religious freedom

Teacher Wins $650,000 After Being Fired for Refusing to Use ‘Trans’ Pronouns

An Indiana school district will pay $650,000 for firing a music teacher who refused to use students’ incorrect and antiscientific “preferred pronouns” in violation of his sincerely held religious beliefs.

John Kluge taught orchestra and music theory at Brownsburg High School for several years, until the school district demanded he use students’ names and pronouns that aligned with their “gender identity,” rather than biological reality.

Kluge is a Christian, and he can’t in good conscience affirm “transgenderism” or speak in a way that violates his faith. His religious beliefs “are drawn from the Bible” and he believes “God created mankind as either male or female” and that “he cannot affirm as true ideas and concepts that he deems untrue and sinful.”

He requested a religious accommodation under Title VII, volunteering to refer to all students by their last name as a compromise. His accommodation was granted – at first.

The arrangement went smoothly until a few students and teachers complained about the compromise. As a result, the school district decided no exceptions would be allowed. The district revoked Kluge’s accommodation and forced him to resign, ending his teaching career.

Kluge filed a lawsuit arguing that Brownsburg Community School Corporation officials violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination against employees based on their religion. Kluge is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom.

Last August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that Kluge’s case should go to a jury trial. However, Brownsburg decided to settle the lawsuit and agreed to a joint stipulation of dismissal.

Brownsburg agreed to pay $650,000 in the settlement and will also train its senior staff on how Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on their religious beliefs.

“After almost five and a half years, common sense has prevailed at Brownsburg,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. Litigation David Cortman. “This settlement confirms what the law has always said: Public schools cannot force teachers to violate their religious beliefs.”

Cortman added,

Title VII requires employers to accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs and practices. When they fail to do so – or worse, announce that they will grant no religious accommodations, as Brownsburg did – they can be held accountable.

You can learn more about the case below:

Kristen Waggoner, president and CEO of ADF, celebrated the settlement, saying, “One case at a time, we’re taking free speech back from the pronoun police.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita also lauded the decision.

Brownsburg isn’t the first school district that has had to learn the hard way teachers don’t forfeit their free speech rights or freedom of religion after stepping on school grounds. And it probably won’t be the last.

Last year, Oregon’s Grants Pass School District 7 agreed to pay over half a million dollars for violating two educators’ free speech, religious freedom and equal protection rights. After the educators, Rachel Sager and Katie Medart, publicly opposed the district’s “Gender Identity, Transgender, Name, and Pronoun Guidance,” the school district fired them.

Hopefully, school districts nationwide will soon learn they must protect their employees’ constitutional rights.

Cortman said,

We hope this settlement shows teachers that they do not have to bow the knee to ideological mandates that violate their religious beliefs. And schools should learn that refusing to accommodate religious employees can be illegal and expensive.

The case is Kluge v. Brownsburg Community School Corporation.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Related articles and resources:

Transgender Resources

God’s Amazing Grace in a Transgendered Person’s Life

The Journey Back to My True Identity

Chloe Cole: Transgender Surgery Regret

Understanding “Transgenderism”

Responding to a Transgender-Identified Family Member

Oregon School District Pays $650,000 for Firing Teachers Opposed to ‘Trans’ Policy

Photo from Alliance Defending Freedom.

Indiana Protects Religious Freedom of Adoptive and Foster Care Families

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed a bill on Wednesday protecting families and faith-based adoption and foster care organizations from discrimination based on their sincerely held religious beliefs.

The bill (HB 1389) stipulates that state government agencies may not discriminate against any adoptive or foster parent “who raises, or intends to raise, a child in a manner consistent with [their] sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The Indiana Senate passed the bill by an overwhelming 44-5 margin on Feb. 17; the state House passed the legislation by an 84-12 margin on Feb. 19.

“Every child deserves a loving home that can provide them stability and opportunities to grow,” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen said in a statement after the governor signed the bill.

“The sad reality is that the government in some states has discriminated against people of faith, allowing vulnerable children to suffer,” he added.

The bill’s enactment comes as thousands of families have had their right to religious freedom eroded. Multiple states have adopted policies requiring foster and adoptive parents to affirm a child’s “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” or “gender expression” as a condition for adopting or fostering.

These policies have led to other states – including Arkansas and Kansas – to enact legal protections for faith-based foster and adoptive families; while other states – like Vermont – have reversed their discriminatory policies after being sued.

Policies that discriminate against Christian families are especially foolhardy because they eliminate potential families who are most likely to want to foster or adopt.

As the Daily Citizen has previously reported, Christians are far more likely to foster or adopt than the rest of the population; 65% of foster parents attend church weekly compared with 40% of Americans generally.

