Hannibal, Mo. | As a Southern Baptist university in Missouri prepared to welcome back students this fall, the school got an assist from Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers, who provided disinfectant, soap, laundry supplies, and 6,000 face masks. “They were extremely grateful and said the disinfectant would be a great help as they prepare […]
Pastor urges prayer walks after deadly holiday gun violence rocks Chicago neighborhoods
Chicago church planter Edgar Rodriguez, Jr., is organizing Christians to march and prayer walk in the city’s neighborhoods starting July 13, after gun violence over the holiday weekend injured 87 and killed 17. Rodriguez, pastor of New City Fellowship, will start in his backyard in Humboldt Park. After that he plans to move on to […]
Pandemic response raises concerns about limits on liberty
Six months ago, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty released its first ever Religious Freedom Index. The survey of 1,000 Americans was designed to measure perspectives on the First Amendment, which includes, among other rights, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Becket’s findings were […]
News Stories
ERLC urges church cooperation with contract tracing
Churches should partner with government officials to fight the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) while receiving First Amendment protections as they cooperate, the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said in a new statement. The ERLC issued a document July 10 that provides guidance to church and civic leaders regarding the effort to protect […]
IBSA Annual Meeting shortened, moved to Tabernacle, Decatur
Springfield | The IBSA Board voted to move the 2020 Annual Meeting and shorten the event to one day to accommodate concerns presented by the Coronavirus pandemic. The meeting will be Wednesday, November 4, at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur. There will be no exhibit hall or ancillary meetings. Leaders of the IBSA Pastors’ Conference […]
Supreme Court hands down key wins for religious liberty
Washington, D.C. | The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued two 7-2 rulings related to religious liberty that could have impact on Southern Baptists in Illinois. The first involved Catholic schools facing discrimination lawsuits from teachers. The Court found the employees performed religious duties in their work and therefore fall under the ministerial exception rule, which […]
SBC leader on racial reconciliation: ‘We’re still at the beginning’
Marshal Ausberry is pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax Station, Va., first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship. He recently spoke with the Illinois Baptist about the church’s role in confronting injustice, and next steps for the SBC. Illinois Baptist: What Scripture would you […]
Encouraging Words
Change worth embracing
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19) A “new thing” means change. As Baptists we take as almost an article of faith that change should be resisted. And, while there are […]
Who’s in your boat?
Jesus had spent all day teaching the crowds through parables. In what probably was a more tiring task in a more private setting, he explained those parables to his disciples. At the end of the day, he was tired and needed a break from the crowds. So at his insistence, they got into a boat […]