Prison and evangelical religion have been linked throughout US history; but when a faith-based rehabilitation program compels prisoners to memorize Bible verses, boundaries get blurred.
The Christian Legal Society has sued Hastings College of Law for its refusal to recognize their group as an official campus club, claiming their freedom to practice their faith is being challenged. An expert on church-state separation law says the case is more about the religious right’s “political moxie” to claim religious persecution than about religious liberty.
Justice Kennedy wrote in majority opinion, Mojave Desert Cross cross “is not merely a reaffirmation of Christian beliefs” but a symbol “often used to honor and respect” heroism.
With budgets slashed, corrections officials are struggling to reduce the recidivism rate among ex-offenders. Chuck Colson’s new program steps into the breach, and hopes to bring down the wall separating church and state to help ex-offenders stay out of prison.
More than a year after a high school student’s arm was burned by a Christian schoolteacher, John Freshwater, the story continues to change. While the family has settled with the school the Dennis family suit against Freshwater awaits trial while Freshwater has launched a counterclaim.
