IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

Religious Liberty

ERLC urges church cooperation with contract tracing

By

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 […]

Supreme Court hands down key wins for religious liberty

By

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 […]

Religious liberty wins in Supreme Court’s Espinoza ruling

By

The U.S. Supreme Court said June 30 that the state of Montana cannot withhold scholarships from families who use the funds to send their children to religious schools. The 5-4 ruling in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue was cheered by religious liberty advocates. “The Supreme Court made the right decision today,” said Southern Baptist […]

Churches question impact of Court’s LGBT ruling disconnecting sex from biology

By

Christians and conservatives are grappling with what the Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which extended civil rights to the LGBT community, will mean for churches and religious institutions. The 6-3 decision, handed down June 15, referenced Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts which was signed into law in 1964. Title VII […]

Gorsuch surprises conservatives in LGBT ruling

By

Washington, D.C. | United States Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch (right) shocked religious conservatives by authoring the majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, a ruling delivered June 15 extending civil rights to LGBT cases. The same anti-discrimination protections granted to women by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act now applies to gays, bisexuals, […]