A federal judge has blocked Arkansas from implementing a new law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public-school classrooms. In issuing the Aug. 4 preliminary injunction, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks described Arkansas Act 573 as “plainly unconstitutional” under the…
‘Show up like your very life depends on it,’ Warnock tells Progressive National Baptists
The campaign against Donald Trump and white supremacy embodies the spirit of revolution ingrained in American history and culture, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said during a sermon at the Progressive National Baptist Convention annual session in New Orleans, La. “Our…
‘Theological revolution’ needed to bring liberation to jails and prisons, PNBC panel says
Viewing jail and prison inmates as more than souls to be saved requires the church to apply a social-justice lens to its theological understanding of incarceration and the incarcerated, insisted Jacqueline Thompson, second vice president of the Progressive National Baptist…
Louisiana calls lawsuit aimed at Ten Commandments in classrooms ‘premature’
A lawsuit challenging a new Louisiana law requiring posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is premature because the measure has yet to be implemented, state Attorney General Liz Murrill said. Signed into law June 19, the legislation mandates…
Strong majority of Americans favor in vitro fertilization, Gallup survey shows
Republican efforts to ban in vitro fertilization are way out of step with a major share of the U.S. population, according to new research. Gallup’s July 30 “Update on American Values” survey found 90% of Americans consider the use of…
Proposed bill to help welcome asylum seekers hailed by human rights groups
Human rights groups are lining up in support of new legislation designed to help states and cities welcome asylum seekers and refugees into local communities. The Destination Reception Assistance Act, introduced in Congress July 30, seeks to expand the federal…
On first anniversary of war in Ukraine, BWA receives an update and prays for sufferers
Baptists from more than 50 nations gathered virtually to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to pray for those who continue to suffer from the military onslaught. The Baptist World Alliance sponsored the Feb. 24…
Christian nationalists target public schools, undermining freedom of religion, webinar guests show
Multi-state campaigns to legislate prayer and Bible study in public schools seek to undermine freedom of religion and to make non-Christians feel like second-class citizens, Brian Kaylor said during a webinar hosted by Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Other efforts —…
Immigration advocates slam Biden’s asylum plan by comparing it to Trump’s
President Biden’s proposal to essentially ban asylum at the Southern border has infuriated immigration advocates who equate his policies with those of the Trump administration. “With the introduction of this proposed rule, Trump’s cruel playbook has now become Biden’s legacy,”…
Coalitions in Florida and Texas seek to halt executions of mentally ill inmates
Death penalty opponents are pleading with two U.S. governors to halt the impending executions of a pair of mentally ill prisoners, including a Florida inmate scheduled for execution Feb. 23. “We pray that Gov. (Ron) DeSantis will consider the full…
Nostalgia for idealized past and toxic fear of the future fuel Christian nationalism, scholars say
Nostalgia for an idealized American past combined with a toxic fear of the future is driving Christian nationalist claims that the coming midterm and 2024 presidential elections are battles between God and Satan in which Democrats are allied with the…
Immigration advocates urge U.S. to reform cruel, broken asylum system
It’s one thing to hear or read about Title 42 but quite another to experience the Trump-era immigration policy firsthand, a Haitian asylum seeker said during a recent webinar hosted by interfaith immigration advocates. In fact, Title 42 is a…