JEFFERSON CITY – Four Missouri Southern Baptist leaders have joined the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention in calling for passage of a law that will protect the conscience rights of pro-life healthcare professionals. In a recent letter to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), co-sponsor of the Conscience Protection Act (CPA), the five leaders thanked Blunt for supporting the bill and urged its passage, guaranteeing that no healthcare worker … [Read more...]
Transgender debate focus of new book
NASHVILLE (BP) – The transgender debate isn't really about a debate but about people, a Southern Baptist ethicist says in his new book on the controversial issue. The debate is about "precious people made in the image of God who are hurting, who are confused, who are angry, who are scared, who may have been told by their family that they are unwelcome," Andrew Walker writes in "God and the Transgender Debate." "It's about some people who are delighted with how culture has shifted when … [Read more...]
Ruminations as a busy summer gives way to another autumn
The Missouri Baptist Foundation Trustee Board’s presidential search committee is getting closer to recommending someone for the position. The committee could have a recommendation for the full board sometime in September. The committee, which was formed Dec. 9, includes Foundation Board Chairman Larry Shoaf, a Cape Girardeau-area businessman and member of First Baptist Church, Jackson; Jay Hughes, a staff member at Second Baptist Church, Springfield and Joby Steele, pastor, Macedonia … [Read more...]
Museum of Bible to offer free admission
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Museum of the Bible slated to open in November in Washington will offer free admission while reserving special perks for members, the museum announced Aug. 11. The museum, founded by Hobby Lobby President Steve Green and family, joins the ranks of such notable venues as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural History in suggesting a donation in lieu of an admission fee, in this case $15. Timed entry may be reserved online for guests and … [Read more...]
Getting ready for the student loan bubble to burst
WASHINGTON (WNS) – Amid all the other drama in Washington, one major higher education crisis isn’t getting enough attention: the student loan bubble. Analyst Daniel Pianko believes the United States is on the cusp of the largest subprime lending bubble since the mortgage boom that sparked the Great Recession. And taxpayers have no idea how much they’ll likely have to pay to extricate millions of borrowers from financial catastrophe. Since 2010, when it took over the student loan … [Read more...]
Court signals religious freedom victory for artist
MADISON, Wisc. (BP) – A self-employed evangelical Christian photographer can reject job requests based on her religious beliefs against same-sex marriage, a Wisconsin county court and government officials have agreed. Self-employed photographer Amy Lawson, an evangelical Christian in Madison, Wisc., can refuse jobs that violate her religious beliefs, a court and government officials have agreed. City and state public accommodation laws don’t apply to her because she operates without a … [Read more...]
Oregon to make abortion coverage free for all
SALEM, Ore. (BP) – Oregon health insurers and taxpayers will soon be paying for abortion, contraceptives and sterilization under a new law Gov. Kate Brown has vowed to sign. The newly-passed Reproductive Health Equity Act forbids health insurance plans from imposing "a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement" for abortion, STD screening, prenatal care, post-natal care and all forms of contraception. Churches and religious nonprofits will be exempt … [Read more...]
Fight against trafficking gains House support
WASHINGTON (BP) – A deeply divided U.S. House of Representatives has found at least one issue it can agree on across the board – combating human trafficking. The House has approved more than a dozen anti-trafficking bills in recent weeks, with only three votes total against the proposals. Leading a trio of three measures passed July 12 was the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act, comprehensive legislation authorizing more than $500 million for four years … [Read more...]
Supreme Court to hear Christian baker’s case
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on June 26 to hear a major religious liberty case that will determine whether Christians within the wedding industry–for example, bakers, florists, and photographers–may refuse to serve same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs. In 2012, Jack Philips – a Christian baker in Denver, Colo. – was convicted by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission of “discrimination” for declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The commission ordered … [Read more...]
Historic Baptists, liberty and the Trinity case
KANSAS CITY – What would John Leland say about scrap tires? Missourians, including churches that own vehicles, pay a fee to keep used tires out of streams and landfills. The fee underwrites a rebate for rubber playground surfaces. It’s open to all nonprofit groups, to keep kids safer and the environment cleaner. Trinity Lutheran Church, in Columbia, applied for a rebate. It was rejected, but not because the money ran out. It was rejected because it is a church. Missouri’s Constitution … [Read more...]
On the eve of a major religious liberty ruling: The nation’s eyes on Trinity Lutheran case
EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Whitehead has practiced law in Missouri for more than 40 years. He practices with his son, Jonathan, in suburban Kansas City, and he serves as MBC general counsel and represents numerous individuals and ministry organizations. Both Mike and Jonathan are on the legal team defending Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, in a religious liberty case that was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court this spring. A ruling on the case is expected by the end of the month, before the … [Read more...]
MONA threatens religious freedom in Missouri
MONA is an acronym for the cruelly misleading Missouri Nondiscrimination Act. MONA represents a menacing domestic threat to religious freedom. If it passes it could serve as a mechanism for LGBT people to claim discrimination in a variety of ways, triggering lawsuits against religious organizations and people of faith who want to run their businesses according to the dictates of their faith. Think about a baker who refuses to bake a wedding cake for same-sex couples, a photographer who … [Read more...]
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