CHAMBLEE, Ga. (AP) — Being as well known as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger would be a dream for many ambitious politicians.

A Tennessee doctor is practicing reproductive medicine aligned with his Christian faith. Dr. John Gordon’s Knoxville clinic limits how many embryos it creates and does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them or donate them to science. His clinic draws patients nationwide who are concerned over the moral issues that surround in vitro fertilization. The IVF debate has been growing since court decisions ended federal abortion rights nationally and designated embryos as children in Alabama. Some Christians and anti-abortion activists who believe IVF is unethical have criticized Gordon. But he says he's still committed to reconciling his work with his faith.

President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission is preparing to make recommendations after more than a year of hearings. Commissioners have spoken about their wish lists for what they want to see in the report. They reflect the perspectives of the commissioner's largely conservative evangelical and Catholic membership. One idea is to increase avenues for religious expression in public schools and other public settings. Another is making public money more available to religious organizations. And there's a push for allowing for religious-based exemptions from regulations and classroom lessons. The commissioner's chair has repeatedly said "there is no separation of church and state.”

There’s long been debate over the intentions of America’s founders about the role of religion. That’s been turbocharged with the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth. Some Christian activists are redoubling claims that the United States had a Christian founding. But scholars note that there’s no established religion in the Constitution and some of the most influential founders weren't Christian. But most of them also weren’t deists or anti-religious skeptics. The founders believed in prayer and that God was helping the revolutionary cause. Scholars say they created a sort of free market in which American religion has thrived to this day.