Resources

Hoosiers United for Separation of Church and State recommend the below resources to help you understand religious extremism and the effects it has on our society.

As you review the resources on our website you may be asking yourself: What do I do now that I understand Christian nationalism and Project 2025 and the agenda that has been laid out? How do I get involved? How do I talk to others about Christian nationalism? How can I raise questions to my school board, legislators, clergy and my church community? If you have been finding yourself asking these questions and more, please see our FAQ’s page.

Please note: these links are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over the content or activities of these linked sites and do not endorse or assume any responsibility for them.

Resource Sections:

Resources

Organizations educating
and advocating for Hoosiers resisting religious extremism

Secular Education Association

From their website: “We are a group of parents, families, and community members who value the separation of church and state and respect diverse beliefs and parental rights. We want children to learn free from religious influence and appreciate your interest in understanding the organization affecting our public schools.”

The Indiana Citizen

The Crossroads of Civic Engagement. From their website: “The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, non-profit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed, engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity.”

Indivisible Northeast Indiana

From their Facebook Page: “Formed in late 2024, Indivisible Northeast Indiana is an all-volunteer, grassroots powerhouse based in Fort Wayne. We’re on a mission to safeguard democracy and combat unconstitutional overreach, driven by the passion of our community.”

Religious Freedom Indiana (RFI)

From their website: Religious RFI is a statewide coalition of Hoosiers who affirm that religious freedom is a right belonging to all, and that, in making and enforcing laws, government should not favor any interpretation based on one religious belief. RFI was founded in April 2025.

Indiana Faith Voices for Justice

People of Faith United for Justice. Faith in the Face of Fear. Indiana Faith Voices for Justice brings together diverse faith communities to stand for democracy, compassion, and truth. We believe faith and freedom belong to everyone, and that moral courage grows stronger when we show up together.

Christians Against Christian Nationalism

Christians Against Christian Nationalism led by Baptist Joint Committee for religious liberty is a grassroots campaign to combat Christian nationalism in local, state and national contexts. Launched in 2019, this effort is not in response to any one event or statement; rather, it’s a sustained campaign built to resist Christian nationalism and the threat it poses to our faith and country.

Interfaith Alliance

Religious extremism threatens our democracy, our communities, and individual freedoms. We are a counterforce: challenging the dangerous ideas of Project 2025 by mobilizing people of diverse faiths and beliefs to achieve democracy together.

We All Belong Greater Lafayette

We All Belong Greater Lafayette stands united to defend democracy and uphold civil rights for all. Together, we reject Christian Nationalism, recognizing the threats it poses to the separation of church and state, religious diversity, and immigrant communities.

Do Something Southern Indiana

Join us at rallies and demonstrations to make your voice heard on critical issues, participate in educational events, candidate forums, and civic engagement workshops. Or help with outreach, social media, event planning, and supporting local organizations in need. There are many ways to participate and contribute toward a stronger community and democracy.

People for the American Way

People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. For more than four decades, we have been dedicated to making the promise of America real for everyone and have worked toward a vision of a vibrant America where basic rights and freedoms are upheld for all, not just the wealthy and the powerful. 

ACLU Indiana: Religious Liberty

Our work is not about one person, one party, or one issue. It’s about all of us — we the people — coming together and daring to create a more perfect Indiana.


Religious freedom includes two complementary protections: the right to religious belief and expression and a guarantee that the government will not show preferential treatment to one religion over another.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Visit their website

Hoosiers United for Separation for Church and State is honored to be a local chapter of Americans United. From their website: Americans United (AU) is the only organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of church and state. We are the shield protecting the foundational American principle of freedom of religion — including the right to believe or not believe — for all.

Americans United was founded in 1947 to defend the separation of church and state. The founders were a “curious combination” of liberals, fundamentalists and clergy.  Their goal was “to assure the maintenance of the American principle of separation of church and state upon which the federal Constitution guarantees religious liberty to all the people and all churches of this Republic.”

From June 1st, 2026; Link here: The Trump Admin is hitting Americans with incessant Christian Nationalism: Americans United is hitting back

July 2026

As the nation marks America’s 250th anniversary, I have been reflecting on a famous letter written by then-President George Washington in 1790. Washington was traveling around the country to build support for the young federal government. A Jewish congregation based at the historic Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., wrote to Washington to welcome him to town and to marvel that our fledgling country promised religious freedom to people of all faiths, including Jews, who had faced persecution in some of the colonies.

Washington wrote back to affirm that “the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” (You can read more about the history of this exchange on AU’s website.)

