NASHVILLE (BP)—Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission, in conjunction with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has filed an amicus brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case which will consider a Texas law requiring adult websites to verify the age of their users.

The law in question, Texas House Bill 1181, requires websites to verify the age of their users if at least one-third of their hosted content is considered “harmful to minors,” such as pornography. The law also requires such websites to include a warning describing the harmful medical and societal effects of pornography consumption.

The case, Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, will rule on whether or not the legislation violates the First Amendment by placing a burden on adults’ access to content the plaintiffs believe is protected by free speech.

It involves an adult industry trade organization—Free Speech Coalition—and other plaintiffs suing the State of Texas to prevent the law from taking effect. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is named as the defendant in the case.

ERLC amicus brief

The ERLC filed an amicus brief Friday, Nov. 22, in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

The brief explains the advent of free access to pornographic content via the internet should cause the High Court to examine what guidelines should be in place to protect minors.

“The exhibition and distribution of media containing obscene portrayals of sexual conduct is nothing new in America,” the brief states.

“But in the grand scheme of history, what is relatively new is the ubiquitous access that the internet provides to such materials. This gives rise to a host of moral, social, and health concerns, not the least of which is minors’ access to these materials.”

HB 1181 was passed in June 2023. A group of pornography companies, led by Free Speech Coalition, filed a lawsuit a month later to prevent it from going into effect.

BGCT and SBTC support

Baptists in Texas are committed to protecting children, which led to both state conventions’ participation in the brief.

John Litzler, director of public policy and general counsel for the BGCT, said: “In an effort to have courts strike down the age verification law, the pornography industry claims their content is protected by the fundamental right to free speech.

“They are wrong. While Texas Baptists are strong proponents of free speech rights, those rights do not include the freedom to provide pornography to minor children. We are grateful for the opportunity to link arms with our SBC and SBTC brothers and sisters to support the important and constitutional work the Texas Legislature has done to protect children in our state.”

“Churches must always fiercely stand up to protect our children from sexual immorality and pornography,” said Nathan Lorick, executive director of the SBTC.

“The SBTC signed on to this amicus brief because we believe that not only is pornography wrong, offering it to children is atrocious. We support age verification and are grateful for all who have worked to protect our children.”

Texas Attorney General

A district court granted the group’s preliminary injunction, but the Texas Attorney General’s office appealed the ruling, and the injunction was vacated by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Paxton applauded the decision of the 5th Circuit to uphold the law.

“Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content,” Paxton said in a press release last year. “As new technology makes harmful content more accessible than ever, we must make every effort to defend those who are most vulnerable.”

The challengers came to the Supreme Court in April of 2024 asking them to intervene, and in October the High Court announced it would take up the case as part of its January term.

U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in

The Supreme Court’s decision will rely on how it determines whether a user’s First Amendment rights have been violated.

The choice is between two methods or tests of interpretation known as the “rational basis” review or the “strict scrutiny” test.

The rational basis method, which was used by the lower court in its decision, looks at whether the law is rationally related to a legitimate government interest.

The challengers argue the strict scrutiny method should be applied instead, which would mean it is up to the government to demonstrate age-verification is the only solution to protect minors from harmful content.

SBC stance

The ERLC’s brief appealed to the 2001 SBC resolution “On The Plague Of Internet Pornography” and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 to illustrate Southern Baptists’ stance on the dangers of pornography, especially for minors.

“Southern Baptists believe that God gave all of humanity free choice when it comes to questions of morality. But minors often lack the developmental capacity or moral maturity to know how to exercise that free choice responsibly,” the brief continues.

“Thus, Southern Baptists believe it is important to structure society and society’s rules to maximize the ability to educate and train minors on their social and moral responsibilities. … And the States certainly have an important role to play in this process.”

The brief argues the lower court was correct in using the rational basis review method, and the challengers’ argument lacks historical context regarding the First Amendment.

“As originally understood, the First Amendment existed primarily to protect political speech and speech on matters of public concern,” the brief states.

“It was not originally understood to protect obscene expression, especially when such expression might be received by minors. To the contrary, it has been understood from the beginning of the Republic that States have broad discretion to use their police-power authority to protect minors from such expression. The Constitution has long given State policymaking a wide berth in this regard … Given this historical context, rational-basis review is the proper standard here.”

The Supreme Court will hear the case Jan. 15.

Wayland Baptist University’s Best Achievement Strategies for College students once again embodied servant leadership and community service with their fifth annual food donation to the Faith in Sharing House as part of Project HOPE—Helping Others by Providing Essentials. This year, nearly 60 students from three sections of BASC classes participated in the effort, with about a dozen delivering a pickup truck filled with more than 75 boxes of ramen noodles and other canned goods to FISH just in time for Thanksgiving. The project supports FISH, which serves as a food bankfor Hale County, and gives students an opportunity to serve the community and reflect on their experiences. “HOPE—Helping Others by Providing Essentials—is the name the students came up with this year for their project,” said Kassandra Lane, associate dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor of business administration. “Each student donates at least one package of ramen or a canned good and spends an hour volunteering at FISH. They then write about how the experience impacted them. It’s a wonderful way for them to translate Wayland’s mission of service to God and humankind into action.” The food donation comes at a critical time for FISH, which provides assistance to families across Hale County. The BASC service project emphasizes servant leadership, teaching students to identify and connect with career goals, overcome fears of college life and develop a strong sense of personal and community values.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and members of the Central Texas community established a Presidential Endowed Scholarship to honor fallen soldier Staff Sergeant Felix M. Conde-Falcon. SSG Conde-Falcon’s children, Richard Conde and Jeannie Holland attended Saturday’s annual Military Appreciation football game, where they were honored alongside representatives from the Military Officers Association of America–Central Texas Chapter, American Legion Post 133, and VFW Posts 4008 and 10377, in a ceremony at half-time. Just over a year ago, leaders from these organizations, community members and UMHB officials met with Richard Conde to establish the scholarship for students entering the ROTC program at UMHB and named it the Staff Sergeant Felix M. Conde-Falcon and Lydia Conde Medal of Honor Endowed Scholarship. Conde-Falcon was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Vietnam War. Conde-Falcon distinguished himself on April 4, 1969, when he was killed in the line of duty after destroying multiple enemy bunkers and demonstrating extraordinary leadership under fire. To date, this endowment has received $120,000 in contributions. A scholarship will be awarded to an eligible freshman or sophomore UMHB student enrolled in the ROTC program each year. The selection process for the inaugural scholarship recipient will begin in the spring of 2025. During half-time at Saturday’s football game, a check for $7,500 was presented to the endowment. To learn more about the Staff Sergeant Felix M. Conde-Falcon and Lydia Conde Medal of Honor Endowed Scholarship or donate, call 254-295-4173.

