Vol. 42, No. 04
04/01/2026
Wolverton’s Warning | Education, Not Establishment
A recent article attacking Tennessee’s proposed bill requiring that the Bible be taught in public schools confidently declares: “Under the nation’s Establishment Clause, the government is not allowed to establish or favor a specific religion.”
That line is popular. It is repeated endlessly. And it is wrong. The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”
Notice the first word: Congress. Not “the states.” Not “local school boards.” Not “the people.” Congress. That word is not decorative. It is dispositive.
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