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...]
Teen internet addiction cited as growing concern
NASHVILLE (BP) – Gateway Seminary professor Paul Kelly had a friend who once became so addicted to online gaming that he would ignore his family and friends while also skipping meals so he could play more games on the internet. His desire became so severe that he began failing classes and stole from his family to support his habit. Amid the emerging challenge of internet addiction, youth ministry experts are calling for churches to raise awareness of the topic and provide resources for … [Read more...]
Reformers’ wisdom applied to transgender debate
NASHVILLE (BP) – Amid contemporary discussion of transgenderism, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation has helped resurface historic wisdom on gender and sexuality. While predating by centuries the modern phenomenon of transgenderism, Martin Luther and John Calvin were among Reformers to denounce those who attempted to blur the distinction between men and women – an error dating back to the ancient world. Union University ethicist C. Ben Mitchell told Baptist Press … [Read more...]
Eugene Peterson and ‘same sex’ marriage
Last week, the well-known evangelical author Eugene Peterson appeared to embrace so-called same-sex “marriage,” and then, he backtracked. There’s a lot to talk about. Last week Eugene Peterson, the author of “The Message” as well as several other pastoral books, said in an interview with Jonathan Merritt of Religion News Service that he didn’t consider homosexuality wrong and would, if asked, officiate a same-sex “marriage.” “I know a lot of people who are gay and lesbian,” Peterson … [Read more...]
Despite glazing over the Almighty’s providence, ‘Dunkirk’ a must-see
JEFFERSON CITY – Who knew the story of a colossal military failure could turn into such an inspiration? And yet that is what you get with the wonderfully tense movie directed by Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk.” It’s a very straightforward – and true – story. In the opening days of World War II (and long before the U.S. entered the fray), more than 400,000 British soldiers were trapped at Dunkirk, a small city on the French side of the English Channel. Though only 35 miles of water separated … [Read more...]
Poll: Americans have mixed feelings about sexual liberty, religious liberty
NASHVILLE (LifeWay) —Americans love to fight about sex and religion. From shacking up and same-sex marriage to birth control and bathrooms, Americans disagree about what is right and wrong with sex—often based on faith. Those disputes can end up in court, in highly divisive and controversial cases. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. When faith and sexuality clash, which side should … [Read more...]
Pressing the ‘Reset’ button in life
Murray, David. Reset. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017. 206 pages. $14.99. When I ask people how they are doing, they are just as likely to respond with some variation of “Staying busy,” as the typical “Fine.” Digging deeper into those conversations often results in an admission of stress, anxiety, or exhaustion. So many of us live life at an unrealistic pace. We go faster and work harder until life becomes a blur of obligations and responsibilities, with little to no joy or peace. Living … [Read more...]
Hobby Lobby to forfeit Bible artifacts, pay $3M
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BP) – Hobby Lobby Stores will forfeit thousands of improperly acquired ancient biblical artifacts and pay a $3 million fine in a civil settlement the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced July 5. The settlement closed a federal investigation of the store's 2010 purchase and subsequent importation of more than 5,500 artifacts from dealers who did not disclose the items' Iraqi origin. Hobby Lobby paid $1.6 million for the artifacts, including Assyrian and Babylonian … [Read more...]
Resolutions: Heart of Southern Baptists in brief
I first attended the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in 1982, early in the days of the Conservative Resurgence. The next few years saw some of our best-attended and most contentious meetings. In those days, news media from everywhere descended on our meeting sites, trying to figure out who we are and what we’re doing. They mostly failed; we are notoriously hard to understand. Then and now, the aspect of convention business most comprehensible to non-Baptist observers is the … [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...]
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