What makes Christian higher education genuinely Christian? At Spring Arbor University, the answer begins with a community of learners committed to pursuing truth under the lordship of Jesus Christ. There is something special about the beginning of a new school year. Here at Spring Arbor University in Michigan, our campus has come alive again. Students walking to class. Professors meeting new students. Athletic teams competing. Friendships beginning. Chapel brings the communit

“Let each builder choose with care how to build.” – 1 Corinthians 3:10 Welcome to a new year at Spring Arbor University!* There is an ancient prayer from the end of Psalm 19 that some of you have heard hundreds of times. Growing up, my pastor recited it each week, just before his sermon: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” For thousands of years, those two things have naturally belonged toget

An Analysis of the Education Freedom Tax Credit -- A significant new chapter in American education policy is about to begin. Last year, Congress enacted the nation's first federal tax-credit program supporting educational choice. As implementation approaches, the Education Freedom Tax Credit provides an important opportunity to consider what good governance requires when government acts in a sphere where the rights and responsibilities of others precede the State. Indeed, th

Why Moving Power out of Washington Must Mean More Than Rearranging the Bureaucracy DETROIT NEWS| Opinion (Hon. Wm Wagner) - Updated July 31, 2026, 9:57 p.m. ET The House Education and Workforce Committee’s Less Bureaucracy, Better Education package challenges Washington to acknowledge that federal bureaucracy is not necessary for educational excellence. Recognizing that truth does not diminish the real needs these programs address. A principled case for reform must protect st

WORLD legal correspondent Jenny Rough reports on the Supreme Court ruling that states may reserve girls' and women's sports for females, interviewing the Hon. William Wagner, WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom. Listen Here https://wng.org/podcasts/a-league-of-their-own-1782942774 World News Interview

Washington D.C. — The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University applauds today’s landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States upholding the constitutionality of laws enacted by West Virginia and Idaho preserving girls’ and women’s athletic competition for biological females. In a decisive affirmation of both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, the Court held that states may reserve female athletic teams for biological women and girls in ord

The Supreme Court just answered one of the most consequential constitutional questions of our time. In upholding the laws of West Virginia and Idaho reserving girls’ and women’s athletic teams for biological females, the Court did far more than decide who may compete in school sports. It reaffirmed a foundational principle of constitutional government. The law must remain anchored to objective reality. Congress enacted Title IX in 1972 to ensure that women and girls would enj

The recent criminal sentencing of Brazilian parents Audato and Ieda Denardi for homeschooling their children should concern every nation committed to human dignity, parental rights, and the rule of law. While reasonable people may debate educational policy, no government should criminalize devoted parents who are faithfully educating their children and acting in accordance with their deeply held convictions. At stake is a principle far greater than homeschooling. The case rai

Dr. Augusto Zimmerman was interviewed on one of Australia's leading Christian radio programs. He talks about the importance of Christian education in Australia and the upcoming International Christian Professors Forum to be hosted by Spring Arbor University. Listen to the full interview HERE.

Washington, D.C. — In a significant development for religious liberty and constitutional law, the United States Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy , agreeing to review a case that raises fundamental questions about the First Amendment’s protection of religious institutions in the public square. A number of constitutional attorneys, including Prof. William Wagner, WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor Universi

A Biblical and Constitutional Analysis of the 50CAN Survey By Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith and Freedom EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The State of Educational Opportunity in America (2nd Edition) survey reveals a nation in tension. Parents increasingly desire educational choice, flexibility, and greater control over their children’s formation. Yet barriers to access, declining parental engagement, and systemic limitations persist. At its core, the report r

A recent study by the American Federation for Children provides important insight into one of the most consequential public policy debates of our time, how best to educate the next generation . The research examines Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program over its first fifteen years and compares its academic impact with the effect that equivalent increases in public-school spending would likely have produced. The findings are striking. According to the analysis, expanding s

In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 32, Jesus tells his disciples, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is no casual remark. It is a foundational claim about the nature of freedom itself — that liberty is inseparable from truth. President Ronald Reagan, a statesman who grasped the religious roots of American liberty, once said, “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” Both Scripture and

The Constitutional Doctrine of Standing in the Context of Parental Rights Across our nation, a quiet but profound constitutional conflict is unfolding. It is not confined to distant federal agencies or obscure regulatory codes. It is happening in families. In living rooms. In conversations between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. It is unfolding in the deeply personal, often painful moments when parents seek to guide their children through adolescence, identity strugg

The Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University is pleased to invite friends and supporters to a special luncheon program in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, March 16, 2026, at the beautiful Olive & Ivy restaurant. This gathering will bring together members of the Spring Arbor University community for an afternoon of fellowship, encouragement, and thoughtful reflection on the vital intersection of faith, family, freedom, and Christian higher education. Featured Sp

Washington, D.C. — The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in two closely watched cases addressing the future of women’s sports and whether female athletic programs may be required to permit male athletes to compete in women’s competitions. Among the amici curiae supporting female athletes were Spring Arbor University President Dr. Brent Ellis and the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center, represented by the Hon. William Wagner (Ret), who authored the amici briefs

Clergy content casting Mary as the “main character” of the Christmas story, infers she possessed the power to abort Jesus. This recast provides a revealing case study of a broader theological and jurisprudential shift. Drawing on constitutional theory, natural law, Christian theology, and historical precedent, the Article argues that such framing reflects the ascendancy of a secular progressive humanist worldview grounded in radical personal autonomy rather than unalienable r

By the Hon. William Wagner (Ret.) WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom, Spring Arbor University Abstract This Issue Brief contends that Federal involvement in education rests on unstable constitutional ground and that renewed efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED) highlight, rather than resolve, deep structural questions about federalism, ordered liberty, and religious freedom. Drawing on constitutional text, original meaning, historical practice,

The Michigan Department of Education’s most recent revision of the Health Education Standards represents not merely administrative fine-tuning, but a wholesale ideological shift in the purpose and scope of health instruction in Michigan schools. The Board voted to approve the updated health-education/sex-education standards on Thursday, November 13, 2025. The magnitude and nature of these changes raise profound constitutional concerns—particularly regarding parental rights, l

The Hon. William Wagner, Distinguished Chair of the Wagner Faith & Freedom Center at Spring Arbor University, participated in the 2025 Education Freedom Legal Network (EFLN) Annual Summit held October 23, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. The EFLN—an initiative that convenes attorneys, scholars, and policy advocates focused on protecting and advancing the freedom to educate—brought together leaders from across the country for a day of high-level strategy and collaboration. Advan