IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

Culture

Anxiety rises as church membership falls

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A recent Gallup poll found only 50% of Americans self-reported as members of a church, synagogue, or mosque in 2018. That’s a sharp drop from around 70% in 1999, a number that had stayed fairly steady in prior decades. The decline matches up with the nation’s “steep increase” of “nones,” or people who don’t identify […]

Bishop takes bold stand; bars IL lawmakers from Communion over abortion bill

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Springfield | Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield has barred Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton from receiving Communion in the Diocese for their efforts to ensure the passage of Senate Bill 25, the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), and House Bill 40, An Act Concerning Abortion. Any Catholic […]

Losing ground in Illinois: How will Christians move forward after a discouraging season at the Capitol?

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Illinois lawmakers closed their Spring 2019 session with a series of decisions that dismayed conservative voters across the state. Several measures passed by the General Assembly were lauded as progressive by their proponents, while signaling precipitous moral decline to evangelical Christians. As other states in the South and Midwest approved bans on abortion, Gov. J.B. […]

After criticism, Platt sheds light on presidential prayer

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David Platt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, prayed for President Donald Trump after he made an impromptu visit to Platt’s Virginia church June 2. The President arrived at McLean Bible Church’s campus in Tysons, Va., during the 1:00 worship service, Platt explained in a letter on his church’s website. After […]

Legislature votes to expand abortion

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Update: The Illinois Senate voted 46-10 June 2 to legalize sports betting in Illinois. On what was to be the last day of their spring session, Illinois lawmakers passed the Reproductive Health Act, which pro-life advocates say is among the most extreme abortion legislation in the nation. “I am so, so sad for all of […]