For These Conservatives, Winning Religious Freedom Lawsuits isn’t Enough
Religious conservatives failed to influence LGBTQ rights policy while Obama was in office. Under Biden, they don’t want to repeat the same mistakes Read full piece
He Wants His Pastor With Him At His Execution. Alabama Won’t Allow It
On Feb. 11, the state of Alabama intends to execute Willie B. Smith III without his pastor by his side — which Smith alleges is a violation of his religious freedom. Read full piece
Supreme Court Splits on California’s Pandemic Restrictions on Churches
The U.S. Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t bar indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it can keep for now a ban on singing and chanting indoors.
Tenure Denials Reported at Southwest Baptist
The board of Southwest Baptist University, in Missouri, rejected three faculty members up for tenure and two up for promotion, Word & Way reported. Read full piece
Va. House Votes to Force Public Colleges to Reckon with Ties to Slavery
Five public colleges and universities in Virginia would be required to detail as much as possible their ties to enslaved Black individuals who worked on their grounds and to establish scholarships or economic development programs to benefit communities descended from those people under a bill the
‘Royal’ Purple Fabric Found in Israel Dates to Days of David & Solomon
Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Bar Ilan University, and Tel Aviv University said they had identified pieces of fabric dyed “true purple” dating to the 10th century BCE, when the Hebrew Bible says David and Solomon ruled in Jerusalem.
Student Online Petition Urges SBU Trustees to Reverse Tenure Denials
After Word&Way reported yesterday that trustees at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, had denied tenure or promotion to five faculty members, an SBU student created a petition at change.org urging the trustees to reverse their decision.
It’s Time to Talk About Violent Christian Extremism
There’s a “strong authoritarian streak” that runs through parts of American evangelicalism, warns Elizabeth Neumann. What should be done about it? Read full piece
Secular Groups Praise Biden’s Agenda But Express Concerns About Religious Rhetoric
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Like many on the political left, the leaders of secular-oriented advocacy organizations have celebrated early actions by President Joe Biden. It’s Biden’s words that have rankled many in the secularist community.
Southern Baptist Leaders Decry ‘Stone Cold Racist’ Letter to Dwight McKissic
Southern Baptist Convention officials have strongly condemned a letter sent by a critic of the SBC to the Rev. Dwight McKissic, a Black pastor in Texas who recently announced he was pulling his church out of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.