Chafuen added,

Thankfully, Indiana has taken critical steps to prioritize the well-being of kids by prohibiting state and local government officials from discriminating against adoption and foster care providers and parents simply because of their religious beliefs and moral convictions. …
By signing this law, Gov. Braun is ensuring that Hoosier children benefit from as many adoption and foster care agencies as possible – faith-based and non-faith-based.

Last year, Gov. Braun declared November Adoption Month in Indiana, thanking the Hoosiers who opened their hearts and homes to adopt over 1,200 children last year alone.

We applaud Gov. Braun and the Indiana state legislators who recognize the importance of Christians being involved in the foster care and adoption system and chose to protect their First Amendment right to religious freedom.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Through Wait No More’s Suitcase Bundle ministry, children in foster care are provided their own suitcase — for their belongings — as well as a teddy bear, handwritten letter and age-appropriate Bible. The suitcase bundle is a simple way to offer dignity, comfort and hope to children in scary, lonely situations.

Related articles and resources:

Wait No More

Wait No More Suitcase Bundle

Transforming Lives Through Foster Care

What You Can Do to Help Kids in Foster Care

Changing the World Through Adoption

Foster Care: A Step of Faith

When Government is Hostile to Christian Foster Parents

Vermont Win for Children, Foster Families and Religious Freedom

Photo from Getty Images.

New York Ends Fight to Force Nuns to Pay for Abortions

The state of New York has spent a decade attempting to force nuns and other religious ministries to cover the cost of abortions. But no longer.

In 2017, New York created a statewide abortion mandate requiring employers to cover abortifacients and even surgical abortions in their health plans.

According to Becket, a religious freedom legal firm, New York initially planned to respect conscience rights by exempting employers with religious objections. But under pressure from abortion activists, the state greatly narrowed the exemption to protect only religious organizations that “primarily employ and serve people of their own faith.”

“For nearly a decade, New York bureaucrats tried to strong-arm nuns into paying for abortions because they serve all those in need,” said Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket and an attorney for the religious groups.

“At long last, the state has given up its disgraceful campaign,” Windham added. “This victory confirms that the government cannot punish religious ministries for living out their faith by serving everyone.”

A coalition of religious groups from a variety of streams of Christian faith sued New York “arguing that the law forced them to violate their deeply held religious beliefs about the sanctity of life,” Becket notes. “The groups include Roman Catholic dioceses, an order of goat-herding Anglican nuns, Baptist and Lutheran churches, and Catholic ministries.”

However, when New York courts failed to protect the organizations’ religious freedom rights, the ministries asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case. In 2021, the Court reversed the lower courts and asked them to reconsider the case in light of the Court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.

In that case, the Supreme Court upheld Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) constitutional right to refuse to place children in foster homes with same-sex couples. The Court held Philadelphia’s refusal to contract with CSS because of the organization’s religious beliefs violated the First Amendment’s free exercise clause.

However, the New York courts once again sided against the religious organizations, forcing the ministries to again seek relief from the Supreme Court.

In 2024, the Court again sent the case back down to the New York courts for reconsideration in light of the Court’s unanimous ruling in Catholic Charities. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment prohibits states from requiring organizations to meet certain theological criteria to qualify for exemptions from unemployment taxes.

Considering that ruling, New York agreed that its abortion mandate ran contrary to the Supreme Court’s decision in Catholic Charities and decided to end the case.

“The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that religious groups shouldn’t be bullied for staying true to their faith,” said Windham. “We are glad that New York finally agreed to settle this case and protect religious objectors from discrimination.”

The case is Diocese of Albany v. Harris.

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

New Insights on the Dangers of the Abortion Pill

The Power of Prayer to Defeat the Darkness of Abortion

Photo from Becket.

President Trump: “I think God is very proud of the job I’ve done.”

At Tuesday’s White House briefing marking the one-year anniversary of the second Trump administration, a reporter asked President Trump the following question:

“Last year, you told me that you believed that the reason you won the election is because God put you in this place so that you could save the world. Looking back [after] one year, do you feel like God is proud of the effort that you’ve [given]?”

To be clear, it was during President Trump’s second Inaugural address that he stated, “Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then and we believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.”

President Trump didn’t quibble with the reporter’s premise, but did answer with a bit of a chuckle.

“I do actually,” he said. “I think God is very proud of the job I’ve done.” He then added, “We’re protecting a lot of people that are being killed. Christians, Jewish people, and lots of people are being protected by me that wouldn’t be protected …”

Assessment and admiration are in the eye of the beholder, of course. 

Less than 24 hours after Mr. Trump touted his track record for protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans, the Interfaith Alliance’s Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush released a statement decrying “One Year of The Trump Administration’s Attacks on Faith Communities and Abuse of Religion.”

The Interfaith Alliance began in 1994 and has been a constant critic of social conservatism, regularly championing the reimagination and redefinition of biblical Christianity itself.

