Gender dysphoria is “irrelevant” to claims of transgender youth and the Biden administration that a Tennessee law blocking gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, according to the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Fighting transgender medical treatment…
Why did the Tennessee Congressman shout, “Goodbye to Palestine”?
What possessed Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann to shout he would support Israel forever and “Goodbye to Palestine”? In a video shared widely on social media, Rep. Fleischmann is shown shouting, “Goodbye to Palestine,” amid an array of stridently pro-Israel declarations….
Tennessee DA threatens Blount County Pride Festival if Flamy Grant performs
Organizers of Tennessee’s Blount Pride Festival have been warned by a district attorney they could be charged with “criminal conduct” if Christian artist Flamy Grant performs at the festival Saturday, Sept. 2, as planned. The singer’s appearance could violate Tennessee’s…
Tennessee governor commended for ordering review of lethal injection protocols
Faith and civic leaders opposed to capital punishment commended Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee last week for ordering a deeper review of the state’s lethal injection protocols after an independent investigation discovered corrections officials consistently failed to follow proper procedures in…
Four states update their constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude
While the prospect of becoming enslaved may seem like an irrelevant question today — slavery was abolished in the United States 157 years ago with the ratification of the 13th Amendment — last week citizens in five states voted on…
Jewish couple sues after United Methodist agency receiving taxpayer funding refuses to help them adopt a disabled child
Among the core beliefs espoused by Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Tennessee are assertions that “it is the birthright of every child to have a family” and that “the best place for a child to be raised is…
In Tennessee and Kentucky, religious freedom claims and COVID prevention plans are in conflict
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain the already contentious boundaries of religious practice versus public policy. In the same week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled New York may not restrict religious worship gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus, two…
Baptist layman Charlie Daniel: six decades of courage, compassion and wit as an editorial cartoonist
Charlie Daniel was called a lot of things during more than six decades as a newspaper cartoonist in Knoxville, Tennessee. Some of the names are unprintable. Others are just amusing. “I got some letters and emails over the years saying,…
LifeWay cutting staff, expenses due to COVID-19 impact on sales
LifeWay Christian Resources will cut staff and implement other budgetary cutbacks due to steep revenue declines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization announced April 29.