NEW BLOOMFIELD – While the rest of the world might look at Audie the Giraffe and see a cute stuffed animal tattered from years of snuggles, 8-year-old Ezra Bertram sees Audie as much more. “Ezra was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old,” said his mother, Christa Bertram, member of Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City and co-author of Audie Embraces Different, a children’s book about what it means to embrace autism as part of God’s design. “When Ezra was around kindergarten … [Read more...]
New mandated sex education in Washington state bucks biblical teaching
OLYMPIA, Wash. (BP) – Newly mandated sexual health education in kindergarten through senior high public schools in Washington state includes guidance contrary to Scripture, according to several groups opposing the change. Referendum 90 passed with 57 percent of the vote Nov. 3, despite opposition from a coalition including pro-life and pro-family advocates, leaders of five public school districts and Republican legislators. Those opposed decried what they called the “early sexualization” … [Read more...]
SCOTUS hears major religious freedom case on foster care in Philadelphia
WASHINGTON (Whitehead Law Firm LLC) – On Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. (ET), while most Americans were rising after a long night of watching incomplete election returns, Becket Fund attorney Lori Windham was rising before the US Supreme Court – by video conference – to argue the most important Free Exercise case of the term, Fulton, et al. v. City of Philadelphia. As in the delayed election results, Philadephia's conduct is at the heart of the dispute. Ms. Windham’s clients are Catholic Social … [Read more...]
Luther’s 500-year-old ‘On Christian Liberty’ lays foundation for modern religious freedom
WITTENBERG, Germany – In 1505, the young man Martin Luther, cowering before a thunderbolt, vowed to become a monk and a devout servant of the Catholic church under the headship of the Roman pontiff. Fifteen years later, in the summer of 1520, Pope Leo X launched his own thunderbolt at Luther in the form of an edict that denounced Luther as a “wild boar” destroying God’s “vineyard,” the Catholic church. The pope warned Luther to recant his errors within 60 days, lest he be condemned as a … [Read more...]
Pastoral care restored in Mo. nursing homes
New CMS guidelines see ministers as ‘essential’ for health of residents JEFFERSON CITY – Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the state and nation once again have access to their pastors, partly because of the public policy advocacy of the Missouri Baptist Convention and The Baptist Home. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated COVID-19 restrictions, Sept. 17, expanding guidelines for compassionate care visits at long-term … [Read more...]
Is this the end of Roe v. Wade?
Missouri pro-life leaders see new hope for overturning Roe v. Wade amid Barrett’s confirmation hearing WASHINGTON – Missouri Baptist pro-life leaders have expressed hope that the United States Supreme Court will overturn its infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion if Amy Coney Barrett takes a seat on the nation’s highest court. But, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Missourians must be all the more vigilant to protect the unborn and to reach out to hurting parents and … [Read more...]
Hawley urges AG to protect religious liberty
WASHINGTON – Republican U.S. Sen. Joshua Hawley of Missouri has sent a Sept. 17 letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr urging him to immediately file suit in federal court to protect religious liberties in states placing unconstitutional restrictions on houses of worship. Hawley writes that a number of states are violating the First Amendment in strictly limiting attendance at religious services while allowing other businesses, like restaurants and gyms, to operate at up to 50 … [Read more...]
‘Suspension of rights a growing concern’
JEFFERSON CITY – In 1987, Congress passed the Nursing Home Reform Act. Until that time, senior care was largely an unregulated industry. Although some providers, such as The Baptist Home, enjoyed solid reputations for quality care, the very name of the act implied reform was necessary across the industry. The Act established the following rights for nursing home residents: 1. The right to freedom from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect; 2. The right to freedom from physical restraints; 3. … [Read more...]
Ky. court upholds wedding photographer’s liberty
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — A court decision in support of a Kentucky photographer who declines to shoot same-sex weddings is a victory for religious freedom, advocates for the First Amendment right said. In an Aug. 14 order, federal judge Justin Walker blocked the city of Louisville from enforcing a law against Chelsey Nelson that requires her to provide her services for a same-sex ceremony if she does so for a wedding between a man and a woman. Walker’s decision enables Nelson, a Christian, … [Read more...]
BSU at College of the Ozarks leads, raises up biblical men
POINT LOOKOUT – Shortly after becoming an MBCollegiate Campus Missionary at College of the Ozarks in 2012, Kyle Rapinchuk became convicted of the need for young men to understand what the Bible says about being men. “They were very confused,” he says of the men in his ministry. “Much of their perspective was shaped by television,” he continues, “which showed men as one of two extremes: either a serial womanizer who treated women as something for his own amusement or one who rebelled … [Read more...]
‘Pro-life beyond birth’: St. Louis family mobilizes foster care, adoption
ST. LOUIS – Matthew and Leslie Creath know firsthand that following Christ may lead to foster care and adoption. “Before Leslie and I married ten years ago, we talked about adoption and foster care,” Matthew said. “We always thought that was something we’d be interested in.” They lived in Springfield and were licensed foster parents through the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH). Then they moved to St. Louis. “Our first foster child was five months old and weighed eight pounds. He … [Read more...]
MBCH celebrates 80 permanencies, moves forward with strategic plan
BRIDGETON – Trustees met via videoconference and in person – spread out across the MBCH’s chapel – for their board meeting July 28. Though they noted many challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, bright spots emerged as well. Trustees celebrated 42 permanencies in the second quarter, and 80 in 2020 thus far. They lamented a recent United Supreme Court ruling that repealed restrictions on abortion, but celebrated other rulings that affirmed religious ministries like MBCH can hire … [Read more...]
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