There can be little doubt where the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which redefined marriage to include same-sex couples, is headed with regard to religious liberty. The attacks on Christians – who refuse to go against their deepest held beliefs and cave to the fantasized reasoning of judicial tyrants, government hypocrites and bullying activists – are mounting by the day. For now, the targets are government workers and private business owners who are involved in the … [Read more...]
Church planters win at U.S. Supreme Court
Just as everyone was headed home from Columbus, Ohio, from another productive Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, word came of a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court for free speech and church planters. On June 18 the Supremes delivered a stunning, unanimous 9-0 victory for the 82-year-old pastor of Good News Presbyterian Church in Gilbert, Ariz., finding that the Town of Gilbert’s sign ordinance is content-based discrimination. The win paves the way for smaller congregations … [Read more...]
Mule muffins: A liberal’s view of Christians, politics
There seems no end to the cacophony of liberals in the media demanding that there be no biblical influence on government. One of the most recent is David Rosman, columnist for The Missourian in Columbia, in his column, “Forcing religion into government is wrong.” To make his point, Rosman cites two instances where it was apparently attempted. The first was Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia requesting a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The church wanted to resurface … [Read more...]
Baptist intelligentsia, politics and atheists
Too often stereotyped by some as uneducated, superstitious Bible thumpers, Southern Baptists have entered an era where its intellectual firepower has never been greater, exerting much needed influence on our troubled society. While many of us serve our Lord Jesus at the church level, Southern Baptist scholars are engaging the lost on another part of the spiritual battlefield. Blessed with keen minds and the unsheathed sword of God’s inerrant, infallible Word, they are making Christ known in … [Read more...]
The challenge before us this Memorial Day
As we pause to remember the more than 1.3 million members of America’s Armed Forces who have died in defense of our freedom (2,487 Missourians in World War II, 4,660 Missourians from the Korean War through Iraqi Freedom), Pathway Associate Editor Ben Hawkins reminded me this week of a reason Christians ought to be engaged in public policy: Out of gratitude for benefits received and debt owed. Ben said it seems that Christians who want to leave politics and patriotism behind forget the men … [Read more...]
Preparing in advance of Supreme Court ruling
Marriage is not in the U.S. Constitution and therefore, according to that document, it is left to the states to define marriage. If the U.S. Supreme Court affirms what some renegade federal judges have done by redefining marriage, it will have legislated from the bench and prevented the democratic process – by the people – from settling the issue. It will shake the very foundation of our Constitution, bring into question the credibility of the federal judiciary and change our country in a … [Read more...]
LGBT discrimination law lurking in General Assembly
President Obama recently ordered the opening of the White House’s first gender-neutral restroom in what is seen as a symbolic step by the president to extend rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace. No surprise there – and get ready. More is on the way as emboldened – and often intolerant – LGBT advocates seek legal avenues to force acceptance of their lifestyle on American society. They go the legal route to get what they cannot get at the … [Read more...]
No small thing when a pastor dies
One of the most difficult changes to deal with in life is when death comes to someone near us. The death of a family member is the most profound. Certainly the death of a friend impacts our lives, particularly when that friend is our pastor. Pastors touch our lives in so many ways. We share many of life’s most important events with them. They were there when we were sick, praying for healing. They were there when we got married, leading us in our sacred vows before God. They were there … [Read more...]
Well-respected Emery defends traditional marriage
I first met State Sen. Ed Emery where you might expect to meet a Christian gentleman, who is as confident in his conservative views as he is respected by Democrats and Republicans alike (Emery is a Republican): At a weekly Bible study held by the Capitol Commission at the State Capitol. Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) sponsored their breakfast that morning. So MBC Executive Director John Yeats and I were privileged to join Emery and about 60 other lawmakers and staffers – including Lt. … [Read more...]
Underwear at the Oscars, liberalism, religious liberty
Perhaps you saw it when it happened on TV or you saw pictures of it later in the media. You know news is being made when Hollywood’s elite sit for a moment in stunned silence followed by a smattering of nervous laughter. I think, perhaps, many of them even knew a line had been crossed. I am referring to Neil Patrick Harris, who hosted the Oscars Feb. 22 that was beamed around the world on ABC, who stood on stage in nothing but his underwear. Several emotions came over me: shock, … [Read more...]
Dorcas-like faith at FBC Browning
They may not be part of the biggest congregation in the Missouri Baptist Convention, but the WMU ladies of rural First Baptist Church, Browning, are making the love of Christ felt in a big way in a faraway land. The ladies, part of the approximately 40 worshippers who attend the church in Linn County in north-central Missouri, have made more than 600 “pillow case” dresses for orphans in Haiti. They work in partnership with Red Bridge Baptist Church in Kansas City, which distributes the … [Read more...]
Not so Merry Christmas for America’s families
PNC Financial Services has released its annual Christmas Price Index which shows the current cost for one set of each of the gifts given in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas – and the news is not merry. For example, the price for six geese-a-laying jumped a whopping 71.4 percent in 2014 compared to the year before. Three French hens saw the price jump from $165 to $181.50 over the same period. Overall the total price for all 12 gifts – from one partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers … [Read more...]
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