Howard Payne University student Chris Martinez, a junior kinesiology major from Brownwood, has been selected as a recipient of a CIC/UPS Scholarship provided by Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas and its national partner, the Council of Independent Colleges through its CIC/UPS Educational Endowment. “As a first-generation college student, receiving this scholarship will not only provide the financial support I need, but also serve as a significant source of encouragement and motivation,” said Martinez. “This scholarship helps me stay focused on achieving my academic and career goals. It also reminds me that God will always provide.” Upon graduation, Martinez aspires to coach men’s basketball. The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 745 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges and other higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization focused on service to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs.

East Texas Baptist University honored 125 graduating seniors by presenting their official ETBU class ring. The Ring Blessing was held Nov. 20, for December 2024 graduates. Inspired by Deuteronomy 6, the class ring allows ETBU Alumni to carry and display the love of Christ. Each ETBU class ring features the seal of ETBU, surrounded by the cornerstones of the university—Veritas, Mores and Scientia—which translate from Latin to truth, character and knowledge. Significant icons of ETBU and the Christian faith are inscribed in the ring, such as the historic Marshall Hall, the Light on the Hill, Max Greiner’s Divine Servant Statue and the Bible. These symbols remind alumni of God’s work in their lives and their transformational experience at ETBU. The ceremony celebrates students’ accomplishments during their time at ETBU and serves as a milestone marker leading up to commencement. As a token and gift of appreciation from the university to graduating seniors, the ETBU class ring symbolizes the university’s blessing over students as they commence from ETBU to pursue their career callings.

Buckner Retirement Services appointed Brian Robbins president, effective Dec. 16. This will be Robbins second tenure with the faith-based, nonprofit senior living provider, where he served as vice president and chief operating officer from 2017 to 2022. Robbins is a seasoned leader with more than two decades of experience in the senior living industry and a proud veteran with an additional decade of military service. “It feels like I am coming home,” Robbins said. “Family, faith, service and community are foundational elements in my life, and I appreciate how they are equally important for Buckner. I feel connected to the mission of Buckner and devoted to living its values each day in service of seniors and Buckner associates.” Prior to his career in senior living, Robbins served in the U.S. Navy, participating in pivotal operations such as Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom. Robbins holds a bachelor’s degree and certificate in leadership studies from Fort Hays State University, along with a certificate in long-term adult care administration from Cowley College. He also has a certificate in human dimensions of organizations from The University of Texas at Austin, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certificate from Purdue University, and nursing home administrator licenses in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. Robbins previously served on the board of directors for LeadingAge Texas, including as the chair of its public policy committee for more than 10 years, and volunteered with Honor Flight. Robbins will take over for Ken Robbins [no relation], who Buckner engaged to serve as interim president in August 2024 as the organization began its search for a new president.

Texas Baptists’ Office of Cooperative Program Ministry announced the winners of its 2024 Baptist Educators Serving Texans Award.

The award celebrates Baptist educators who are living out their faith daily among their students and the Texas Baptists institutions where they received their training. Eight award recipients were selected from among the universities that affiliate or relate to Texas Baptists.

The recipients are: Jason Fletcher, a graduate of Baylor University and high school science teacher in Midway ISD; Bailey Jordan Wofford, a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and middle school teacher in Mansfield ISD; Nay Chevalier, a graduate of Houston Christian University and teacher, leader and dean of students in Houston ISD; Sharon Davis, a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and retired former principal liaison at ESC Region 12, executive director for elementary schools and assistant superintendent in Killeen ISD; Amy Moss, a graduate of Wayland Baptist University and choral director in Frenship ISD; Jennifer Jordan, a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and high school social studies teacher and department chair in Abilene ISD; Brandi Parrish, a graduate of Howard Payne University and high school English teacher in Kilgore ISD; Liliana Virginia Player, a graduate of the Baptist University of the Américas and high school geometry teacher in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD.

Cooperative Program Director Clay Jacobson and the Office of Cooperative Program Ministry coordinated the award selection process.

“The B.E.S.T. Educators Award is a recognition of the outstanding achievements that an educator has accomplished in their field to the degree that their Texas Baptists alma mater recognizes their work,” Jacobson said.

“Publicly accessible education was born from the Protestant conviction to work for our community’s and society’s common good from a Christian worldview. The collaboration of Texas Baptists churches and our universities serve Texas and beyond towards this goal,” he added.

The annual award is presented to select Texas Baptists institution graduates who currently serve in faculty or administration roles in the Texas Public School System and are members of a church supportive of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Each university affiliated or related to Texas Baptists has the opportunity to select one graduate.

