NASHVILLE (BP) -- Reaction among 2016 presidential candidates to the Supreme Court's nationwide legalization of gay marriage is divided largely along party lines, with all five Democrats in the race lauding the decision and at least 13 of 14 Republicans opposing it. As marriage and religious liberty moved to center stage of the campaign, one pastor and former U.S. Senate candidate urged Christians to consider supporting a candidate financially. "There are enough believers in this … [Read more...]
State resistance to marriage ruling dissipates
WASHINGTON (BP) – Three days after the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage nationwide, all 50 states have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and instances of publicized resistance by government officials seem confined largely to the South. Some gay marriage proponents have advocated building on the court's ruling by legalizing polygamous marriages and abolishing tax exemptions for religious institutions. Meanwhile, Southern Baptist Convention President … [Read more...]
WRAP-UP: SBC seeks awakening, supports marriage
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) – Spiritual awakening, the defense of marriage and the preservation of religious liberty were among key themes addressed by messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting was highlighted by a Tuesday night prayer gathering led by SBC President Ronnie Floyd, at which an estimated 7,000 Southern Baptists spent two hours asking God for a third Great Awakening in America and the global advance of the Gospel. The … [Read more...]
Gay weddings: who must perform them?
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Legal opinions vary widely on what the U.S. Supreme Court's mandate of nationwide same-sex marriage will mean for pastors and government officials authorized to perform weddings. Some legal experts say government officials charged with performing weddings could lose their jobs for refusing to marry gay couples. But others believe both ministers and government officials likely will have freedom not to perform same-sex marriages that violate their religious … [Read more...]
Naghmeh Abedini calls for husband’s release
WASHINGTON (BP) – The release of Americans imprisoned in Iran should be a condition of any nuclear deal with the Persian nation, the wife of imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini told the House Foreign Affairs Committee June 2. Following testimony from Negmeh Abedini and the families of other U.S. citizens imprisoned or missing in Iran, the committee passed a resolution stating, “Iran should release all detained United States citizens immediately and provide any information it possesses … [Read more...]
IMB to align missionary requirements with BF&M
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – The International Mission Board’s (IMB) new policy on missionary qualifications – replacing previous restrictions related to baptism, speaking in tongues and divorce among other matters – represents an effort to keep basic requirements from going beyond the Baptist Faith and Message, IMB President David Platt told reporters May 14. “We want it to be simple and clear that what’s driving us doctrinally is what all these churches [of the Southern Baptist Convention] have … [Read more...]
Google update could decrease churches’ web traffic
NASHVILLE (BP) – A change in Google’s formula for prioritizing search results could keep churches without mobile-friendly websites from being as visible online to potential visitors. Starting April 21, Google updated its algorithms for searches done from mobile devices to give higher placement in the results to websites that are compatible with such devices. That means churches with older, more basic websites may not appear among the top results when, for example, mobile phone users search … [Read more...]
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