Prison officials in New Jersey have agreed to allow a Christian prisoner to teaching Bible study classes and preaching at weekly worship services, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

THE ACLU said Monday it has settled the lawsuit brought by Howard Thompson Jr., who was ordained a Pentecostal minister in 2000 at the New Jersey State Prison, where he is serving 30 years to life for murder.

According to the ACLU, Thompson fell under a blanket ban on preaching established two years ago by prison officials. Under the settlement, the ACLU said, he now will be allowed to resume his ministry.

"The ban prevented me from responding to my religious calling to minister to my fellow inmates, something I had done honestly, effectively and without any incident for years," Thompson said in a statement distributed by the ACLU. "All I have ever wanted was to have my religious rights restored so that I could continue working with men who want to renew their lives through the study and practice of their faith."

"The right to freely express religious viewpoints without the fear of repercussions is one of Americans' most fundamental constitutional rights," said Edward Barocas, Legal Director of the ACLU of New Jersey. "It is gratifying to see prison officials in our state take that constitutional obligation seriously."

This being the second release relating to religious freedom that we’ve received from the ACLU in the last little while, we’re getting the impression that this is an area the organization, better known watchdogging the separation of church and state, is trying to promote.

The release describes the lawsuit brought by Thompson against New Jersey State Prison Administrator Michelle R. Ricci and Corrections Commissioner George W. Hayman as “just the latest in a long line of ACLU cases defending the fundamental right to religious exercise,” and includes a link to an online list of several recent examples.