It is estimated graduates from Texas Baptists universities represent 6 to 8 percent of the more than 357,000 public school educators in Texas. The 2025 Missions and Ministries Budget, which was passed by messengers to the 2024 BGCT annual meeting, Nov. 10-12 in Waco, reflects an investment of more than $6.4 million in base support, student scholarships and ministerial financial aid directed to Texas Baptists educational institutions.

Texas Baptists Cooperative Program celebrates these graduates who share Christ daily in their classrooms and schools through the love and support they show their students. The B.E.S.T. Award was introduced in 2020 to honor the valuable contributions of these educators.

Several hundred people in North Carolina, who continue to deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene, will be warmer this Thanksgiving due to the generosity of a small Baptist association in Texas.

Keith Blanton, pastor of Cedar Shores Baptist Church in Morgan and new director of missions for Bosque Baptist Association, and Greg Beard of Grace of Giving left from the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Waco, Nov. 10-12, to deliver heaters to two churches in the mountains of far west North Carolina.

Beard is a member of Blanton’s church and president of Grace of Giving, a ministry that has delivered needed food and supplies to partners in the Rio Grande Valley since 2004.

When the churches in the association expressed interest in providing support to people affected by Hurricane Helene, Beard had connections in North Carolina who helped identify lack of heating as a serious concern heading into colder weather.

Propane tanks were available in North Carolina in the area the association planned to serve, but the contact noted they did not have access to heaters.

Beard pinpointed a specific type of propane heater that is safe to use indoors and affordable. The association would need to purchase the heaters and hoses to adapt them to the propane tanks for $150 per unit.

The association put out a call for heaters, allowing three to four weeks to collect the contributions before delivery. Blanton set a goal of 30 units for the association, believing it to be a reasonable goal for a small association comprised of small rural churches. With Grace of Giving contributions, they hoped to provide 100 heaters in all.

God had other plans

But the churches responded quickly and generously, providing enough funds for 118 heaters. Grace of Giving collected enough for 104 heaters.

“I know God is in this because every little piece has just fallen into place,” Blanton noted.

Because the initial hoses they purchased didn’t work when they came in, the hoses were exchanged for hoses that were $12 cheaper, reducing the cost per unit to $148. And a donor had offered to close the gap if there was a minimal shortage on the full cost of one unit.

In total, the association collected enough funds to purchase 240 heaters and hoses, the exact maximum number of heaters the trailer could hold. Additionally, the gooseneck of the trailer can fit exactly the number of milk crates needed to hold and transport the individually packaged hoses.

One hundred heaters were delivered to Plumtree Church in Plumtree, N.C., where Ryan Bridgeo is pastor. Fifty of these heaters will be shared with a local Baptist church, Roaring Creek Baptist Church.

One hundred and forty heaters were to be delivered to Matthew Toney, a deacon at The Ark of Western North Carolina, a nondenominational church in Spruce Pine, N.C.

But Blanton explained that while packing the trailer they discovered they could fit 10 more heaters. A last-minute donation to fill the trailer came through, bringing the Spruce Pine donation total up to 150 heaters and hoses.

The heaters will be distributed to those in the greatest need in the local tri-county area, including the local Hispanic community, Blanton noted.

At-risk association

This ministry might not have happened just a couple of years earlier.

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dwindling association considered disbanding.

Bosque Baptist Association, comprised of 19 churches from several small towns in Bosque County, near Lake Whitney, particularly was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Keith Blanton director of missions and pastor of Cedar Shores Baptist Church in Morgan, explained.

The rural churches sorted out how to adjust to the constraints the pandemic brought in the way each church felt worked best for the particular needs of its congregation.

The association cancelled its first meeting of 2020 in response to the COVID threat. Then in April of that year, the director of missions resigned to take a pastoral role in one of the churches in the association, Blanton said.

The association attempted to fill the open role, but with limited interest from applicants, struggled to find the right person for the job.

The association continued to hold annual meetings, with officers agreeing to continue their leadership during the interim. But in October of 2022, at the Bosque Association annual meeting, the future of the organization was up for discussion, Blanton explained.

The small group who came to the meeting considered options to “keep going along like we were at the time. One was to perhaps join with another association. Another was to just disband completely.”

The association decided to form a committee to explore ways to revitalize the association and encourage churches to become more active as an association again. Blanton said he wasn’t on that three-person committee but asked to meet with them, because he had some ideas.

The upcoming holidays delayed the start of the new committee. But one committee member, who is a music minister in the association, went ahead and planned for February 2023 an annual music festival the association holds.

Turn out for the festival was good, with 10 of the churches in the association participating, Blanton noted.

The church where the festival was held can hold 210 people, and it was packed, he explained. “So many of our churches came.”

People were singing and worshiping. “It was clear to everyone that was in there that the Holy Spirit was present. And it was really a good time of worship and fellowship between the people in our association,” Blanton said.

When he got up the next day at 5 a.m. to drive his school bus, Blanton said he was still “pumped” from the uplifting associational meeting the night before. As he was driving his bus, he thought to himself, “This association is not dead.”

“We thought as recently as October that we’re on life support, and it’s just not functioning,” he added. “[But] the people are here. The people are enthusiastic. The people can get excited. If only somebody would step up to lead them, we could do some really great things in ministry.”

When “somebody” is you

Blanton recalled how he’d raised his girls not to be the person who walks past a piece of trash on the ground and thinks, “Somebody ought to pick that up.” But instead, be the person who stops to pick up the litter or do whatever it is that needs doing.

He said it occurred to him: “You are somebody. If you volunteer to lead the association, maybe we could do some really great things in ministry.”

So, Blanton called the secretary of the association and asked to meet with the committee to discuss his willingness to be considered for the director of missions position.

He told the committee that director of missions was not something he’d ever aspired to be and assured the committee if they did not sense God was calling him to that role, “you’re not going to hurt my feelings.”

But the committee members all sensed God was leading that direction and Blanton added DOM to his pastor and bus driver titles in June of 2023.

He began the work with reestablishing connections between the association and the pastors of churches in the association.

In early 2024, the association hosted more opportunities to connect, with missions- and revitalization-focused workshops, than they’d held in a long time.

In the summer, the association worked together on a mission trip to Brownsville to help a church plant. Fourteen people participated and made many beneficial contacts for the church plant.

Several families the Bosque Association team met in canvasing were willing to host Bible studies in their homes and to join in the work of planting the new church.

Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office last month against three lottery retailers for selling scratch-off tickets in violation of the Texas Lottery Commission’s rules.

“Texas’ rules for the lottery prohibit the sale of lottery tickets over the phone or other similar devices,” the CLC explained in its latest newsletter.

The CLC sent letters to committee members in both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate outlining the complaints and noting these online sales of scratch-off lottery tickets violate Texas law.

“Unlike the controversial changes in 2020 to the Texas Lottery draw game rules that introduced new processes and definitions in 401.304 (b) ‘Entry of Plays’ to obscure the sale of Texas Lottery draw games via couriers, there are no such provisions in the Scratch Ticket Game Rules to allow the so-called ‘ordering’ of scratch tickets,” the letter reads.

In recent testimony before the Senate Committee on State affairs, CLC Consultant Rob Kohler explained how the retailers named in the letter “and the so-called ‘couriers’ they share common ownership with are acting in defiance of the legislature and the will of the people of Texas,” the CLC newsletter stated.

This type of lottery ticket sale constitutes an unauthorized expansion of gambling in Texas contrary to the lottery statutes and rules established when the lottery was put to a vote and established in 1991, Kohler explained in a phone call.

The Texas Lottery rules stipulate lottery players must be “physically present” at a licensed terminal location. The language used in the rule specifically prohibits the sale of lottery tickets “by mail, phone, fax, or other similar method of communication.”

Rule changes made by Zoom

But in 2020, during COVID, the lottery commission met by Zoom and changed the rules to delete the “present at the terminal” language and change the definition of what it meant to sell lottery tickets, opening the door to lottery ticket sales by phone or online.

The commission also deleted a rule that said a retailer “shall not accept telephone or mail-in requests to issue a ticket,” Kohler explained, among other changes.

The Texas Lottery Commission has claimed they made the 2020 changes to provide clarity and did not see them as substantive. The commission also claims it has no control over the “couriers.”

But Kohler provided testimony before the Texas Lottery Commission, Oct. 29, explaining the commission has dealt with the sale of Texas lottery tickets through means other than in person at a physical retailer very differently in the past.

Kohler argued a 1995 case of a dispute between the Texas Lottery Commission and “Pick-a-State,” involving phone sales—conducted in the same fashion the online “couriers” utilize—shows the claims Texas Lottery Commission is now making of having no control of couriers doesn’t line up with their history.

Kohler explained in the 1995 case a New Jersey police officer, Scott Wenner, used the vendor Pick-a-State to win a $10.4 million Texas Lottery jackpot, by phone purchase.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, Kohler noted. And at the time, the Texas Lottery Commission took a very different stance, threatening to revoke the lottery license of the liquor store that sold the ticket.

In 1995, the lottery commission argued the ticket was sold over the phone across state lines for more than face value, violating regulations requiring that all aspects of the lottery sale happen at the licensed retail location.

The Texas Lottery Commission challenged the win and refused to pay it, before eventually settling with Wenner, Kohler explained.

But in 2023, when an international syndicate bought up almost every possible combination and scored a $95 million Texas Lotto jackpot using online “couriers” the Texas Lottery Commission added extra machines to retail locations to print out mass tickets, making the rigged win achievable. And the commission made no argument against paying out the purse.

“How these actions did not violate Sec. 466.307 prohibiting the influence of the selection of winners is a question I still haven’t gotten the answer to,” Kohler said.

This is a marked contrast to the 1995 case when the commission fought against remote purchase of tickets across state lines, he noted.

While the Texas Lottery Commission legal counsel was familiar with the 1995 case, it appeared the lottery commission was not. That is a significant miss because its relevance is clear, and—as such—the case should have been included in documents submitted to the Sunset Advisory Board in connection with its ongoing Sunset review of the Texas Lottery Commission, Kohler explained.

‘Couriers’ and retailers a turn-key operation

The retailers specifically cited as being “commonly owned” with a courier in the CLC letter are located in Austin. But the companies that own these gambling-specific locations (not typical convenience stores)—Winners Corner and Players Café—are owned by “courier” companies Lotto.com and Jackpocket.com.

These “couriers” are under domestic ownership in New Jersey and Boston, but other “couriers” are owned by companies operating from offshore locations, Kohler explained.

The “courier” companies acquire lottery licenses for a retail location in order to purchase the tickets they sell online. Though they say they don’t sell the tickets online, they just provide a service to then go buy the ticket for the customer who wants one, Kohler explained and public testimony by “courier” representatives confirms.

The “couriers” claim to operate like Uber eats, where when a purchase is made online, it’s not really a purchase until the courier goes to pick up the ticket at a retail location. But that is not what happens in reality, as a CLC video of purchasing an online scratch-off ticket shows.

The “couriers” and the retailers with the lottery license are one-and-the same. Tickets are being sold against the legislative intent of in-person, face-to-face sales as only could have been contemplated by voters in 1991, Kohler noted.

Even so, Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Ryan Mindell acknowledged to Texas State Senator Mayes Middleton, Oct. 15, not one lottery license was revoked last year.

