose support of base

The comments drew swift blowback from anti-abortion activists such as Jeanne Mancini, head of the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion event in Washington where Trump spoke in 2020. In a pair of posts on X on Aug. 30, Mancini responded to Trump’s remarks without mentioning him by name.

“Any politician that would consider voting affirmatively for such a measure will undoubtedly lose the support of pro-life Americans,” she wrote.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that the human rights issue of abortion takes the lives of the unborn and deeply harms women both mentally and physically. The reality is that the tragedy of abortion cannot be reduced to politics alone, much less sacrificed for what is perceived to be politically expedient.”

Trump’s campaign insisted he did not say precisely how he would vote, and the candidate himself eventually clarified to Fox News that he would not support the ballot initiative.

But the back-and-forth came the same week Trump announced plans to federally subsidize in-vitro fertilization, a procedure opposed by some anti-abortion activists because it often involves the disposal of embryos.

In June, an effort to protect IVF access failed in the U.S. Senate after most Republicans, including Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, voted against it. About the same time, the Southern Baptist Convention, at its annual meeting, voted in support of a measure calling for more government regulation of the process.

Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who in June called IVF “immoral,” warned Trump in an editorial this week that he risks alienating his anti-abortion base.

“(Trump) needs to remember that he cannot win without strong—very strong—pro-life support,” Mohler wrote in World Magazine, an evangelical Christian publication. “The other side is not impressed with his equivocations on the issue, even as his base is endangered by any confusion.”

Lila Rose, head of the influential anti-abortion group Live Action, blasted the Trump campaign on social media on Aug. 29, saying: “Given the current situation, we have two pro-abortion tickets. A Trump win is not a pro-life win right now.”

In an interview with Politico Magazine, Rose refused to say whether she would vote for Trump, saying only, “I am going to see how the next few weeks unfold,” and urging her supporters to put pressure on his campaign.

Trump has suggested his shift on the issue is a result of raw politics. Since the 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe and allowed states to make their own abortion policy, abortion-related ballot initiatives have gone the way of abortion rights activists—even in red states such as Kansas and Ohio. Trump blamed the Republican Party’s anti-abortion stance for its middling results in the 2022 midterm elections.

With 10 more abortion-related ballot initiatives in November—including in swing states like Arizona—the issue has the potential to fracture the Republican coalition.

White evangelicals strongly oppose abortion

White evangelicals, who have long heavily supported the GOP and who alone make up 30 percent of the party according to a Public Religion Research Institute survey, are disproportionately opposed to abortion, with 72 percent who believe the practice should be illegal in all or most cases, according to a separate PRRI survey conducted in March.

Nationwide, 64 percent of Americans told PRRI abortion should be legal in all or most cases—including 62 percent of white Catholics and 57 percent of Hispanic Catholics, despite official opposition from the Catholic Church.

When it comes to IVF, 70 percent of Americans say IVF access is a good thing, according to an April poll from Pew Research, with majorities of every major religious group saying the same—including 63 percent of white evangelicals.

In July, the RNC published a new platform that omitted the rationale for a federal abortion ban for the first time in decades, likely reflecting Trump’s misgivings about the political liability of the party’s traditional position.

Abby Johnson, who runs the anti-abortion group And Then There Were None, suggested in a statement sent to Religion News Service that activists have been pushing Trump and his campaign behind the scenes to change course.

“President Trump’s comments surrounding life issues have been troubling for many in the pro-life movement,” Johnson said. “That is why many of us have been working behind the scenes with him and his campaign team, hoping to change the course he is on. We have already seen some course correction and we hope to see much more.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a conservative Christian, was also critical of Trump and told the National Review: “The Trump-Pence administration stood for life without apology for four years. The former President’s use of the language of the Left, pledging that his administration would be ‘great for women and their reproductive rights’ should be concerning for millions of pro-life Americans.”

Some evangelical supporters rally around Trump

But despite the criticism, some of Trump’s longtime religious supporters continue to rally around him. Franklin Graham, the son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham who has called abortion “a genocide of the unborn,” insisted Trump’s past actions were more important than his campaign rhetoric.

“I don’t just consider a candidate’s words, I look at their actions and what they have done,” Graham told RNS in a statement. “Former President Donald Trump has a four-year track record of appointing judges who protect life.

“While his position on abortion may not be as absolute as some would hope, it doesn’t change the fact that he has been the most pro-life president in my lifetime and is the only pro-life presidential candidate on the ballot this election.”

Ralph Reed, who has spent decades organizing evangelicals as head of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said he does not see evangelicals abandoning Trump because of his abortion stances.

Saying he was “never concerned” Trump would support the ballot initiative in Florida, Reed suggested conservative voters will back Trump because the alternative—voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee—is simply untenable.

He contrasted Trump’s record on the issue with that of Harris, whose campaign has placed her support for abortion rights front and center.

Harris has tied abortion access to personal freedom—the campaign’s slogan—as has her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has sung the praises of IVF on the stump while connecting it to his own family’s fertility struggles—though they had not, he had to clarify, turned to IVF, but rather used a less invasive procedure.

Citing Harris’ support for policies such as legislation that would restore abortion access nationwide, Reed called her “the most radical pro-abortion nominee for president in the modern political era.” Her positions, he argued, are so “extreme” that she is ultimately “unacceptable to voters of faith.”

