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Missouri Baptist Convention's Official News Journal

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‘Intentional attack on religious freedom’: MBC leaders oppose so-called ‘Respect for Marriage Act’

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Read an update to this story here: "United States Senators have a last chance to block threats to religious liberty brought about by the so-called 'Respect for Marriage Act.' As such, faith-based policy experts are calling Christians to contact their senators and urge them to protect religious freedom." Read more at https://mbcpathway.com/2022/11/25/last-chance-remains-to-protect-religious-liberty-in-u-s-senate.  JEFFERSON CITY – The so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” … [Read more...]

ERLC, Iowa Baptist convention urge court to protect parental rights

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ST. LOUIS (BP) – A Southern Baptist Convention entity and a Baptist state convention have joined with other organizations in urging a federal appeals court to block a public school district transgender policy they contend prevents the rights of parents to care for their children. In defense of parental rights, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the Baptist Convention of Iowa (BCI) signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday (Nov. 10) with the Eighth … [Read more...]

FBC O’Fallon conference to confront sexual revolution with biblical truth

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O’FALLON – With worldly views on sexuality and gender invading contemporary church life among several denominations, First Baptist O’Fallon is hosting a conference October 14-15 to explain the Bible’s perspectives on the topics. During the conference—Creation v. Revolution: How God’s Revelation Confronts the Sexual Revolution—speakers from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) will discuss current cultural and sexual attitudes and how Christians should respond; what the … [Read more...]

Americans believe religious liberty is declining

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – While most Americans say religious liberty is on the decline in the country, even more believe Christians are increasingly confronted with intolerance in the U.S. But some say American Christians complain too much about how they are treated. Over half of Americans (54%) say religious liberty is on the decline in America, including 24% who strongly agree, according to a Lifeway Research survey of 1,005 Americans in September 2021. Nearly 1 in 3 disagree (32%), and 14% … [Read more...]

High school coach’s prayers constitutional, SCOTUS rules

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WASHINGTON (BP) – The post-game, midfield prayer of a high school football coach did not violate the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision, June 27. The justices decided the Bremerton (Wash.) School District actually violated the First Amendment rights of Joseph Kennedy by removing him as a coach because of its concerns his practice infringed on the Establishment Clause. “[A] government entity sought to punish an … [Read more...]

SCOTUS: Maine can’t discriminate against parents who choose religious schools

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WASHINGTON (Whitehead Law Legal Update) – In a major victory for parents seeking educational choice options, June 21, the United States Supreme Court said, by a 6-3 vote, that a state tuition aid program cannot discriminate against parents who choose private religious schools just because the schools teach religion. In doing so, the Court extended the principle of “equal access” to parents seeking school choice, a ruling which may encourage tuition aid programs across the country and may … [Read more...]

ERLC commends high court’s 9-0 ruling in flag case

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WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s religious freedom entity welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling (May 2) that the city of Boston violated the constitutionally protected right to free speech by prohibiting the flying of the Christian flag. In a 9-0 judgment that united the conservative and liberal wings of the high court, the justices found in Shurtleff v. City of Boston the city’s refusal to permit a Christian civic organization to raise the Christian flag … [Read more...]

USCIRF report: Religious liberty deteriorates in Afghanistan

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WASHINGTON (BP) — The Taliban’s return to control of Afghanistan headlined the examples of religious freedom deteriorating in multiple countries last year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report issued April 25. For the first time in more than two decades, USCIRF – a bipartisan panel established by federal law in 1998 – recommended Afghanistan’s inclusion on a list of the world’s most egregious violators of the right to believe and … [Read more...]

Supreme Court considers coach’s post-game prayers

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WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court weighed lengthy arguments April 25 regarding whether a high school football coach’s post-game prayer at midfield violates the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion. The justices questioned lawyers for Joseph Kennedy and the Bremerton (Wash.) School District during oral arguments that lasted more than one hour and 45 minutes in a case that involves the rights of public school teachers and coaches to exercise their religious … [Read more...]

‘We’re about God’s Kingdom,’ MBC’s Nelson says at Midwest March for Life

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JEFFERSON CITY – Pro-life advocates should stand firmly on the Word of God as they strive to save lives, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) President Jon Nelson told men, women and young people gathered for the Midwest March for Life in the Rotunda of Missouri’s Capitol building here, April 20. Praying that God would strengthen pro-life advocates for their task, Nelson told the crowd that public policy efforts and legislation can’t bring ultimate victory in the fight to defend unborn … [Read more...]

Christian witness to China camp horrors now in U.S.

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WASHINGTON (BP) – A Christian who was imprisoned for 10 months in western China is now in the United States as a witness to the notorious “re-education” camps being operated by the Communist regime of the world’s most populous country. Ovalbek Turdakun, his wife and son arrived in the United States April 8 after a lengthy, successful effort to avoid deportation back to China that was aided by allies in the United States and other countries. Ovalbek is the first Christian to speak out … [Read more...]

ERLC applauds U.S. genocide designation in Myanmar

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WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission welcomed the Biden administration’s determination that the Myanmar military has committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday (March 21) the designation of “genocide and crimes against humanity” for the campaign against the Rohingya by Myanmar’s military forces, known as the Tatmadaw. It is the eighth time the United States has made a genocide … [Read more...]