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...]
ERLC expresses concerns about Biden’s proposed budget
WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden’s $5.8 trillion proposed budget for the next fiscal year contains elements of “deep concern,” according to the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. In an article on its website, the ERLC expressed its consternation at the White House budget proposal’s elimination of long-established, pro-life protections. It marked the second consecutive year Biden has excluded the Hyde Amendment and other prohibitions on federal funding of … [Read more...]
ERLC applauds U.S. genocide designation in Myanmar
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission welcomed the Biden administration’s determination that the Myanmar military has committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday (March 21) the designation of “genocide and crimes against humanity” for the campaign against the Rohingya by Myanmar’s military forces, known as the Tatmadaw. It is the eighth time the United States has made a genocide … [Read more...]
ERLC trustees hear update from presidential search
NASHVILLE (BP) – The selection process for a new president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is progressing, trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention entity were told Thursday, Feb. 17. Todd Howard, chair of the presidential search committee, provided a report on filling the leadership position for the ERLC during a trustees meeting held by means of an online video conference. The committee has the responsibility of bringing a candidate to the full trustee board to … [Read more...]
FDA makes mail-order abortion pills permanent
WASHINGTON (BP) – Abortion pills may be obtained through the mail under a permanent rule issued Thursday, Dec. 16, by the Biden administration, prompting protests from pro-life advocates not only because of the drugs’ lethal effect on unborn children but because of their risk to women. The policy revision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made permanent an April announcement that it would not enforce during the COVID-19 pandemic a requirement that a woman must appear in … [Read more...]
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