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Archives For November 30, 1999

It’s time to update the marriage map

Meredith Flynn —  February 27, 2014

Marriage_Map_New

NEWS | Meredith Flynn

At the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in June, Birmingham pastor David Platt chuckled when a fellow panelist asked him to give an update on his state and same-sex marriage. Alabama was standing firm, Platt said. No one would have argued with him eight months ago.

But court rulings have fallen like dominoes across the country over the past several days, making same-sex marriage a nearing reality for even the most conservative states.

A federal judge in Kentucky today ordered officials to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The state’s Attorney General has asked for a 90-day delay to determine whether to appeal a Feb. 12 ruling that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

And Texas on Wednesday became the latest state to have its ban on same-sex marriage overturned by a federal judge. Like in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia and Kentucky, the ruling was immediately stayed, pending appeal.

The rulings came after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Monday that state attorneys general do not have to defend laws they view as discriminatory. From the The New York Times: “Mr. Holder was careful not to encourage his state counterparts to disavow their own laws, but said that officials who have carefully studied bans on gay marriage could refuse to defend them.”

Even after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June, the Bible belt seemed the least likely region to embrace a new definition of marriage. But the rulings in Kentucky and Texas (and traditionally conservative Utah) make one wonder where it might happen next.

PolicyMic.com asked the same question last summer, but in reverse. They listed the top 7 states least likely to support marriage equality, with Mississippi in the top spot. Sixth on the list was Utah. And at #4, Kentucky.

What a difference eight months makes.

Meredith Flynn is managing editor of the Illinois Baptist newspaper.

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Christians debate Arizona’s right of refusal law

Meredith Flynn —  February 26, 2014

The_BriefingTHE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

Christian leaders are engaged in debate over an Arizona bill that would allow businesses to deny services to same-sex couples for religious reasons.

As the bill awaits signature by Gov. Jan Brewer, writers Kirsten Powers and Jonathan Merritt have written an article for The Daily Beast taking issue with the bill and with Christians who say they should be allowed to refuse services – such as wedding photography or cake baking – because they adhere to a biblical definition of marriage.

Powers and Merritt said the logic behind the Arizona bill only works if Christian photographers or bakers or florists examine every wedding they provide services for to make sure that it meets biblical qualifications. They also called into question advice given by Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, to a Christian photographer who didn’t want to affirm a same-sex wedding by agreeing to film the ceremony.

In a post on his website, Moore responded to Powers and Merritt: “…The question at hand was one of pastoral counsel. How should a Christian think about his own decision about whether to use his creative gifts in a way that might, he believes, celebrate something he believes will result in eternal harm to others.

“…It’s of no harm to anyone else if Kirsten Powers and Jonathan Merritt (both of whom I love) think me to be a hypocrite. It’s fine for the Daily Beast to ridicule the sexual ethic of the historic Christian church, represented confessionally across the divide of Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy. It’s quite another thing for the state to coerce persons through fines and penalties and licenses to use their creative gifts to support weddings they believe to be sinful.”

Read Moore’s full response at RussellMoore.com.

Other news:

Shoring up hope in the Philippines
A team of six Illinois volunteers spent a week on Gibitngil Island in the Philippines this month, helping repair a school damaged during Typhoon Haiyan. Read about their trip here.

Parents jailed for son’s death
A Philadelphia couple was sentenced to at least three years in prison after their son died from a treatable condition, Christianity Today online reports. Herbert and Catherine Schaible, who believe in faith healing, had already lost their son, Kent, to bacterial pneumonia in 2009. His younger brother, Brandon, died last year with the same ailment. “You’ve killed two of your children,” Judge Benjamin Lerner told the Schaibles. “…Not God. Not your church. Not religious devotion. You.” Read the full story at ChristianityToday.com.

Barna: Americans link violent behavior with violent entertainment
Recent research says 57% of all adults (and 69% of practicing Christians) believe violent action is connected to playing violent videogames, according to Barna. The percentages are slightly lower for movies (51% and 67%) and song lyrics (47% and 61%). Read more at Barna.org.

Worship and hockey: ‘Only in Canada’
The Olympic gold medal hockey game was broadcast on a Sunday morning in Canada. But that didn’t stop one church in Nova Scotia from cheering on the home team, The Christian Post reported. Bedford United Church streamed the game, a 3-0 victory for Canada, in its sanctuary, causing one Twitter user to post: “That’s an ‘only in Canada’ moment!” Read the full story at ChristianPost.com.

