NASHVILLE (BP) – A search committee has been named to find a successor to Russell Moore as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. On behalf of the ERLC Executive Committee, David Prince, chairman of the commission’s trustees, announced Tuesday (July 6) the selection of Todd Howard as chairman of the presidential search committee. Howard is the pastor of Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark. The other trustees named to the committee and … [Read more...]
Russell Moore announces departure from ERLC helm
NASHVILLE (BP) – Russell Moore is leaving the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, ending an occasionally controversial eight-year tenure, to take a role with Christianity Today. Moore, who has served as president of the ERLC since June 2013, announced Tuesday (May 18) he will begin a role this summer as a public theologian for what the magazine described as “a new Public Theology Project.” In a message posted to his personal blog, Moore said the project “is devoted to … [Read more...]
Task force releases report on Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
NASHVILLE – A Southern Baptist task force studying the effectiveness of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) issued its report, Feb. 1. Commissioned in February 2020 by the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, the task force was charged with reviewing the activities of the ERLC, which is tasked with helping churches understand the moral demands of the gospel and public policy, as well as promoting religious liberty on behalf of Southern Baptists. The task … [Read more...]
Seminary presidents reaffirm BFM, declare CRT incompatible
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention has reaffirmed “with eagerness” the BFM’s status “as the doctrinal statement that unites and defines Southern Baptist cooperation and establishes the confessional unity of our Convention.” In a statement adopted in the council’s annual session, the seminary presidents assert that as “confessional … [Read more...]
Mayflower among ‘great turning points,’ despite NYT claims
NASHVILLE (BP) – Four hundred years after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth Bay, the Pilgrims’ legacy has fallen on hard times. Contrary to the traditional portrayal of Pilgrim families gathered around their tables with heads bowed in prayer, some historians question whether deep Christian faith should be associated with the Mayflower Pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving. The New York Times’ 1619 Project claims the Pilgrim story is among American history that needs reframing in light of … [Read more...]
Franklin Graham announces national prayer march in Washington
WASHINGTON (BP) — Evangelist Franklin Graham is asking Americans to join him in a Washington prayer march Sept. 26 to plead for God to save the nation from its present distress. “Our communities are hurting. Our people are divided, and there’s fear and uncertainty all around us,” Graham said in a video announcing the event. “So let’s join together and do the most important thing, and that is to pray.” Amid a global COVID-19 pandemic and an international uprising decrying injustice and … [Read more...]
Missouri Senator urges civil rights probe of state limits on churches
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...]
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