As Missouri lawmakers consider creating a day to honor Rush Limbaugh after his death last month, a group of three dozen faith leaders mostly in St. Louis submitted testimony opposing the bill. Rep. Hardy Billington, a Republican and a Baptist deacon, authored a bill two
Thomas Reese writes that for more than a century, Catholic social teaching has advocated not for a minimum wage but for a living wage for workers. Sadly, however, the U.S. Congress cannot even increase the minimum wage because of parliamentary rules and Republican opposition.
Legislators across the country are considering nearly 50 bills dealing with religious freedom protections during a pandemic. Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor is quoted in this article. Read full piece
Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor wrote a guest op-ed for the Missouri Times about a state bill to make it easier to bring concealed weapons into houses of worship. Read full piece
With major professional sports teams supporting efforts to legalize sports betting and one of the world’s largest gambling companies backing a multimillion-dollar lobbying effort on behalf of casinos, gambling opponents recognize the potential for a David-and-Goliath battle in the Texas Legislature. Read full piece
Houses of worship should not be hit with harsher pandemic rules than similar organizations. But religious gatherings should not be exempt from the same life-saving health rules to which similar gatherings are subjected. Simply put, there shouldn’t be a pandemic privilege for religion.
A group of African American pastors, including three Baptists, urged Virginia lawmakers Jan. 7 to abolish the state’s death penalty, equating it to lynching and a declaration that Black lives do not matter. Read full piece
Early on Tuesday (Oct. 20), workers in the capital of Missouri removed the city’s lone Confederate monument after months of advocacy by community leaders that included Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor.
It is time to break silence on systemic racism, said Preston Clegg, pastor of Second Baptist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. Read full piece
Though sports ministries long espoused a “colorblind” approach to race, believers in pro sports are leading the calls for racial justice. Read full piece