# BJC Online

> BJC champions religious freedom, working with leaders to ensure faith can be practiced safely\. Join the movement for justice and stay informed with BJC resources\.

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## Pages
- [Local Groups](https://bjconline.org/localgroups/)
- [North Texas Coalition of Christians Against Christian Nationalism](https://bjconline.org/localgroups/northtexas/)
- [Home](http://bjconline.org/)
- [BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation](http://bjconline.org/center/)
- [Protecting the Johnson Amendment]()

## Posts
- [Why I testified at a congressional hearing on anti\-Sharia laws](http://bjconline.org/why-i-testified-at-a-congressional-hearing-on-anti-sharia-laws/)
- [Freedom Isn’t Just On Paper: Reflections on Juneteenth](http://bjconline.org/freedom-isnt-just-on-paper-reflections-on-juneteenth/): Juneteenth is not just a day of remembrance; it is a day of accountability\.
- [Now Hear This: Religious Liberty at 250](http://bjconline.org/now-hear-this-religious-liberty-at-250/)
- [New memo instructs federal agencies on religious accommodations allowing remote work](http://bjconline.org/new-memo-instructs-federal-agencies-to-adopt-generous-approach-in-granting-religious-accommodations-allowing-remote-work/): This latest guidance establishes religious accommodation as an important basis for allowing federal employees to work remotely, making clear that the Supreme Court decision in Groff v\. DeJoy applies to the federal government too\.
- [BJC among organizations urging President Trump to end attacks on Johnson Amendment](http://bjconline.org/bjc-among-1000-organizations-urging-president-trump-to-end-attacks-on-johnson-amendment-protect-nonprofits-from-partisan-politics/): The Johnson Amendment has protected nonprofits – including houses of worship – for more than 70 years from political pressure and additional dangers that come with endorsing and opposing candidates\.

## Court Cases
- [Oklahoma v\. Drummond](): Religion should never be compelled, and the government should not fund religious education\.
- [Landor v\. Louisiana Department of Corrections](https://bjconline.org/court-case/landor-v-louisiana-department-of-corrections/): Prison guards cannot forcibly shave someone’s head if they are practicing a religion that requires long hair, but that’s exactly what happened to Damon Landor in a Louisiana prison\. The question for the Supreme Court: Is he entitled to monetary damages for such an egregious violation? BJC says yes, but the Supreme Court issued a disappointing decision on June 23, 2026\. Here is more information on this case and RLUIPA\. 
- [Kennedy v\. Bremerton](https://bjconline.org/court-case/kennedy-v-bremerton/)
- [Ramirez v\. Collier](https://bjconline.org/court-case/ramirez-v-collier/)
- [Carson v\. Makin](https://bjconline.org/court-case/carson-v-makin/)

## Events
- [Webinar: Protect the Ballot; Protect Faith Freedom](https://bjconline.org/event/webinar-voting-rights-and-religious-liberty/): Your right to worship depends on your right to vote\. Join us for a webinar July 14 to see how you and your community can protect these rights\.
- [Clergy Quarterly Touchpoint](https://bjconline.org/event/clergy-quarterly-touchpoint/): This quarter, we'll focus on voter engagement and voter protection, exploring how faith leaders might live into their prophetic witness at this time by safeguarding the dignity of every individual, strengthening civic participation, and protecting the democratic process\.
- [Webinar: Texas State Board of Education 101](https://bjconline.org/event/webinar-texas-state-board-of-education-101/): Along with our partners, we are hosting a Texas\-wide webinar about the role of the State Board of Education and how people can make a difference this election cycle\.

## Magazines
- [Chaplains, faith groups, and civil rights organizations oppose public school chaplain programs](http://bjconline.org/magazine/chaplains-faith-groups-and-civil-rights-organizations-oppose-public-school-chaplain-programs/): In three open letters to state lawmakers, more than 200 individual chaplains, along with dozens of faith groups and civil rights organizations, are speaking out against a wave of proposed state legislation seeking to install chaplains in public schools across the country\.
- [The myth of American ‘chosenness’](): In her lecture titled “The Myth of American ‘Chosenness,’” Dr\. Catherine Brekus traced the development of white Christian nationalism from Puritan leader John Winthrop’s 1630 “city on a hill” sermon to its inspiration of the MAGA movement in the 21st century\.
- [The magician’s choice: The IRS’ Johnson Amendment policy shift is an illusion disguised as reality](http://bjconline.org/magazine/the-magicians-choice-the-irs-johnson-amendment-policy-shift-is-an-illusion-disguised-as-reality/): The filing to undermine the Johnson Amendment may appear to open the door to political endorsements, but it conceals the risks and pressures that follow\. The freedom it promises is not freedom at all, but entanglement\. And the cost of falling for the illusion could be the very independence of the pulpit\.
- [The Court at a crossroads](http://bjconline.org/magazine/the-court-at-a-crossroads/): History has an important role to play in judicial analysis by justices across the ideological spectrum\. Yet, a narrow telling of history inevitably leaves people out of the promises of our Constitution and undercuts the fight for freedom and justice, upon which our commitment to religious freedom is based\.
- [The contested history of voting rights](http://bjconline.org/magazine/the-contested-history-of-voting-rights/): Voting is at the foundation of American citizenship\. It is no wonder why extending the right to vote has been so morally and politically charged throughout the history of this country, and we continue to see efforts cloaked in Christian nationalism that would undermine equality\.

