Category Archives: Religious Freedom

ERLC: How does your church address homosexuality?

By admin | Published: February 14, 2014

How does your church address homosexuality? The move to redefine marriage has advanced considerably in recent days. How do churches respond? Dean Inserra, a member of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s Leadership Network Council, identifies four archetypical responses to addressing this massive cultural shift: 1. The Macklemore Church The Macklemore Church just simply thinks […]

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Guest Post: Baptists and Religious Liberty

By admin | Published: December 4, 2013

The following is a guest post from Steve Weaver, pastor of Farmdale Baptist Church in Frankfort, Ky. Steve is an adjunct professor of church history at Boyce College and Southern Seminary, and currently serves as a Research Assistant to the Director (Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin) of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. The […]

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Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Hobby Lobby Case

By admin | Published: November 26, 2013

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up two significant religious liberty cases. Under provisions of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, employers over a certain size are required to offer insurance coverage which includes abortion and contraception to employees. Two businesses owned by people with strong Christian convictions – Oklahoma-based arts and […]

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SCOTUS, Same-Sex Marriage, and Implications for Christians

By admin | Published: June 26, 2013

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law passed by Congress that barred recognition of same-sex marriages. They also ruled that the plaintiffs in the case of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California, did not have the legal standing to bring that […]

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Settlement Will Go Forward Over Sunrise’s Objections

By admin | Published: May 10, 2013

A federal judge rejected Sunrise Children’s Homes bid to block a settlement agreement between the plaintiffs and the state of Kentucky that Sunrise alleges would single out Sunrise for undue scrutiny and place them at a competitive disadvantage with other child care providers. According to terms of the settlement, the commonwealth of Kentucky must ensure […]

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Chitwood Part of Panel Discussing Religious Freedom Act

By admin | Published: May 10, 2013

KBC Executive Director-Treaser Paul Chitwood was among the panel members discussing the implications of the passage of the Religious Freedom Act in March of this year. See news coverage here: WDRB 41 Louisville – News, Weather, Sports Community The text of the law: Government shall not substantially burden a person’s freedom of religion. The right […]

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Kentucky House, Senate Vote to Override Veto of HB 279

By admin | Published: March 26, 2013

Tonight, the Kentucky House voted 79-14  and Senate voted 32-6  to override Gov. Steve Beshear’s veto of the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). The bill is now law. The text of the law: Government shall not substantially burden a person’s freedom of religion. The right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated […]

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Steve Weaver: Baptists and Religious Liberty: A Call for Action

By admin | Published: March 25, 2013

Steve Weaver, church historian and pastor of Farmdale Baptist Church in Frankfort, recently posted the following on his blog: Baptists have historically defended the principle of religious liberty. Since Baptists have always believed in churches made up only of professing, baptized believers, they have always rejected the idea of a state church union which results […]

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Gov. Beshear Vetoes Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279): What’s Next?

By admin | Published: March 22, 2013

Despite strong support in both the House and Senate, Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). Since the bill’s passage by the General Assembly, the American Civil Liberties Union and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) opponents of the bill have been urging Gov. Beshear to veto the bill, alleging that […]

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Sunrise Children’s Services: Americans United Release on Settlement Premature, Inaccurate

By admin | Published: March 21, 2013

According to a recent story in the Courier-Journal, the commonwealth of Kentucky is nearing a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that taxpayer dollars were being used by Sunrise Children’s Services to proselytize children. Among the terms of the settlement is a provision singling out Sunrise Children’s Services, stating that “the commonwealth must provide documentation on […]

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Catholic Conference of Kentucky Makes Strong Arguments in Favor of the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279)

By admin | Published: March 14, 2013

In their March 12 letter to Gov. Steve Beshear urging him to sign the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279) into law, the leaders of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky put forth several strong arguments in support of the bill. Their first point is that the “strict scrutiny” standard is not new, and has been the […]

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Is the Religious Freedom Bill in Danger of Being Vetoed by Gov. Beshear?

By admin | Published: March 12, 2013

House Bill 279 sailed through both the Kentucky House and Senate this session, but now may be in danger of being vetoed by Governor Steve Beshear. Dr. Paul Chitwood, executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, wrote a letter to Gov. Beshear this week urging him to sign the bill and protect religious liberty in […]

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Religious Freedom Act Passes the House, Headed to the Senate

By admin | Published: March 1, 2013

The Religious Freedom Act (HB 279) passed the House this morning and is now headed to the Senate. If it passes the Senate, the act will restore the “compelling interest/least restrictive means” as a legal test the government must pass before restricting religious freedom, bringing Kentucky in line with federal judicial standards. Currently, Kentucky courts […]

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Religious Freedom and Americans of African Descent

By admin | Published: February 25, 2013

This post by Curtis Woods, Associate Executive Director for Convention Relations & Communications, originally appeared at http://www.paulchitwood.com on November 13, 2012. In his classic work, City of God, Augustine reminds readers that even though this world is not our ultimate home, Christians have the responsibility to stand up for truth no matter the cost. Simply […]

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Will The Religious Freedom Act get a hearing? That may be up to you.

By admin | Published: February 18, 2013

The Religious Freedom Act (HB 279) has been successfully filed in the House and placed in the House Judiciary Committee. The question now: will it get a fair hearing or stall in the committee? Please call the Legislative Message Line TODAY at 1-800-372-7181 and leave this message with the receptionist for your State Representative: “Please […]

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Dr. Wayne Grudem: Politics According to the Bible

By admin | Published: January 18, 2013

Did you miss Dr. Wayne Grudem’s speaking tour of Kentucky earlier this week? Check out this video provided courtesy of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Video only shows first 10 minutes of the lecture.  Full audio will be posted here: Grudem presented topics from his book Politics According to the Bible. With the rising […]

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Grudem in Kentucky to Talk ‘Politics According to the Bible’

By admin | Published: January 14, 2013

Dr. Wayne Grudem will be in Kentucky this week for a four-site speaking tour focused on his new book, Politics According to the Bible. The first stop will be tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church, 3900 Rapid Run Drive, Lexington. On Tuesday, Grudem will speak at 10:00 a.m. at Ashland Avenue Baptist […]

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Should Christians Just Keep Quiet?

By admin | Published: January 11, 2013

With prominent Evangelical pastor Louie Giglio bowing out of a role in the President’s inauguration under pressure from groups who oppose his Biblical views on homosexuality, many Christians are awakening to the sobering reality that traditional, orthodox positions on human sexuality are unwelcome in the public square. How should Christians respond? Should we continue to […]

Also posted in Citizenship, Sexuality | Tagged | 4 Responses

Vote Your Values This Tuesday

By admin | Published: November 2, 2012
Also posted in Citizenship, Gambling, Life, Marriage, Vote | Tagged | Leave a comment

Baptist Press: Two Baptist universities join legal fight against abortion mandate

By admin | Published: October 11, 2012

One of the more controversial aspects of Obamacare has been a mandate issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requiring employers to provide health insurance that covers contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs.  The mandate will even require religiously-affiliated institutions and Christian-owned businesses to comply. Two Baptist colleges have joined the fight against the […]

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