By Jeff Brumley A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments May 23 in Hobby Lobby’s claim that the contraception mandate in President Obama’s health-care policies violates its religious freedoms. A federal judge ruled in November 2012 that the company was not…
19th-century Baptist is ‘mirror to our time’ in exploring racial reconciliation, says educator
RICHMOND — The responses of Christians in the American South toward the institution of slavery and those it enslaved were inconsistent and complex — bequeathing a legacy which continues to complicate racial reconciliation 150 years after emancipation, said the president…
Twister response goes ecumenical
By Jeff Brumley If the deadly Oklahoma tornado has a silver lining, it may be the ecumenical spirit driving the response and recovery efforts of local churches, local ministers say. Local Baptist and other pastors describe an ongoing, cooperative effort…
More religious freedoms in Cuba?
By Jeff Brumley While the U.S. government reports that religious rights remain greatly restricted in Cuba, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship official said his own experience is that freedoms are improving on the Communist island. Ray Johnson, coordinator of CBF Florida,…
OKC responders prepare, tell volunteers to wait
By Robert Dilday and Jeff Brumley Baptist churches and individuals eager to help the victims of Monday’s deadly Oklahoma twister are being told to get ready — and to wait. While some faith-based disaster-response agencies are cleared by authorities to…
High court to hear prayers case
By Robert Dilday The Supreme Court agreed May 20 to hear a case centering on whether sectarian prayers at the beginning of official government meetings violate the First Amendment — an issue which has roiled county governing and school boards…
Responders wait as Okla. twister news unfolds
By Jeff Brumley If you’re already wondering how Baptists disaster-relief organizations are going to respond to today’s massive Oklahoma tornadoes, you’re not alone. Leaders of those groups are wondering, too. “We’re watching it on television like everyone else,” said Tommy…
Mid-Atlantic disaster response teams on alert to respond to devastating Oklahoma tornado
Baptist disaster response teams in the Mid-Atlantic have been placed on alert as they monitor devastation in Oklahoma in the wake of a massive tornado which killed at least 25 people, many of them children. The storm pulverized Moore, an…
Delegation, collaboration and prayer are key to managing disasters, say Baptist relief managers
(ABP) — A devastating tornado in Oklahoma May 20 capped a busy year for Baptist disaster-relief coordinators, who have dealt with tornadoes ripping through Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, flooding in the Midwest and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas….
OPINION: Hard questions and character, part 1
What do you do when the bottom falls out? That question has been pressing itself harder and harder into our consciences this year. Take a brief walk through the last month and change. A terror attack at the Boston Marathon…
Delegation, collaboration and prayer are key to managing disasters, say Baptist relief managers
(ABP) — A devastating tornado in Oklahoma May 20 capped a busy year for Baptist disaster-relief coordinators, who have dealt with tornadoes ripping through Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, flooding in the Midwest and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas….
Mid-Atlantic disaster response teams on alert to respond to devastating Oklahoma tornado
Baptist disaster response teams in the Mid-Atlantic have been placed on alert as they monitor devastation in Oklahoma in the wake of a massive tornado which killed at least 25 people, many of them children. The storm pulverized Moore, an…