WASHINGTON (Whitehead Law Firm) – The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments by teleconference, Jan. 12, in an important case involving campus religious freedom and the legal doctrine of mootness, which limits the on-going jurisdiction of federal courts to hear cases. The case is Chike Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski (CHEE’-kay Oo-zah-BUN’-um v. Pray-CHESS-key). Chike is a former student at Georgia Gwinnett College who in 2016 was twice silenced when he tried to share his Christian faith … [Read more...]
Ruling on Nevada church restrictions applauded
SAN FRANCISCO (BP) – Religious freedom advocates applauded a federal appeals court decision Tuesday (Dec. 15) that blocked enforcement of Nevada’s pandemic-related restrictions because they treat various secular events and businesses “significantly better” than worship gatherings. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – generally considered the most liberal of the federal appellate courts – unanimously granted a preliminary injunction against the state for attendance … [Read more...]
Remembering lives given for the cause of Christ
Week of Prayer for International Missions: Day 5 Throughout its 175-year history, Southern Baptists have maintained an uninterrupted witness among the nations, in spite of famine, war and civil unrest. This commitment has not come without sacrifice. Approximately 60 missionaries and children have died due to violent circumstances while serving with the International Mission Board (formerly the Foreign Mission Board) since the organization’s founding in 1845. The causes include accidents … [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...]
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...]
Religious rights lost: Nursing home residents face pandemic without pastoral care
JEFFERSON CITY – COVID-19 restrictions have robbed First Amendment rights from nursing home and long-term care residents across the nation, according to The Baptist Home President Rodney Harrison. Unable to meet with their pastors because of these restrictions, aging residents face increasing isolation and loneliness – sometimes with detrimental consequences to their health. “Our residents have lost their rights, and nobody is advocating to restore them,” Harrison told The Pathway. In … [Read more...]
One Christian killed, 12 kidnapped in Nigeria
KADUNA, Nigeria (BP) – A Baptist woman is dead and 12 Christians including church members, school students and teachers remain kidnapped in two successive incidents in Kaduna, Nigeria, widely attributed to militant Fulani herdsmen. In the latest incident, herdsmen killed Ezra Haruna of Godiya Baptist Church in Ungwan Barau village and kidnapped four of her fellow church members, Morning Star News reported Thursday (Oct. 10). Many residents fled into nearby bushes, Morning Star … [Read more...]
Our Baptist heritage: freedom of conscience
“The King is a mortal man, and not God. Therefore, he has no power over the souls of his subjects; he has no power to make laws for their souls; he has no power to set spiritual Lords over them. If the King did have such authority, then he would be an immortal God and not mortal man. O King, do not be seduced to sin against God nor against your poor subjects by making such laws.” So reads the inscription in the front of Thomas Helwys’ A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity … [Read more...]
Michigan adoption agency wins in court
LANSING, Mich. (BP) – Faith-based adoption and foster care agencies seeking to practice their religious beliefs gained an important victory Thursday (Sept. 26) in Michigan. Federal Judge Robert Jonker issued a preliminary injunction blocking Michigan from canceling the state-approved contract of St. Vincent Catholic Charities to provide foster care and adoption services. St. Vincent will be able to continue partnering with the state while the court case continues. The Catholic agency … [Read more...]
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