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One year later: Still exorcised over same-sex marriage

Meredith Flynn —  February 20, 2014

wedding_bandsCOMMENTARY | Lisa Sergent

It wasn’t an exorcism, not in the way most people think of it: priests confronting the possessed with crosses and commands, the possessed responding with spinning heads and levitation. You know, like in the movies.

Instead, this was a worship service in a cathedral, led by a bishop. And its content was the rejection of Satan and his lies, affirmation of God and His truth, and repentance for the actions of our leaders in government.

The service was held at the same time Governor Quinn was signing the newly-passed same-sex marriage bill into law at an exuberant celebration in Chicago. Inside the Cathedral, it was prayerful and peaceful. A quick glance outside showed only a few protesters. And while the service was well attended by Catholics and some conservative Christians who had fought legalization of same-sex marriage, it went mostly unreported outside Illinois.

Until now.

It was one year ago last week, on February 14, 2013, that the State Senate passed SB 10. The succeeding flurry of rallies and legislative maneuverings produced a roller coaster of emotions for people on both sides, until the House passed the bill on November 5, 2013. Same-sex marriages will begin in Illinois on June 1.

Until then, what remains are the questions: How will churches respond when same-sex couples seek use of their facilities for wedding ceremonies?

Will churches allow the threat of lawsuits to have a chilling effect on other outreach ministries to their communities?

Will Christians remember the actions of their local legislators when they enter the voting booths in March and November?

And how long will mainstream media continue to depict people who hold to a biblical definition of marriage – Protestants and Catholics alike – as intolerant and extremist?

In answer to the last question: For a long time to come.

In January, Salon.com published excerpts of an interview with Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, calling the November event “a massive exorcism.”

“Certainly the redefinition of marriage is an opposition to God’s plan for married life,” the Bishop explained. “So I thought that would be a fitting time to have that prayer, really for praying for God and his power to drive out the Devil from his influence that seems to be pervading our culture.”

Now, three months later, Paprocki equates his actions with parenting: “Perhaps it’s the permissiveness of our society that people think…that you’re somehow being hateful, if you don’t give them what they want. But sometimes, like any good parent will tell you, that sometimes you have to discipline your child, sometimes you have to say no.”

Lisa Sergent is IBSA’s director of communications.

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Our moral minority

Meredith Flynn —  December 6, 2013

pull quote_ADAMSCOMMENTARY | Nate Adams

On November 5 our Illinois state legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriage, effective next June. Much could be written about how and why that happened, and what its consequences will be for churches, in the culture, and within families. Right now, however, none of those lamentations are as important as the need for individual churches to get prepared for the future under this new law.

To begin with, churches that haven’t already done so need to review their bylaws and written policies to make sure they protect their beliefs and practices as much as possible. At http://www.IBSA.org/ssm, you can find some recommended language, as well as other resources, and further information on the legislation that was just passed.

Churches would also be wise to clearly and intentionally communicate to their members the biblical reasons for their position on same-sex marriage. During last month’s IBSA Annual Meeting, messengers unanimously approved a resolution concerning “The Preservation of Biblical Marriage and Affirmation of Religious Liberty of Illinois Churches and Faith-based Organizations.”

This resolution is also available at http://www.IBSA.org/ssm, and presents a brief, biblically supported rationale for opposition to same-sex marriage that can be used as a teaching tool or handout for church members.

At the same time, churches also need to prepare themselves and their members to minister in a culture where LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) citizens more openly assert themselves. I’ve read several good articles on this recently that challenge churches to stand firmly on biblical conviction, but also to look for opportunities to reach people in this new environment, and to recognize the double standards that may unwittingly exist in the church related to other sinful behaviors.

Like it or not, churches also need to recognize that in surveys, a majority of Americans now appear to have an accepting or at least apathetic attitude toward same-sex marriage and individual sexual expression.

That means that even professing Christians may disagree or have varying opinions on what the church’s posture should be toward the changing culture. Nurturing a balanced, biblical unity in the church will mean equipping and encouraging members to neither condemn people, nor to condone sin.

During this fall’s convocation at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary President Jeff Iorg, referring to the moral decline described in Romans 1:32, said, “Sexual sins are not the final step on this downward spiral. The last step of rejecting biblical morality is when people applaud or celebrate those who legitimize immoral practices. We have reached that point in America.”

Iorg went on to refer to 1 Peter 4:1-11 and stated, “As a result of your unwillingness to affirm their choices, unbelievers will slander you. I predict that today’s slander is a precursor to more serious social, legal and physical opposition coming in the next few years.”

