By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral and religious liberty concerns led 30 faith leaders and educators in an open letter urging Congress to pass a Republican-backed bill that would bar the government from penalizing individuals…
Houston, you have a problem: State Supreme Court sidelines anti-discrimination law
By Bob Allen The Texas Supreme Court ruled July 24 that Houston must repeal a controversial non-discrimination ordinance or put it on the ballot for voters to decide. A state district judge determined in April that citizens seeking repeal of…
Obamacare foes appeal to Supreme Court
By Bob Allen Groups including an order of Catholic nuns and the agency that provides retirement and insurance plans for Southern Baptist ministers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to exclude contraceptive coverage in their employee healthcare…
Southern Baptist mission rally includes interviews with presidential candidates
By Bob Allen At least two GOP presidential hopefuls will vie for evangelical support at an upcoming conference on missions sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention. Russell Moore, president of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, announced plans to…
Baptist leaders join call for national strategy on global religious persecution
By Ken Camp Baylor University President Ken Starr, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in Southern California and Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, joined a call for a national strategy to…
Rights and offenses: The Confederate flag
On Friday, July 10, at the South Carolina Capitol, the Confederate flag was removed. On Sunday, July 12, at my church, the Confederate flag was prominently displayed. I saw the oversized flag attached to the back, right-side of an oversized…
Evangelical Christians staunchest supporters of Israel: LifeWay poll
By Bob Allen Christian Zionism — a theological view that God’s promises to ancient Israel in the Old Testament apply today to modern Israel — holds a strong grip on U.S. evangelicals, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research. The research…
Baptist colleges complicit in sin
Last week, two Baptist colleges in Texas jumped into the debate over women’s health. Baptist News Global reported that East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University objected to “providing — directly or indirectly — emergency contraceptive drugs they believe cause…
Appeals court denies Obamacare challenge
By Bob Allen A federal appeals court ruled July 14 that requiring a religious nonprofit to opt out of mandated contraceptive coverage under Obamacare is not a substantial burden on religious exercise. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said…