EDITOR'S NOTE: Will Hall is executive editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message (LBM). This article was first published on the LBM website here. CORRECTED, JUNE 10, TO CLARIFY INFORMATION ABOUT DR. AZ HAKEEM IN PARAGRAPH FOUR. BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – In a stunning interview on Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Dr. Az Hakeem, who was identified as “the only psychiatrist in the UK to specialize in working psychotherapeutically with gender dysphoria patients, which he has done for 23 … [Read more...]
Jackson County law criminalizes gospel’s call to conversion
“I know a leading psychiatrist who thinks it a bad week if he does not help two or three of his patients to (place faith in) Christ,” the Christian apologist and Oxford don Michael Green once wrote. Unfortunately, should that psychiatrist ever move to Kansas City, Mo., he could be the target of government prosecution for sharing his faith with patients – particularly, if he shares the gospel with children confused about their gender. As previously reported in The Pathway (here and here), … [Read more...]
Divided high court debates rights of religious employees
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s oral arguments Tuesday (April 18) in a religious freedom case offered no clear indication whether it intends to revisit a previous decision and strengthen the right of workers to practice their beliefs without penalty. In arguments approaching two hours, the justices considered a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee’s contention that his belief in observing Sunday as the Sabbath was not properly accommodated. The high court is contemplating … [Read more...]
Will Democracy survive in the United States?
EDITOR'S NOTE: J. Alan Branch serves as professor of Christian ethics at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This article first appeared on Midwestern's "For the Church" website, ftc.co. Carl F.H. Henry’s 1996 book Has Democracy Had Its Day? is a provocative and helpful reflection on American democracy as he considers its future in an era when the Christian faith has been shoved to the side in favor of highly individualized moral autonomy. Since Henry’s death in 2003, the dramatic … [Read more...]
Jackson County bans ‘conversion therapy’
KANSAS CITY – The legislature for Jackson County – the most populous county in the Kansas City metro area – voted to ban so-called “conversion therapy” for minors, April 3. The nine-member legislature’s unanimous decision makes Jackson County the first county in Missouri to ban “conversion therapy,” according to Fox News. Ordinance #5731 defines “conversion therapy” broadly, as follows: “Conversion Therapy or Reparative Therapy,” the ordinance reads, “means any practice or treatment … [Read more...]
Protect moral objections to contraceptive mandate, ERLC tells federal agencies
WASHINGTON (BP) – A newly proposed rule would crush the freedom of conscience of Americans with a moral objection to the provision of “life-threatening contraceptives,” a Southern Baptist entity has told the Biden administration. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) filed public comments Monday (April 3) in opposition to the administration’s proposal to repeal the exemption for employers’ moral objections to coverage of contraceptive services under the 2010 Affordable … [Read more...]
Proposal from United States health department would roll back conscience rights, ERLC says
“Southern Baptists have long rejected this sort of action and have decried the repeated attempts of government to trample on the consciences of faithful Christians serving in the medical field.” – Hannah Daniel, ERLC policy manager WASHINGTON (BP) – A proposed regulation regarding conscience protections actually would result in fewer safeguards for the right of Americans to act according to their beliefs, a Southern Baptist entity has told the Biden administration. The Ethics & … [Read more...]
Missouri Senator aims to add sexual orientation, gender identity to state’s Human Rights Act
JEFFERSON CITY – The simple act of refusing to bake a cake landed Jack Phillips in trouble. The Colorado Human Rights Commission accused him of unlawful discrimination because he did not want to be a part of celebrating the “wedding” of a gay couple. Their push to force him to bake that celebratory cake was based on Colorado law, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Missouri statute does not read the same. The Missouri Human Rights Act (as … [Read more...]
Jackson County’s proposed ‘conversion therapy’ ban threatens First Amendment rights, attorney says
KANSAS CITY – A proposed ban on so-called “conversion therapy” in Missouri’s Jackson County may threaten the First Amendment rights of licensed doctors and counselors who don’t affirm the county government's views on the LGBTQ+ lifestyle, according to a Kansas City attorney. If Jackson County’s nine-member legislature passes proposed ordinance No. 5711, it will become the first county in Missouri to ban what they call “conversion therapy” for minors, according to Fox News. According … [Read more...]
MLK’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, ‘I Have a Dream’ speech encourage ‘ethic of love, justice’
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – From the isolation of a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., to the open air of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the year 1963 saw Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a prophetic critique, yet hopeful vision, for race relations in the United States of America. Sixty years later, King’s two works, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech, continue to echo his ethic of love and commitment to justice. Both works can continue to inspire and instruct … [Read more...]
Biden enacts law protecting same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON (BP) – Same-sex marriage is now protected in federal law. President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) Tuesday (Dec. 13) and thereby finalized landmark legislation that redefines the world’s oldest institution. Five days after Congress completed passage, Biden enacted a bill that mandates federal and state recognition of any same-sex marriage considered legal in the jurisdiction where it took place. Although the new law does not require states to legalize gay … [Read more...]
House completes congressional approval of same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON (BP) – Congress has given final approval to enshrining same-sex marriage in the law. The U.S. House of Representatives voted 258-169 for the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) Thursday (Dec. 8), 10 days after the Senate approved the same legislation. With the votes, Congress has decided to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). While the measure does not require states to legalize same-sex marriage, it mandates federal and state recognition of any gay marriage considered … [Read more...]
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