NEW from me: At protests and church services, I’ve noticed something odd amid America’s 250th anniversary: Debate over the political — and religious! — legacy of Thomas Paine, the “Forgotten Founding Father,” championed by progressives and dismissed by Christian nationalists and their allies. https://religionnews.com/2026/05/13/meet-the-nations-founder-christian-conservatives-wont-claim-and-progressives-celebrate/