By Bob Allen The Obama administration improved to 7-0 in the number of federal appeals courts defending its religious accommodation to require coverage of contraceptives in employer health care plans with an Aug. 7 decision by the Second U.S. Circuit…
Smyth & Helwys exec diagnosed with leukemia
By Bob Allen The publisher and executive vice president of a leading resource provider for churches in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has been hospitalized and is being treated for leukemia. Smyth & Helwys Publishing in Macon, Ga., announced Aug. 7…
Progressive National Baptists initiate call to restore and advance voting rights
By Ken Camp On the eve of the landmark Voting Rights Act’s 50th anniversary — and meeting in Dallas hours after a federal appeals court ruled against Texas’ voter ID law — three groups historically linked to Martin Luther King…
Unsolved church bombings leave New Mexico community on edge
By Bob Allen Police in Las Cruces, N.M., evacuated a mall Aug. 6, after a suspicious package was left near the entrance to a Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces was closed for several hours amid…
Alabama governor seeks to end Medicaid agreement with Planned Parenthood
By Bob Allen Alabama’s Southern Baptist governor announced Aug. 6 that he is ending the state’s Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood, citing controversial videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting of organs from aborted fetuses. Gov. Robert Bentley indicated…
Some Baptists helping heal the racial divide, pastors say. Others, not so much
By Brian Kaylor The Aug. 9, 2014, death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the killing of others elsewhere at the hands of white police officers and the recent massacre of nine African-American churchgoers by a white supremacist have grabbed…
Videos say what presidential candidates would do to help the poor
By Bob Allen Former U.S. Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined an agenda to “raise incomes and get our economy working for everyone” in a video message released Aug. 5 by a group of Christian leaders…
Glorieta homeowner seeks day in court
By Bob Allen A homeowner couple who claim they were treated unfairly in a Southern Baptist Convention entity’s decision to unload Glorieta Baptist Conference Center said in a court document Aug. 5 that no religious organization should be allowed to…
Project impacts low-income families in southwest Virginia
By Chris Shoemaker Dozens of youth from Baptist churches across Virginia converging on the campus of Bluefield College this summer made a difference in the lives of families in southwest Virginia. Impact Virginia, a project sponsored by the Baptist General…
Federal agencies propose rules for faith-based social service providers
By Bob Allen The White House announced proposed rules Aug. 5 from nine federal agencies clarifying rights and responsibilities of faith-based and community organizations receiving taxpayer funds. The proposals, which must pass through a 60-day period of public comment before…
Bush says he ‘misspoke’ at SBC event
By Bob Allen Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign quickly back-tracked from comments he made Tuesday at a Southern Baptist Convention missions conference that half a billion dollars of taxpayer money is too much to spend on women’s health issues. Democrats jumped…
Civility the right response to church bombings, Baptist pastor says
By Jeff Brumley In 2014, Kevin Glenn published a book detailing the loss of civility in American culture and proposing some ways to revive it. Now it looks like Glenn is going to have a chance to put Hand over…