Conflict over religious freedom will continue for future generations of Missourians. Many observers feel the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015 that legalized same-sex “marriage,” repeated the mistake it made with Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. Rather than let the people sort through the issue, the high court – like a blunt instrument – cutoff public debate, triggering yet another decades-long struggle – this time over religious freedom. In the last decade … [Read more...]
Abstinence ed could benefit from HHS tweaks
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Tweaks to a federal grant program that allots $260 million to family planning, mostly for lower-income Americans, have drawn praise from advocates of abstinence-based sex education and criticism from Planned Parenthood. Among the tweaks at issue, this year's grant announcement for Title X Family Planning Services Grants encourages applicants to consider informing teens of the "benefits of delaying sex." Another change this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human … [Read more...]
‘Shorty’ the church bus: An unlikely evangelism tool
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (BP) -- Many churches now operate a bus ministry which usually involves transportation of members and visitors from the church to their home and vice versa. However, Timothy Baptist Church in Muskogee, Okla., has an interesting bus ministry that takes the church into the community. "Shorty is a small, old school bus that I kind of had the idea for and shared it with some people in the church," said Kelly Payne, the church's pastor. "The idea was to find a bus that we … [Read more...]
Social-media coaching available from LifeWay
NASHVILLE (BP) – LifeWay Christian Resources recently launched an online coaching service to help Christians manage social media and other digital platforms from a biblical perspective. This subscription-based service, known as LifeWay Social, is designed for churches, nonprofits and individuals who want to discover more effective ways of using social media to grow God’s kingdom. Chris Martin, author development specialist for LifeWay, sees social media as more than just a means to … [Read more...]
Parents, churches called to ‘connect’ in digital age
JEFFERSON CITY – Mobile phones and social media bring many advantages, but they’ve also unleashed dangers on the young. That’s what “Connect,” the latest documentary film by Christian actor Kirk Cameron, claims. And, with the support of churches, parents must take up the challenge to reconnect with their children, according to Southern Baptist youth ministers and experts across Missouri and around the nation. “We’re the first generation to parent these ‘digital natives,’” Kathy Koch, the … [Read more...]
Congress passes online, anti-trafficking bill
WASHINGTON (BP) – Congress has given overwhelming approval to legislation designed to thwart sex trafficking by holding accountable online sites that facilitate the crime. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. The Senate adopted the bill in a 97-2 vote March 21, barely three weeks after the House of Representatives had passed it Feb. 27 in a 388-25 roll call. The bill will go to President Trump, who is expected to sign it. Wagner thanked the Senate for its vote, tweeting, … [Read more...]
Collegians in NYC witness ‘the sadness, the lostness’
NEW YORK CITY (BP) -- Reagan Grisham said she's visited nine countries in her lifetime and left a piece of her heart in each one. But when she landed in New York City for Passport New York, she said God did something unexpected -- He gathered all of those pieces up. "I thought it would be just another short-term trip," said Grisham, a senior at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. "But it turned out to be life-changing. There are people here from all of those countries that I … [Read more...]
Mississippi adopts earliest protection for unborn
JACKSON, Miss. (BP) – Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on March 19 signed into law the earliest protection in the nation for unborn babies. The bill bans abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation, rolling back the state’s current 20-week limit. It passed through the state legislature by wide margins earlier this month. The Center for Reproductive Rights has promised to challenge the law’s constitutionality in court, calling it “the latest in the state’s string of cruel and unnecessary assaults … [Read more...]
California bill threatens Bible-based therapy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (WNS) – A proposed law in California could outlaw helping people with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender-identity confusion. If passed, the bill, introduced last month by Assemblyman Evan Low, would be the most expansive ban on therapy related to sexual orientation and gender in the country. Other bans across the country restrict the practice of licensed therapists, but this law would label as fraudulent any message that aligns with the Biblical view of sexuality … [Read more...]
Executive Committee to hold called meeting
NASHVILLE (BP) -- EC Chairman Stephen Rummage has called a special meeting of the SBC Executive Committee for Tuesday, April 17, at the SBC Building in Nashville. "As you know, concerns and questions abound in regard to the sudden and grievous departure of our EC president," Rummage said in the letter to all 83 members of the Executive Committee regarding the March 27 retirement of EC President Frank S. Page. Three of the 86 positions are currently vacant. In compliance with EC bylaws … [Read more...]
MLK50 in Memphis to seek ‘repentance and unity’
MEMPHIS (BP) -- More than 3,600 registrants plan to gather in Memphis to pursue racial unity on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and The Gospel Coalition (TGC) will co-host the event -- "MLK50: Gospel Reflections From the Mountaintop" -- at the Memphis Convention Center half a century after King's slaying on April 4, 1968, in the Tennessee city. The … [Read more...]
Tenn. may require schools to post ‘In God We Trust’
NASHVILLE (BP) – Public schools in Tennessee soon could be required to post “In God We Trust” in a “prominent location” if the governor signs a bill that cleared the state legislature this week. “Our national motto and our founding documents are the cornerstones of freedom,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Susan Lynn, said in a statement. “They must be shared with our future generations. “I am honored to have sponsored passage of an initiative that will remind our current … [Read more...]
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