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Supreme Court decides to hear GuideStone appeal in contraceptive case

By Roy Hauhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS — The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 6 agreed to hear appeals by several ministries, including GuideStone, to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that would require certain ministries served by GuideStone to provide abortion-causing drugs and devices or face crippling penalties. The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the appeal means that ministries continue to be protected from sanctions until at least June 2016, when a final ruling is rendered. The announcement is welcomed news, said GuideStone General Counsel Harold R. Loftin Jr. “We are grateful that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear our appeal,” Loftin said. “We trust the Court will provide a fair hearing of our arguments early in 2016 and look forward to the resolution of the case.” The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case was expected by legal observers after the St. Louis-based Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September in favor of a group of ministries seeking relief from the mandate. The Eighth Circuit’s decision broke with decisions by most other circuit courts, including a three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against GuideStone in its … [Read more...]

Conservative columnist accuses SBC leader of seeking liberals’ approval

  By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA  – Conservative political and cultural commentator Ann Coulter has accused Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm of being “desperate for liberal approval” after publication of his editorial in the New York Times which took aim at evangelicals who support billionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump. Moore, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee, which, broadly speaking, is tasked with representing Southern Baptists’ views in the public square, published an opinion piece in which he alluded to Trump as “a cartoonish TV character.” “Donald J. Trump stands astride the polls in the Republican presidential race, beating all comers in virtually every demographic of the primary electorate,” Moore wrote. “Most illogical is his support from evangelicals and other social conservatives. “To back Mr. Trump, these voters must repudiate everything they believe,” he said. Listing Trump’s known moral failings, Moore was incredulous that “some self-identified evangelicals are telling pollsters they’re for Trump. Worse, some social conservative leaders are praising Mr. Trump for ‘telling it like it is.’” “In the 1990s, … [Read more...]

Election Night Surprises

Houston residents vote down LGBT equal rights measure...   And elsewhere in the country: Pot legalization loses big in Ohio COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio voters rejected a ballot proposal Tuesday that would have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana in a single stroke — a vote-getting strategy that was being watched as a potential test case for the nation. Failure of the proposed state constitutional amendment followed an expensive campaign, a legal fight over its ballot wording, an investigation into petition signatures — and, predominantly, a counter campaign against a network of 10 exclusive growing sites it would have created. It was the only marijuana legalization question on the 2015 statewide ballots. About 65 percent of voters opposed the measure, compared to 35 percent in favor. McAuliffe and Bloomberg Gun control flop in Virginia Republicans retained their 21-19 majority in the Virginia Senate on Tuesday, prevailing in a more than $43 million off-year election battle with Democrats for control of the General Assembly. With Republicans easily maintaining their 2-1 edge in the House of Delegates, the apparent victory by Glen H. Sturtevant in a key Senate race in the Richmond area … [Read more...]

Macel Falwell, Jerry Falwell’s wife, dies at 82

By Joni B Hannigan, Christian Examiner LYNCHBURG, Va. (Christian Examiner) - Macel Pate Falwell, 82, who described herself as "a prim and proper lady who'd been raised in the arms of a protective Christian family" before marrying Jerry Falwell, has died. The Falwells were married April 12, 1958, and were married for 49 years. The Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, died in 2007. They are survived by two sons and a daughter: Jerry Falwell Jr., Jonathan Falwell, and Jeannie Falwell Savas -- and their families. A memorial page appears on the website of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia today. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

REVIEW: ‘Woodlawn’ tackles racism & revival in the Red Zone

By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner HOLLYWOOD (Christian Examiner) - The best sports movies aren't even about sports. Instead, the best sports movies use sports as a backdrop to tell the story of something far more significant and important, something that even non-sports fans can embrace. Such is the case with "Woodlawn" (PG), which hits theaters this weekend and recounts the true story of a newly integrated high school football team in Birmingham, Ala., that is the source of racial tension until most of the players accept Christ and spark a city-wide revival. Set in the early 1970s, "Woodlawn" is the best sports movie I've ever seen, although that label really doesn't do it justice. That's because it's simply a great movie – even without the sports – and it's among the most inspiring and uplifting films I've watched. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