Texas Baptists’ public policy arm continues to push back against the illegal expansion of gambling in Texas by the Texas Lottery Commission.

“There’s one person that could stop this. And that’s Gov. Greg Abbott,” Kohler asserted. “He appoints those commissioners. He could call those commissioners and say: ‘Knock it off,’ and they’d knock it off. But that hasn’t happened.”

The governor’s office did not respond to email or voicemail requests for comment.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Over the strong objections of many religious groups, the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 21 approved a bill that would enable the secretary of the Treasury to rescind the tax-exempt status of any nonprofits the secretary concludes are “terrorist-supporting organizations.”

The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act was approved 219-184 and now heads to the U.S. Senate.

But civil rights groups and a host of religious groups committed to a broad range of issues such as Palestinian rights, immigrant rights, racial justice and climate change are determined to continue to fight it. They fear it might serve as a dangerous new tool for the incoming Trump administration to punish its opponents.

The bill would enable the secretary of the Treasury unilaterally to rescind the tax-exempt status of any nonprofits the secretary concludes are “terrorist-supporting organizations.” Those conceivably could include houses of worship, which are also nonprofits, though more likely civil rights groups, humanitarian organizations and universities.

The American Civil Liberties Union this week sent an open letter co-signed by nearly 300 nonprofits to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson expressing its “deep concerns” that the bill “creates a high risk of politicized and discriminatory enforcement.”

“The executive branch could use this authority to target its political opponents and use the fear of crippling legal fees, the stigma of the designation, and donors fleeing controversy to stifle dissent and chill speech and advocacy,” the ACLU letter said.

The Council of Foundations also opposed the bill.

Bill gained steam after campus protests

The bill was introduced by two Jewish congressmen shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that launched the war in Gaza. But it gained traction during the campus protests this past spring, in which pro-Palestinian activists demanded their universities divest from financial and cultural groups that support Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and its brutal military offensive on Palestinians in Gaza.

Some groups alleged nonprofits organizing on campus were not only supportive of Palestinians, but also of Hamas, which the United States designated as a terrorist group.

Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the more vocal Jewish groups demanding an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, is particularly fearful that if the bill becomes law a Trump administration might target the organization and others like it.

“We have every reason to believe that along with other powerful Palestinian rights movement organizing groups, the (Trump) administration would try to weaponize and use legislation like this to try to stop us from being able to continue to organize for Palestinian freedom and to end this genocide,” said Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action.

Jewish Voice for Peace is a relatively small but growing nonprofit with more than 32,000 dues-paying members, 100 volunteer-run local chapters and an annual budget of $7.3 million.

It was joined in opposing the bill by a host of other faith-based groups, including dozens of Muslim groups and mosques, mainline denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the major national institutions of Reform and Conservative Jewish movements.

Nonprofit status is critical to all of them. It gives them a kind of government seal of approval and allows donors to make tax-deductible donations, even though most taxpayers don’t itemize and thus don’t benefit from the deduction.

Federal income tax experts said the bill is redundant. U.S. laws already stipulate that any organization designated as a terrorist organization ceases to be tax-exempt. There are also tax rules that nonprofits that act illegally don’t qualify for tax exemption.

Material support or resources, not speech

The new bill targets “terrorist-supporting organizations.” But that support is defined as being of a material nature.

Samuel Brunson, a law professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, who specializes in federal income tax and nonprofit organizations, said advocating for Palestinians probably isn’t enough to get nonprofits into trouble if the bill becomes law.

The bill allows the Treasury secretary to go after organizations providing “material support or resources” to terrorist organizations—for example, money, property, lodging, training, weapons, personnel or transportation.

“It’s not that it couldn’t be used as a costly attack against these organizations, but effectively, I don’t see how you get speech to fall within the statute as it’s written,” Brunson said. “To some extent it is meant to be expressive more than enforced: ‘We want you to know that we can get your tax exemption and we’re not happy with what you’re doing.’”

The bill would give a nonprofit designated as “terror-supporting” 90 days to appeal. But it does not require the Treasury secretary to provide evidence for stripping the nonprofit of its tax-exempt status.

This was the second time the House voted on the bill. After House rules were suspended to fast-track the bill, it failed to garner the two-thirds majority required to pass.

It now heads to the Senate, which may decide to act on the bill early next year once Republicans take control of the upper chamber.

When the casseroles are gone and friends and family wave goodbye, the woman who has lost her husband now faces the unknown. From that moment forward, a widow must tread through each day alone, facing unfamiliar emotions and situations.

Becoming a widow can be a time filled with grief, fear and anxiety, and it often feels as though no one can understand or help.

Widows find themselves asking so many questions. What is my purpose? What does the future hold? What does being a widow mean?

Beth Campbell, Texas Woman’s Missionary Union communications consultant and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions project manager, found herself asking similar questions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her husband Rex developed COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized. Due to regulations at the time, when Rex took his last breath, his wife could not be with him.

Snow fell as she sat in her car while their daughter-in-law, an occupational therapist at the hospital, held the phone to her husband’s ear as he slipped away.

Stunned by the swiftness of what had happened over the prior 10 days, Beth Campbell said aloud to God: “I don’t understand, but I know you have a purpose and a plan. You are present and faithful.”

Through her grief, she clung to the promise of Psalm 119:50, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Since her life as a wife suddenly was over, she began to ask God to point her toward a new goal,and she patiently waited for directions.

“I have learned to be patient … waiting for God to reveal his purpose and plan, waiting to be ready to receive it,” she said.

She knew God intended her to work somehow with widows.

Grieving widows become Overcomers

Widowed friends joined her in prayer to discover God’s plan. In October 2021, they sensed it taking shape and becoming clear. Seven months later, Campbell and her friends Phyllis Brower and Connie Hamilton began Overcomers.

