The Supreme Court in Washington state has agreed to hear the case of a Southern Baptist florist sued for refusing to do custom floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding. Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Wash., is asking the…
Paige Patterson named to Cruz advisory council
A Southern Baptist Convention seminary president has been named to a Religious Liberty Advisory Council created by Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz. Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, is part of a 19-member group…
BJC’s Walker says Scalia was no friend of religious liberty
By Bob Allen Justice Antonin Scalia will be remembered as a towering figure on the U.S. Supreme Court for his intellect and his wit but not as a friend to religious liberty and the separation of church and state,…
Southern Baptists testify at Texas hearing on religious liberty
Southern Baptists in Texas were well represented at a Texas Senate hearing on how to protect religious liberty that critics say was in reality more about finding ways to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Southern Baptists in Texas need stronger…
Georgia clergy oppose First Amendment Defense Act
For the second year in a row, religious leaders are lining up on both sides of controversies over bills labeled “religious liberty” measures that critics say mask a hidden agenda of discrimination against gays and lesbians. A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship…
The fallacy in opposing ‘bathroom bills’
Franklin Graham is wrong again — and, once again, giving a bad name to my religion and my church. We could hope that if a Christian minister with a worldwide voice (often mistaken for “the” Christian voice), was going to…
Lawyer says Scalia’s death looms large in pending cases
By Bob Allen The unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia looms large in cases currently before the Supreme Court concerning abortion and religious liberty concerns, says a lawyer who recently filed a brief asking justices to uphold a Texas law…
Lawyer says Scalia’s death looms large in pending cases
Experts say any hope conservative Christians had for major wins in abortion and religious liberty cases currently before the Supreme Court is diminished with the passing of one of the court’s most consistently conservative jurists. The unexpected death of Justice…
Arguments set for religious challenge to Obamacare
Faith-based groups ranging from Catholic nuns to the Southern Baptist Convention will argue March 23 that an accommodation to require contraceptive coverage doesn’t adequately safeguard their religious liberty. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 23 in appeals…