By Bob Allen Clergy lined up on both sides in letters asking President Obama to both include and remove a religious exemption from his upcoming executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation….
Hobby Lobby wins contraceptive case
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that the Baptist owners of Hobby Lobby cannot be forced by the government to provide employees with health insurance that covers methods of birth control that they believe cause an…
American Baptists decry religious conversion law in Burma
By Robert Dilday American Baptists’ top policy-making body has expressed its “strongest concerns” over a restrictive religious conversion law being considered in Burma and has endorsed legislation in the U.S. Congress to withhold security assistance until the country, also known…
North Korea sends South Korean Baptist missionary to labor camp
By ABPnews/Herald staff North Korea has sentenced a South Korean Baptist missionary to a labor camp for life for allegedly spying and for trying to build underground churches in the country, according to several news reports. The missionary, Kim Jong-uk,…
SBC agencies support GuideStone lawsuit in contraceptive case
By Bob Allen Three sister Southern Baptist Convention entities filed a brief May 27 supporting GuideStone Financial Resources’ objection to being forced to indirectly provide what they regard as abortion-inducing drugs under Obamacare. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ethics and…
Faith leaders say Medicaid expansion moral issue
By Bob Allen Faith leaders urged voter awareness in 24 states that are refusing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in a conference call with reporters May 29. “History has not been kind to governors who stand in…
Religion played role in sowing seeds of future conflict in World War I, says researcher
By Terry Goodrich World War I — the “war to end all wars” — sowed seeds for future international conflicts in a way that has been largely overlooked through religion, says a Baylor University historian. As the 100th anniversary of…
Baptist editor blasts same-sex divorce
By Bob Allen A Missouri Baptist leader criticized two circuit court judges for granting divorces to females wed in another state that, unlike Missouri, recognizes same-sex marriage. Don Hinkle, director of public policy for the Missouri Baptist Convention, accused the…
American Baptist leader condemns death sentence for Sudanese woman
By Robert Dilday An American Baptist leader has spoken out against a death sentence imposed May 16 on a Sudanese woman who news reports say refused to recant her Christian faith in front of a court which considers her to…