“Trey’s Law” continues gaining momentum in the Texas and Missouri legislatures. The law calls for an amendment to state laws surrounding the use of nondisclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases. If passed, Trey’s Law will make it easier for…
Measles outbreak inevitable due to lower vaccination rates, experts say
The spread of measles is inevitable in communities where reliance on vaccine alternatives is high and trust in medical science is low, a panel of vaccine and infectious disease experts warned during a March 20 webinar. The media briefing was…
Midwife Is First Person Charged With Violating Texas’ Extreme Abortion Ban
A Houston-area midwife is the first person to be charged in Texas with violating the state’s extreme abortion ban, which outlaws the procedure under nearly all circumstances.
The Ken Paxton Cruelty Show continues
Does Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton just sit around his office and think of new ways to be cruel? Sure seems like it. The churchgoing Southern Baptist, who was impeached by the Texas House but spared conviction by Trump loyalists…
In states and counties, Republicans move to restrict Democrats, same-sex marriage and trans existence
Empowered by Donald Trump’s rapid-fire attempt to change American culture, some state legislators and county leaders are pushing the envelope even further, seeking to eliminate rights for people they despise or fear. In Fort Worth, Texas, the chairman of the…
Now Ryan Walters seeks bids for Bible-based curriculum in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Education has opened the bidding process for a Bible-based curriculum designed for public elementary school children, according to a newly posted Request for Proposal. The move comes as state Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters deals…
More child sexual abuse bills filed in 6 states
In January, several bills were proposed across different states relating to child sexual abuse — many addressing statutes of limitations, nondisclosure agreements or settlement payouts. Legislators said they hope these changes will make it easier for child sexual abuse victims…
Dispute between SMU and UMC body headed to Texas Supreme Court
A five-year-old dispute between Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a multi-state United Methodist Church body over the university’s ownership and governance will come before the Texas Supreme Court for oral arguments Jan. 15. According to a summary on the…
Here’s why the new Texas school curriculum is so very, very bad
Last week I spent a day in Austin, Texas, to testify for the second time against the new (and newly named) “Bluebonnet Learning K-5 Reading Language Arts” curriculum. Despite significant opposition, the Bible-infused curriculum was approved, which should be unsurprising…
Sunday schools in public schools?
I grew up going to Sunday school, starting with the “Cradle Roll” department of First Baptist Church of Decatur, Texas, the town where I was born. Like all the kids at that church, when I learned to read, I was…
Steve Lawson preached fire and brimstone except for himself
“Megachurch pastors in Dallas are starting to drop like flies,” I wrote back on June 25 after Tony Evans and Robert Morris stepped away from ministry at prominent megachurches. Apparently “starting” was the keyword because over the next three months, the number…
Texas Board of Education gets huge pushback on religion-infused curriculum
Activists and other Texans opposed to a proposed Bible-based curriculum for public school children are becoming a concern for extremist Christians who support the material, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. BJC has joined…