## People
- [Sara Barrack](https://bjconline.org/person/sara-barrack/)
- [Devin Withrow](https://bjconline.org/person/devin-withrow/)
- [David Rice](http://bjconline.org/person/david-rice/)
- [Cherilyn Crowe Guy](https://bjconline.org/person/cherilyn-crowe-guy/)
- [Lisa Endean\-Jacob](https://bjconline.org/person/lisa-endean-jacob/)

## Podcasts
- [S5, Ep\. 05: An alarming push to put chaplains in public schools](http://bjconline.org/podcast/s5-ep-05-an-alarming-push-to-put-chaplains-in-public-schools/): A new Texas law allows public schools to replace counselors with chaplains\. In this wee’s episode, discover why Texas chaplains are voicing their opposition\. Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman discuss SB 763 and their concerns about government\-sponsored proselytization in public schools\. They discuss the group behind this law and how Texans are resisting its implementation in their local communities\. School districts have until March 1, 2024 to vote on creating chaplain programs\. The only qualification to serve as a “chaplain” is to pass a criminal background check\.
- [S5, Ep\. 03: SCOTUS is fixated on history\. What’s prayer got to do with it?](http://bjconline.org/podcast/s5-ep-03-scotus-is-fixated-on-history-whats-prayer-got-to-do-with-it/): Has the Supreme Court abandoned the Establishment Clause test for some sort of “history” test when applying the law? Today, we’re looking at a 2014 Supreme Court case that continues to have major implications on Supreme Court decisions: Greece v\. Galloway\. Amanda and Holly review this sharply divided decision on legislative prayer, explore the differences in the prayer practice of Congress and the practice in local town meetings, and look at the ongoing impact of this decision, including how it was used in the Kennedy v\. Bremerton ruling in 2022\.
- [S6, Ep\. 02: Oklahoma and Texas try to force Bible teaching in public schools](): We continue to see bold attempts by people who espouse Christian nationalism to influence our youngest population, and news this summer out of Oklahoma and Texas show two troubling examples\. In this episode, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman talk about the edict from Ryan Walters in Oklahoma to mandate having the Bible in public schools – alongside our nation’s founding documents – and the new proposed curriculum in Texas that strangely uses religious beliefs as fact in lessons for students as young as kindergarten\.
- [S5, Ep\. 06: RFRA at 30](): Thirty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act \(RFRA\) into law\. It was a monumental event in religious liberty law at the time, and it remains part of an even more complex legal landscape of religious exemptions today\. Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman look at the standard set by RFRA and discuss how the law has been used in cases dealing with issues ranging from sacramental drug use to application of health insurance regulations\. They discuss the non\-controversial applications of RFRA, too, and the search for win\-win solutions to complicated situations that arise in a religiously pluralistic society\.
- [S4, Ep\. 09: Addressing Christian nationalism before Congress](https://bjconline.org/podcast/s4-ep-09-addressing-christian-nationalism-before-congress/): Why hasn’t Congress addressed the dangers of Christian nationalism before now? Amanda and Holly talk about a crucial hearing this week, which included testimony from Amanda on how Christian nationalism overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation\. They look at the challenges facing Congress in addressing the rise in violence in our country, and they share some bipartisan  unity from this week’s hearing\. Plus, Amanda and Holly take a moment to thank our listeners as we wrap our final show of 2022\.

