WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Trump administration's first designation of the world's worst violators of religious freedom received the same evaluation as the last list under President Obama -- good but not good enough. Religious liberty advocates had hoped the State Department would add other countries to the CPC list, which is required by federal law. The measure calls for the designation of countries that commit or tolerate "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious … [Read more...]
Court rules for fire chief in religious liberty case
ATLANTA (WNS) – A U.S. District Court judge ruled on Dec. 20 that city of Atlanta rules used to fire former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran were unconstitutional. The ruling said policies restricting non-work speech allowed city officials to unconstitutionally discriminate against views with which they disagreed. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed suspended Cochran without pay in 2014 because of a 162-page book Cochran wrote for men at his church, advocating for a historically Biblical view of marriage … [Read more...]
Standing for the sanctity of life in the SBC
Just a few days ago, I met with a media leader from the Kansas City area to discuss our goals for the organizations we lead. Part of our time together included a tour of the unique building that Missouri Baptists own as part of its missionary strategy. The building is just four blocks from the Missouri State Capitol, which makes it convenient for fulfilling one of the primary roles of a state convention, namely public policy engagement that protects the religious liberties of individuals … [Read more...]
Prayers, pro-life bills and Good Samaritans
A reproduction of Arnold Friberg’s iconic painting of General George Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow at Valley Forge hangs over my desk. The original hangs in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I love Friberg’s painting because it reminds us that we must pray and ask God to heal and bless our land. Ever since our nation’s founding, America’s leaders have prayed for Divine guidance. Even today, with Christianity seemingly losing influence over American society, many … [Read more...]
Power to the parents: Advocates for a new constitutional amendment say the push for parental rights could unite the country
(WNS) - At a time when lawmakers in Washington can’t seem to agree on anything, parental rights advocates think their issue could erase the left-right divide, at least temporarily. Backers of the movement are trying to get Congress to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would codify the rights of parents to make decisions for their children without government interference. It’s a tall order. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress. … [Read more...]
Commissioning conflict: Civil rights board recommends creating protected classes for sexual orientation and gender identity
(WNS) - The headquarters of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) is a mile and a half, or a brisk 20-minute walk, west of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Despite its geographic proximity, the release last week of a report calling for a federal LGBT nondiscrimination law indicates the commissioners are far removed from what was heard at the high court Tuesday. Gay rights activists and their supporters in Congress have for decades sought passage of a federal … [Read more...]
The Times, they are a-changing
(WNS)-- The list of entertainers, journalists, and politicians accused of sexual misconduct got so long last week that The New York Times compiled an interactive chart to keep track of it. A new age of accountability for sexual aggression has dawned, spurred by some notable changes in news reporting. First, women are more willing to go on the record with their stories and let journalists identify them by name. For decades, media accounts of sexual misconduct were easier to discount … [Read more...]
Baptists still fighting HHS mandate
WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist institutions and other objectors to the six-year-old abortion/contraception mandate are still working to protect their freedom of conscience on a number of fronts after the Trump administration provided aid through a new rule. The challengers to the controversial requirement are negotiating with the federal government, pushing for permanent relief in court and, in the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor, fighting new suits now being waged by California … [Read more...]
Fighting taxpayer-funded abortion in Illinois: Lawsuit filed by pro-life organizations and lawmakers could have national implications
(WNS) - Opponents of an Illinois law that would allow state funding of abortion on demand for state employees and Medicaid recipients have filed suit. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the law, known as HB 40, earlier this year, and the Thomas More Society filed suit last week on behalf of 10 pro-life organizations, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and eight state legislators filing as taxpayers. The suit, a request to “restrain and enjoin” a misuse of tax … [Read more...]
Will Supreme Court ‘safeguard’ liberty in landmark case?
WASHINGTON (BP) – Religious liberty advocates left the U.S. Supreme Court Dec. 5 with some hope that the justices would rule in favor of a Colorado cake artist who refused to design a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding celebration. The high court heard oral arguments in a major free-speech and free-exercise-of-religion case at the center of the contentious debate between religious liberty and sexual liberty. Multiple cases involving wedding vendors who oppose using their talents in … [Read more...]
Do as we say, not as we do: Australian Christians hope to avoid U.S. religious liberty battle with conscience protections in same-sex marriage bill
(WNS) - As attorneys for Colorado baker Jack Phillips prepare to defend his religious and free speech rights before the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 5, the Australian Parliament is drafting same-sex marriage legislation that some fear could criminalize similar dissent Down Under. Australians overwhelmingly showed their approval of same-sex marriage in a recent postal poll. The results, published Nov. 15, showed 61.1 percent approve of state-recognized same-sex marriage. Legislators are … [Read more...]
Rights to life and free speech intersect at Supreme Court
(WNS) - A U.S. Supreme Court case testing the constitutionality of a California abortion law will affect free speech beyond the battleground over unborn lives. National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, which the high court agreed this month to hear, focuses on whether the government can prescribe a message for groups that disagree with it - in this case, a message that promotes abortion. Pro-life groups that have filed suit against the law are optimistic the court will … [Read more...]
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