All posts tagged: Baptist

Separation of Church and State Was a Baptist Idea. What Happened?

Separation of Church and State Was a Baptist Idea. What Happened?

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The Baptist preacher (and Texas Lieutenant Governor) who stood before the White House Religious Liberty Commission had a message: There is no separation of church and state in the Constitution. That’s a shift… For two centuries, Baptists didn’t just support the wall of separation between church and state — they built it. They famously asked Thomas Jefferson for it. And then as recently as 1960, Southern Baptist leaders argued that a Catholic president would surely subordinate the Constitution to the Pope. This devotion to a secular state was deep. But that was then, this is now… Baylor University historian Elesha Coffman suggests Southern Baptists have become the very force they feared Catholics would be — a dominant religion using political power to shape society along theological ideals. According to Coffman, the receipts are right there in the historical record.  In this episode, Amanda Henderson talks with Coffman about her recent article, “Southern Baptists have become what they once feared Catholics would be,” about the winding path from Jefferson’s reply to the Danbury Baptists, …

A TPUSA tour stop triggered a pro-LGBTQ event at Baylor. Then came the Baptist blowback.

A TPUSA tour stop triggered a pro-LGBTQ event at Baylor. Then came the Baptist blowback.

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — When the conservative political group Turning Point USA scheduled a campus tour stop at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for Wednesday (April 22), organizers advertised it as “a chance to honor Charlie’s mission” and as a venue for enacting free speech.   But though free speech was part of their program, TPUSA, which was led by activist Charlie Kirk until his assassination in September, probably didn’t expect to be the catalyst for an event welcoming LGBTQ activists to speak at the Christian university. The competing event, called “All Are Neighbors,” is the result of grassroots activism from progressive student leaders. “They’re (TPUSA) pushing a message that is aligned with Christian nationalism,” said J.W. LaStrape, president of Baylor’s College Democrats chapter. “We’re going to push back on it by celebrating the marginalized folks that the Christian nationalist vision excludes.” Baylor has maintained that hosting the duel events is part of its commitment to open discussion and said the events will be aligned with institutional policies. “Historically, Baylor has opened its doors to a wide …

Christians have a duty to confront Islamophobia, ministers argue in new book

Christians have a duty to confront Islamophobia, ministers argue in new book

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — In their years of interfaith work, the Revs. Anna Piela and Michael Woolf have heard an oft-repeated reason for why some Christians don’t want to learn about Islam or are reluctant to challenge their misconceptions about the faith: They fear they might convert. But in their new book, “Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice,” the authors — who are American Baptist Churches USA ministers and a married couple — argue that learning about Islam, or any other religion, can help Christians better appreciate and practice their own tradition.  “I think a lot of people sort of treat God as a really jealous lover in some way, that they’re really afraid that God is going to be angry that you’re learning about another religion,” Woolf, who is senior minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, told Religion News Service. “But I think God rejoices in diversity and wants us to learn from each other.” The book, published by Judson Press last month, also asserts that Christians have a moral responsibility …

Judge rules in favor of New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church and its new pastor

Judge rules in favor of New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church and its new pastor

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — A New York State Supreme Court judge has ruled in favor of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church in a lawsuit brought by current and former church members who challenged senior pastor the Rev. Kevin Johnson’s 2024 election and sought to remove him. Johnson succeeded the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, who served as a minister at the historically Black church for 50 years and died in 2022. Johnson was installed in September 2024. In their lawsuit filed in October 2024 in the Civil Branch of the New York Supreme Court, the plaintiffs — Kevin McGruder, Jasmine McFarlane-White, Clarence E. Ball III and Rev. C. Vernon Mason Sr. — claimed Johnson’s election as Abyssinian’s senior pastor didn’t comply with the church’s bylaws. The group sought to nullify his election and render him ineligible in future church elections.  But Judge James G. Clynes sided with Johnson and his church in a Monday (Dec. 22) decision, denying the request and saying the plaintiffs incorrectly construed the bylaws’ statement that a senior pastor needs to be elected by …