Pathway

Missouri Baptist Convention's Official News Journal

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Biblical view of suffering a bulwark against assisted suicide

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Despite the attention that abortion rightly receives among pro-life advocates, the “culture of death” has expanded beyond the womb in Western societies. Consider this disturbing example: Cases of assisted suicide and euthanasia have mushroomed in Canada – where, according to the BBC, nearly one in 20 deaths were “medically assisted” in 2023. That is 15,300 deaths out of 320,000. And some Canadian government leaders are now proposing that euthanasia be available to children and teenagers, … [Read more...]

FIRST-PERSON: Hope for the violence that plagues us

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Miles S. Mullin II, Ph.D., serves as acting president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Mullin joined the ERLC in 2023 after serving as a leadership development strategist in the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) church revitalization network, and previously as a professor and vice president at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU). The last three days have reminded us, once again, of the frailty of human life in the … [Read more...]

Slim majority of Americans backs physician-assisted suicide

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BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (Lifeway Research) – Half of Americans believe a terminally ill person should be able to ask a doctor for help in ending their life. Legal approval has outpaced the growth in public support. A Lifeway Research study of U.S. adults finds 51 percent think it is morally acceptable for a person facing a painful terminal disease to ask for a physician’s aid in taking his or her life. “Half of Americans seek their own comfort and their own way even in their death, but that … [Read more...]

Sex-abuse survivors in Texas, Missouri protected from non-disclosure agreements

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AUSTIN, Texas (BP) – Texas and Missouri laws banning nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in sexual abuse settlements took effect over the Labor Day weekend. The Texas law took effect Sept. 1, banning such clauses for sexual abuse survivors of all ages, following Missouri’s law that became effective Aug. 28 and is limited to minors. The laws also nullify previously signed NDAs, unless specifically upheld by a court. Such bans are now active in three states including Tennessee, where … [Read more...]

Christian baker asks SCOTUS to defend her right to uphold biblical values in work

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WASHINGTON (BP) – California Christian baker Cathy Miller is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm her right to refuse to bake wedding cakes celebrating unions that violate the biblical definition of marriage. Miller, owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, Calif., appealed Aug. 27 to the nation’s highest court ahead of its fall term that convenes Oct. 6. The appeal follows a May 29th California Supreme Court ruling that said Miller violated the civil rights of Eileen and Mireya … [Read more...]

IMB video/story: Teenage moms in Thailand find hope, support through pregnancy center

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by Tessa Sanchez/IMB CHIANG MAI, Thailand (IMB) – Pregnant and 17. Olive was depressed and scared. Being a teenage mom wasn’t what she envisioned for her life. But maybe being a teenage mother didn’t have to be the trajectory of her life. It could all be over with a trip to a clinic, and no one would know. Except her sister and family knew. And they wanted her to keep the baby. Olive’s 14-year-old sister, Violet, was also pregnant and already connected with Christians from a … [Read more...]

Not worth the gamble

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On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, 52 percent of Missourians voted to reject Amendment 5. Interestingly, many may not even remember Amendment 5, most likely due to the attention Amendment 3 received (and rightly so!). Simply put, Amendment 5 would have amended the Missouri Constitution to allow for a casino at Lake of the Ozarks. Thankfully, we voted to reject the amendment! So, I suppose the issue is settled? I suppose we can move forward knowing that a new casino won’t be built? Well, not … [Read more...]

An additional solution in the foster care crisis

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As many of you are aware, the foster care crisis in our state continues to be an area of concern, not just at the state and local level, but entities within our federal government have taken note as well.  As of April 2025, over 11,000 children still populate the foster care system in the state of Missouri, and although that number is down from the all-time highs of previous years, that volume of clients is overwhelming at times for the State of Missouri Children’s Division to manage. At … [Read more...]

Ten biblical reasons not to gamble

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by Mike Griffin/Baptist Press We are living in a day when societal acceptance of gambling is beyond anything we would have thought possible in our times. I have seen statistics that reveal there are as many as 48 states in the U.S. that have some form of legalized gambling. Of those states, 38 have some form of legal sports betting. It has been reported that nearly 9 in 10 Americans have gambled at some point in their lifetime, and that more than 6 in 10 have gambled in the last year, … [Read more...]

The fight for life continues in Missouri

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The fight for life continues in the state of Missouri. On July 3, according to a press release from Missouri Right to Life, “Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang released a dangerous ruling for the 3rd time to remove almost all health and safety standards for abortions.” Zhang’s July 3rd ruling comes after the Missouri Supreme Court slapped down her previous efforts to strip away these health and safety standards. “Women’s lives are at great risk from an unregulated abortion industry,” … [Read more...]

Churches, religious broadcasters prevail in lawsuit challenging Johnson Amendment

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WASHINGTON (BP) – Averaging just over 200 in Sunday worship, First Baptist Church draws a 10th of Waskom, Texas,—population 2,000—to its sanctuary when it praises the Lord each Sunday. But the small-town Southern Baptist Church carries a big stick, effectively challenging what it called an unequal application of the 71-year-old Johnson Amendment that prevented political comments from pulpits across the nation. The church was among four plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Internal … [Read more...]

FIRST-PERSON: Liberty for all – a Baptist distinctive

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Sunday, July 6 is Religious Liberty Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention. As the echoes of Fourth of July fireworks fade and we turn our attention to the week ahead, Southern Baptists also will take a moment to celebrate a key freedom that Americans have long enjoyed and that Baptists have continually sought to defend. The Southern Baptist Convention’s 2025 calendar commemorates July 6 as Religious Liberty Sunday, a day on which we can celebrate religious liberty … [Read more...]