Fear that two pastors who testified at last month’s State Department Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom might face arrest on their return to Myanmar prompted letters of concern from Baptist leaders in the United States.
Southern Baptist deputy says he was fired for following the Billy Graham Rule
A Southern Baptist deacon has filed a federal lawsuit claiming religious discrimination after losing his job as a sheriff’s deputy allegedly for following the “Billy Graham Rule” against spending time alone with a woman other than his wife.
Arkansas Supreme Court refuses to step down from case challenging its own ruling against anti-death penalty judge
Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday refused to recuse themselves from a case claiming they improperly barred a Little Rock judge from hearing death penalty cases because he exercised his religious liberty by attending a execution vigil in his other role as a Baptist pastor.
Clergy ask Texas to end policy banning chaplains from execution chamber
Interfaith clergy, including leaders in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, released a statement July 23 calling on the state of Texas to drop its ban on prison chaplains from its execution chamber, imposed after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the state could not execute an inmate without allowing a Buddhist chaplain to be in the room at his time of death.
Franklin Graham uses Decision Magazine to issue dire warning against Equality Act
Evangelist Franklin Graham warned that a proposed law supported by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in public accommodations presents a “clear and present danger to religious freedom” in an op-ed accompanying the cover story of the July/August 2019 edition of Decision Magazine.
WWJDD: What Would James Dunn Do? America on July 4, 2019
Had James Dunn lived to witness this year’s Fourth of July event – hijacked by President Trump – he would have let his freedom of dissent ring loud and clear. At this moment in the history of American Christianity and American government, Dunn’s distinctive gospel dissent needs to be heard and heeded.
Baptists line up for Supreme Court debate about LGBT worker rights
A small number of Baptists are among more than 700 individuals joining a brief filed July 3 asking the United States Supreme Court to declare that federal civil rights law prohibits job discrimination against gay and transgender workers.
John the Baptist and religious liberty: getting right what many evangelical preachers get wrong
John the Baptist spoke truth to power, refused to pander to politicians and insisted that no earthly kingdom is coterminous with the Kingdom of God. In other words, John got right what many evangelical preachers get wrong.
Judge Wendell Griffen wants power to hear death penalty cases restored
An Arkansas judge cleared of ethics charges stemming from his participation in an anti-death penalty demonstration two years ago has petitioned the state’s Supreme Court to restore his power to hear and decide capital cases.