By David Roach, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- President Obama's suggestion that evangelicals often devote more resources to fighting abortion than caring for the poor reflects ignorance concerning denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank S. Page said on a national radio broadcast. "We are involved" in fighting poverty, Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee said May 16 on the "Washington Watch" radio program's weekend edition hosted by Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. "So there was both arrogance and ignorance involved in his comments. It bothered me deeply. We care about people." Page was referencing comments made by Obama at a May 12 panel discussion on poverty hosted by Georgetown University. The president acknowledged that some conservatives "deeply care" about the poor and "exhibit that through their churches." But later, he said poverty relief "is oftentimes viewed" by churches "as 'nice to have' relative to an issue like abortion" in discussions of "the thing that is really going to capture the essence of who we are as Christians." Obama specifically referenced "the evangelical community" among the referents of his comments. Page said he has "met with President Obama … [Read more...]
Briefs: White House decries conversion therapy for homosexuals
WASHINGTON (BP) – The White House’s claim that so-called conversion therapy for homosexuals should be illegal has sparked replies from Christian ministers and counselors who say President Obama’s position is based on biased research and threatens religious liberty. “This is a tragic example of having a president who is fundamentally opposed to a Christian worldview and making statements that are really shaped more by the worldview of exclusive humanism,” said Eric Johnson, a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor who serves as director of the Society for Christian Psychology. The White House’s statement “is reflective much more of the culture wars we’re in the midst of right now than it is based on good science.” In response to a petition that garnered 120,000 signatures, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett issued a statement April 8 asserting conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, is “neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.” The statement affirmed laws in New Jersey, California and the District of Columbia banning state-licensed therapists from using conversion therapy on minors experiencing same-sex attraction and noted that similar legislation has been … [Read more...]
Colleges target adult learners with more options, flexibility
Many working adults are highly motivated to return to college. For job seekers a college education can mean the difference between getting hired or not. For those already employed a degree can lead to raises or promotions. The decision to add college classes to an already full schedule of family and work responsibilities is not an easy one, however. That’s why many institutions, including Baptist colleges and universities, now offer more flexible options geared especially toward nontraditional adult learners. Credit by examination is perhaps the most familiar way of earning college credit for prior knowledge. Most people are familiar with the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), developed by the College Board to test mastery of college-level material in 33 subjects including history, literature and math. In recent years other exams also have become widely accepted such as the Excelsior College Examination Program, offering 63 exams, and DSST Subject Standardized Tests aimed at students with military experience and offering 38 exams. Verifying information Education Portal, an online provider of study materials for credit exams, advises students who are considering credit by examination to first make sure their college … [Read more...]
Moore: Racial reconciliation a matter of spiritual warfare
NEW ORLEANS – In the turbulent wake of racial tensions from recent situations like Ferguson, Mo., Russell Moore, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president, said at a one-day preaching event in New Orleans that it is not enough for Christians of different races to simply get along for the sake of missions and evangelism, though both are vital. Racial reconciliation must be a matter of spiritual warfare, Moore said. Moore spoke at a recent Preach the Word conference, hosted by Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and presented by the New Orleans Baptist Association, on kingdom, culture, and mission, and addressed how pastors can effectively and faithfully preach the gospel in light of each. “What Dr. Moore talked about today was incredible, it was on time, it is needed, it was convicting, but it was also inspirational,” said Fred Luter, Jr., Franklin Avenue Baptist Church pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention president. “It gave me hope that racial reconciliation is possible within the body of Christ.” Neither achievement nor heritage is enough to bring someone into God’s kingdom, Moore told a full room of African-American, white and Latino pastors, and their wives, at a dinner concluding the event. Moore drew from … [Read more...]
Survey: Americans see value in church attendance
NASHVILLE (BP) – The overwhelming majority of Americans say they find value in attending church, a new LifeWay Research study shows. Two-thirds of Americans think attendance is admirable; only 11 percent consider church useless. Even among nonreligious people, 80 percent believe church attendance is acceptable, and 43 percent label it admirable. Just 29 percent call it useless. But despite their professed fondness for church, Americans are more likely to believe attendance is declining (55 percent) or the church is dying (42 percent) than growing (36 percent) or thriving (38 percent), according to the LifeWay survey of 1,000 Americans from Sept. 19-28 of last year. “Americans have a much more optimistic view of the people and practice of attending church than they do of the health of the church,” said Scott McConnell vice president of the Nashville-based LifeWay Research. “Church attendance is much like regular exercise and driving the speed limit. People do not live out everything they admire.” Confirming McConnell’s assertion that Americans’ churchgoing is at odds with their behavior, even on Easter, traditionally the best-attended Sunday of the year, large segments of the population say they don’t plan to attend, previous … [Read more...]
