Marriage is not in the U.S. Constitution and therefore, according to that document, it is left to the states to define marriage. If the U.S. Supreme Court affirms what some renegade federal judges have done by redefining marriage, it will have legislated from the bench and prevented the democratic process – by the people – from settling the issue. It will shake the very foundation of our Constitution, bring into question the credibility of the federal judiciary and change our country in a … [Read more...]
Hobby Lobby’s court victory celebrated
HANNIBAL – For the second year in a row, figures from Hobby Lobby’s Supreme Court battle for religious freedom headlined the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Worldview Conference. Unlike last year, they were not merely waiting on a verdict. This time around they were rejoicing in favor before the court and God’s grace. Mike McAfee, director of faith initiatives for Hobby Lobby and the son-in-law of the company’s president, Steve Green, opened in a way that may surprise critics of the Supreme … [Read more...]
Culture decay is a heart issue
HANNIBAL – Pathway Editor Don Hinkle and Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) President Anthony Allen opened the 2015 Worldview Conference at HLGU here, April 2, by urging Missouri Baptists to witness faithfully to an unbelieving society. Reading from Jeremiah 23:16-17, Hinkle said that the secular media is much like the false prophets of old. “The media takes a moral position that flies in the face of biblical teaching,” he said. “There is open hostility to Christian teaching and biblical … [Read more...]
Springfield voters overturn ’gay rights’ ordinance
SPRINGFIELD – In a tight race that showed the value of a vote, Springfield citizens April 7 narrowly repealed a sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) ordinance enacted by the city council last fall that critics said endangered privacy and religious liberty and was unnecessary. The “Yes” votes to repeal totaled 15,347 compared to 14,493 “No” votes, or 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent. Out of more than 29,000 votes, 854 made the difference in returning the city code on the issue to the … [Read more...]
LGBT discrimination law lurking in General Assembly
President Obama recently ordered the opening of the White House’s first gender-neutral restroom in what is seen as a symbolic step by the president to extend rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the workplace. No surprise there – and get ready. More is on the way as emboldened – and often intolerant – LGBT advocates seek legal avenues to force acceptance of their lifestyle on American society. They go the legal route to get what they cannot get at the … [Read more...]
Religious liberty should go beyond freedom of worship
WASHINGTON (WNS) – The new State Department ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom articulated a robust view of religious liberty in his first testimony before Congress. Rabbi David Saperstein’s comments came at a U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing convened to discuss his office’s budget and role in combating religious persecution. Saperstein’s predecessor, Suzan Johnson Cook, served two-and-a-half ineffective years in the role and often only defended freedom … [Read more...]
Race summit urges view of God’s image
NASHVILLE (BP) -- Racial reconciliation in the church calls for a strong view of the image of God in all people, a deep commitment to understanding others and an intentionality in achieving diversity, speakers said on the second day of a Southern Baptist-sponsored leadership summit. Christians must see the image of God in all people without minimizing their differences, African-American speakers said.Black, white, Asian and Iranian pastors and leaders addressed racial disunity Friday … [Read more...]
Ind. bill affirms ‘inclusion’ of religious beliefs
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (BP) – Indiana's leading Republican lawmakers pledged today (March 30) to introduce language to the state's new religious freedom bill to clarify it does not allow discrimination against homosexuals, but seeks inclusion of religious diversity. House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem David Long said at today's press conference that backlash generated by the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), signed into law March 26, is based on a … [Read more...]
Jailed pastor offers son ‘gift of salvation’
BOISE, Idaho (BP) – Written in the wobbly penmanship of a 7-year-old who has said he misses his dad “a thousand lots,” Jacob’s card invites his father to his birthday party today, March 17. But his father, American pastor Saeed Abedini, imprisoned since Sept. 26, 2012, under harsh conditions in Iran because of his Christian faith, cannot attend at the family’s home in Boise, Idaho. Instead, Abedini wrote a letter offering his son the “gift of salvation.” “Even though I AM NOT there with … [Read more...]
34,000 black churches break fellowship with Presbyterians over same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON (Christian Newswire) – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans has broken its fellowship with Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) following its recent vote to approve same-sex marriage. The Presbyterian General Assembly, the top legislative body of the PSUSA, voted last June to revise the constitutional language defining marriage. This arbitrary change of Holy Scripture … [Read more...]
Setbacks and victories of religious freedom
NASHVILLE (BP) – The freedom to live according to one's religious beliefs has been a fundamental right in America since its founding. As the culture changes and those opposed to biblical values become more vocal, it is becoming increasingly difficult to express religious beliefs without being socially ostracized or legally penalized. The following compilation by SBCLIFE, the journal of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, lists many of the political and cultural … [Read more...]
Well-respected Emery defends traditional marriage
I first met State Sen. Ed Emery where you might expect to meet a Christian gentleman, who is as confident in his conservative views as he is respected by Democrats and Republicans alike (Emery is a Republican): At a weekly Bible study held by the Capitol Commission at the State Capitol. Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) sponsored their breakfast that morning. So MBC Executive Director John Yeats and I were privileged to join Emery and about 60 other lawmakers and staffers – including Lt. … [Read more...]
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