Dr. Iorg concluded his warning, however, with an exhortation to a loving Christian response: “Believers cannot become preoccupied with opposing immoral behavior; instead, they must realize that moral choices come from a person’s spiritual condition. Unbelievers act like unbelievers. While we uphold our moral convictions, expecting unbelievers to model Christian behavior is a misplaced hope.

“Your first and best response to immorality in your community is to preach, teach, share, witness and live the Gospel. The greatest need of every person in the world – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, adulterer, fornicator or straight-laced puritan is still the Gospel.”

After November 5, we as Bible believing Christians may feel like a moral minority. But so did the early Christians, and most of the Old Testament prophets, and certainly Abraham when he pled for the city of Sodom. Our shifting culture simply makes our own pursuit of holiness as believers more important, and our advancement of the Gospel here in Illinois more urgent.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

 

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After the marriage vote, what now?

Meredith Flynn —  November 7, 2013

COMMENTARY | Meredith Flynn

For something that we talked about for so long, the debate over same-sex marriage seemed to end so quickly. Tuesday’s vote in the Illinois House was preceded by two hours of debate, sure, but the feeling inside the Capitol was that this decision was a foregone conclusion.

The legislation – officially titled Senate Bill 10 – passed narrowly through the House and zipped back through the Senate and onto to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk, where presumably it will be signed soon. If all goes according to the bill, same-sex marriage is legal in Illinois effective June 1, 2014.

Supporters of the bill stood in line outside the House gallery, hoping to get inside before the vote. As discussion dragged on inside the chamber, they huddled around iPads and cell phones, listening to a live stream of the debate. Eventually, they struck up conversations about what a yes vote would mean.

“It’s a no-brainer,” a young woman in an ILove T-shirt told me. She was polite and hopeful about the day, probably college-age. We chatted for a few minutes about what we thought about the issue, and I told her church leaders are most concerned about redefining something originally defined by God.

“But not everyone believes in God,” she said. For her, religion and the matter at hand were completely separate. And after five or ten minutes, I realized I didn’t have answers to counter her argument.

Before the vote, we heard that people on the pro side of the same-sex marriage won’t be persuaded by debate based on the Bible. In other words, our defense of marriage is rightly grounded in biblical truth, but our arguments need oomph – sociological, philosophical and yes, theological, oomph.

How true that is now that we’re facing a new normal in Illinois. As I continued to think about what I could have said in that line, I realized this is a new day for Christians too. We have to pray harder for our culture, study God’s Word more faithfully, and be more diligent in our thinking. Unlike my friend in line, this has to be a “brainer” for us.

Above all, we have to be more loving. This months-long debate has been divisive. Relationships are frayed between conservative Christians and those who advocated a new definition of marriage. We have to love intentionally in the days ahead. We’ll do that by thinking deeply and compassionately, and with discipline. And letting our words so follow.

Meredith Flynn is managing editor of the Illinois Baptist newspaper.

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Gay marriage legalized, ending conservative Christians’ long protest

Meredith Flynn —  November 5, 2013
Advocates for same-sex marriage packed the House gallery before lawmakers voted to approve SB 10 Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Advocates for same-sex marriage packed the House gallery before lawmakers voted to approve SB 10 Tuesday, Nov. 5.

FULL REPORT FROM THE CAPITOL | Gay marriage will be legal in Illinois starting June 1, after the General Assembly passed the bill today. Lawmakers in both houses approved an amended SB 10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Next, it goes to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.

“Today the Illinois House put our state on the right side of history,” Quinn said in a statement. “Illinois is a place that embraces all people and today, we are an example for the nation.”

But not everyone agrees. Larry Trotter, pastor of Sweet Holy Spirit Church, has been a vocal opponent of SB 10 and worked with a coalition of African American pastors in Chicago to fight the legislation. “Regardless of the passage of SB10, we’ll always believe that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Trotter told the Chicago Sun-Times after the vote. “Yet we will still love the members of the LGBT community. We pray God’s grace, mercy and blessings over the state of Illinois and the United States of America.”

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), is congratulated after House members voted 61-54 in favor of it, with two voting present.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), is congratulated after House members voted 61-54 in favor of it, with two voting present.

Needing 60 votes to pass the amended bill, the Illinois House voted 61-54 in favor of it, with two voting present. Same-sex marriage advocates waited in line for a seat in the gallery as legislators debated two amendments. One amendment set the effective date, while the other reiterated protections for private clubs. Even so, church leaders are still concerned the measure may endanger their freedom to choose who can marry in their facilities.