“For all these reasons, evangelicals will turn out in record numbers in November and vote overwhelmingly for Trump,” Reed predicted.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Montgomery County, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., was the most religiously diverse county in the United States last year, according to a census released Aug. 29 by the Public Religion Research Institute.

When the institute conducted a similar study in 2020, Montgomery County came in third behind the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. In 2023 those boroughs were relegated to second and 10th, respectively.

PRRI’s Census of American Religion, which focuses on U.S. adults age 18 and over, calculates religious diversity by analyzing 18 different religious and racial groups in counties with more than 10,000 residents.

In the index used to rank counties, 1 signifies complete diversity, where every religious group is of equal size, whereas 0 signifies a homogenous religious population. Montgomery County received a score of 0.886.

Montgomery County, with a population of more than a million, is significantly more educated and wealthier than the U.S. average. One in six county residents has a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median household income is $118,323. Voters go heavily blue, with 78.6 percent having supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

The county is home to many federal government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Walter Reed Military Medical Center and Army Institute of Research. It is also home to at least one Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh.

High concentration of religious minority groups

Only 56.8 percent of county residents speak English at home, with Spanish (17.2 percent), other Indo-European languages (10.3 percent) and Asian and Pacific Island languages (9.8 percent) most commonly spoken.

Beyond the religiously unaffiliated, who represent slightly less than 2 in 10 (17.8 percent) residents, the largest religious group in the county was Black Protestants, who make up 10 percent of the population.

Christians overall made up about 60 percent of the population, with other large Christian groups including white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants (9.6 percent), Hispanic Catholics (7.7 percent), white Catholics (7.4 percent), Hispanic Protestants (6.9 percent) and white evangelical Protestants (5.4 percent).

In most of the top-10 religiously diverse counties, the religious groups with the greatest representation are the religiously unaffiliated, but in Nassau County, N.Y., (20.6 percent) and Montgomery County, Penn., (19.8 percent), white Catholics were the largest religious group. Nassau County, part of Long Island, came in third, and Montgomery County, a Philadelphia suburb, came in fourth.

Montgomery County, Md., the most religiously diverse county, was among the top 10 counties in the country with the highest concentration of several minority religious groups.

Montgomery County, Md., has:

• The second-highest concentration of Orthodox Christians, who make up 2 percent of the population.
• The third-highest concentration of Hindus, who make up 2.7 percent of the population.
• The fourth-highest concentration of Jews, who make up 9.3 percent of the population.
• The fourth-highest concentration of Muslims, who make up 3.2 percent of the population.
• The fifth-highest concentration of Buddhists, who make up 2.7 percent of the population.
• The fifth-highest concentration of Unitarian Universalists, who make up 1.3 percent of the population.

While PRRI does not separate Seventh-day Adventists as one of their 18 religious categories, the group has a significant presence in Montgomery County. The county is home to Washington Adventist University, and Adventist HealthCare is a major employer in the county.

Throughout 2023, the county experienced religious conflict related to LGBTQ learning content in the public school system.

In May of that year, Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox Christian parents began a legal challenge to the public school system’s decision to prohibit parents from opting their children out of lessons on books with LGBTQ characters, a decision also opposed by Moms for Liberty, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Montgomery County Muslim Council.

So far, both a U.S. District Court judge and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have dismissed the request. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the plaintiffs, has indicated it intends to appeal the ruling.

In December 2023, a Muslim middle-school teacher in the public school system also filed a religious discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was placed on administrative leave because she used “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in her email signature. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Legal Defense Fund is supporting her complaint.

TYLER (BP)—The National Religious Broadcasters association has joined a complaint alongside two East Texas churches calling for the Johnson Amendment to be declared unconstitutional.

The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler on Aug. 28.

Sand Springs Church in Athens and First Baptist Church in Waskom joined in the complaint as did Intercessors for America, a national prayer ministry based in Purcellville, Va. First Baptist in Waskom is uniquely aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Congress approved then-Senator Lyndon Johnson’s amendment to the U.S. tax code in 1954 that prohibited 501(c)(3) organizations such as charities and churches “from engaging in any political campaign activity.” In 1987, Congress added a clarification that the amendment also applies to statements opposing candidates.

According to a National Religious Broadcasters statement, the complaint details how organizations have “engage[d] in electoral activities that are open, obvious and well-known, yet the IRS allows some, but not all, such organizations to do so without penalty.”

The Internal Revenue Service, it continued, routinely “acts in an arbitrary and capricious manner” toward nonprofit organizations “that disfavors conservative organizations and conservative, religious organizations.” Such an unequal enforcement, it determines, constitutes “a denial of both religious freedom and equal protection.”

And as such, the National Religious Broadcasters notes, the amendment itself should be discarded.

“For too long, churches have been instructed to remain silent on pressing matters of conscience and conviction during election season or risk their 501(c)(3) status,” said National Religious Broadcasters President and CEO Troy A. Miller.

“We believe that all nonprofits should have the constitutional right to freely express their point of view on candidates, elections and issues on the ballot. Our challenge to the Johnson Amendment is about securing the future of free expression for all Americans, particularly those standing in the pulpit.”

National Religious Broadcasters General Counsel Michael Farris said the amendment’s history showed a “discriminatory” pattern of respecting only certain groups’ freedom of speech.

“Our intent is to vindicate the right of every church and religious nonprofit to express what their faith teaches on every issue, including political matters, as is their right and their duty,” he said.