Conservatives in several states have gone all out to defeat abortion-rights ballot measures before voters even get to the polls in November. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered state police to question residents who signed petitions to place Amendment…
Faith leaders want Missouri Supreme Court to overturn abortion ban
More than a dozen faith leaders are urging the Missouri Supreme Court to strike down the state’s near-total abortion ban as a violation of church-state separation. The plaintiffs in Rev. Traci Blackmon v. State of Missouri recently filed a notice…
Evangelical group seeks to pull abortion access initiative from Missouri ballot
An evangelical legal advocacy group wants to stop Missourians from being able to vote whether to enshrine abortion rights into state law. The Thomas More Society on Aug. 22 filed its legal effort to stop Amendment 3 from appearing on…
Abuse survivors press Missouri attorney general to do more
Three women abused as children at Christian reform schools in rural Southern Missouri publicly urged other victims and witnesses to come forward about their ordeals ahead of a major abuse trial scheduled for the fall. “We just want anyone who…
Bill on statute of limitations reform passes out of Missouri House committee unanimously for the second time
For the second year in a row, a bill proposed by Missouri House Rep. Brian Seitz (R) aiming to reform the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse has been unanimously approved by a committee in the House…
Texas takes the spotlight as statehouses across the nation seek to restrict trans teens and voter access
Some Texas legislators want to outdo Georgia and Arkansas with a combination of bills restricting transgender teens and voting access for poor and minority citizens. The Texas bills — four concerning transgender health care, six concerning transgender athletes and two…
How I met my mother: Learning to say goodbye before you’ve said hello
Roy and Delyte Cantwell of Independence, Mo., both at the age of 32, in early 1956 began the arduous process of adopting a child since they were not able to have a child in the usual way. On Feb. 28,…
Pastor rushes home to Missouri city pounded by twister
First Baptist was only a few blocks from the tornado’s path but sustained no damage, Sager said. His home wasn’t touched and so far no members of the church have reported damage through the church’s available social media outlets.
Supreme Court to consider government funding for faith, and BJC weighs in
Church-state issues can be emotionally, and legally, challenging subjects. They can influence the direction a municipality, state and nation can take on matters of faith and government. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on church-state…