By Bob Allen Baptist leaders applauded President Obama’s Feb. 10 announcement that insurance companies must pay for birth-control services for women who work for religious institutions that object to paying for them on moral grounds. “This is a positive step in…
SBC insurance provider not satisfied with Obama compromise
President Obama’s compromise plan for mandatory coverage of contraceptives does not solve religious liberty concerns for the Southern Baptist Convention’s insurance provider, GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins said in a statement Feb. 10. GuideStone’s medical plan is self-funded, Hawkins…
Baptist leader says contraceptive mandate should be revised
Brent Walker By Bob Allen The head of a Baptist religious liberty watchdog group said Feb. 8 that the Obama administration should return new health-care regulations to the drawing board to address religious liberty concerns. The Affordable Care Act, also…
Negative politics and spiritual schizophrenia
By Jim Denison In the aftermath of the Florida presidential primary, this headline caught my eye: “The Republican Florida Primary Was the Most Negative Ever in Terms of Ads.” One analysis indicates that 92 percent of the ads aired during…
Study: 2/3 of Americans support renting school buildings to churches
By Bob Allen Two-thirds of Americans believe public schools should rent to churches and other community groups, according to a new study by LifeWay Research. The study by the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention publisher LifeWay Christian Resources…
Pastor’s anti-gambling prayer criticized as political
By Bob Allen A statehouse prayer landed a Baptist pastor in the middle of a controversy over a proposal to bring casino gambling to Kentucky. Hershael York Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, Ky., opened Gov….
Former aide says Southern Baptists had clout in Bush White House
By Bob Allen Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention wielded significant influence on the White House during the presidency of George W. Bush, according to a former White House aide promoting a new memoir. “The Bush administration had a superb…
Mohler says insurance mandate not just ‘Catholic’ issue
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary president applauded Roman Catholic bishops for refusing to obey an insurance mandate forcing employers to offer coverage for contraceptives and sterilization, and predicted that evangelical leaders will soon face similar choices. “Our religious…
SBC leader questions judgment of Christians who support Obama
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public-policy expert says that Christians who still support President Obama are not using their heads. Richard Land, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said on the Jan. 28 broadcast…
Baptist pastor opposes N.C. gay-marriage ban
By Bob Allen A prominent progressive Baptist congregation weighed into the debate over North Carolina’s proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage Jan. 29. Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., sponsored an adult forum titled N.C. Amendment 1: Personal Freedom,…
Former pastor’s wife running for lieutenant governor
By Bob Allen A former pastor’s wife and seminary graduate has entered the Democratic race for Missouri’s lieutenant governor, hoping to unseat a Republican incumbent. Judy Baker Judy Baker, who served in the state House from 2005 until 2009 and…
Winning with racism
By Laura Rector Somewhere in a closet at my parents’ house in Kentucky hangs a George H.W. Bush shirt from my high school days. On one occasion in my early 20s, I skipped church to pass out flyers with Right…