The amended bill passed through the House to applause from a packed gallery, and Rep. Greg Harris, the bill’s House sponsor, got handshakes and hugs from fellow legislators as he exited the House after the vote. SB 10 then moved back to the Senate chamber, where it was originally approved in February. Senators passed the amended bill by a vote of 32-21, with six not voting.

People on both sides of the issue had been alerted that a vote could come this week, but after last week’s turnout for a rally at the Capitol, reporters from the Illinois Baptist saw little presence of conservative Christians today.

Prior to the vote, IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams sent lawmakers a letter urging them to vote against legislation like SB 10 that seeks to redefine marriage. “I’m personally very disappointed in the state legislature’s action, and in its ramifications for churches and their freedom of speech and religious expression,” Adams said after SB 10 passed.. “I believe Baptist churches in Illinois will continue to stand on the Bible’s definition of marriage as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, while continuing to reach out in love with the Gospel message to all people.”

Messengers to the IBSA Annual Meeting will consider a resolution on same-sex marriage when they meet in Springfield Nov. 13-14. The “Resolution on the Preservation of Biblical Marriage and Affirmation of Religious Liberty of Illinois Churches and Faith-based Organizations” is available online here.

 

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Illinois gay marriage vote may happen this week

Meredith Flynn —  November 5, 2013

Baptists and other clergy alert lawmakers to objections again

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

As Illinois lawmakers enter into the final week of their fall veto session, they haven’t yet tackled the most talked-about item on their agenda: marriage. But optimism from the sponsor of SB 10, the bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois, has advocates on both sides of the issue poised for a possible conclusion this week to several long months of debate.

Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) told the Associated Press in late October, “I’m feeling good. Things are moving in the right direction.” Harris faced doubts from same-sex marriage supporters when he failed to call the bill for a vote on the House floor on the last day of session in May. After a relatively quiet summer, advocates for same-sex marriage and traditional marriage rallied at the Capitol on separate days as legislators returned for veto session.

In the first few days of veto session, pundits said legislators were showing a lack of urgency about marriage, based on their political prospects in the upcoming primary season. But Harris told the Illinois Observer last week, “I think my colleagues should be prepared next week to make history on marriage equality.”

Church leaders with different opinions on the issue weighed in amid the new buzz surrounding SB 10. A group of more than 300 clergy members and religious leaders sent a letter to House representatives encouraging them to approve the bill, noting that marriage equality is “morally just.” On the other side of the debate, African American religious leaders who support traditional marriage said candidates who vote yes on SB 10 won’t fair well with voters.

“I think that they will feel the crunch,” said Larry Trotter, pastor of Sweet Holy Spirit Baptist Church and a vocal advocate of traditional marriage throughout the debate in Illinois. “I think that they cannot take for granted that they can come to the church; and get the church’s sanction, and votes, and signatures; and then go to Springfield, and don’t speak what the people want them to speak. And so now, if that’s how we have to be heard, we will be heard,” Trotter told CBS Chicago.

Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, sent a letter urging representatives to defeat legislation like SB 10 that seeks to redefine marriage. “This legislation is actually discriminatory in that it declares Illinoisans who support traditional marriage to be bigoted and prejudicial,” Adams wrote. “Rather than promoting tolerance it risks legalizing intolerance.”

Adams’ letter also included the text of a resolution Illinois Baptists will consider at their annual meeting next week. The “Resolution on the Preservation of Biblical Marriage and Affirmation of Religious Liberty of Illinois Churches and Faith-based Organizations” is available online here. Messengers will vote on it and other resolutions when they meet in Springfield Nov. 13-14.

Other news:

Supreme Court considers legislative prayer case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 6 on “Town of Greece vs. Galloway,” a case out of New York that questions the constitutionality of prayer before civic meetings. President Obama’s administration issued earlier this year a “friend of the court” brief that sides with Greece and their policy of prayer before town board meetings. Read Pew’s thorough explanation of the case here.

Obama advisor publishes ‘President’s Devotional’
Joshua DuBois, former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, is sharing daily devotional readings he wrote for the President in a new book. From the Amazon.com description: “Every day, DuBois provided President Obama with a morning devotional weaving together scripture, song, prayer, and reflections, motivated by the spirit of God and infused with joyful flair. The President’s Devotional contains the best of these devotionals, daily spiritual guidance that offer peace, comfort, and inspiration throughout the entire year.”

