Another church that once was among the largest in the Southern Baptist Convention is selling it 19-acre property and downsizing. The property of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., is now listed for sale for $28.5 million. Current pastor…
Texas anti-abortion bill would nullify RFRA
As the Texas Legislature convenes for yet another special session this week, lawmakers will face a surprise item buried on the agenda that would affect religious liberty. Senate Bill 7 (originally Senate Bill 2880 and then Senate Bill 6), which…
Police begin investigation into Michael Tait’s alleged sexual assaults
Note: This article includes explicit discussion of rape and sexual acts. Police in Brentwood, Tenn., have begun a preliminary investigation into former DC Talk and Newsboys singer Michael Tait, following multiple allegations of sexual assault. They confirmed the news on…
100 international aid groups say Israel is blocking help for Gaza
Nongovernmental organizations say Israel continues to use blockades and bureaucratic red tape to prevent desperately needed humanitarian aid from reaching the war-ravaged population in Gaza. “This obstruction has left millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water and shelter items…
Court blocks Trump’s threat to schools over DEI
The president of the United States has the power to make unwise decisions but still must follow procedures to do so, a federal court ruled Aug. 14 in a rebuke to the Trump administration’s efforts to purge public schools of…
Veterans urge DeSantis to stop execution
Five veterans have been executed since Ron DeSantis became governor of Florida in 2019 with a sixth scheduled to die this month. But a group of former service members wants the killing to stop and are pleading with the governor…
Small denomination emerges to support exiled progressive ministers
What might be the nation’s smallest Protestant denomination — if you can call it that — has hired its first part-time director. Open Table Network is now in its third year and has approved ordination credentials for 50 ministers in…
Trump fires key officials on advice of conspiracist Laura Loomer
Laura Loomer doesn’t work for the government, but the right-wing social media star has President Donald Trump’s ear, and she has used her influence to have more than a dozen top administration officials fired, possibly endangering Americans’ national security and…
Latest Tennessee execution draws attention to secrecy concerns
Government secrecy had as much to do with the botched execution of Byron Black as the toxic chemical Tennessee used to slowly and painfully take his life, death penalty abolitionist Stacy Rector said. “The state has a law shielding the…
Lawsuit seeks to stop reversals of legal immigration status
The Trump administration faces yet another challenge in its efforts to deport immigrants who are in the country legally. A federal lawsuit filed Aug. 11 objects to the “sudden and unlawful” cancellation of parole status of immigrants living and working…
Kim Davis is back — challenging same-sex marriage nationwide
If it chooses to, the U.S. Supreme Court now has a pathway to reconsider its landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. If it does it, the court will fulfill the dream of conservative evangelicals — including Southern Baptists…
Environmentalists win temporary pause at Alligator Alcatraz
A federal court in Miami has ordered Florida to temporarily pause construction of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center. And ICE is now hiring “patriotic Americans” as young as 18. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled Aug. 7 the state…