CHICAGO (BP) – Supporters of the ministerial housing allowance should be hopeful about a federal appeals court’s anticipated ruling on the 60-year-old provision, a religious liberty lawyer said after oral arguments in the case. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago appeared Sept. 9 to lean toward either dismissing the case because the allowance’s challengers lack legal standing or upholding the allowance as constitutional, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty … [Read more...]
Larry Lewis: leading SBC to support life
Dr. Larry Lewis was shocked when in 1979 he opened a St. Louis newspaper to see the full-page ad listing the religious denominations and groups who favored a “pro-choice” – a pro-abortion – position. He learned that the ad was also in other major newspapers throughout the country. In that listing “… right along with the Unitarians … ” was the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest protestant denomination! This shock set him in motion. He discovered and was further … [Read more...]
ERLC: Town’s sign code violates church freedom
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's religious freedom entity has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a municipal sign ordinance it says violates a church's free speech and assembly rights. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) joined in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Sept. 22 that contends the sign code of Gilbert, Ariz., discriminates against churches while favoring political and ideological messages. The brief, filed by the Christian … [Read more...]
MBC asks Supreme Court for a sign – of freedom
The Missouri Baptist Convention has filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in joining other religious groups asking for a sign – that religious freedom trumps local sign codes which discriminate against churches and church plants. The case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, originating the Phoenix area, is potentially the most important religious freedom case on the Supreme Court's docket in the new term beginning Oct. 6. Michael and Jonathan Whitehead, a father-son legal team in Kansas City, … [Read more...]
Stand for religious liberty
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptists must boldly proclaim the Gospel as they fight for religious freedom in the United States and globally, David Platt said in an interview conducted by the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Platt, newly elected International Mission Board president, participated in an interview with Dan Darling, vice president of communications for the ERLC, focusing on religious persecution. The ERLC posted the interview, which took place during … [Read more...]
72-hour abortion wait becomes law despite veto
JEFFERSON CITY – It took until the final hours of the veto session late on Sept. 10, but the Missouri legislature has overridden Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes and made Missouri home of the longest waiting period before an abortion in the country: 72 hours. In what pro-life leaders are calling a major victory, women must now wait three days after an initial consultation with a doctor when seeking an abortion. Missouri’s previous waiting period was 24 hours. The vote tally was 117-44 in the … [Read more...]
Atheists’ win could help churches
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) – An atheist group reached a settlement last month with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over stronger enforcement of policies against “church politicking,” and at least one religious freedom group voiced optimism, claiming the IRS investigation could be “a good thing” in the long run. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has been campaigning to overturn the portion of the tax code that prohibits nonprofit organizations from “intervening in political campaigns as a … [Read more...]
Veto session, conservatives, Obama Care, a farewell
Lawmakers will gather in Jefferson City Sept. 10 for this year’s veto session. They will consider overriding vetoes of two pro-life bills by Gov. Jay Nixon. The first veto was of legislation that expands the waiting period for having an abortion from 24 hours to 72. The second was a bill that increases tax credits available for pregnancy resource centers, food pantries and maternity homes. The government has a duty to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Under current state law, woman … [Read more...]
Abedini prayer vigil set for Sept. 26
TEHRAN, Iran – Christian persecution and yes, genocide, is real in the world today, and Naghmeh Abedini is calling out to the body of Christ to pray. Sept. 26 will mark two long years since her husband and American pastor, Saeed Abedini, was imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith. And most recently, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists were brought into the same prison as Saeed. Because he is both an American and a Christian convert, he immediately started receiving … [Read more...]
UNREST IN FERGUSON: After teen’s death, Baptists pray & serve
FERGUSON, Mo. (BP) -- Missouri Baptists gathered for prayer Aug. 13 before a fifth night of turbulent protests erupted over the shooting death of an African American teenager by a local police officer.The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by an unnamed Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9 garnered national attention after the teenager's death incited peaceful protests as well as several nights of upheaval in this St. Louis-area town.During the night, looters -- many of them from out of … [Read more...]
Fayette school district settles prayer suit
FAYETTE – The Fayette R-III School District has agreed in federal court to change policies regarding the religious expression of teachers and school district staff. The move comes as a result of a suit brought by the American Humanist Association on behalf of a former student. The suit alleged a faculty adviser for a student religious club prayed with students before class and that the club’s meetings were announced over the intercom. Under the consent decree, the school district has … [Read more...]
KC lesbian sues KC-St. Joe diocese
A Kansas City woman fired from a Catholic food pantry in May sued the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese and Bishop Robert Finn, claiming her supervisors knew that she was a lesbian when hired. However, an April article in The Kansas City Star’s 816 magazine mentioned Colleen Simon’s “marriage” to another woman and she says she was fired a month later. Missouri does not recognize her “marriage.” The diocese hoped the suit could be resolved, but stated its right to “live and operate according … [Read more...]
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