Living with their grief but filled with excitement, the three women unveiled a ministry that would focus on encouraging widows to overcome fear, anxiety, loneliness, doubt, adversity and worries about how to provide for themselves—all concerns widows face every day. Overcomers would be a community of women facing widowhood with confidence and grace.

Eighteen women came to the first meeting. Today, Campbell said, the ministry has grown beyond her church, First Baptist in Grand Prairie.

“It is from and of the Lord. It is an affirmation of his presence and faithfulness while being patient in affliction,” she said. The ministry expanded to include women outside the church and widows in all stages of grief and loss.

One member named Lisa, who was widowed at 40, said, “It is really nice to be in a room full of women who ‘get it,’ who understand the heartbreak, the loneliness, the trials and the challenges that come from this journey we are on.”

Another woman, Martha, said: “When I first joined Overcomers, I didn’t think it would really be beneficial to me. … I have come to realize that no matter how long your spouse has been gone, God can use grief in ways that I never thought possible.”

Learning to see the joy of the Lord

Overcomers helped her see beyond the grief and see the joy of the Lord, she added.

A typical two-hour Overcomers meeting includes games and activities, lunch, work on a mission project, a devotion and prayer. The members also enjoy excursions like a trip through the bluebonnet trails and a visit to a local museum.

Education and awareness are also part of the meetings, with members receiving information from experts about topics such as personal safety and making and updating a will.

Overcomers helps other ministries through projects and donations. It partners with Isaiah 117 House, a foster care support ministry, by donating gift cards and hygiene products and making blankets for the children. The group also participates in Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child by assisting the church with shoeboxes.

Before launching Overcomers, Campbell and her friends discussed the ministry with the church’s deacons, making them aware of the needs of widows in their congregation. She encouraged the deacons to prayerfully consider a widows’ ministry for those who need it now and in the future, reminding them, “It could be your wife that will [someday] need this ministry.”

Beth’s pastor, Bill Skaar, said: “The Overcomers ministry helps our church to minister far more effectively to our widows with a consistent ministry focused exclusively on them. The ministry has also helped our deacon body … by identifying practical needs [they] can meet.”

Suggestions for ministry to widows

For churches considering a widows’ ministry, Campbell suggests assigning two or three widowed members to each deacon so widows maintain regular contact with their deacon.

She offers these additional suggestions:

• Provide practical help. Set a scheduled time for widows to sign up for “handyman” help with repairs, computer and technical support, and financial guidance.
• Create a point of contact for widows. Widows are sometimes hesitant to call the church or a deacon when they have a need. Ask another widow or women’s ministry leader to be the point person. If a widow has an urgent need, she would contact the person, who would then contact the church.
• Host a GriefShare group at your church. Campbell believes this is one of the best resources a church can offer in support of widows. It is an opportunity to reach widows outside church. Through GriefShare, Campbell can invite widows to join Overcomers, where they’ll have a place to belong with others who understand.

Overcomers continues to grow and reach widows needing a community that understands.

The ministry operates according to God’s promise of comfort in affliction. First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Campbell encourages every widow to gather with other widows to find strength and purpose and to be an overcomer.

Tamela Turbeville is a freelance writer, author and director of a Christ-focused pro-life pregnancy center in Arkansas. An expanded version of this article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Missions Mosaic. It is republished with permission. Visit wmu.com for more information.

Members of a Baptist church in Mexico’s Hidalgo State who were displaced in April have moved to neighboring Veracruz State after local officials failed to honor their religious freedom rights, an international human rights group reported.

About 150 Christians associated with the Great Commission Fundamental Baptist Church relocated to Chalma, Veracruz, where they were offered the opportunity to rent land they can purchase later, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported on Nov. 21.

The Baptists initially were forced from their homes in the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo—indigenous Nahuati-speaking communities in Hidalgo—in April.

They sought refuge in Huejutla de los Reyes, where they asked the government to intercede for them and where local evangelicals provided them food and water.

In September, the displaced families were allowed to return home after municipal officials worked with Hidalgo State Secretary Guillermo Olivares and Religious Affairs Director Margarita Cabrera Roman to broker an agreement, assuring the Baptists their religious freedom rights would be protected.

Village leaders reneged on agreement

However, village leaders “quickly reneged on key provisions of the agreement,” Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported.

“Contrary to the stipulations of the agreement, those who returned to the villages were informed that they would be obliged to make financial contributions to the local Roman Catholic church, and while they would not be forced to participate in Roman Catholic events, they would be expected to pay associated fees,” CSW stated.

“The village authorities also communicated that they would not be permitted to speak about their religious beliefs and placed a ban on any conversions.”

The Baptists also learned their movements would be strictly monitored to prevent contact with associates and relatives in Veracruz.

They also were informed they would be barred from access to health, education and other government benefits for a year to ensure they complied with the restrictions.

“We are deeply disappointed that, yet again, the Mexican government at every level—municipal, state and federal—has neglected its responsibility to uphold constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion or belief and has placed the responsibility to resolve the egregious violation of their fundamental rights on the victims,” said Anna Lee Stangl, co-director of advocacy for CSW.

Coamila and Rancho Nuevo have a history of violating the religious freedom of minority faith groups dating back at least to 2015. The villages are governed under Mexico’s Law of Uses and Customs, which recognizes the right of indigenous communities to maintain their cultural and traditional local governance.

Action by government officials to broker an agreement “means little in the absence of enforcement and accountability measures for village leaders who continue to openly break Mexican law,” Stangl continued.

“We call on the Mexican government, once again, to take steps to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is protected for all, including indigenous people, and to combat a culture of impunity around freedom of religion or belief violations by holding individuals responsible for these crimes to account in a court of law,” she said.

