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Culture

Illinois becomes 1st Midwestern state to legalize assisted suicide

December 13, 2025 By Lisa Misner

Photo by Damian Chlanda

Chicago | With less than two weeks remaining before Christmas and two days before the start of Hanukkah, there was no big announcement or splashy public signing. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker simply tweeted a few statements from his X account on December 12, 2025, in explanation of his reasoning for signing Senate Bill 1950, the […]

Moody sues school system

November 10, 2025 By Illinois Baptist Staff

Moody Bible

Chicago | The Moody Bible Institute (MBI) filed suit against Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Nov. 4, claiming that refusal to allow Moody scholars to work as student teachers for religious reasons is damaging both to the students and to MBI. “Moody Bible Institute should not be forced to choose between our faith and helping students […]

Trinity Christian College will close

November 4, 2025 By Illinois Baptist Staff

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights | After 66 years in operation in suburban Chicago, Trinity Christian College will close at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. The school’s final commencement will be May 8, 2026. The liberal arts school offered degrees in 70 programs. It was named among the top schools in the Midwest region by U.S. […]

Pritzker weighs suicide bill

November 4, 2025 By Eric Reed

Illinois Capitol Dome

Springfield | Gov. J.B. Pritzker seemed surprised by passage of an assisted suicide bill for terminally ill patients when pressed by a group of reporters this week. “I’m looking at it, Pritzker said in Chicago Monday. “It was something that I didn’t expect and didn’t know was going to be voted on, so we’re examining […]

Huckabee sees Mid-East ‘reset’

October 13, 2025 By Eric Reed

Bar Kuperstein

Gaza | As tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from Gaza formed a human train returning to their war-ravaged home, President Trump declared a new beginning in terms that sounded almost biblical, and a former Baptist pastor now diplomat predicted a ‘reset’ not only for Israel, but the whole Middle East. “After so many years […]

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Featured Columns

Mark Emerson

Worth every effort

Mark Emerson

When the news came, I was tired—Day 4 of VBS tired. Tired had been the theme of every drive home with my wife that week. Somewhere along the way I had finally asked the question only the overly weary ask: “How long are we going to keep this up?” Months of planning had become weeks […]

Loophole

Messengers close loophole

Eric Reed

It seemed like no big deal at the time. Messengers quickly voted for a change to the Baptist Faith and Message in 2023, there was no great debate. The motion came up and it kind of slid through—and that’s the problem. In 2026 they voted to prevent that from ever happening again. At the 2026 […]

A Committed Church: 2 Timothy 2:1-4

Maurice Gaiter

In a recent trip to Haiti, I heard a Haitian pastor illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. A man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to […]

More Columns

Good signs (so far)

Illinois Baptist Staff

Springfield | In church life, some summers are marked by a slump—in giving, attendance or attitude. But not this year, and especially not for IBSA. With the new administration now entering its second quarter, there are notable signs of positive attitudes in the network of churches. Some observations are anecdotal, with stories coming from the […]

News

IMB Photo

IMB missionary dies while serving in the Philippines

IMB.org

Esther (Sook Hyung) Kim, a Southern Baptist missionary to Philippines, died July 16 after suffering a heart attack. She was 64. Kim was attending a team meeting when she began to feel ill and went to a local hospital for care. Hospital staff revived her after she collapsed on site, but she did not regain […]

Young returns to IBSA team

World Cup scores for digital witness

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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