‘Woodlawn’ star: Movie ‘timely’ in wake of Ferguson & Baltimore riots

By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (Christian Examiner) – Caleb Castille, the lead actor in the new movie "Woodlawn," is accustomed to the audibles and last-second changes that make football so fun, having played the sport himself in college and having watched his father and two of his brothers join NFL teams. But even he was a little surprised by the "audible" that Woodlawn's moviemakers tossed at him less than a week prior to the first day of filming. Castille was set to be a stunt double for the lead actor in the film when the lead actor pulled out. Soon, Castille got a life-changing phone call. "Three days before production they called and said, 'We're looking at a few new guys and you're one of them.' So I went back through a three-day audition process and at the end of those three days, I was the one," Castille said. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

Democratic debate: race, climate change prominent

By David Roach, Baptist Press LAS VEGAS (BP) - Race relations, marijuana legalization, climate change and gun control were among the moral issues highlighted Oct. 13 at a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas involving five candidates. The issues of abortion and same-sex marriage came up only in passing and were mentioned only a few times during the two-hour debate. Perhaps the most extended reference to sanctity of life issues came when frontrunner Hillary Clinton alleged Republicans suspend their typical opposition to "big government" to regulate Planned Parenthood and limit access to abortions. "It's always the Republicans or their sympathizers who say, 'You can't have paid [maternity] leave. You can't provide health care,'" Clinton said. "They don't mind having big government to interfere with a woman's right to choose and to try to take down Planned Parenthood. They're fine with big government when it comes to that. I'm sick of it." Russell Moore, president of Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, responded on Twitter, "Secretary Clinton, it isn't 'big government' to stop the government from funding Planned Parenthood." Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee … [Read more...]

‘A shocking form of evil’: Stabbing attacks sweep Israel

By Kelly Ledbetter, Christian Examiner JERUSALEM (Christian Examiner) – Rumors of a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising, are growing amid a rash of stabbing attacks by Palestinians that have occurred, centering on Jerusalem, throughout October. On Monday, a 13-year-old Jewish boy riding his bike in his neighborhood was stabbed multiple times by 13-year-old and a 17-year-old Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post reports. The younger Palestinian teen was subdued by a car driven by a passerby, while the older, who also stabbed a nearby 24-year-old Jewish man, was killed by police. "Police continue to step up security and will continue to prevent or neutralize terrorists who carry out attacks," said Jerusalem police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, who has tweeted updates about the incidents. Some violence is directed against police. On Monday, an attacker who allegedly pulled a knife on an officer near Lion's Gate in Jerusalem was shot and killed. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]

In Honduras, hunger offering aids Mayan corn farmers

By Ann Lovell, Baptist Global Response EDITOR'S NOTE: On Global Hunger Sunday, Oct. 11, Southern Baptist congregations addressed the hunger crisis across North America and around the world by receiving special offerings. Donations received are channeled through Global Hunger Relief, which uses 100 percent of each gift to meet hunger needs. LAS MEDIAS DOS, Honduras (BP) - Lucio, a 23-year-old Chorti farmer, emerges from the hedgerows with a machete in hand. He has been tending his small plot of land in preparation for the next sowing season for corn. In the past, soil erosion complicated his efforts and made his farm less productive. "I tilled the soil with a hoe, [and] the soil would roll downhill whenever it rained," Lucio said. "Now there's been an improvement with the barriers … because the soil that rolls stops at the barriers. In the past, people didn't think about this … but it is a big help for the land." The "barriers" are hedgerows of nitrogen-fixing legumes, a key component of a farming technique called SALT or Sloping Agricultural Land Technology. Lucio learned the technique while studying at the Chorti Agricultural Development Center in Cabañas, Honduras, a nonprofit center that receives … [Read more...]

NAMB trustees approve Send Relief, IMB aid

By Mike Ebert, North American Mission Board SALT LAKE CITY (BP) - Trustees of the North American Mission Board have approved the establishment of Send Relief - a new compassion ministry to offer Southern Baptists opportunities to meet physical needs and serve underprivileged communities. Also during their Oct. 7 meeting, NAMB's trustees approved a $4 million budget reduction so the entity can send funds to assist International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries. NAMB President Kevin Ezell, commenting on the Send Relief initiative, noted shortly after trustees closed their meeting in Salt Lake City, "Imagine 40,000 Southern Baptist churches engaged to meet needs in their communities and across North America. Send Relief will give churches hands-on opportunities to alleviate suffering and transform lives." Send Relief will launch in 2016 and include compassion ministries to combat hunger, poverty, serve children through foster care and adoption, combat human trafficking, minister to migrants through international learning centers and meet inner-city needs with construction and medical teams. NAMB trustees approved David Melber as vice president of Send Relief. Melber has led Crossings Ministries camp outreach in … [Read more...]