John Whitehead Says Christian Legal Movement Betrayed 1982 Mission as Trump-Era Politics Deepen
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 14
John Whitehead Says Christian Legal Movement Betrayed 1982 Mission as Trump-Era Politics Deepen
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 14
Summary
John Whitehead, who founded the Rutherford Institute in 1982, says the Christian legal movement now favors conservative Christians over minorities and has drifted from defending religious liberty for all.
Hundreds of millions of dollars and a string of Supreme Court wins have expanded religious-expression rights, but Whitehead says that success has been paired with silence on Muslim rights and support for Trump-aligned causes.
He cites state Ten Commandments mandates, Texas threats over airport foot-washing stations for Muslims, and legal backing for officials who refused same-sex marriage licenses as signs of nationalist overreach.
Whitehead still praises some recent religious-liberty rulings and criticizes some Democratic restrictions on worship, but he now spends much of his advocacy on immigrants, surveillance and government power.
Other scholars, including Douglas Laycock, also warn the movement has become partisan, underscoring Whitehead's broader claim that tying religious freedom to political power weakens the principle itself.