Four of the nation’s leading observers of faith, culture and public life are sharing their latest research and writing in a new online space designed to spark thoughtful discussion about the most challenging issues facing U.S. democracy and society. Diana…
Don’t stop believing, Thompson urges Trailblazer luncheon
Christians involved in the struggle for racial justice must maintain a robust capacity for belief even when major resistance and setbacks are encountered, said Jacqueline A. Thompson, senior pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif. “Researchers say that…
CBF called to demonstrate power of diversity, Baxley tells General Assembly
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is called to testify to the wider church and society that diversity is a source of strength rather than a weakness to be feared, CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said. “I believe that is an act…
Gov. Landry gets his wish: Louisiana Ten Commandments law to be challenged in court
The ink was barely dry on Louisiana’s brand new Ten Commandments law before four major civil and religious rights groups declared their intent to sue to prevent the state from posting the Decalogue in public classrooms by the fall of…
Human rights groups accustomed to condemning Biden praise his ‘family values’ action
Humanitarian rights groups accustomed to condemning President Biden’s immigration policies are extolling his June 18 order granting protections to Dreamers and to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. The presidential action allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to grant…
New book makes a case for why conflict can be good for a church
Striving to avoid congregational conflict can backfire in churches where members feel unable to live and worship authentically within their own fellowships, according to the author of a new book on addressing divisions within Baptist churches. “What happens in many…
AWAB and CBF’s Affirming Network merge
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and the Affirming Network of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have merged, AWAB announced June 17. Moving forward, the consolidated organization will operate under the AWAB name and will strive to meet the rising…
America’s hard right is fine-tuning hate tactics, SPLC warns
The far right dedicated 2023 to fine-tuning and expanding hate-spreading tactics to fuel one of the most bitter and dangerous presidential contests in U.S. history, according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Extremists and those opposing…
Conservative Supreme Court did not give anti-abortion group what they wanted on mifepristone
The abortion-inducing drug mifepristone will remain on the market after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication. The June 13 decision in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine also…
Baptists oppose Louisiana Ten Commandments bill
Scores of Louisiana churchgoers and pastors, including dozens of Baptists, are pleading with Gov. Jeff Landry to veto a bill requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all state-funded classrooms. “We do not need to turn public schools into…
BWIM present in Indy as SBC votes on Law Amendment Wednesday
Representatives of Baptist Women in Ministry are in Indianapolis this week to push back against the anticipated ban of female pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention, Executive Director Meredith Stone said. Stone said she and two other BWIM staff members…
Biden is catering to racists and white supremacists, immigration advocate charges
The Biden administration’s latest clamp-down on immigrant asylum is less about border security and managing immigration than it is a sign of the nation’s continuing moral decline, immigration advocate Marisa Limon Garza said. “It’s an attempt to cater to the…