In the latest episode of conservative Christianity’s persecution complex, the Biden administration is accused of discriminating against Christians by prohibiting them from fostering kids. “Biden Takes Aim at Christian Foster Care,” one headline from the American Family Association claims. “The Biden Regime…
Blessing is naming what is true
“You are so blessed.” I hear this statement sometimes, usually in places where my bandwidth for seeing the sacred is about gone. In the grocery store, when my four little goofballs are hanging off a cart or screaming, I don’t…
Tony and Lauren Dungy know something about influence, on the field and at home
The first Black coach to win a Super Bowl title remains a family man as well as a legendary coach. Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of 11 children — some their biological children and some adopted…
It’s still ‘Christians only’ at this Tennessee Methodist adoption agency
A Methodist foster care and adoption agency that receives government funding may continue to serve “Christians only” because the Jewish couple who challenged the agency were found by a Tennessee court not to have legal standing. The religious discrimination at…
Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent
A federal lawsuit alleging discrimination in a foster parent program has been resolved, with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops dropping its opposition to a lesbian caring for refugee children. Kelly Easter was raised in a Southern Baptist home where…
Churches called to help fill the gap as thousands of children orphaned by COVID-19 need aid
The plight of youth orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic was forgotten in the scramble to understand, treat and prevent the disease from spreading, according to Albert Reyes, president of Buckner International. “COVID was such a new thing in the United…
Former foster youth need to know they are not abandoned
A few years ago, I noticed a small crack in the hallway of my doctor’s office. It was only five or six inches long, but my eyes drifted back to that spot each time I returned for a checkup. Then…
Biden administration rolls back Trump-era discrimination waivers in foster care
Civil rights and separation of church and state groups are thrilled, but conservative evangelicals are dismayed that the Biden administration announced Nov. 18 the reversal of a Trump-era policy that allowed discrimination against foster parents because of their sexual orientation….
Kentucky child care discrimination and proselytizing cases take opposite turns
A two-decades-old dispute between the state of Kentucky and a Baptist child care agency turned two pages in opposite directions within a few days, offering anything but clarity about the situation. On one hand, Sunrise Children’s Services, an agency of…
How our family is celebrating Christmas in July
Christmas is a mere six months away. Many churches, like my first church in West Jefferson, N.C., where I was an associate pastor, have Christmas in July celebrations and festivities that often coincide with the community’s own festival to prepare…
BJC general counsel sees little future guidance in Supreme Court’s latest religious liberty ruling
As with a 2018 ruling involving a baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest foray into a free exercise of religion claim is so narrowly written as to offer little future…
In narrow ruling, unanimous Supreme Court supports Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia foster care case
The United States Supreme Court unanimously sided with Catholic Social Services in its claim against the City of Philadelphia, saying the city cannot exclude the faith-based agency from a foster care contract merely because it does not serve LGBTQ clients….