Church & State

Church & State is the monthly publication from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. That organization's name tells you where the editorial focus of the magazine is coming from and what they'll cover. Typical articles concern lawsuits over church/state separation issues, or items that are soon to turn into lawsuits, namely legislative and administrative rules that favor one religion. The recent Roy Moore episode, where the former Chief Justice of Alabama brought a large monument to the Ten Commandments into the Courthouse, was featured in several issues. "Faith-based" charities and their support via public funds gets lots of coverage, as do the school vouchers issue.

Some of the articles are better than others. I'd say the features' biggest weakness isn't in lack of background or quality of writing but in how strongly partisan the pieces can be. (I support AU's goals, but sometimes their unbalanced cheerleading gets uncomfortable!) Short news items from around the United States and other parts of the world begin and end each issue. There are usually 2-3 feature pieces, 2 opinion pieces, and a letters column. AU's director, the Rev. Barry Lynn, closes each issue with an editorial. These too are well-written but sometimes uncomfortably self-serving.

This isn't a slick journal. Published on 11 x 17 inch paper in 2 colors at a time (where one is always black), this publication is more of a newsletter. And like most nonprofits, AU has few paid staff, so you'll see the same names each month on the article credits.

If you are interested in a lively write-up church/state issues, this is a good magazine to get. If you support AU's goals of keeping that wall between church and state, send them a tax-deductable donation and you'll get the magazine anyway.

If you want to learn about how and where the tentacles of the religious fanatics are working to subvert the church-state wall, you owe it to yourself to check this out. It can be depressing reading, but it's needed to begin to understand how serious the situation is. I recommend this and their excellent site:

Buy Church & State Now