While Baylor University regents and administrators continue to walk a tightrope over LGBTQ inclusion, rank-and-file donors made their voices heard on the university’s annual Baylor Giving Day March 16. The event’s leaderboard shows the new Paul Eddie Dwyer Endowed Scholarship…
It’s now a war of LGBTQ labels: ‘Don’t Say Gay’ versus ‘Grooming’
As the nation turns its attention to the controversial Florida bill critics have labeled “Don’t Say Gay,” two competing ideas are being amplified in the debate over LGBTQ rights. Gallup reports that the percentage of U.S. adults who self-identify within…
Let’s make America a place of welcome for displaced people
Being a refugee is not just what happened to you. It’s also who you’ve become as a result of what happened to you. Seventy years ago, the United States was one of the signatories to a historic legal document, the…
As Putin bombs children, Russian Orthodox patriarch names the root of Ukraine’s sin: Gay Pride parades
While his president bombed children in Ukraine, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church used his March 6 Sunday sermon to name the real source of the war started by Russia against its neighbor: Gay pride parades. Patriarch Kirill preached…
30 years later, North Carolina Baptist church recalls its journey to affirm same-sex unions
The months preceding Pullen Memorial Baptist Church’s historic vote to perform same-sex blessings and to officially become a welcoming and affirming congregation were, at times, dark and turbulent ones, former Pullen pastor Mahan Siler recalled during the congregation’s 30-year celebration…
Supreme Court to hear case of wedding website designer who won’t serve same-sex couples
First it was about wedding cakes. Now it’s about wedding websites. And the United States Supreme Court has agreed once again to wade into the troubled waters of evangelical Christian business owners refusing to serve same-sex couples. Although same-sex marriage…
Letter to the Editor: A response from Oklahoma Senator Rob Standridge
Letter to the Editor February 15, 2022 Dear Editor: Per your article on Feb. 7, 2022, I was smeared for filing bills trying to protect the religious freedom of religious and Christian citizens in Oklahoma. Although I did remove the religious…
Amid the dire situations forcing asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Latin America, LGBTQ persons face even more extreme danger
While the plight of many people unable to leave the Taliban’s grip in Afghanistan has been well-reported, there’s one group of people facing even more extreme persecution with fewer exit routes: LGBTQ asylum seekers. Recent reports from organizations tracking the…
In Canada, The Gathering unites churches that often don’t see eye to eye
Nearing its 30-year anniversary, a small-but-determined Baptist organization in Canada continues its struggle for religious and congregational freedom in the shadow of an increasingly conservative denominational movement that demands submission to scriptural and theological uniformity, its leaders say. The Gathering…