Arkansas governor urges changes to religious objection bill
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he wants to see changes to a religious liberty law legislators passed March 31, after previously saying he planned to sign the bill. But it’s similar to a new law causing an uproar in Indiana, where Gov. Mike Pence is said to be reviewing modifications to assuage concerns from the gay community. The changes in Indiana would state specifically the bill could not be used by businesses to deny services to people based on sexual orientation. It’s not clear how that might affect Christians in the wedding industry who don’t want to participate in same-sex weddings. Arkansas’s best-known corporate citizen, Walmart, opposes that state’s legislation. Doug McMillon, the company’s CEO called on Hutchinson to veto a bill he said would “undermine the spirit of inclusion” in the state. Several other states, including North Carolina and Georgia, are considering similar legislation. Republican presidential hopefuls, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, have voiced support for the bills. Nigerian Christians watch and pray after historic … [Read more...]
SBC leaders say diversity is still needed
NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s progress in racial reconciliation will fall short of what is needed if it is measured by the one-time election of an African-American president, speakers said at a leadership summit. A panel of Southern Baptist leaders commented on the status of race relations in the convention during a March 27 discussion at “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation,” a two-day meeting sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission in Nashville. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, replayed briefly for attendees his 2012 election as the first black president of a convention that was started in 1845 by a breakaway group of Baptists who supported the appointment of slave owners as missionaries. He recalled a conversation he had with Charles Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, when no other nominees had surfaced to challenge him in the race a month before the annual SBC meeting. “Fred, I just think our convention feels that it’s time,” Luter quoted Kelley as saying. Luter’s election by acclamation was greeted by an emotional, standing ovation. “It was one of the greatest hours in the life of the Southern Baptist Convention,” … [Read more...]
Construction of Museum of the Bible Underway
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid snow flurries in the nation’s capital, construction on the world’s first museum devoted solely to the Bible began in February as demolition began on the site near Capitol Hill. “It’s an exciting day for us,” said Steve Green, president of the craft store chain Hobby Lobby, who birthed the idea for the museum. “It’s been a dream, and it’s becoming a reality.” The Museum of the Bible is a $400 million project scheduled for completion in 2017 and will feature the Green Collection, one of the world’s largest private compilations of biblical texts and artifacts. … [Read more...]
Court Rules Same-sex Marriage Rights Trump Florist’s Beliefs
OLYMPIA, Wash. – A Washington state judge ruled in February that a Christian flower shop owner is required under state law to provide full services for same-sex wedding ceremonies, even though it violates her faith. Barronelle Stutzman sold flowers to gay couple Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed for more than nine years, and considered Ingersoll a friend. But when he asked her to create the flower arrangements for the couple’s wedding in 2013, the great-grandmother said she couldn’t because of her “relationship with Jesus Christ.” She referred them to another business for assistance. The Washington state attorney sued Stutzman for allegedly violating the Washington Law Against Discrimination and its Consumer Protection Act. Ingersoll and Freed soon filed their own lawsuit against Stutzman. The ruling settles both suits by summary judgment in the plaintiffs’ favor, preventing the case from proceeding to trial. Voters in Washington legalized same-sex marriage on Nov. 6, 2012. … [Read more...]
Ala. Supreme Court halts same-sex marriage licenses
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Supreme Court has ordered a halt to same-sex marriage licenses in the state, posing a direct challenge to a federal court in Mobile that overturned the state’s marriage laws. The Alabama court, in a March 3 decision, stated: “As it has done for approximately two centuries, Alabama law allows for ‘marriage’ between only one man and one woman. Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty.” This fact, the court stated, “does not change simply because the new definition of marriage has gained ascendancy in certain quarters of the country, even if one of those quarters is the federal judiciary.” The court issued its opinion as one body, called “per curiam,” rather than identifying the judges who drafted the 148-page ruling regarding probate judges who are the state officials responsible for issuing marriage licenses. The religious liberty firm Liberty Counsel, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of state moral concerns organizations ALCAP and the Alabama Policy Institute and a county probate judge, said it was a 7-1 ruling by the nine-member court, with one … [Read more...]