By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders say World Vision’s decision to hire gay Christians in legal same-sex marriages puts fundraising ahead of doctrinal fidelity for the Christian humanitarian organization started in 1950 by Youth for Christ evangelist Bob Pierce. World…
Chick-fil-A CEO seeks to get beyond gay marriage debate
By Bob Allen Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy says it was a mistake for him two years ago to involve his company in controversy over same-sex marriage. Cathy, 61, recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he hasn’t changed his mind about the…
Faith leaders oppose gay discrimination laws
By Bob Allen Baptist pastor and ABPnews/Herald columnist Amy Butler joined nationally known evangelical leaders including author Brian McLaren and blogger Rachel Held Evans in an open letter opposing laws to permit businesses to discriminate against homosexuals like the one…
No marriage at all?
By Corey Fields In a recent interview with News 9 in Oklahoma City, state representative Mike Turner said, “[My constituents are] willing to have that discussion about whether marriage needs to be regulated by the state at all.” When I…
Dueling columns pit SBC leader against pundits
By Bob Allen The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission pushed back at criticism by Fox News analyst Kirsten Powers and culture writer Jonathan Merritt that it’s hypocritical for a Christian photographer to refuse to…
Former SBC leader warns of ‘thriving business’ behind gay surrogacy
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s former top expert on moral and public policy concerns says same-sex marriage is opening doors for a gay-surrogacy movement that he predicts will be harmful to children. “We’ve conducted a 40-year experiment in…
No marriage at all? Why Oklahoma lawmakers are onto something
In a recent interview with News 9 in Oklahoma City, state representative Mike Turner said, “[My constituents are] willing to have that discussion about whether marriage needs to be regulated by the state at all.” When I heard that quote…
Gay Baptist minister sues for right to wed
By Bob Allen A Kentucky Baptist minister and gay-rights activist filed a lawsuit Feb. 14 claiming the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Maurice “Bojangles” Blanchard — who with his partner, Dominique James, was fined 1 cent for trespassing in…
It’s not simply about denying service
A recent article from the RNS describes the efforts in Oregon to craft the bill that would legalize gay marriage in such away as to allow conscience protections for business owners. The conscience protections being debated would allow private business…
A faulty worldview
The news recently broke that Virginia’s new Attorney General plans to ask a federal judge to declare the Commonwealth’s voter-passed constitutional amendment officially upholding the traditional understanding of marriage unconstitutional. This move is entirely unsurprising even as it is deeply…
Okla. Baptist leader blasts gay marriage ruling
By Bob Allen The top official for Southern Baptist churches in Oklahoma quickly denounced a federal judge’s Jan. 14 ruling that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Terence Kern of the Northern District of Oklahoma…
Mo. Baptists sue state over gay marriage order
By Bob Allen Representatives of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission filed a lawsuit Jan. 8 challenging a recent executive order by Gov. Jay Nixon allowing same-sex couples legally married in another state to file joint tax returns with…