## Press Releases
- [Chaplains, faith groups, and civil rights organizations oppose public school chaplain programs](http://bjconline.org/press-release/chaplains-faith-groups-and-civil-rights-organizations-oppose-public-school-chaplain-programs/): In three open letters to state lawmakers, more than 200 individual chaplains, along with dozens of faith groups and civil rights organizations, are speaking out against a wave of proposed state legislation seeking to install chaplains in public schools across the country\.
- [BJC: SCOTUS deadlock in Oklahoma v\. Drummond preserves principle that government does not sponsor religion](https://bjconline.org/press-release/bjc-scotus-deadlock-in-oklahoma-v-drummond-preserves-principle-that-government-does-not-sponsor-religion/): Hollman: This outcome “ensures our public institutions remain open to all, not captured by any one religious mission\.”
- [BJC and Other Faith Groups Warn: Supreme Court Case Threatens Religious Liberty and Public Education](https://bjconline.org/press-release/bjc-and-other-faith-groups-warn-supreme-court-case-threatens-religious-liberty-and-public-education/): “If the Court compels states to fund religious education through charter schools, it will entangle government with religion in ways the Constitution was designed to prevent,” said BJC General Counsel Holly Hollman\.
- [BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler on the IRS’s Decision to Allow Churches to Endorse Candidates from the Pulpit](https://bjconline.org/press-release/bjc-executive-director-amanda-tyler-on-the-irss-decision-to-allow-churches-to-endorse-candidates-from-the-pulpit/): "The law has never prevented clergy from speaking out on moral issues or engaging their congregations in civic life," said Amanda Tyler\. "But green\-lighting tax\-exempt churches to endorse candidates from the pulpit creates new pressure on religious leaders to align with partisan candidates and risk division within congregations and entanglement with campaign agendas\."
- [Diverse Coalition Champions Religious Freedom in Texas Public Schools](https://bjconline.org/press-release/diverse-coalition-champions-religious-freedom-in-texas-public-schools/): A statewide coalition of diverse organizations and Texans across the state successfully empowered Texas families to defend the religious freedom of millions of Texas public school students from Senate Bill 11, the state\-organized prayer in school law\.

## Categories
- [Magazine](https://bjconline.org/category/magazine/)
- [Uncategorized](https://bjconline.org/category/uncategorized/)
- [By Amanda Tyler](https://bjconline.org/category/amanda-tyler/)
- [By Holly Hollman](https://bjconline.org/category/hollman/)
- [By Sabrina Dent](https://bjconline.org/category/by-sabrina-dent/)

## Event Categories
- [Advocacy](https://bjconline.org/event-category/advocacy/)
- [BJC Center](https://bjconline.org/event-category/bjc-center/)

## FAQ Categories
- [Christians Against Christian Nationalism](https://bjconline.org/faq-category/christians-against-christian-nationalism/)
- [BJC Fellows](https://bjconline.org/faq-category/bjc-fellows/)
- [General BJC](https://bjconline.org/faq-category/general-bjc-faq/)
- [Donations](https://bjconline.org/faq-category/donations-faq/)
- [BJC](https://bjconline.org/faq-category/bjc/)

## Magazine Categories
- [By Amanda Tyler](https://bjconline.org/magazine-category/reflections/)
- [By Holly Hollman](https://bjconline.org/magazine-category/hollman-report/)
- [By Sabrina Dent](https://bjconline.org/magazine-category/by-sabrina-dent/)

## People Categories
- [Board](https://bjconline.org/people-category/board/)
- [Board of Directors](https://bjconline.org/people-category/board-of-directors/)
- [Staff](https://bjconline.org/people-category/staff/)
- [Contributors](https://bjconline.org/people-category/contributors/)
- [Board Officers](https://bjconline.org/people-category/board-officers/)

## Podcast Categories
- [Respecting Religion](https://bjconline.org/podcast-category/respecting-religion/)
- [RR Season 5](https://bjconline.org/podcast-category/rr-season-5/)
- [RR Season 4](https://bjconline.org/podcast-category/rr-season-4/)
- [RR Season 1](https://bjconline.org/podcast-category/rr-season-1/)
- [RR Season 3](https://bjconline.org/podcast-category/rr-season-3/)

## Press Release Categories
- [Statement by Amanda](https://bjconline.org/press-release-category/statement-by-amanda/)
- [Statement by Holly](https://bjconline.org/press-release-category/statement-by-holly/)

## Shared Categories
- [Christian Nationalism](https://bjconline.org/shared-category/christian-nationalism/)
- [In the Courts](https://bjconline.org/shared-category/in-the-courts/)
- [Public Education](https://bjconline.org/shared-category/public-education/)
- [Advocacy](https://bjconline.org/shared-category/advocacy/)
- [BJC Center](https://bjconline.org/shared-category/bjc-center/)

## Optional
- [Sitemap index](http://bjconline.org/sitemap_index.xml)