News of a whites-only group seeking to establish a private community in Missouri is generating mounting opposition from a broad range of religious, civic and political leaders. “Return to the Land is a white-supremacist group that wants to create a…
Arkansas parents say, ‘Thou shall not’ to Ten Commandments law
A group of Arkansas parents has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a new state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms. Seven families with students in public schools filed the litigation June 11 in the U.S….
Arkansas Religious Leaders Fight Ten Commandments Bill Rushing Toward Governor’s Desk
Legislation requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed by public schools has recently cropped up in more than 20 states. And this week, Arkansas became the latest flashpoint in church-state politics as SB 433 — which had already passed in the Senate after…
What I learned at a town hall meeting where our elected officials didn’t show up
I went to a town hall tonight in Little Rock. When I walked in about 10 minutes until time to start, it was a standing room only crowd in a church sanctuary that seats 750 people. I leaned up against…
More child sexual abuse bills filed in 6 states
In January, several bills were proposed across different states relating to child sexual abuse — many addressing statutes of limitations, nondisclosure agreements or settlement payouts. Legislators said they hope these changes will make it easier for child sexual abuse victims…
Sudden personnel change raises concerns in Great Rivers Fellowship
A personnel change said to have been necessitated by financial strains has caused a rift in a relatively new regional body of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. At least two churches affiliated with Great Rivers Fellowship have written formal letters of…
Arkansas governor calls for Board of Corrections member to resign after being named in multiple civil complaints about child sexual abuse
Alonza Jiles has declined to resign from his position on the Arkansas’ Board of Corrections despite being called to do so by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sanders urged Jiles to resign because he has been named by multiple survivors of…
Describing the State of the Union response from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders by another word
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary identifies “defining moment” as a time that shows very clearly what something is really about. If that definition is taken seriously, the response by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union…
Life post-Roe: Is there middle ground between religious liberty and medical freedom?
This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, the court case that decriminalized abortion nationwide. But it was not the kind of anniversary celebration pro-choice advocates wanted to celebrate. Opponents of abortion,…
Next month, Arkansans will vote on a controversial ‘religious freedom’ amendment sparked by COVID closures
Proponents of Issue 3 on Arkansas’ Nov. 8 ballot claim it will protect individual religious freedom from violation by local and state government. Opponents say it clears the way for faith-based racial and sexual discrimination. “This is not about a…
Two key developments in voting rights rulings in Arkansas
Arkansas now finds itself at the center of the nation’s debate over what’s “election integrity” and what’s “voter suppression.” And a Baptist judge is one of the key players. Arkansas Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen (who also is a BNG columnist)…
‘Hateful faithful’ model paves the way for a fascist society
I was born, educated and live in Arkansas. Recently, white legislators in Arkansas responsible for redrawing voting districts in ways that fracture communities of Black and Latinx voters expressed dismay when Black and Latinx leaders denounced the re-drawn districts as…