By Bob Allen A moderate Baptist ethicist said Wednesday’s Democratic Party vote to put “God” back in its platform appeared to be more about politics than an authentic profession of faith. “The Democrats’ flip-flop on faith looks more like politics…
Dems chided for taking God from platform
By Bob Allen Religious observers questioned the message sent by Democrats omitting any mention of God in their 2012 party platform adopted by delegates to the Democratic National Convention. “Guess what? God’s name has been removed from the Democratic National…
Black Baptists seek to mobilize voters
By Bob Allen The presidents of six historically African-American Baptist denominations announced a partnership Sept. 5 to mobilize their combined 12 million members to vote in the November election. The “This is My Vote” campaign, announced from the stage at…
Challenge to clergy tax break clears hurdle
By Bob Allen A Wisconsin judge has given a green light to a lawsuit challenging a federal law that exempts clergy from paying income taxes on the fair rental value of their homes. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled Aug….
The Mormon moment
By Bob Allen Nearly 200 years after religious zeal prompted a young convert named Joseph Smith to found a movement called the Latter-day Saints, the once-despised minority “cult” increasingly is going mainstream. With a Mormon running for president, a hit…
First take on Romney’s convention speech
By David Gushee What follows is an interpretation of Mitt Romney’s Republican National Convention speech on Thursday night, penned just after the event, without benefit (or harm) from listening to any pundit or reading any news stories. I will do…
GOP platform called most conservative
By Bob Allen Delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., accused President Obama of waging a “war on religion,” declared a “fundamental individual right to life” for the unborn and reaffirmed support for a constitutional ban on…
Can corporations walk the aisle?
As the race for the White House heats up with Paul Ryan’s Republican VP nod, questions concerning corporate political involvement remain. Crucial to the debate around corporate political funding are two words: Citizens United. They refer to the landmark, 2010…
Baptists rally support for Senate candidate
By Bob Allen A Baptist state newspaper editor, reported last week to the IRS for possibly violating federal tax law that bans nonprofit charities from endorsing candidates, convened a conference call Aug. 24 in which former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee…