Jacobin | K Plevka/Houston Chronicle/Getty
Texas today is at the forefront of the campaign to tear down the wall between church and state. The Bible has been reintroduced in Texas classrooms, along with a new law requiring classrooms to display the protestant version of the Ten Commandments. Texas gave the country the prosperity gospel preached by televangelists, including the megachurch pastor and multimillionaire Joel Osteen. The state has been the proving ground for a fiery marriage between evangelicalism and conservatism. Religion has been woven through Texas history, and in turn Texas has woven a particular form of religion into American life.