TOPEKA, Kan. (ABP) — A fundamentalist Baptist church known for picketing funerals of fallen soldiers argued in a U.S. Supreme Court brief filed July 7 that its actions are protected by the Constitution. Margie Phelps — attorney of record for…
Grateful to God for America?
By David Gushee The July 4th weekend found me immersed in Christian political theology as I prepare to teach a course on this theme in Australia in a few weeks. Independence Day itself found me in one of my favorite…
Invitation to Jim Wallis strikes sour note for Christian music festival
OSHKOSH, Wis. (ABP) — A five-day Christian music festival that kicked off July 7 in Wisconsin is being criticized for inviting progressive evangelical activist Jim Wallis to speak. At least one sponsor has pulled out of Lifest — an annual…
Church-state lines can blur when disasters strike
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Responding to disasters with immediate and long-term assistance has become a well-established practice of American religious groups — including Baptists, who frequently are almost as visible following devastating earthquakes and hurricanes as the Federal Emergency Management…
Pluralism, gay rights among emerging challenges to religious freedom
Since colonial days, each new generation of Americans has had to face new challenges to religious freedom. From dissenters like Roger Williams fighting established state churches to perceived threats to the Protestant establishment posed by Catholic immigration in the 19th…
What should churches and ministries know about employment law?
One characteristic of the robust religious freedom Americans enjoy is that the government doesn’t control the church nor the church the government. But that doesn’t mean churches are lawless zones. While houses of worship and other nonprofit religious organizations often…
OPINION: Baptists shouldn’t take religious freedom for granted
When Baptists in America study their history, they typically respond with pride. The denomination’s longstanding witness on behalf of religious liberty can be traced to the first Baptists in England, who boldly proclaimed that God alone was the ruler of…
FAITH DIGEST
Bread for the World chief honored. The president of a Christian anti-hunger lobbying group won the premier award for fighting world hunger. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton awarded the World Food Prize to Bread for the World President David…
Liberty University demotes seminary president over inflated claims
LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP) — Liberty University has demoted the president of its theological seminary after investigating claims that he exaggerated or fabricated parts of his testimony about converting from militant Islam to Christianity. Trustees of the school begun by Jerry…