• 

  Baptist leaders discuss immigration reform with Obama

  Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter and Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore joined a small group of faith leaders who met with President Obama in the Oval Office April 15 to discuss immigration reform.

  04/18/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  World Vision policy on same-sex marriage sparks debate

  Within 48 hours, the Christian relief organization World Vision twice announced changes to its employee policy regarding gay marriage, essentially returning to its original position that prohibits same-sex unions.

  03/28/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Supreme Court will decide if Hobby Lobby has religious rights

  The Green family that owns the Hobby Lobby craft store chain believes the Affordable Care Act ran roughshod over their religious liberties. On March 25, the Supreme Court will hear the case.

  03/21/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Fired pharmacist sues alleging religious bias

  A Tennessee pharmacist and a Baptist church deacon who lost his job after an ongoing dispute over selling Plan B contraception sued his former bosses, claiming he was fired because of his religious beliefs.

  02/18/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Brief says Hobby Lobby puts RFRA on trial

  Lawyers representing Hobby Lobby against mandated coverage of contraceptives under Obamacare say forcing business owners to violate their deeply held religious beliefs or pay steep fines “is one of the most straightforward violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act this court is likely to see.”

  02/13/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Chaplains help others grieve, but learn to grieve themselves

  Chaplains, who usually help others grieve, need a chance to grieve themselves. This often-unspoken need now is being addressed across the country, with new training and a greater emphasis on mentoring.

  02/12/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Muñoz ruling sparks debate on prenatal, end-of-life issues

  An unusual controversy involving both ends of the “womb-to-tomb” spectrum of the sanctity of human life debate ended quietly Jan. 26 in a hospital in Fort Worth when doctors removed life support from a 33-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed as brain dead.

  01/28/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Justice Department appeals housing allowance ruling

  Department of Justice attorneys appealed a federal judge’s ruling declaring the ministers’ housing allowance unconstitutional.

  01/28/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Racial diversity at church more dream than reality

  More than 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr. declared 11 a.m. on Sunday the most segregated hour of the week, racially diverse congregations remain more dream than reality for most Protestant pastors, research reveals.

  01/22/2014 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Study says race perception gap widening

  Fifty years after Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech envisioned unity between blacks and whites, a new study finds a growing gap in racial attitudes and experiences in America.

  12/30/2013 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Texas Baptist universities win round against Obamacare

  A federal judge says East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University do not have to include emergency contraceptives in their employee insurance coverage.

  12/30/2013 - By John Rutledge

• 

  GuideStone injunction blocks abortion mandate

  A federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction Dec. 20 against a government mandate that requires employers—including some religiously affiliated ones—to provide contraceptive drugs and devices they believe cause abortions.

  12/23/2013 - By John Rutledge