Faith leaders say a group of bills in the Republican-controlled state legislature “promote discrimination rather than justice and demean the worth of LGBTQ people in our state.”
Supreme Court denies appeal to pastor/judge barred from death penalty cases
The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up the case of an Arkansas judge claiming civil rights violations based on religious beliefs he exercised in his other job as a Baptist pastor. Without comment, the high court…
Southern Baptist lawmakers leading the way in seeking Johnson Amendment repeal
Three Southern Baptist members of Congress are sponsoring legislation that seeks to repeal a law barring churches and other non-profit organizations that are exempt from paying federal income taxes from endorsing or opposing political candidates.
Religion Notes: Melissa Rogers returns to WF Divinity; BWA protests arrest of Baptist leader
The Wake Forest University School of Divinity has welcomed former Obama Administration official Melissa Rogers back to its faculty. Her hiring was announced Jan. 30 on the Divinity School web site. Rogers rejoins the institution as a visiting professor and…
Virginia senate passes bill to allow Bible classes in public schools
The Virginia state senate on Monday passed a bill that would allow Bible teaching in public high schools.
BJC opposes ‘government-funded religious discrimination’ in foster care
Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said a Jan. 23 decision to grant an exception to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services policy prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for religious discrimination “shows more concern for the providers than children in need and willing foster parents.”
Baptists, other Protestants spared from effort to restrict worship and evangelism
Issues of religious liberty in the United States are often discussed in terms of wedding cakes, taxpayer-funded church playgrounds and politics in the pulpit. In other parts of the world, it’s more about survival.
Pack a constitution with that Bible for overseas mission trips, expert says
A huge challenge facing faith-based groups operating overseas is ignorance about the laws governing religion in other countries. It can get people into a lot of trouble, said Eron Henry, a Jamaian-born American and former communications executive with the Baptist…
Jeff Sessions’ heckler influenced by Baptist ‘tradition of protest’
A Baptist minister removed earlier this week as a heckler during a speech on religious liberty by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity and former intern for the Baptist Joint Committee…