EDITOR'S NOTE: This article includes additional reporting by Pathway staff. WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted July 19 to codify same-sex marriage into law with the help of one-fifth of its Republican members and to the chagrin of Southern Baptist leaders. With all the Democrats and 47 Republicans voting in favor, the House approved the Respect for Marriage Act in a 267-157 roll call. The proposal would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and require … [Read more...]
Longtime, pro-life advocates in SBC rejoice at Roe’s demise
NASHVILLE (BP)—Southern Baptists who have advocated for preborn children and their mothers for decades rejoiced at the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of nearly 50 years of nationwide, legalized abortion while acknowledging much work remains. A day many persistent, pro-life advocates had long sought and prayed for arrived June 24, when the high court overruled its 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion – as well as the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed Roe — and returned abortion … [Read more...]
High school coach’s prayers constitutional, SCOTUS rules
WASHINGTON (BP) – The post-game, midfield prayer of a high school football coach did not violate the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision, June 27. The justices decided the Bremerton (Wash.) School District actually violated the First Amendment rights of Joseph Kennedy by removing him as a coach because of its concerns his practice infringed on the Establishment Clause. “[A] government entity sought to punish an … [Read more...]
Supreme Court overturns Roe abortion decision
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide abortion regime Friday (June 24) that lasted nearly half a century and resulted in the deaths of more than 60 million preborn children. In a 5-4 opinion, the high court overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that struck down all state abortion bans and legalized the procedure throughout the country. The justices also invalidated the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey opinion that affirmed Roe. The opinion in Dobbs v. … [Read more...]
ERLC commends high court’s 9-0 ruling in flag case
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s religious freedom entity welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling (May 2) that the city of Boston violated the constitutionally protected right to free speech by prohibiting the flying of the Christian flag. In a 9-0 judgment that united the conservative and liberal wings of the high court, the justices found in Shurtleff v. City of Boston the city’s refusal to permit a Christian civic organization to raise the Christian flag … [Read more...]
Leaked SCOTUS draft gives hope for reversing Roe
WASHINGTON (BP) – Pro-life advocates reacted hopefully to the report of a leaked draft opinion within the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. In a stunning development Monday evening (May 2), Politico – a politics- and policy-focused news organization – published a copy of a draft of an opinion by Associate Justice Samuel Alito that would strike down the Roe ruling if it becomes final. A source familiar with the court’s … [Read more...]
USCIRF report: Religious liberty deteriorates in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (BP) — The Taliban’s return to control of Afghanistan headlined the examples of religious freedom deteriorating in multiple countries last year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report issued April 25. For the first time in more than two decades, USCIRF – a bipartisan panel established by federal law in 1998 – recommended Afghanistan’s inclusion on a list of the world’s most egregious violators of the right to believe and … [Read more...]
Supreme Court considers coach’s post-game prayers
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court weighed lengthy arguments April 25 regarding whether a high school football coach’s post-game prayer at midfield violates the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion. The justices questioned lawyers for Joseph Kennedy and the Bremerton (Wash.) School District during oral arguments that lasted more than one hour and 45 minutes in a case that involves the rights of public school teachers and coaches to exercise their religious … [Read more...]
U.S. officials, Southern Baptist leaders denounce Russian ‘war crimes’
WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives are persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military have committed war crimes in Ukraine. If those assessments prove correct, justice requires accountability for the perpetrators, a Southern Baptist ethics leader said. The war crimes designations by United States officials intensified after photos recently came to light of hundreds of bodies of Ukrainian civilians who apparently had been executed by … [Read more...]
Christian witness to China camp horrors now in U.S.
WASHINGTON (BP) – A Christian who was imprisoned for 10 months in western China is now in the United States as a witness to the notorious “re-education” camps being operated by the Communist regime of the world’s most populous country. Ovalbek Turdakun, his wife and son arrived in the United States April 8 after a lengthy, successful effort to avoid deportation back to China that was aided by allies in the United States and other countries. Ovalbek is the first Christian to speak out … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists applaud Oklahoma abortion ban
OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Oklahoma’s enactment of a prohibition on abortion except to save the life of the mother received a grateful welcome from Southern Baptists at state and national levels. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law Tuesday (April 12) the ban, which criminalizes the performance of an abortion or attempt to perform an abortion as a felony. If convicted, a person may receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and/or a fine of as much as $100,000. Enactment of the … [Read more...]
Baptist leaders grieve Colorado abortion rights law
DENVER, Colo. (BP)—State and national leaders among Southern Baptists responded with dismay to a new Colorado law that codifies the right to abortion and called for Christians to advocate for unborn children. Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday (April 4) the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which guarantees the decision to abort an unborn child is a “fundamental right” in Colorado. It also says “a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights” under … [Read more...]
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