A 2022 decision from the Supreme Court continues to sow confusion and misguided claims four years later. Today, we're revisiting our conversation on the Kennedy v. Bremerton decision, where the Court ruled for a public school official and abandoned long-standing Establishment Clause protections in ways that harm the religious freedom rights of students. Hear Amanda and Holly react right after this decision and ponder just what, exactly, would actually constitute "coercion" for this Court. The Supreme Court did not overrule the previous school prayer cases with the decision, but it did gut some of the consensus that protects the religious liberty rights of everyone at public schools.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience on June 29, 2022, and was first released July 7, 2022.

SHOW NOTES

Segment 1 (starting at 02:57): Not solving a problem, but creating one: Kennedy v. Bremerton decision

You can read the Bremerton opinion here, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissenting opinion includes photos of the prayer practice at issue (see pages 9 and 10 of the dissent, which are on pages 49 and 50 of the opinion PDF document).

We released three podcasts on this case:

• We previewed the case in April 2022 in Episode 14 of Season 3 in an episode titled "#NoPrayToPlay."

• We recapped the oral arguments in Episode 15 of that same season: "The coach is the loudspeaker and the field is his classroom: Recapping the arguments in Kennedy v. Bremerton"

• We released this episode as our season 3 finale. The full episode is titled "Not solving a problem, but creating one: Dissecting the Kennedy v. Bremerton decision"

Segment 2 (starting at 26:51): Concluding thoughts

For all of BJC's resources on this case, visit BJConline.org/Bremerton.

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.

What is the cost of speaking out against Christian nationalism? In 2024, Rob Reiner came on the podcast to talk about a film he produced, called "God & Country." In this episode from our archives, Amanda Tyler talks with Reiner and Dan Partland, the director of the film. "God & Country" discusses the dangers of Christian nationalism to the country, to the faith, and to pluralism.

This program originally aired January 18, 2024

SHOW NOTES

Segment 1 (starting at 02:22): Rob Reiner and Dan Partland on Christian nationalism

Released in February 2024, "God & Country" is available to watch on several streaming platforms. You can learn more at GodAndCountryTheMovie.com.

About the guests:

• Dan Partland, the director of the movie, is a veteran documentary producer and director for film and television. His work includes several landmark nonfiction features and series over the past three decades, and he's a two-time Emmy winner for best nonfiction series.
• Rob Reiner was a producer of the film. He first came to fame as a two-time Emmy award winning actor in the landmark television series "All in the Family." He went on to become an acclaimed director of some of the most popular and influential motion pictures in American film history, and he remained a dedicated political activist until his death in 2025.

The exact phrase "separation of church and state" is not in the U.S. Constitution, but the concept is laid out several times, including Article VI's prohibition on any religious test for office, the First Amendment's prohibition of a government establishment of religion, and the First Amendment's guarantee of the free exercise of religion. Read more in Brent Walker's "Top 5 Myths of the Separation of Church and State."

Learn more about the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign – a project BJC began in 2019 – by visiting ChristiansAgainstChristianNationalism.org.

Segment 2 (starting at 20:56): Post-screening Q&A with Partland and Reiner

BJC and the Freedom From Religion Foundation released a comprehensive report on the role of Christian nationalism in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. You can access it here.

Dan Partland mentioned The Power Worshippers, a book by Katherine Stewart on the rise of religious nationalism. It serves as a basis for the movie.

Segment 3 (starting at 40:39): Closing

Michelle Boorstein covered the screening for The Washington Post in this article: 'God & Country' film spotlights Christian nationalism's threat to democracy

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.