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Culture

5 victories for Baptist values

August 7, 2025 By Illinois Baptist Staff

Liam Morrison

Washington, D.C.  | Schools are preparing for parents to remove their children from gay-oriented lessons, as the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to “opt-out” of the classes. That was one of five rulings by the Court that favored Southern Baptist values. The Court ruled that parents of public-school children in Montgomery County, Md., have […]

Illinois drops to third in ‘freedoms’ survey

August 4, 2025 By Eric Reed

Illinois Capitol

It may not be surprising that Illinois dropped three spots in a new survey of the states and how well they protect religious freedom. What’s probably surprising in Baptist circles is that Illinois was in first place in the first place. A conservative legal organization ranks states’ legal safeguards of religious freedoms based on 47 […]

John MacArthur leaves legacy ‘on a generation of preachers’

July 15, 2025 By Brandon Porter, Baptist Press

John MacArthur

Sun Valley, Calif. | Longtime pastor, author and teacher John F. MacArthur died July 14 after a short battle with pneumonia. MacArthur, 86, pastored Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area for 56 years. “At the center of Dr. MacArthur’s ministry was an unwavering commitment to declare God’s truth, and Pastor John preached the […]

‘God is here’ amidst the devastation

July 8, 2025 By The Baptist Paper

Report from the banks of the Guadalupe River

Photojournalist Marc Hooks reports on the devastation left behind by the July 4, 2025 flash floods from the banks of the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas for our partners at The Baptist Paper.

Illinois Senate fails to call physician-assisted suicide bill for a vote

June 4, 2025 By Lisa Misner

Illinois capitol interior

Springfield | The Illinois Senate failed to call a bill for a vote before the end of the spring session which would have legalized physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in the state. The legislation was formerly known as the “End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act,” but was added as an amendment to the Sanitary Food Preparation […]

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Featured Columns

The heavens

“Made for More” Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Tyler Shipley

How often do you think about your death and where you will be after you die? This is something that I have thought about more recently. It was something that terrified me as a kid. The average American believes that heaven and hell are real, but that majority say they will be entering heaven because […]

Stock image

The Million Dollar Question: Mark 8:22-30

Ryan Hall

Call me what you will, but I like watching people lose big on gameshows. It is far more enjoyable than watching them leave with a free car! The biggest gameshow loss happened on NBC’s “The Wall.” A father-daughter team worked to amass an unknown bank of cash, but then the daughter was offered a $230,000 […]

Three requests

Nate Adams

Last month the IBSA Board of Directors’ Executive Director Search Committee completed an eight-month process of considering the future needs of the IBSA organization, and screening and interviewing candidates to succeed me in the role of Executive Director. I’ve been praying for them throughout that time, as I’m sure many others have. On December 9, […]

More Columns

“Made for More” Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Tyler Shipley

How often do you think about your death and where you will be after you die? This is something that I have thought about more recently. It was something that terrified me as a kid. The average American believes that heaven and hell are real, but that majority say they will be entering heaven because […]

News

Abbie Howard

Illinoisan named to national Acteens panel

Illinois Baptist Staff

Birmingham, Ala. | A young woman from Illinois has been named to the 2026 National Acteens Panel, a group of four who will serve with the national WMU at the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando. Abigail (Abbie) Howard of Casey First Baptist Church has been active in missions service through Acteens for seven years. “Being […]

HLGU suit secures Christian schools’ rights

Nolin returns to consult new Northern Region

More News Stories

Mission

“While we have not yet arrived at the destination we envision, I believe we are clearly headed in the right direction,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood to trustees in the May 22 plenary session. IMB Photo

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Leslie Caldwell

Richmond | International Mission Board trustees approved 65 fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 21-22 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. The missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on Tuesday, June 10, at 10:08 a.m. CDT in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. The event will […]

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

Sallateeska baptism demonstrates SBC connections

More Mission Stories

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