SBC leaders commend CDC guidelines to churches
WASHINGTON (BP)—Southern Baptist leaders commended to churches the new federal guidelines for restoring in-person worship gatherings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, even as efforts to resolve conflicts between state governments and faith communities continue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued interim guidelines May 22 that reminded state and local officials to take the First Amendment right of...
Trump calls churches ‘essential’ as Baptist leaders urge equal treatment in reopening
WASHINGTON (BP)—Southern Baptist leaders are urging government officials to treat churches and other religious groups more justly in their reopening policies regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The calls for change came after churches in Minnesota and California told their governors they would begin holding in-person services in defiance of policies they consider to be unequal in treatment. Guidelines issued by Govs. Tim...
SBC leaders: Cooperation and threats to religious liberty
WASHINGTON (BP)—Church-state cooperation and threats to religious liberty have marked the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, two Southern Baptist leaders said. Mayors in Louisville, Ky., and Greenville, Miss., barred “drive-in” worship services days before Easter, resulting in objections from Christian leaders and lawsuits by the churches involved. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Louisville action...
Southern Baptist Coburn remembered for faith, integrity
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BP)—Retired U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Southern Baptist, is being remembered for his Christian faith, pro-life advocacy, campaign against government waste and friendships with political opponents following his March 28 death. Coburn, 72, who died after a prolonged struggle with prostate cancer, served Oklahoma as a Republican member of the Senate from 2005 to 2015. He retired with two years remaining in his second...
Efforts to protect born, unborn babies fail in Senate
WASHINGTON (BP)—The U.S. Senate failed again Tuesday, Feb. 25 to approve protections for unborn babies late in their mothers’ pregnancies and newborns who survive abortions. Supporters of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act fell short in afternoon attempts to bring the proposals to the Senate floor. They needed 60 votes to invoke cloture, as the procedural move is...
