The chaplain of the Senate traditionally gave a blessing at the inauguration, but since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937, the president-elect has chosen clergy to deliver the prayers. Steven Waldman, author of the book Founding Faith: Providence, Politics and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America (2008) and editor in chief of Beliefnet, has an archive of the […]

Read a Feb. 5, 2010, post at ReligionDispatches.org, which rounds up the criticisms of church-state groups such as the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination.

Read a Feb. 5, 2010, blog post by Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State titled about Obama’s faith-based initiative. It includes a link to an op-ed by Americans United executive director Barry Lynn outlining the concerns of religious liberty advocates.

In the run-up to the inaugural, President-elect Obama said he would continue the practice, whatever its origins. But several atheist groups filed a suit to remove the words from the oath on the grounds that it violates the separation of church and state. They were also joined by prominent atheist and activist Michael Newdow, who lost a […]

A Feb. 19, 2010, post by Cornell law professor Steven H. Shiffrin at the ReligiousLeftLaw blog argues that liberals should give religious groups more leeway in obtaining federal funding, in part because social service faith groups have been receiving such funds for more than 70 years with few problems.

Joshua DuBois, former head of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, defended and detailed the work of the faith-based office in this Feb. 3, 2010, blog post on the official Web site of the OFBNP.

Joshua DuBois, former head of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, defended and detailed the work of the faith-based office in this Feb. 4, 2010, video (with transcript) interview with David Brody of CBN

Read a transcript of Pastor Rick Warren’s opening prayer, posted at ChristianityToday.com.

Read a transcript of President Obama’s inaugural address, posted at The Washington Post site. The speech was replete with religious and scriptural references and images.