Author Archives: admin

The sobering reality of a ‘new normal’ in church security

By admin | Published: January 8, 2018

By Thom Rainer We recently experienced a new tipping point for church security. A tipping point is the critical juncture in evolving developments that leads to a new and, often, irreversible state. We call that new state “the new normal.” In church security we have witnessed two major tipping points. Though child sex abuse in […]

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House adoption workgroup recommends a registry to protect father’s rights

By admin | Published: December 28, 2017

By Tom Troth Throughout the summer and fall, the House of Representatives workgroup on adoptions in the Kentucky General Assembly has been meeting in order to provide recommendations for the streamlining of the adoption and foster care process in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The first recommendation of the workgroup was that a Putative Father Registry […]

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Combating the evils of human trafficking

By admin | Published: October 31, 2017

By Tom Troth At the 2016 annual meeting, the Kentucky Baptist Convention enacted a resolution on the evils of human trafficking. That resolution said in part that “we call on Kentucky Baptist to support public policies at the local … [and] … state … level which combat human trafficking.” On Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, I […]

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HB 309: What pastors need to know about new law & reporting abuse

By admin | Published: June 29, 2017

HOUSE BILL 309: REQUIREMENTS FOR MINISTERS On March 30, the last night of the legislative session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 309 relating to the reporting of incidents of domestic and dating violence and abuse. The legislation includes some provisions that apply to an “ordained minister or denominational equivalent…or any organization or agency employing any […]

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18th birthdays should be time of celebration, not trepidation

By admin | Published: June 2, 2016

EDITORIAL It’s good to see Gov. Matt Bevin focusing attention on Kentucky’s foster care system. In his latest initiative, Fostering Success, Bevin is trying to ease the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency for young adults aging out of the system. Bevin is promising to provide them short-term government positions so that they can develop […]

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Memorial Day Reflections

By admin | Published: May 29, 2016

By Mark Wohlander In an old fashioned way, Memorial Day is a special day for me.  It reminds me of the sacrifices of thousands of ordinary men and women who have served since the birth of our nation in order to protect our freedom. In an old fashioned way, Memorial Day reminds me of my […]

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Fewer than 4,500 tobacco farmers remain in Kentucky in wake of buyouts

By admin | Published: May 25, 2016

John Rothenburger is one of fewer than 4,500 tobacco growers left in Kentucky — a state where the crop used to be king. Growing health concerns about tobacco use, as well as the increasing number of foreign growers, have devastated the industry in the state. A Shelby County tobacco farmer since 1974, Rothenburger started when […]

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Hal Heiner sends refreshing message by refusing state salary

By admin | Published: May 20, 2016

EDITORIAL When our Frankfort reporter, Kristen Lowry, set out to write an article about Kentucky Education Secretary Hal Heiner, one of the more intriguing facts she uncovered was that he doesn’t accept a government salary. Mind you, it could have been a handsome salary. His predecessors in recent years were all paid well over $100,000 […]

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House Republicans get it right by striking provision to draft women

By admin | Published: May 18, 2016

EDITORIAL In the midst of the political chaos on Capitol Hill, there are still some good decisions being made. Such was the case Tuesday when House Republicans removed a provision from the annual defense policy bill that would have forced America’s daughters to register for the military draft. GOP lawmakers wisely struck the provision before […]

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Gov. Bevin sets the bar high as defender of Kentucky values

By admin | Published: May 17, 2016

EDITORIAL Gov. Matt Bevin has once again proven himself faithful in his defense of Kentucky values. He’s come out as a vocal opponent of the Obama administration’s overreach into public school bathrooms. The administration’s threat to withhold federal funding from schools that do not fall in line was clearly a bullying tactic. Click here to […]

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Kentucky legislators pass laws to protect the unborn & newborns

By admin | Published: April 20, 2016

Babies were among the big winners in the legislative session that wrapped up last week. Kentucky lawmakers passed two bills intended to protect both the unborn and newborns. In what many evangelicals consider a major victory, the House and Senate came together on legislation that will require women seeking abortions to have face-to-face meetings or real-time […]

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New marriage license forms protect county clerks’ religious liberty

By admin | Published: April 15, 2016

By Tom Troth Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has signed Senate Bill 216 into law, which establishes requirements for the issuing of marriage licenses by county clerks. The legislation was enacted to resolve the issue created when Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was jailed for refusing to issue licenses for same-sex marriages because of her sincerely […]

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Food pantry faces heavy burden in wake of downturn in coal industry

By admin | Published: March 31, 2016

“We have a lot of people who will tell us, ‘There’s no food in my pantry; I have nothing to eat,’” said Vicki Holbrook, co-director of the Letcher County Food Pantry. “If not for what we do here, we’d have a lot more people going hungry in Letcher County.” The Whitesburg initiative supplies food boxes […]

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Laid-off miner faces four-hour commute to new factory job

By admin | Published: March 30, 2016

For eight years, Justin Johnson worked as an electrician in the coal mines, and life was good. He made a good living, got married. He and his wife, Christy, bought a house and had two children. But in 2011, the industry began a steady decline. Mines began closing. Companies began layoffs. Johnson held on until September […]

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Half of working-age residents in Appalachia can’t find jobs

By admin | Published: March 29, 2016

More than half of working age residents in Kentucky’s coalfield counties have been without jobs in recent years, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics that measure actual unemployment. John Short, a state representative from Hindman, said he sees no signs that the economy is improving in the heart of Kentucky’s coal-mining region. The Kentucky Cabinet […]

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Casino gambling bill once again fails to move forward in the Kentucky General Assembly

By admin | Published: March 28, 2016

By Tom Troth With only four legislative days remaining in the 2016 session, as Kentucky Baptists, I believe we can once again give thanks to God that a bill to expand casino gambling in the Commonwealth of Kentucky has failed to gain traction. Senate Bill 144, co-sponsored by Morgan McGarvey and Julie Raque-Adams would have […]

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Bill to add churches to infant safe haven list passes Kentucky Senate

By admin | Published: March 17, 2016

An amendment to House Bill 148 would add churches to the list of safe havens where unwanted babies can be dropped off without parents being criminally charged. As long as the baby is not injured, the law ensures that the parent or person acting for the child will not be liable. Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville (pictured […]

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Baptists credited with defeating push to legalize marijuana

By admin | Published: March 25, 2015

LOUISVILLE – Kentucky Baptists won a major legislative victory by helping to defeat a measure in the General Assembly that would have legalized marijuana. Lawmakers concluded the 2015 legislative session early Wednesday morning without passing legislation that would have essentially bypassed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and made marijuana widely available for medical purposes. Kentucky […]

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Support Senate Bill 32 to curb the effects of payday loans

By admin | Published: March 6, 2015

By Rick Hardison Chair, KBC Committee on Public Affairs Pastor, Great Crossing Baptist Church, Georgetown I want to invite you to join me in an effort to curb the effects of the payday loan industry. Payday loans are “short-term” loans where borrowers get, say, $500 in cash, and two weeks later they have to give […]

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Newspapers credit Ky. Baptists with gambling bill kill

By admin | Published: April 21, 2014

Kentucky Baptist efforts urging opposition to gambling expansion coupled with strong Baptist influence in Frankfort have been cited by two large daily newspapers as the reason gambling bills can’t make it out of the General Assembly. From a story posted on kybaptist.org: LOUISVILLE — Two of Kentucky’s largest newspapers have run stories probing why a […]

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