Richard Nations/contributing writer KIRKSVILLE – The stoning of Stephen. Saul being called to be the Apostle Paul. Paul and Barnabas quarreling over John Mark. King Agrippa. What were the best scenes in a 2.5 hour drama portrayed on a stage on a Friday night in Kirksville? The 1,200 people who packed The Crossing Church here discussed these scenes as they left the venue, April 11. Professional Los-Angeles-based Christian actors Bryce Lenon, J.D. Jackson, and Vinicius Machado star in a … [Read more...]
‘Subjective discrimination’ fuels religious freedom bills
David Roach/Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – Concern that anti-discrimination laws infringe on religious liberty is among factors that have prompted more than a dozen states to consider religious freedom bills to protect Christians’ right to speak against homosexuality. Currently, 18 states have passed versions of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a bill signed by President Clinton in 1993 that prohibits government infringement of religious liberty unless the state shows a … [Read more...]
ERLC’s Moore, Obama discuss immigration
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist ethicist Russell D. Moore and other religious leaders have met with President Obama to discuss the continuing effort to pass immigration reform this year. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president joined Obama and others in an oval office meeting April 15 as the attempt to reform the immigration system awaits action in the U.S. House of Representatives. Flaws in both the system and its enforcement have resulted in an estimated 11 million to … [Read more...]
Feds admit abortion mandate at Hobby Lobby hearing
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Obama administration’s acknowledgment that its stance would require businesses to underwrite abortions without the right to a legal challenge may have been a particularly telling moment in a March 25 U.S. Supreme Court case that likely will be a landmark in religious liberty. It seemed that way to some who oppose the government’s position, and they expressed an opinion that it seemed that way to some of the justices. The Supreme Court heard 90 minutes of oral … [Read more...]
Study: Cremation gaining acceptance
Bob Smietana/Baptist Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Cremation may be the new American response to death, according to a survey by LifeWay Research. The study, which surveyed 1,036 Americans, shows that about 4 in 10 (41 percent) say they plan to be cremated. Six in ten (58 percent) say being cremated won’t keep you from being resurrected to live in heaven. And few (14 percent) say cremation is wrong. The LifeWay online survey reflects the growing acceptance of cremation, which has become … [Read more...]
Ex-congressman brings common sense politics
HANNIBAL – Bob McEwen told those at the Worldview Conference at Hannibal-LaGrange University, April 3, how economics in politics works and how it should work. The former U.S. Congressman from Ohio gave a historical perspective of God’s role in politics. In a two-part speech, McEwen said there are three power sources – economics, politics/military, and spiritual. “The first two won’t save the U.S.A.,” McEwen said. While many today squelch Christianity, McEwen proclaimed that “America is … [Read more...]
Response: Phelps Ordination
Letter to the Editor: I appreciated the article by J. Alan Branch in the April 8 issue of The Pathway where he told the sad story of the ordination of Fred Phelps by a Southern Baptist Church. It is the proverbial cautionary tale. His commentary is a call to Southern Baptists to better police our own ranks when it comes to who we ordain. It should never be a light matter for a congregation to call for the ordination of a man to the ministry. Neither should it be a light matter for a … [Read more...]
Hobby Lobby attorney: Return to self-government
HANNIBAL – As a member of the legal team that defended Hobby Lobby before United States Supreme Court, University of Missouri law professor Joshua Hawley told participants at the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Worldview Conference, April 3, that they must bring their faith to bear in the public sphere. “We are charged to carry into politics and into public God’s purpose for government and political society,” Hawley said, “to advocate for a truly just society, for human freedom, for the … [Read more...]
‘Culture wars’ increase church security risk
REPUBLIC – “Culture wars” broiling across the nation increase church security risks, said Vaughn Baker, president of Strategos International and member at Abundant Life Baptist Church, Lee’s Summit, in a recent interview with The Pathway. Missouri-based Strategos International has trained more than 7,500 law enforcement, military, church, school, security and business professionals since its establishment in 2002. “We see increased risk to churches because of the topics that frequently … [Read more...]
Alternative to abortion agencies
Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau. Let me start by saying I’m pro-life. I oppose all forms of abortion and firmly believe that life begins at conception. This is a very personal stance. Abortion touches upon some of our most basic ideas about life and faith. In turn, each person must decide for themselves where they stand on this issue. Under current law, abortion is legal in the United States. Barring any unforeseeable events, this is unlikely to change any time soon. There is … [Read more...]
Fred Phelps and ordination in Southern Baptist churches
J. Alan Branch, Professor of Christian Ethics Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Fred Phelps, the infamous minister of hate from Topeka, Kan., died March 19. The founder of Westboro “Baptist” Church in Topeka, Phelps burst onto the national scene when he and his small band of mean-spirited protesters demonstrated outside Matthew Sheppard’s funeral in 1998 after the homosexual Wyoming college student had been violently murdered. Phelps’ protests gained even more national disgust when … [Read more...]
Nixon Harms MO Taxpayers
JEFFERSON CITY – The attorney for four taxpayer plaintiffs told a circuit judge that every citizen of Missouri is harmed when a governor can use an executive order to create new tax breaks for his political supporters. The argument was made during an hour-long hearing here April 3 before Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem, in which plaintiffs were seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) against an executive order by Gov. Jay Nixon regarding the filing of combined tax returns … [Read more...]
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