“This White House uses faith for power,” Reverend Raushenbush has stated. “This is all from a Christian nationalist playbook. They don’t have wide support. They have support from a very narrow slice of American Christianity which is white, Protestant, Christian nationalists who are on a quest for power.”

The Christian nationalism trope is a favorite go-to for progressives who regularly confuse patriotism with unhealthy idol worship. Hillsdale College professor Wilfred M. McClay has provided a helpful distinction and definition:

Patriotism, in the American context, is an intricate latticework of ideals, sentiments, and overlapping loyalties. Since its founding, America has often been understood as the incarnation of an idea, an abstract and aspirational claim about self-evident truths that apply to all of humanity. There is certainly some truth to this view, but to focus on it exclusively ignores the very natural and concrete aspects of American patriotism: our shared memories of our nation’s singular triumphs, sacrifices, and sufferings, as well as our unique traditions, culture, and land.

But the suggestion that President Trump and his administration are an enemy of religious freedom? In fact, Reverend Raushenbush concludes:

“The most pressing threat to religious liberty in our country today is the Trump administration itself.”

Last fall, the Trump administration laid out the “Top 100 Victories for People of Faith.”The list included:

The establishment of a White House Faith Office, the creation of “Centers for Faith” with Faith Directors or Faith Liaisons in every department and agency, the establishment of the “Religious Liberty Commission,” and the “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.”

Additional faith-based accomplishments highlighted:

• The Department of Justice supported religious charter schools and tax exemptions for religious groups at the U.S. Supreme Court.

• The Department of Justice found that speech from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith does not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment.

• The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued guidance supporting religious accommodations and protecting religious expression in the federal workplace.

• The Department of Health and Human Service has launched multiple investigations into health care facilities that violated healthcare workers’ conscience rights.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs rescinded a Biden-era speech code that censored the sermons of military chaplains.

• The Small Business Administration eliminated a Biden-era ban on disaster relief for faith-based organizations.

President Trump issued and signed numerous executive orders designed to protect people of faith: 

• An executive order ending the weaponization of the federal government against all Americans, including people of faith. 

• An executive order restoring free speech and ending federal censorship.

• An executive order combating the debanking of Americans based on their political affiliations, religious beliefs, and lawful business activities.

God’s Word is clear we’re to pray for our leaders. Wrote Paul to Timothy: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). 

Regardless of your party or your political persuasion, please join us in praying for President Trump and all our elected leaders.

Sidewalk Evangelist Wins Right to Share Good News

Thanks to our friends at First Liberty Institute, evangelist Ernest Giardino is once again free to share the Good News of Jesus Christ while walking the sidewalks of Chapin, South Carolina.

After eight months of carrying around signs that declared, “Trust Christ He paid the price,” “He saved others — Jesus” and “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,” Giardino had been told by local police that he was required to obtain a permit to continue his silent witnessing.

But not only was the evangelist required to file for a permit – but he needed to do so at least 14 days in advance and could only stay in the same place for upwards of 30 minutes at a time. Worse yet, the mayor had final say – and could decline his request for no reason at all.

When Ernest pushed back on his own citing his First Amendment rights, the Chapin city manager told him, “Our permit supersedes the Constitution because it’s a local ordinance.”  

First Liberty, which stepped in to represent the sidewalk evangelist, pushed back. In a letter to city officials, attorneys wrote, “Permit schemes, like the one found in Chapin, have the effect of freezing speech before it is uttered. Permit schemes are thus viewed skeptically, being the most serious and least tolerable infringement on First Amendment rights.”

The U.S. District Court of the District of South Carolina agreed, filing a consent order effectively blocking enforcement of the ordinance.

Nate Kellum, First Liberty Institute’s senior counsel, applauded the decision.

“Mr. Giardino just wants to share his Christian faith with others. We commend the Town for revising the ordinance language so Mr. Giardino can live out his faith in the public sphere.”

According to reports, Giardino will be paid “a symbolic $1 in damages” and the city has agreed to pay his $35,000 in legal fees.

Most importantly, Ernest Giardino will be proclaiming God’s truth via his signs. We may sometimes wonder how effective sidewalk evangelism is. Some Christians may even be tempted to raise an eyebrow at some of the tactics employed by fellow believers.

Yet, God uses His people in all kinds of ways to reach all kinds of people. On X the other night, Them Before Us founder Katy Faust shared a classic story from the life of the evangelist, D.L. Moody.

A woman was critiquing Moody’s evangelism methods. The preacher replied, “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The woman replied, “I don’t do it.”

In response, D.L. Moody said, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

May God bless Ernest Giardino and the faithful fighters at the First Liberty Institute who are “doing it” – and working tirelessly to preserve and protect our hard-fought religious freedom.

Image credit: First Liberty