By Bob Allen A past president of the Southern Baptist Convention is front and center of a campaign by Houston pastors to convince voters to say no to a controversial equal-rights ordinance scheduled to be on the ballot Nov. 3….
Coalition opposes taxpayer-funded discrimination
By Bob Allen American Baptist Home Mission Societies and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty are among 130 religious, education, civil rights, labor, LGBT, women’s and health organizations asking President Obama to review a Bush-era legal opinion allowing faith-based…
Ordinance foes claim religious right to discriminate
By Bob Allen More than 200 people gathered Aug. 11 in a Southern Baptist church in Fayetteville, Ark., to rally against a proposed civil rights ordinance that opponents say poses a threat to religious liberty. The rally at University Baptist…
Houston, you have a problem: State Supreme Court sidelines anti-discrimination law
By Bob Allen The Texas Supreme Court ruled July 24 that Houston must repeal a controversial non-discrimination ordinance or put it on the ballot for voters to decide. A state district judge determined in April that citizens seeking repeal of…
Who’s really discriminating here?
Discrimination is a funny word. We hear it thrown around a lot today so it’s worth taking a minute and reflecting on what exactly it means. At the most basic level, discrimination is simply the process of choosing one thing…
Rights and freedoms: Decisions for discriminating minds
“Extending protections” is not about understanding the transgender person. I cannot claim that understanding – just as I do not understand being a woman, or being poor, or being black. That lack of understanding, though, does not lead me to…
Arkansas lawmakers ban local anti-discrimination measures
By Bob Allen The Arkansas state senate has passed legislation sponsored by a Southern Baptist lawmaker making it illegal for cities to adopt local ordinances banning discrimination against gays. SB-202, approved by both the House of Representatives and Senate, would…
The culture wars come to Georgia
My home state of Georgia is the setting for the latest battle in America’s never-ending culture wars. The event that ignited this fresh fight was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s decision to fire Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran for, according to…
Jumping in, feet first
By Amy Butler I’m wondering this week if we’re having enough difficult conversations. Horrible images on the news, protests in the streets, a growing awareness — if we didn’t know it before — that all is certainly not right with…