It was a ringing endorsement of religious freedom from our nation’s first president, and it came more than a year before the ratified Bill of Rights with the First Amendment’s explicit promise of church-state separation became part of our Constitution. Washington, like so many of the fallible founders of our country, got certain things wrong, but he got religious freedom very right in his correspondence with Newport’s Jewish citizens and commitment to a pluralistic democracy.

Washington’s letter has always resonated with me, both professionally as the leader of Americans United and personally as a Jew. When AU and our allies launched our “Religious Liberty for All” report back in June to counter the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, I referenced the Touro Synagogue letter in my remarks. I also mentioned it during my opening remarks at AU’s Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) back in April.

That’s why I’m so honored to be the keynote speaker on Aug. 16 at the annual event held in Newport to recognize the historical significance of this letter. I’ll be following in the footsteps of Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who previously keynoted this event. The event hosts, TSF Newport, will livestream the “79th Annual George Washington Letter Reading” on their Facebook page starting at 1 p.m. ET – I hope you’ll tune in!

More than two centuries later, we must remain ever vigilant in our defense of church-state separation as the shield that protects everyone’s right to live as themselves and believe as they choose. Just this week AU and our allies were in court again, this time urging a judge to block Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins from continuing to proselytize USDA employees. Religious extremists like Rollins – even in the face of our lawsuit – continue to exploit the power of their government office to impose their ideology on others.

Not on our watch. As we celebrate 250 years of American independence from kings who ruled over both church and state, I hope you’ll join me in demanding a national recommitment to keeping church and state separate. Our newly forming education initiative, a priority in our strategic plan, is already producing new resources like toolkits, more Know Your Rights guides, and our new Constitution in the Classroom curriculum to help you educate people in your community about the importance of church-state separation. A more robust online hub is in the works, but for now you can find many of these resources at au.org/resources.

Please check them out and feel free to let us know what else would help you defend everyone’s freedom to live as themselves and believe as they choose – one of the most precious promises America makes.
With hope and determination,


Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

July 2026

This is a selection of just a few of AU’s recent media appearances.

CNN: “Texas to require millions of students to study Bible stories” 
“Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness” podcast: “Is America Losing One of Its Most Important Freedoms? w/ Rachel Laser”
HuffPost: “As America Turns 250, The White House Is Rewriting Its Religious History — And Experts Are Calling It Out” 
“Progress Texas” podcast: “In Progress: Resisting Christian Nationalism with Rebecca Markert of Americans United” 
“Faithful Politics Podcast”: “Church & State 250: The Courtroom Fight Over Church and State” 
“We Dissent” podcast: “Rededicate 250 & the Eradicating ‘Anti-Christian Bias’ Taskforce”

July 2026

This is a selection of AU’s most popular recent blogs; find all of our blogs here.

• New York should not opt into President Trump’s private school voucher programAU Youth Organizing Fellow Alan Chen warns New York’s governor of the dangers and risks of implementing federal private school voucher programs.

• Texas pastor calls out Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s lies about church-state separation
The Rev. Charles A. Fredrickson of San Antonio corrects disinformation about church-state separation espoused by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

• Reclaiming the promise: Why the 250th anniversary belongs to religious freedom, not Christian Nationalism
Let’s commit to defending the wall of separation between church and state that protects us all.

Upcoming Events

Find additional details and a full list of events here

August 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET (Virtual): “Schoolhouse Rules: Faith, Freedom & Public Schools.” Join Americans United for a practical conversation about church-state separation in public schools, students’ rights, and what to do when a school crosses the line. Sign up here

August 16, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET (Virtual): AU President & CEO Rachel Laser will be the keynote speaker at an annual event held in Newport, R.I., that recognizes the historical significance of George Washington’s letter to the Touro Synagogue. The event hosts, TSF Newport, will livestream the “79th Annual George Washington Letter Reading” on their Facebook page. Learn more.

May 1-3, 2027 (Virtual & In-Person): The Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) is a collaborative conference that will unify supporters, activists, organizers, policy and legal experts, academics, political and religious leaders, and committed people of faith and of no religion to fight for religious freedom. Learn more.

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Recomendations from our board

The Book Corner

Recommended Reading from our Board of Directors

Below is a list of books that explore Christian nationalism. Don’t know where to start? The first three selections are a good introduction to this important topic challenging our democracy. If you have read anything interesting let us know, and maybe it will show up on this list!

The Flag and the Cross. by Philip S. Gorski & Samuel L. Perry

Gorski and Perry explain what white Christian nationalism is; when it first emerged and how it has changed; where it’s headed and why it threatens democracy.

Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith. by April A. Joy

A hilarious and eye-opening account of leaving Christian Nationalism behind to follow Jesus better. Social media influencer and podcast host April Ajoy wouldn’t have called herself a Christian Nationalist when she performed her original song “America Say Jesus” on the Jim Bakker show, or when she participated in Jesus Marches across America, or when she posted cringe-worthy videos on YouTube to campaign for Mitt Romney.

The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. by Katherine Stewart

For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: this is a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society.

America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State. by Randall Balmer

A historian and ordained Episcopal priest offers everything you need to know for shaping and defending your own beliefs on the role of religion in American life

The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy. by Matthew Boedy

Exposing the decades-long plan to radically transform America—how the seven mountains movement, prosperity preachers, and political operatives are destroying democracy under Trump’s second administration

Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction. by John Fea

In Was America Founded as a Christian Nation, John Fea presents a thorough historical treatment of the relationship between Christianity’s doctrine and practice and the history of the American founding. His purpose in writing is not to give a definitive affirmative or negative answer to the question in the book’s title but to set the question in historical context.

Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by: Katherine Stewart

Why have so many Americans turned against democracy? In this deeply reported book, Katherine Stewart takes us to conferences of conspiracy-mongers, backroom strategy gatherings, and services at extremist churches, and profiles the people who want to tear it all down.

The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory. by Tim Alberta

Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. 

Separation of Church and Hate. by John Fugelsang

In the spirit of George Carlin and Christopher Hitchens, the son of a former Catholic nun and a Franciscan brother delivers a deeply irreverent and biblically correct takedown of far-right Christian hatred—a book for believers, atheists, agnostics, and anyone who’ll ever have to deal with a Christian nationalist.

That Librarian. by Amanda Jones

Part memoir, part manifesto, the inspiring story of a Louisiana librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines of our vicious culture wars. Small town librarian Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Mapping the book banning crisis occurring all across the nation, That Librarian draws the battle lines in the war against intellectual freedom, calling book lovers everywhere to rise in defense of our readers.

Living Together: Mending A Fractured America by: Shelia Kennedy

In the United States, the 2016 election and its aftermath exposed the persistence of significant fault-lines in American society and forced recognition of the extent to which a longtime, steady erosion of the country’s democratic norms has hollowed out and corrupted this country’s governing institutions. The book explores the ways in which that erosion is implicated in a number of other elements of the current political environment.

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. by Susan Jacoby

At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason.

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Journal Studies and Research

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI):
6/17/2026
Competing Visions of America at 250: Politics, Religion, and American Identity

Pew Research Center:
5/14/2026
How Americans Feel About Religion’s Influence in Government and Public Life

There are sharp partisan divides on whether religion’s influence is good or bad
and how far that influence should go
5/14/2026 – Pew: ‘Christian Nationalism’ Is Becoming a Household Term via Christianity Today Read more →

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI):
A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism

to American Democracy and Culture.

PRRI/Brookings survey of more than 6,000 Americans takes a closer look
at the underpinnings of Christian nationalism

Fact Sheet: A Closer Look at Christian Nationalism in Nine States

In February 2026, PRRI published a report based on interviews with more than 22,000 adults

conducted throughout 2025 as part of the PRRI American Values Atlas.

Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas

Around three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism Adherents or Sympathizers.

June 18, 2026: America at 250: Competing Visions of Democracy and National Identity

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding, PRRI interviewed more than 5,000 Americans to assess public opinion on national identity, politics, religion, democracy, and cultural change. Learn about Americans’ levels of pride in the country and democracy and hear from Washington National Cathedral Canon Theologian Kelly Brown Douglas, bestselling author and historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez, and PRRI President and Founder Robert. P. Jones on how religion influences Americans’ competing visions of American history and national identity. Panelists:

  • The Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas, Ph.D., Canon Theologian, Washington National Cathedral
  • Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Ph.D., Professor of History, Calvin University
  • Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., President and Founder, PRRI
  • Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., CEO, PRRI

‘Insecure Masculinity,’ Pronatalism, Christian Nationalism: Q&A with Sam Perry, Ph.D. – May 10, 2026

Why has pronatalism become such a prominent theme in American politics and who’s supporting this idea?

