By Ken Camp Baptists helped craft the Religious Freedom Restoration Act at the national level and secured its passage at the state level in Texas. But some Texas Baptists are leery of language in a proposed RFRA-based state constitutional amendment. The efforts…
Halt drone strikes, say faith leaders
By Bob Allen One of more than 150 religious leaders who drafted a statement opposing the use of lethal drones by the United States military said Feb. 11 it’s an issue that more Baptists should care about. Carol Blythe, past…
Legislator aims to make Bible state book of Tennessee
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist pastor turned state lawmaker has introduced legislation to designate the Bible “the official state book” of Tennessee. Rep. Jerry Sexton, a Republican from Bean Station in the Morristown metropolitan area in East Tennessee,…
College sexual assault victims healed by religious communities, chaplains and study say
By Jeff Brumley Theological beliefs and belonging to religious organizations can help college women overcome the emotional damage caused by sexual abuse, a recently published Baylor University study has found. The authors of the study say involvement in faith communities…
Baptists, Catholics oppose D.C. laws
By Bob Allen Faith-based organizations with offices in Washington including the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a letter Feb. 5 asking Congress to reject two new District of Columbia laws they say would restrict…
Ala. Baptist head says churches whose ministers perform gay marriages ‘not in friendly cooperation’
By Bob Allen The churches of Southern Baptist ministers who conduct marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples in Alabama risk losing their standing with the Alabama Baptist Convention, according to a statement added to the convention website Feb. 10. Rick Lance,…
CBF field personnel laments death sentence for two ‘Bali Nine’ members
By Jeff Brumley Australia and much of the rest of Asia are caught up in an international media and political storm swirling around the so-called Bali Nine as two of the group of drug smugglers are scheduled for execution in…
Russian Baptist leader concerned about U.S. aggression in Ukraine
By Bob Allen A Russian Baptist leader has voiced concern about recent legislation by Congress authorizing $350 million in lethal and nonlethal military assistance to Ukraine and expanding the president’s authority to impose sanctions on Russian energy and defense firms….
Baptist minister has ‘no problem’ with gay marriage
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister who performed one of the first legal marriages in Alabama between members of the same sex said the ceremony was pretty much like marrying anyone else. “To me doing a same-sex marriage as a…
Florida church builds partnerships with schools, nonprofits — and laundromats
By Jeff Brumley The Well at Springfield, a 4-year-old missional church plant, chose that name to underscore its role as a source of spiritual nourishment in its urban Florida neighborhood. But its pastor, Susan Rogers, said the Jacksonville congregation can…
Alabama Baptist minister offers to marry same-sex couples
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister with childhood memories of her parents supporting African Americans in the struggle for civil rights saw Monday’s introduction of gay marriage to Alabama as a chance to make her own mark on history. Ellin…
SBC public policy chief says God at work in Washington
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ top public policy official says he sees God working in unexpected ways in the lives of people he encounters while representing the nation’s second-largest faith group after Roman Catholics in the nation’s capital. Russell Moore,…