By Jeff Brumley Leaders of five of the nation’s largest African-American Baptist communions are urging President Obama to streamline the system for reuniting Haitians with family members already living in the United States. The Sept. 5 letter to the White…
Reckoning with the children on our doorstep
By Alan Bean What do we do with the unaccompanied children, some say as many as 100,000, who have surrendered to American border officials in the last few months? Barack Obama speaks of a humanitarian crisis, but thinks fast-track deportation…
Counting the cost of government funding
The White House recently announced that President Obama would make good on a 2008 campaign promise and sign an executive order banning workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. According to a White House Official, the…
SBC ethicist tight with Catholics, Mormons on shared public policy concerns
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for public policy said March 5 that in his first months on the job he is working closely with his Mormon and Roman Catholic counterparts on religious-liberty concerns. “These days, anyway,…
“Corporations are people, my friend” — Hobby Lobby and religious freedom
Less than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s most significant legislative accomplishment, “Obamacare” is set to be back before the High Court next month. Oral arguments for Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores,…
Diplomacy, spying, and drones: The Obama Doctrine?
David Gushee Follow David on twitter: @dpgushee In a little-discussed section of his sixth State of the Union address, President Barack Obama offered important clues to what might be called an “Obama Doctrine” for the foreign and military policy that he…
Could we talk about Nelson Mandela?
In the wake of Nelson Mandela’s memorial service at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, the hyper-partisan, culturally isolated American public has again managed to miss the point of a major figure and event. Instead of having lively, relevant…
Is a funeral selfie appropriate?
It was the funeral selfie heard seen around the world. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt and President Obama took a selfie during Nelson Mandela’s (funeral) memorial service. To the right, Mrs. Obama does not…
SBC leader: Religious liberty under assault
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ top public policy spokesman compared current threats to religious liberty to those faced by America’s founders Sunday morning on Fox & Friends. “This is just one fiery rafter in a burning house,” Russell Moore of…
Meeting with Malawi leader turns spiritual
By Jeff Brumley Colleen Burroughs went into her unlikely meeting with Joyce Banda last week with a lot of built-in admiration for the headline-generating president of Malawi. But she came away with even more respect and inspiration when the encounter…
What now for West, Texas?
By Marv Knox and Jeff Brumley The outpouring of sympathy and solidarity for West, Texas, has been immense since a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 – including 12 first-responders – on April 17. Thursday’s memorial in nearby Waco underscored that by…
Obama, Bible play big in West memorial
By Marv Knox and Jeff Brumley Today’s memorial service for 12 firefighters killed in West, Texas, on April 17 was laced with prayer, scripture and the theme that tragedy brings people and communities together. Even President Obama came bearing a…