Atheist Group Silences Rapper for Quoting the Bible at Tennessee School Assembly

Atheist Organization Forces Tennessee School to Censor Rapper Who Quoted the Bible at Student Assembly

A Tennessee school district has agreed to tighten oversight of guest speakers after the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed a complaint alleging that a high school assembly crossed into unconstitutional religious promotion.

On December 5, 2025, Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee hosted Memphis rapper Patrick Earl Houston, known by his stage name Project Pat, for a school day assembly. Houston, a prison ministry founder and head of the Go Foundation, was invited to speak to students.

According to the FFRF, Houston and ministry partner Chris Smith allegedly asked students to identify their religious affiliation, led students in prayer requesting they "accept Jesus as their savior," and distributed copies of The Tongue: A Creative Force by Charles Capps, a book the FFRF described as "explicitly proselytizing."

The HCBOE understands the importance of its students' and employees' First Amendment rights.

Superintendent Amie Marsh stated in a January 21, 2026 response to the FFRF.

The FFRF, a Wisconsin based atheist legal organization, contended the event was "mandatory" and constituted a "school sponsored religious exercise." The organization argued the assembly marginalized non religious and minority faith students, claiming that "more than half of Generation Z is non Christian."

The Haywood County Board of Education agreed to "prescreen such service providers" going forward. The district stated it had no intention of violating students' rights.

Project Pat, the older brother of Juicy J and co founder of Three 6 Mafia, has become widely known for his prison ministry work. His Go Foundation has ministered to over 4,000 inmates, and his Breakin Baggs Instagram account highlighting his ministry has over 53,000 followers.

Tennessee School District Bows to Atheist Pressure After Rapper Project Pat Shares Faith with Students

The incident has drawn national attention as part of a broader pattern of FFRF complaints targeting religious expression in public schools across Tennessee. The organization has previously objected to Bible distributions and prayer in Tennessee school districts.

Houston's appearance at Haywood High was part of his ongoing ministry outreach that has taken him to youth centers and correctional facilities across the South, where he shares his testimony of transformation through faith.

The Crusader's Opinion

A man who turned his life around through faith in Jesus Christ walks into a school and shares that message of hope with students, and the response from the FFRF is to silence him. Let that sink in. These are the same people who would celebrate a drag queen reading to kindergartners but clutch their pearls when a rapper quotes Scripture. The hypocrisy is staggering. Project Pat went from prison to ministry, saving lives and reaching people nobody else will reach. And the FFRF's answer? Shut him up. Prescreen him. Make sure nobody accidentally hears about Jesus. This is not about protecting students' rights. This is about erasing Christianity from every public space in America, one complaint at a time. And the school district folded like a cheap suit.

Take Action

• Contact the Haywood County Board of Education at (731) 772 9613 or visit haywoodschools.com to voice your support for faith based speakers in schools.
• Support Project Pat's Go Foundation and prison ministry by following @breakinbaggs on Instagram and sharing his work.
• Contact your state legislators and urge them to protect students' religious expression rights in public schools.
• Support organizations defending religious liberty such as First Liberty Institute and Alliance Defending Freedom.
• Donate to www.TheShepherdsShield.org to support Christian causes and defend the faith.