By Bob Allen New guidelines that bar Southern Baptist military chaplains from leading or attending same-sex wedding ceremonies may force Bible-believing Christians to choose between serving God or country, a seminary president says in a blog and audio podcast. “The…
Court upholds contraception mandate
By Bob Allen A federal appeals court ruled Sept. 17 that a for-profit manufacturing corporation must provide workers with health insurance that includes no-cost birth control even if it violates the religious teaching of the owners. The 6th U.S. Circuit…
Suit: Funeral-protest law applied unfairly
By Bob Allen A Nebraska law that requires protesters to stand 500 feet away from a funeral service is being enforced unfairly to suppress the free speech of a small Baptist church in Kansas that pickets military funerals with anti-gay…
SBC chaplains won’t perform gay weddings
By Bob Allen The head of a group that supports atheists and freethinkers in the military says new guidelines banning Southern Baptist chaplains from leading or attending wedding ceremonies for gay service members will prevent chaplains from performing many of…
Public policy and the heart of God
For the past 15 years, I have directed a faith-based non-profit called Friends of Justice. It all started in Tulia, Texas when a massive drug bust in the summer of 1999 inspired an article in the local paper about human…
Grieving summer: a Havdalah
For many people, summer is a type of Sabbath: a slower pace; vacation; more interaction with neighbors as the warm weather invites people outside; a deliberate pause between academic years. Even people whose lives do not operate solely on an…
NC Baptist church ends Boy Scout ties
By Bob Allen A large Southern Baptist church in North Carolina is ending its nearly 60-year-old relationship with the Boy Scouts of America and shifting allegiance to an alternative outdoor character-development organization to be launched next month in Nashville, Tenn….
Still marching
The 40 in the room sit entranced. Most of them are children, and they unusually are silent. The young adults are rapt. Our Freedom School site has always channeled the energy and inspiration of the Civil Rights movement for our…
Baptist pastor open to same-sex unions
Correction: This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the 13th paragraph. By Bob Allen An Alabama Baptist pastor says she is reconsidering her previous policy of not performing marriage-like commitment services for same-sex couples. Sarah Shelton,…
Wichita school’s five pillars incident shows confusion and prejudice
Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet Elementary School in Wichita, KS is the center of an uproar last week after a photo taken on the first day of school showing a large “5 Pillars of Islam” display was shared online. The Wichita…
spare your face the razor
*Author’s Note: For maximum poignancy, please listen to The Oh Hello’s The Truth is a Cave repeatedly whilst reading. You’ll thank me later. A few mornings ago, as I stood staring groggily into the poorly complected face stubbornly greeting me each…
Lawsuit fights Ten Commandments display
By Bob Allen The executive director of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists is lead plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking removal of a Ten Commandments monument on the State Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. Bruce Prescott, an ordained Baptist minister and member of…