And The Christian Post has a story about one group questioning whether DuBois writing the devotionals was a violation of separation of church and state.

Journalist shares unlikely conversion story
Fox News commentator Kirsten Powers says, “Just seven years ago, if someone had told me that I’d be writing for Christianity Today magazine about how I came to believe in God, I would have laughed out loud.” But Powers does just that on CT’s website, detailing her conversion to a faith she “held in particular contempt.” Her encouraging, thoughtful testimony is online here.

Tunes for your Tuesday
Need some nostalgia in your life? Check out Relevant.com’s list of “10 CCM songs of the ’90s that still hold up.” The list has selections from almost every genre contemporary Christian music offered back then, and also includes links to YouTube videos. Read it here.

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Illinois same-sex marriage vote may be near

Meredith Flynn —  November 1, 2013

NEWS | Lisa Sergent

Contrary to what we were hearing last week, the Illinois House may vote on the same-sex marriage bill next week. Recent news reports suggest the same-sex marriage bill, officially known as SB 10 or the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” will be called for a floor vote in the Illinois House of Representatives during the final week of the fall veto session, which begins November 5.

Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the bill’s main sponsor, told the Illinois Observer this week, “I think my colleagues should be prepared next week to make history on marriage equality.”

Southern Baptists in Illinois will meet November 13-14 in Springfield for the IBSA Annual Meeting and messengers will vote on a resolution affirming biblical marriage and religious liberty. “In just a few days, messengers from hundreds of churches representing more than 200,000 church members will gather in Springfield and vote on a strongly worded resolution supporting the ‘Preservation of Biblical Marriage and Affirmation of Religious Liberty of Illinois Churches and Faith-based Organizations,’” said Nate Adams, IBSA Executive Director.

“I hope Illinois legislators will hear and heed the voices of these concerned church members and citizens, and resist the pressures to redefine marriage here in Illinois.”

Rallies were held by advocates on each side of the issue during the first week of the fall veto session, which began October 22. The two rallies drew between 3,000 to 4,000 participants each hoping to persuade lawmakers to support their side of the issue.

Baptists in Illinois are actively opposed to same-sex marriage. “In every Baptist church I visit across the state of Illinois,” said Adams, “I find people uniformly opposed to same-sex marriage on biblical, moral, and societal grounds, and very frustrated with the legislators who support its establishment in Illinois.”

SB 10 was passed by the Illinois Senate on February 14.

Same-sex marriage is legal in 14 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Lisa Sergent is director of communications for the Illinois Baptist State Association.

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Marriage debaters rally at the Capitol

Meredith Flynn —  October 24, 2013

NEWS | People voiced their support for a traditional definition of marriage Wednesday at the Illinois Capitol, gathering for a prayer rally in front of the Lincoln statue and later moving inside to lobby their legislators. The Illinois Family Institute (IFI), who sponsored the event, also provided signs that read “Strengthen Marriage, Don’t Redefine It,” and “Marriage. One Man. One Woman. Period.”

The rally came one day after supporters of same-sex marriage gathered in Springfield to express their support for SB10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. The bill, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois, was approved in the Senate on Valentine’s Day but stalled in the House on lawmakers’ last day in session.

When lawmakers returned this week, some expected marriage to be on the legislative agenda. But the House has cancelled its scheduled session for Thursday, which could signify a “lack of urgency looming over the General Assembly’s fall session,” according to a Tuesday article in the Chicago Tribune. The newspaper reported some representatives may want to wait until after January to vote on same-sex marriage, because by then they’ll know who they are running against in the spring’s primary elections. The House currently is scheduled to be back in session Nov. 5-7.

Outside the Capitol, voices on both sides of the issue have not lost their urgency despite the summer recess. According to the Tribune, police estimate 3,000 people attended the “March on Springfield for Marriage Equality” Tuesday. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin also were in attendance; Quinn has said he will sign the same-sex marriage legislation if it reaches his desk.

At the IFI-sponsored rally Wednesday, church leaders from several denominations faced the crowd and prayed for the legislative struggle and for a small group of counter-protestors across the street. Mike Henderson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Springfield, prayed for God’s Word to be upheld. “…Help it, Lord, to be hidden deep within our hearts and within our souls. Help us to stand for it no matter what resistance may try to come up against us, because we know, Lord, that You’ve already won the battle.”