The spiritual adviser of Steven Nelson—who was convicted of murdering Arlington Pastor Clint Dobson and is scheduled for execution—not only is pleading for mercy from the state, but also grace from some of those most deeply wounded by his actions.

“We don’t honor the memory of Clint Dobson by killing Steven Nelson,” said Jeff Hood, an anti-death penalty activist who grew up Southern Baptist and now is a priest in The Old Catholic Church.

Dobson was killed in March 2011 while serving as pastor of NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, then a satellite mission of First Baptist Church in Arlington.

The 28-year-old minister earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his Master of Divinity degree from Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, where he was named 2008 Preacher of the Year.

A Tarrant County jury sentenced Nelson to die after finding him guilty of killing Dobson. Nelson is slated to be executed by lethal injection Feb. 5, 2025.

Hood and Noa Dubois, Nelson’s fiancé, appeared at a Nov. 15 news conference across the street from First Baptist Church in Arlington to call on the courts to halt Nelson’s execution.

At the same time, Hood also urged the church to extend love to an enemy who still is “made in the image of God.”

Nelson was a victim of childhood abuse that left him “broken,” but he is not the “monster” some have labeled him, said Hood, who noted he has spoken to Nelson by phone “five or six times a week” the past few months.

Dubois, who plans to marry Nelson next month, said the person she has grown to know the past five years is a “gentle, caring man” who has moved beyond his troubled past to become a sensitive artist.

Insisting Nelson was not the only person involved in the crime at NorthPointe Baptist Church 13 years ago, Dubois is pleading for the courts to reexamine the case.

Pastor killed during violent robbery at church

Nelson participated in a robbery at NorthPointe Baptist Church on March 3, 2011. Dobson later was found in the church beaten, bound and smothered to death. Judy Elliott, ministry assistant at NorthPointe, was beaten and left for dead but survived her injuries.

Witnesses later saw Nelson driving a vehicle that matched the description of Elliott’s stolen car, and he used her credit card at a local shopping mall. He also sold Dobson’s stolen laptop for $150 on the day of the killing.

After his arrest, Nelson admitted to the robbery but claimed two other men involved in the crime killed Dobson. Physical evidence placed Nelson in proximity to Dobson and Elliott, and his fingerprints were found at the scene of the crime.

When a jury found Nelson guilty in October 2012, First Baptist Church and NorthPointe Baptist issued a joint statement in response to the verdict, stating in part: “This has been an unimaginably trying time for two families and two churches. Through God’s grace we have made it this far in what we know will be an ongoing legal process.”

The statement continued: “Most of all, we are grateful to God for holding us up every day since this occurred in March 2011. He will do so in the days to come. His love endures forever.”

In addition to pledging prayer for the Dobson and Elliott families, the churches also promised to “continue to pray for the people responsible for this terrible crime and their families.”

“We will pray that God will work a miracle of healing and peace and change in their lives. As people of faith, as Christians, that is what we must do,” the statement from the churches said.

Later, when the death sentence was handed down, the churches issued another statement: “We have all waited for this day. We have prayed for the people who are charged with the responsibility for the wheels of justice in our society. We have asked God for the truth to be known and for justice to be served. As the Bible teaches us, God has placed the civil authority in our midst so that innocent people can live in freedom without fear and so that guilty offenders can be appropriately punished.”

Stating the trial was conducted “with an incredible level of professionalism and integrity,” the churches concluded: “A jury comprised of members from our community has reached a verdict based on evidence presented in a court of law. We now can confidently say that justice has been served, and we will support the decision of this court.”

Hood: ‘Jesus didn’t kill’

However, Hood wants First Baptist Church in Arlington to extend “the extravagant grace of God” to the man convicted of Dobson’s murder.

“While the mortal heart might be incapable of forgiveness, with God all things are possible,” Hood wrote in an Oct. 31 letter to church leaders at First Baptist in Arlington.

The Baptist Standard contacted First Baptist in Arlington for a response. Church officials did not choose to comment publicly.

While Hood questions Nelson’s exact role at “one moment in time” in March 2011, he acknowledged Nelson was “part of a horrendous crime that deprived the world of an amazing person.”

Even so, he asserted, standing by while the state executes Nelson is not the answer for Christians.

As a spiritual adviser to Death Row inmates, Hood has been present in the death chamber for eight executions in four states.

Insisting, “Jesus didn’t kill,” he challenged Arlington church leaders to join the campaign to stop Nelson’s execution.

“You can’t execute hope,” Hood said.

WASHINGTON (BP)—President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a Baptist chaplain and former pastor to be the next head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Doug Collins is a North American Mission Board-endorsed Southern Baptist chaplain in the Air Force Reserves, serving in that role since 2002.

He served two years as a Navy chaplain before joining the Air Force after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He remains active with the Air Force Reserves, which included a 2008-09 deployment to Iraq.

A native of Gainesville, Ga., Collins was senior pastor of Chicopee Baptist Church from November 1994 through October 2005, according to the church’s annual church profile reporting.

He also served as chaplain for Chattahoochee Baptist Association and earned his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife Lisa are members of Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville.

 “I am grateful for people of faith, like Doug, who have sacrificially served our country and continue to do so when the nation calls upon them,” said Maj. Gen. (retired) Doug Carver, executive director of chaplaincy and federal endorser for the North American Mission Board.

“Caring for our nation’s veterans and for their families, caregivers, and survivors is an extremely noble calling. I will be praying for him as he takes on this important leadership role.”

Georgia voters elected Collins to the District 27 state representative seat in 2006. He was sent from Atlanta to Washington six years later, winning the District 9 election for the U.S. House. He stepped down to run for U.S. Senate in 2020, but lost.

