EDITOR’S NOTE: This article includes reporting from Baptist Press contributing writer Tom Strode and Pathway associate editor Benjamin Hawkins. JEFFERSON CITY – If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision within the next two months, the practice of abortion will be illegal within the state of Missouri, except in the case of medical emergencies. Many pro-life advocates in Missouri expressed renewed hope for this outcome after hearing news of a leaked draft opinion … [Read more...]
‘Be the type of people God can bless’: MBTS president keynotes state’s National Day of Prayer event
JEFFERSON CITY – Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason K. Allen challenged citizens of Missouri and of the United States to be the “type of people God can bless,” in his keynote address during the National Day of Prayer event in the Missouri Capitol Rotunda, May 5. “That refrain, ‘May God bless America,’ gets used a lot these days, ... but merely saying that phrase as an incantation does not mean that God will be pleased to bless America,” Allen said. Reading Psalm … [Read more...]
ERLC commends high court’s 9-0 ruling in flag case
WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s religious freedom entity welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling (May 2) that the city of Boston violated the constitutionally protected right to free speech by prohibiting the flying of the Christian flag. In a 9-0 judgment that united the conservative and liberal wings of the high court, the justices found in Shurtleff v. City of Boston the city’s refusal to permit a Christian civic organization to raise the Christian flag … [Read more...]
Leaked SCOTUS draft gives hope for reversing Roe
WASHINGTON (BP) – Pro-life advocates reacted hopefully to the report of a leaked draft opinion within the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. In a stunning development Monday evening (May 2), Politico – a politics- and policy-focused news organization – published a copy of a draft of an opinion by Associate Justice Samuel Alito that would strike down the Roe ruling if it becomes final. A source familiar with the court’s … [Read more...]
Rep. Richey reintroduces bill enabling churches to fight abuse
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist pastor and lawmaker Doug Richey has reintroduced a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives that, if passed and signed into law, will empower churches and other nonprofits in the state to disclose credible allegations of sexual abuse without fear of civil liability. Richey, a state representative and pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church, Excelsior Springs, called Missouri House Bill 1546 (HB 1546) a bipartisan bill that should have very little opposition, … [Read more...]
USCIRF report: Religious liberty deteriorates in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (BP) — The Taliban’s return to control of Afghanistan headlined the examples of religious freedom deteriorating in multiple countries last year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report issued April 25. For the first time in more than two decades, USCIRF – a bipartisan panel established by federal law in 1998 – recommended Afghanistan’s inclusion on a list of the world’s most egregious violators of the right to believe and … [Read more...]
Supreme Court considers coach’s post-game prayers
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court weighed lengthy arguments April 25 regarding whether a high school football coach’s post-game prayer at midfield violates the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion. The justices questioned lawyers for Joseph Kennedy and the Bremerton (Wash.) School District during oral arguments that lasted more than one hour and 45 minutes in a case that involves the rights of public school teachers and coaches to exercise their religious … [Read more...]
‘We’re about God’s Kingdom,’ MBC’s Nelson says at Midwest March for Life
JEFFERSON CITY – Pro-life advocates should stand firmly on the Word of God as they strive to save lives, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) President Jon Nelson told men, women and young people gathered for the Midwest March for Life in the Rotunda of Missouri’s Capitol building here, April 20. Praying that God would strengthen pro-life advocates for their task, Nelson told the crowd that public policy efforts and legislation can’t bring ultimate victory in the fight to defend unborn … [Read more...]
U.S. officials, Southern Baptist leaders denounce Russian ‘war crimes’
WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives are persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military have committed war crimes in Ukraine. If those assessments prove correct, justice requires accountability for the perpetrators, a Southern Baptist ethics leader said. The war crimes designations by United States officials intensified after photos recently came to light of hundreds of bodies of Ukrainian civilians who apparently had been executed by … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists applaud Oklahoma abortion ban
OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Oklahoma’s enactment of a prohibition on abortion except to save the life of the mother received a grateful welcome from Southern Baptists at state and national levels. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law Tuesday (April 12) the ban, which criminalizes the performance of an abortion or attempt to perform an abortion as a felony. If convicted, a person may receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and/or a fine of as much as $100,000. Enactment of the … [Read more...]
Baptist leaders grieve Colorado abortion rights law
DENVER, Colo. (BP)—State and national leaders among Southern Baptists responded with dismay to a new Colorado law that codifies the right to abortion and called for Christians to advocate for unborn children. Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday (April 4) the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which guarantees the decision to abort an unborn child is a “fundamental right” in Colorado. It also says “a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights” under … [Read more...]
ERLC expresses concerns about Biden’s proposed budget
WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden’s $5.8 trillion proposed budget for the next fiscal year contains elements of “deep concern,” according to the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. In an article on its website, the ERLC expressed its consternation at the White House budget proposal’s elimination of long-established, pro-life protections. It marked the second consecutive year Biden has excluded the Hyde Amendment and other prohibitions on federal funding of … [Read more...]
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