Due to legislative rules, if SB10 is passed this fall, same-sex marriages could begin in June 2014. However, if voted on and passed in January, such marriages could begin in February 2014. Illinois would be the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Photos from Wednesday’s rally

Rally attenders pick up signs in front of the Lincoln statue on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Rally attenders pick up signs in front of the Lincoln statue on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

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Pastor Danny Holliday of Victory Baptist in Alton prays during the rally.

Pastor Danny Holliday of Victory Baptist in Alton prays during the rally.

Pastor Michael Henderson and his wife, Brenna, of FBC Springfield, pray and read Scripture under the gaze of Abraham Lincoln.

Pastor Mike Henderson and his wife, Brenna, of FBC Springfield, pray and read Scripture under the gaze of Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln impersonator Dr. Mark Zumhagen delivered the Gettysburg Address, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

Abraham Lincoln impersonator Dr. Mark Zumhagen delivered the Gettysburg Address, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

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SBC’s GuideStone sues government over abortion mandate

Meredith Flynn —  October 22, 2013

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

GuideStone Financial Resources has joined a long list of organizations suing the federal government over the abortion/contraceptive mandate within President Obama’s healthcare reform package.

GuideStone, the Southern Baptist Convention’s health and benefits entity, filed suit Oct. 11 along with two other organizations – Oklahoma-based Reaching Souls International, and Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga. Baptist Press reports:

The suit contends the religious liberty of the entities and other non-church-related organizations covered by GuideStone’s health plan, is violated by a rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the 2010 health-care law. The HHS regulation requires employers to pay for coverage of workers’ contraceptives, including drugs that can cause abortions, but does not provide an exemption for entities like those that filed suit.

“GuideStone plans do not cover drugs or devices that can or do cause abortions,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said in a written release from the entity Monday (Oct. 14).

“We reluctantly take this step because we are committed to protecting the unborn and preserving the religious freedom that is guaranteed under the laws of this nation,” he said. “This mandate runs rough-shod over these foundational principles.”

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is representing in GuideStone in the suit, which is the 74th such complaint filed against the mandate. Read more at BPNews.net.

Opposing voices in Illinois marriage debate head to the Capitol
People for and against same-sex marriage will rally in Springfield this week in hopes of swaying the votes of lawmakers back in town for the fall veto session. It’s not clear whether sponsors of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act have the votes needed to pass the measure (it stalled in the House last May), but same-sex marriage supporters are planning a rally and march around the Capitol today, October 22. On Wednesday the 23rd, the Illinois Family Institute will host a prayer rally and “Lobby Day” at the Capitol.

Southern Baptist task force addresses baptism decline
A group of leaders assembled by the North American Mission Board will meet over the next few months to discuss the decline in baptisms across the Southern Baptist Convention. “Our baptismal trends are all headed in the wrong direction,” NAMB’s vice president for evangelism, Al Gilbert, told Baptist Press. “With a burden to penetrate lostness in North America, we must pray and think through what we can and should do to turn around this decline.”

According to the 2012 Annual Church Profile, Southern Baptist churches baptized fewer than 315,000 people last year, the first time baptisms dropped below that number since 1948. The 2012 total was 5.5% less than the previous year.

Gilbert and Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, will facilitate meetings for the group, which consists of 15 pastors and leaders from Southern Baptist entities. Baptist Press reports the task force hopes to conclude their work in May 2014. Read more at BPNews.net.

Graham’s ‘My Hope’ event set for Nov. 7-10
Billy Graham’s next evangelistic event could be his largest crusade ever. More than 25,000 churches have signed up to take part in My Hope America, which asks Christians to invite non-believers into their homes and churches to watch Graham preach on the power of the cross. His message will be broadcast Nov. 7-10 on various outlets; go to myhopewithbillygraham.org for a full list and schedule.

Spokesperson Brent Rinehart told The Christian Post, “Woven within Graham’s message are the faith stories of two popular musicians: rapper LeCrae who overcame addiction and the pull of the gang lifestyle to see his life changed by an encounter with Jesus; and former Flyleaf lead singer Lacey Sturm who fought depression, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts only to be rescued by the love of a Heavenly Father and the hope that comes through a relationship with His Son.”

The event’s website also includes additional evangelistic videos and online training materials for those who sign up for the outreach.

From alien to understood
Brant Hansen writes about growing up in church with Apserger’s syndrome on CNN’s Belief blog. The Christian radio host’s experience is specific to his circumstances, but probably will encourage anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. Hansen writes of his earlier church experiences: “I wondered if I was so broken, such a misfit that God simply took a look at me and decided to move on.” But “…Jesus himself finally reached me.” Read more at CNN”s Belief blog.

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