Mapping Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States: Insights from PPRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas – February 17, 2026

In 2022, PRRI pioneered one of the most comprehensive measures of Christian nationalist ideology. This year, we build on that foundation, sharing new findings from the 2025 PRRI American Values Atlas, which draws on more than 22,000 interviews to provide the most up-to-date, state-level picture available. Additionally, the new report examines the impact of Christian nationalism on attitudes toward political violence and authoritarianism, as well as debates over immigration and childhood vaccine mandates. PRRI’s webinar unpacks these findings and what they reveal about the political landscape today.

Understanding Charismatic Politics Today: Spiritual Authority and Political Power – August 5, 2025

PRRI hosted an important conversation exploring the spread of charismatic practices in the U.S., and how this is impacting today’s political and cultural landscape. Experts unpacked how and why charismatic beliefs and practices are spreading across the U.S., and examined the growing prominence of charismatic leaders under the second Trump administration.

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Documentaries, Blogs & Podcasts

Podcast: Respecting Religion

Brought to you by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) goes behind the headlines to tackle today’s serious threats to religious liberty. We’re also the home of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign. We bring you conversations about the importance of standing up for religious liberty for all people, threats to our First Amendment right, and our work in the courts and with Congress. Learn with us and make a difference in your community. Join Amanda and Holly as they explore these topics. Join the conversation.

Film: Bad Faith

“Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy,” a Heretical Reason and Panarea [Film] Production, which is produced and directed by Stephen Ujlaki, with co-directors and co-producers Chris Jones and Doug Blush.
Reviewed by John R. Vile

This film documentary of about 90 minutes, which was released in 2024 and has already won a number of awards, graphically portrays the threat posed by Christian nationalism, and especially white Christian nationalism to American democracy.

Official Website – Click here >>

Can be streamed on several platforms

Film: God and Country

From director Dan Partland and producer Rob Reiner, GOD and COUNTRY looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only our constitutional republic, but Christianity itself. Featuring prominent Christian thought leaders, GOD and COUNTRY asks this question: What happens when a faith built on love, sacrifice, and forgiveness grows political tentacles, conflating power, money, and belief into hyper-nationalism? Directed by Dan Partland. Produced by Rob and Michele Reiner.

Can be streamed on several platforms

Film: The Librarians Film

Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.

In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.

Podcast: Reign of Error

Weekly podcast hosed by acclaimed journalist and author Sara Posner, exploring how religious and ideological extremism – especially white Christian nationalism has become Central to U.S. Politics.

Can be streamed on several platforms

Range: Press for the People

A conversation on Christian nationalism, fascism, and what you can do about it.

This week, reporter Aaron Hedge and producer Pascal Bostic are joined by guest Joan Braune (Gonzaga University) to talk about a new book she co-edited with David M. Gides, On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives.

From The Pod: Analyzing Christian Nationalism

Podcast: When Christian nationalists come to town

People in Gainesboro, Tennessee have some new neighbours – and not everyone is happy. What happens when Christian nationalists with extreme views move into a small town? Published: December 30, 2025. 27 minutes

From BBC: The Documentary Podcast

The Joy Reid Show

Join Joy Reid and Robert P. Jones for their monthly special series as they break down the dangers for White Chistian nationalism, and how it has taken over our democracy. Each episode takes news from the headlines and breaks down how Chrisitan nationalism is affecting our lives.

Click dates below to directed to the specific episodes:

March 19, 2026: Katherine Stewart is the guest. Her reporting focuses on the Christian far right and discusses the wave of predators being uncovered among the MAGA Christian right, and whether White Christian nationalists are ignoring the revelations about Trump and Epstein.

February 20, 2026: The Preacher vs. The Prophet.
Unpacking the stakes in the Texas Senate primary, in which Jasmine Crockett — a fiery Black Christian woman, takes on populist Presbyterian State Representative James Talarico.

January 23, 2026: breaking down footage from a Minnesota church led by a pastor who also serves as an ICE field director, raising questions about faith, power, and immigration enforcement.

December 18, 2025: break down the dangers of White Christian Nationalism, and how it has overtaken our democracy; how embedded it is in white Christian churches, and how to push back.

Flipping Tables Podcast – Monte Mader

Dominion Theology and the 7 Mountains Mandate

Katie Couric interviews Tom Snyder. April 24, 2026. Start at the 43:35 mark for CN discussion.

Flipping Tables Podcast – Monte Mader
The Separation of Church and State with Dr. Randall Ballmer

The New Evangelicals – The Tim & April Show

Doug Wilson’s Dreadful Vision for a Christian America

Government Book Bans in America: A conversation with recently-banned AAR member authors
By: PRRI

Heather Cox Richardson

A New Way to Think About Religion and Politics with James Talarico

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