Mike Melcher of Plainview, former director of advancement at Wayland Baptist University, died Nov. 4 in Dallas. He was 72. Phillip Michael Melcher was born March 3, 1952, to Louie and Iris Cloninger Melcher in Slaton. After he graduated from Slaton High School, he attended Texas Tech University, where he graduated with an undergraduate degree in business administration. After working briefly in banking, he began his career in the car sales business. He was owner and operator of Melcher Chevrolet in Littlefield from 1983 to 1988. While working at Gary Ritter Autoplex in Brownfield, he met and married Debra Graham. His other business enterprises included owning the Glass Slipper, where he sold shoes; Cake Lady, where he could be seen baking; and the Hot Cracker, where he was often in the kitchen preparing the meals. He began working in the Wayland Baptist University advancement office in 2006. He became director of advancement in 2012, serving in that role until he retired in 2023. In 2018, the Lubbock Association of Fundraising awarded Mike as the Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the year. While at Wayland, he earned a Master of Business Management degree. He was instrumental in bringing the Jimmy Dean Museum and the Jimmy Dean Musical Festival to Plainview. He was awarded Wayland’s highest honor, the President’s Award, in April 2023. For seven years, Mike and Deb Melcher owned and operated the President’s House Bed and Breakfast in Plainview. He held office and volunteered with the Lions Club in Littlefield, Lubbock and Plainview, and he served as a member and director of the Great Plains Lions Eye Bank board. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Barrett Bohn, and a brother, Larry Melcher. He is survived by his wife Deb Melcher of Plainview; son Wes Melcher of Prosper; son Russell Melcher and his wife Elizabeth of Canyon; daughter Kaci Bohn and husband Lee of Canyon; six grandchildren; and brothers Ken Melcher and Joe Melcher. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, in the chapel at First Baptist Church in Plainview. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 in the Harral Auditorium on the Wayland Baptist University campus. Memorial gifts can be made to the Mike Melcher Endowed Scholarship at Wayland Baptist University or the Wind and Rain Campaign at First Baptist Church of Plainview.

(RNS)—Tony Campolo, an American Baptist minister and sociologist who spent decades trying to convince evangelicals and other Christians that their faith should motivate them to address social ills like poverty and racism, has died. He was 89.

A native of Philadelphia, Campolo was known for his charismatic preaching and sense of humor, which made him a popular speaker at college campuses, churches and Christian conferences—and equally at home giving an altar call or social commentary.

“Putting religion and politics together is like mixing ice cream with horse manure,” he told the comedian and television host Stephen Colbert in 2006. “It doesn’t hurt the horse manure; it ruins the ice cream. And I think that this merger of church and state has done great harm to religion.”

The author of 35 books, Campolo held degrees from Eastern University, Palmer Theological Seminary and Temple University. He taught sociology first at the University of Pennsylvania and then for decades at Eastern Christian College, where he was named professor emeritus.

He also served as an associate pastor at Mount Carmel Baptist, a predominantly Black church in Philadelphia, and in 2019 was named a co-pastor of St. John’s Baptist.

Inspired young people to be world changers

Starting in the 1980s, with books such as It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin’, A Reasonable Faith, Who Switched the Price Tags and The Kingdom of God Is a Party, Campolo showed a knack for reaching young people with the Christian gospel and then inspiring them to go out and work to change the world. In the process, he often challenged the religious right.

In 1985, he lost a speaking gig at Youth Congress, a national event in Washington, D.C., after critics complained his book A Reasonable Faith was heretical. A panel of evangelical theologians then “determined that Tony Campolo cannot rightly be called a heretic,” according to Christianity Today.

He eventually became a spiritual adviser to then-President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Campolo also founded a nonprofit called the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, which worked in several countries, including Haiti, from the early 1970s to 2014.

Ryan Burge, a former American Baptist pastor and an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, said Campolo carried forward the legacy of the social gospel.

“Tony Campolo was one of the most talented and sought-after preachers in the United States for several decades. He was able to speak to audiences from all corners of American Christianity—reminding them of the radical grace and forgiveness that is found in the gospel,” Burge said.

Passion for justice rooted in early family life

The child of Italian American immigrants, Campolo said his belief that Christianity could change lives in this world—as well as saving people’s souls—grew out of his childhood.

In a 2016 online interview, he told the story of how a Baptist mission changed the course of his family’s life.

“My father couldn’t find a job and they were totally impoverished, and a Baptist mission in South Philadelphia reached out to them, got my father a job, got them a place to stay, put their feet on solid ground and really saved them from despair and destitution,” he recalled.

“People often ask me: ‘Where did you get your social consciousness? Where did you get your commitment to the poor, before it was ever fashionable?’ My mother and father saw in the way they were treated by a group of Baptists that this is what Christianity is about. It’s not about getting a ticket to heaven, it’s about becoming an instrument of God to transform this world.”

In 2007, Campolo, along with author and activist Shane Claiborne, founded Red Letter Christians, a challenge to the conservative evangelical voting bloc. The name came from the practice of Bible publishers printing the words of Jesus in red ink and highlighted the social and ethical teachings of Jesus. In 2012, Campolo was given a lifetime award from the National Youth Workers Convention for his work inspiring young people.

“As a result of Tony’s life of ministry and leadership he has left a legacy of encouragement and hope to youth workers and students everywhere,” the award read, according to an official bio of Campolo.

Campolo suffered a stoke in 2020, which partially paralyzed his left side. He suffered a previous stroke in 2002.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has influenced evangelicalism more than Tony Campolo in the last 50 years,” Claiborne told RNS at the time.

Campolo is survived by his wife Peggy, son Bart and daughter Lisa.