The Presbyterian Layman – May/June 2000 Volume 33, Number 3 – Posted May 22, 2000

Publish it not in Gath … If you guessed a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister would be the last person who would try to force Ohio to stop using its motto, “With God, all things are possible,” you guessed wrong. It was in fact the Rev. Matthew Peterson, a Presbyterian minister in suburban Cleveland, who objected to Ohio’s use of the motto and asked the American Civil Liberties Union to file suit. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, bowing before the legally chic altar of a towering wall between religion and public life, ruled that Ohio must cease expressing confidence in God’s capabilities. Nevermind that two appeals courts have upheld “in God we trust” on U.S. currency. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Peterson asked the ACLU not to refer calls to him because he has been widely criticized within the denomination. We hope that Mr. Peterson is embarrassed as are others in the PCUSA.

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