The Southern Poverty Law Center filed two motions in federal court in response to a federal indictment accusing the civil rights organization of fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice claims the group, which tracks and reports on hate groups, misled…
‘All Are Neighbors’ celebrates diversity and inclusion
What got billed nationally as a pro-gay event on Baylor University’s campus April 22 turned out to be a celebration of democracy for all people. The “All Are Neighbors” rally held on the top floor of Cashion Academic Center on…
Israel promotes ‘biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East’ near site of Sodom: ‘Mocking God’
The official X account of Israel, which is run by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, promoted an upcoming four-day LGBTQ+ pride festival in June at the Dead Sea, which some detractors on social media noted is the traditional location of Sodom…
BGCT executive wants another study of relationship to Baylor
In the second Friday afternoon news drop in two weeks, the Baptist General Convention of Texas announced April 17 it will launch another study of the relationship between the BGCT and Baylor University. This follows a recent dialogue that concluded…
What it means: Baylor provost announces retirement
This article has been updated in two ways since its original publication: New information has been added about an interim provost, and the president of the Faculty Senate has issued a categorical denial of any plan to take a vote…
Texas Baptists ‘concerned’ about Baylor allowing gay speakers
Baylor University’s decision to allow student groups to host a counter-event to the Turning Point USA rally on campus April 22 is drawing criticism from conservatives. The Baptist General Convention of Texas and adjunct lecturer Christina Chrenshaw are among those…
What should stand in the way of transgender inclusion?
Christians are the least likely group of people to be accepting of transgender individuals. The most recent Pew Research Religious Landscape Study asked participants how they viewed greater social acceptance of people who are transgender. Of those who broadly identified…
Coalition of Baylor student groups seek alternative event to TPUSA
A coalition of Baylor University students has petitioned the administration for permission to host an alternative event during the Turning Point USA rally on campus April 22. The Baptist-affiliated school in Waco, Texas, has come under intense criticism for allowing…
What they’ve taught me
I was scrolling Facebook when I saw the post. Someone I had mentored. Someone who had reached out, who had sat in the specific loneliness of being queer and trans and faith-formed and told by that faith they were the…
3 ways churches may respond to the violence of conversion therapy
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that banned conversion therapy for minors in the state. The court ruled the Colorado law a violation of therapists’ free speech. Only one justice (Ketanji Jackson) dissented, meaning the ruling…
There is no need for conversion therapy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” is a harmful setback for LGBTQ Americans. In the 8-1 ruling, the court has failed to recognize the well-documented harm conversion therapy inflicts, especially on vulnerable LGBTQ…
Supreme Court says conversion therapy is protected free speech
Evangelical therapists have a First Amendment right to engage in “conversion therapy” with LGBTQ clients despite solid medical evidence that such treatment is ineffective, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. In an 8-1 ruling March 31, the high court ruled…