WASHINGTON (BP) – A United States senator has called for a federal civil rights investigation of states that have continued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to place strict limitations on religious gatherings while permitting massive protests of the police killing of George Floyd. Southern Baptist leaders, meanwhile, encouraged public officials to treat worship services the same as similar events while they loosen restrictions resulting from the pandemic. Sen. Josh Hawley, … [Read more...]
Hawley: ‘It’s time for religious conservatives to stand, speak out’
WASHINGTON – Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged “religious conservatives to stand up and to speak out” during a floor speech delivered June 16, only one dayafter the United States Supreme Court announced its “seismic decision” that “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. “It’s time for religious conservatives to bring forward the best of our ideas on every policy affecting this nation,” Hawley said. “We should be out in the … [Read more...]
‘Biology is not bigotry’ – Supreme Court decision threatens ‘religious freedom, privacy, safety’
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court left multiple questions regarding religious liberty unanswered but provided some hope in its landmark decision for gay and transgender rights, said advocates for the First Amendment freedom. In a 6-3 opinion, the high court ruled June 15 that the category "sex" in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act encompasses "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," thereby providing non-discrimination protections for homosexual and transgender employees. … [Read more...]
Paycheck Protection Plan draws feedback from pastors, ethicists
SEATTLE (BP) – As pastor of Epic Life Church in Seattle with only five employees, Keith Carpenter sees the Paycheck Protection Plan loan as a godsend during a devastating economic downturn prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. So does pastor A.B. Vines, whose multisite New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, Calif., employs about 50. But some pastors have theological and ethical concerns with the loan, which is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. "The purpose behind the loan … [Read more...]
Kentucky high court rules for print shop owner
FRANKFORT, Ky. (BP) – Religious freedom advocates commended a Kentucky Supreme Court decision Oct. 31 in support of a business owner who declined to print T-shirts for a gay pride festival. The state high court ruled unanimously the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO) did not have "statutory standing" under a local ordinance to bring the challenge against Hands On Originals, giving the Lexington shop and managing owner Blaine Adamson their third legal victory. Two lower courts … [Read more...]
FOURTH OF JULY: Let us pray
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a first-person article by Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee and author of "How to Pray: Developing an Intimate Relationship with God." NASHVILLE (BP) – July 4, as the day we set aside to celebrate America's independence, is but one of 365 days that are crucial for our country's future. Each day, we must join in prayer for America. Our nation is in dire need of a new, fresh touch of God. Sin is abounding in a … [Read more...]
‘Love One Another’ 2019 Nat’l Day of Prayer theme
ROGERS, Ark. (BP) – “Love One Another” is the theme for the 2019 National Day of Prayer May 2, event president Ronnie Floyd announced today (Oct. 30). Anchored in John 13:34, the theme seeks to mobilize the nation in prayer on May 2 in every U.S. locale across generational, ethnic and linguistic lines, said Floyd, senior pastor of the multisite Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. “I realize that our task today is daunting and quite intimidating,” Floyd said in his Facebook announcement, … [Read more...]
A world without Roe
As I picked up the July 10 issue of USA TODAY, I couldn’t help but notice the headline of a front-page “story” titled, “A world without Roe v. Wade.” Later in the evening, POTUS was to name his nominee to replace retiring SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy. We now know that person to be 5th Circuit U.S. Appeals Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. So, the day before the nomination, the not-so-mainstream media is hosting an opinion piece on the front page promoting a sky-is-falling mentality about … [Read more...]
Midwestern’s Allen among SBC leaders embracing Kavanaugh nomination
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist and other evangelical Christian leaders embraced President Trump’s nomination of federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh July 9 and called for his quick confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump announced his selection of Kavanaugh, 53, Monday night from the White House, ending speculation on who would be chosen from a list of 25 potential nominees – all considered conservatives – that the administration had released in November in anticipation of … [Read more...]
Victory: Cake baker’s 7-2 SCOTUS win affirms religious liberty
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered an important, if not wide-ranging, victory for religious liberty June 4 in its continuing faceoff with sexual liberty. In a 7-2 opinion, a high court majority that included conservatives and liberals ruled the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated the religious free exercise clause of the First Amendment by penalizing Jack Phillips for declining to design and decorate a cake for the wedding of two men. The commission demonstrated “religious … [Read more...]
Nebraska, Tennessee defund Planned Parenthood
NASHVILLE (BP) – Nebraska and Tennessee this month joined more than a dozen states that have cut funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, a pro-life campaign that has seen mixed results. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts approved a budget that prohibits Title X funding from going to abortion providers, directing $1.9 million toward centers that neither refer for nor perform abortions. Use of federal funds to perform abortions or to fund entities that perform abortions is … [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...]
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