• Contact
  • Return to IBSA
  • Advertise Through Us

IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

  • QuickLinks
    • E-Reader
    • Baptist Press
    • Resource Magazine
  • News
    • Corona Virus
    • IBSA
    • SBC
    • Culture
    • Religious Liberty
  • Mission
    • Illinois Churches
    • Church Planting
    • Missions
    • Evangelism
  • In Focus
    • Longform Articles
  • Columns
    • Nate Adams
    • Eric Reed
    • Meredith Flynn
  • Leaders
    • Pat’s Playbook
    • Fresh Ideas
    • iLead
    • Devotional
Briefing

The Briefing: Baptists grieve George Floyd

June 2, 2020 By Meredith Flynn

Statement cites America’s ‘long history of unequal justice’
As protests continued across the country, Southern Baptist leaders released a statement grieving the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired, along with three others. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“While all must grieve, we understand that in the hearts of our fellow citizens of color, incidents like these connect to a long history of unequal justice in our country, going back to the grievous Jim Crow and slavery eras,” reads a statement signed by all SBC officers, entity heads, and state convention executive directors. The statement, coauthored by SBC President J.D. Greear and Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Seminary, calls Baptists to pray for leaders as they work toward justice.

“…we pray for our local, state, and national leaders as they seek justice, and call on them to act quickly and diligently to ensure that these situations are brought to an end. As a people, Southern Baptists stand ready to help towards that end.”

>Related: Baptist Press reports on a Minneapolis pastor who has led his congregation in peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

>Related: George Floyd was a person of peace for ministries in Houston’s Third Ward, Christianity Today.

Supreme Court sides with California’s limits on church gatherings
In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a church’s challenge to California’s current restrictions on gatherings, which say churches can reopen with no more than 100 worshipers at a time. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the current restrictions “appear consistent” with the First Amendment. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said he wished the Court had brought more “constitutional clarity” to the issues at hand.

Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic allowed to stay open
A Missouri judge ruled May 29 that the state’s last remaining abortion clinic can stay open, after a lengthy effort by state officials to shut it down. Gov. Mike Parsons’s office is reviewing the decision, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported; the state has 30 days to appeal the ruling.

Sources: Baptist Press, Christianity Today, ERLC, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Share This Story

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+

Coronavirus

  • News
  • Church Helps

Sexual Abuse Prevention & Ministry

Resources

  • Protect your children, protect your church
  • Caring Well
  • Related Stories

Tuesday Briefing

Briefing

Some early Biden actions concern Christians

Featured Columns

Praying to satisfy a deeper hunger

Doug Munton

Editor’s note: Pastor Doug Munton posted this column on his website just as the first COVID-19 restrictions were implemented. Now, many months later, it seems an even more vital word as we contemplate life after the pandemic. Personal revival is a challenge in isolation; now our churches—and we ourselves—need a fresh wind of the Spirit […]

‘Sanctity’ beyond the unborn

Eric Reed

Ahead of each January issue, our editorial team asks, “How will we report on ‘sanctity’ this year?” The Sunday before the anniversary of the 1973 decision legalizing abortion in the United States is observed as Sanctity of Human Life on the SBC calendar. This year it falls on January 17. For many Southern Baptists, that […]

Start fresh with family worship

John Yi

Before my wife, Gloria, and I even married, we vowed to establish a rock-solid family tradition of daily devotions together. But after almost 25 years of marriage and building a family, we could count on a single hand the longest streak of consecutive days when every member had come together for family worship or devotions […]

More Columns

‘Priority’ speakers announced

Illinois Baptist Staff

Three speakers will lead this spring’s Illinois Baptist Women Priority conference. Evangelist and teacher Anne Graham Lotz, inspirational speaker Betsy Bolick, and women’s leader Missie Branch will focus on “Abide: God’s Spirit in Me,” which is the theme for the April event.  Lotz is the daughter of renowned preacher Billy Graham and the author of […]

News

SBC leaders address race debate

Illinois Baptist Staff

Nashville, Tenn. | The presidents of six Southern Baptist seminaries and officers of the National African American Fellowship (NAAF) met in January following weeks of tension over race relations and a statement released by the seminary presidents. The virtual conversation was convened by SBC Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd after the seminary presidents declared Critical […]

Crowded field for SBC prexy

President Biden’s first week of executive actions

More News Stories

Mission

2021 Forecast: Hope for the year ahead

Illinois Baptist Staff

Editor’s note: For the January 1 issue of the Illinois Baptist, pastors and leaders from IBSA shared their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing the church in 2021. You’ll see them here every Wednesday this month. Rayden Hollis, pastor, Red Hill Church, Edwardsville A recent “Thanksgiving Song” by musician Ben Rector sums up 2020 […]

Food giveaways launch holiday season for Illinois Disaster Relief

Teens celebrate AWSOM in an unusual year

More Mission Stories

  • Blog
  • News
  • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns
  • Leaders

Copyright © 2021 · Website by Megaphone Designs