WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Tennessee's Amendment 1, Oct. 1, by refusing to review a decision upholding the pro-life measure. On the first day of its new term, the high court announced it would not review a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion that sided with the state in a lawsuit against the amendment, which removed a right to abortion and a requirement for abortion funding from the Tennessee constitution. Opponents challenged the 2014 initiative … [Read more...]
ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project places ultrasound machine in Mo. pregnancy resource center
KANSAS CITY (BP) – The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Psalm 139 Project has placed an ultrasound machine at the Liberty Women’s Clinic in Liberty, Missouri, Russell Moore announced Monday at the For the Church Conference at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “I am honored to be partnering with Liberty Women’s Clinic to provide this ultrasound machine.” said Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “This gift is on behalf of Southern Baptists … [Read more...]
S.C. church plant sues town for rental ban
CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP) – A Southern Baptist church plant in South Carolina has sued the town of Edisto Beach for prohibiting it from use of its civic center. Redeemer Fellowship of Edisto Island filed suit Aug. 27 in federal court in Charleston, S.C., because of a policy it says violates its free speech and religion rights guaranteed in the First Amendment. Redeemer Fellowship had twice met for corporate worship in the Edisto Beach Civic Center when the town council changed its policy to … [Read more...]
Administration gains high marks on religious liberty
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Trump administration is receiving high marks so far for its religious liberty record from many advocates for the First Amendment freedom. The July 30 announcement of a religious liberty task force in the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Aug. 10 release of a Department of Labor policy directive to protect religious free exercise are the latest in a series of administration actions applauded by defenders of freedom of belief and practice. Yet, some advocates also … [Read more...]
Midwestern’s Allen among SBC leaders embracing Kavanaugh nomination
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist and other evangelical Christian leaders embraced President Trump’s nomination of federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh July 9 and called for his quick confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump announced his selection of Kavanaugh, 53, Monday night from the White House, ending speculation on who would be chosen from a list of 25 potential nominees – all considered conservatives – that the administration had released in November in anticipation of … [Read more...]
SBC resolutions affirm women, denounce abuse
DALLAS (BP) -- Messengers to the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention affirmed the dignity and worth of women, denounced all forms of abuse and called for sexual purity among Christian leaders in adopting 16 resolutions Tuesday (June 12). Passage of the resolutions on women, abuse and pastoral purity by nearly unanimous votes late in the afternoon session came after months of disclosures of sexual abuse and misconduct by male leaders had rocked Southern Baptist and other evangelical … [Read more...]
Sex abuse news ‘wake-up call’ for pastors, ERLC panel says
DALLAS (BP) -- The revelations of sexual abuse of women and mishandling of it by Christian leaders offer a "divine opportunity" for the Southern Baptist Convention and its pastors to take a stand, attendees were told at a Monday evening (June 11) panel discussion sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The event -- "Gospel Sexuality in a #MeToo Culture" -- was held on the eve of the SBC's annual meeting in Dallas and followed months of revelations of sexual … [Read more...]
Pro-life centers continue fight for life despite opposition
WASHINGTON (BP) – Pregnancy resource centers continue to carry on the vital, pro-life work of serving vulnerable women and unborn children in the face of ongoing, adversarial campaigns by abortion rights advocates and the growing effort to regulate their work by state and local governments. Sanctity of Human Life Sunday will arrive Jan. 21 at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court will be preparing to consider a case that might determine the future of the pro-life pregnancy center movement in … [Read more...]
Sen. Lankford, ERLC’s Moore amplify Baptist view of church-state separation
WASHINGTON (BP) – Two Southern Baptists – one a U.S. senator and the other a convention entity head – said on Religious Freedom Day the idea of “separation of church and state” entails freedom – rather than limitations – to Americans in the practice of their faith. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, co-wrote “The Real Meaning of the Separation of Church and State” for the celebration Jan. 16 of the country’s heritage … [Read more...]
Christian bakers lose in Oregon appeals court
WASHINGTON (BP) – Christian wedding vendors who decline to provide services for same-sex ceremonies have suffered another legal setback. The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Dec. 28 that the state did not violate the First Amendment rights of Aaron and Melissa Klein in a 2015 order that included a $135,000 fine. The three-judge panel upheld a decision by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) that found the Kleins' refusal to design and bake a cake for a lesbian couple's commitment … [Read more...]
World’s worst religious freedom violators evaluated
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Trump administration's first designation of the world's worst violators of religious freedom received the same evaluation as the last list under President Obama -- good but not good enough. Religious liberty advocates had hoped the State Department would add other countries to the CPC list, which is required by federal law. The measure calls for the designation of countries that commit or tolerate "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious … [Read more...]
Baptists still fighting HHS mandate
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist institutions and other objectors to the six-year-old abortion/contraception mandate are still working to protect their freedom of conscience on a number of fronts after the Trump administration provided aid through a new rule. The challengers to the controversial requirement are negotiating with the federal government, pushing for permanent relief in court and, in the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor, fighting new suits now being waged by California … [Read more...]
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