By David Roach
Baptist Press

A yard sign near Prattville, Ala., reflects what an attorney for the Alabama Citizens Action Program characterized as broad support for Chief Justice Roy Moore’s views on same-sex marriage.
-Photo by Mary Pope

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP) — With Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore set to stand trial next month on charges he defied federal court rulings on same-sex marriage, a legal adviser to Alabama Baptists’ public policy auxiliary has called the allegations against him unmerited.

At issue in Moore’s case is a Jan. 6 administrative order in which he stated Alabama’s 68 probate judges had “a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage licenses contrary to” the state’s ban on same-sex marriage until the Alabama Supreme Court clarified the relationship between state law and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) alleges in a 293-page complaint that Moore “failed to respect and comply with the law,” citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell ruling among other cases.

The JIC seeks to have Moore, a Southern Baptist, removed from office. [Read more…]

Baptist Press

Jimmy Stewart

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Suffering third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, Alaska Baptist evangelism and church growth director Jimmy Stewart is hospitalized and grateful for prayers after being injured in a gas leak explosion at his Alaska cabin.

Stewart underwent his fourth surgery Aug. 3 — one of many anticipated in a hospitalization of at least six months followed by convalescence and a lengthy rehabilitation, according to the Alaska Baptist Convention (ABC). [Read more…]

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — Most Americans see nothing morally wrong with gender change, a study released July 14 shows.

Six in 10 Americans don’t think it’s wrong for people to identify with a gender different from their birth sex, according to a LifeWay Research survey conducted Sept. 14-28, 2015.

And more than half don’t think it’s wrong to switch genders by taking hormones or having surgery.

The findings indicate most Americans don’t see moral significance in being born male or female, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. A majority of Americans reject the view of a creator giving them a gender that shouldn’t be changed,” he said.

“We freely change many things about ourselves — we have cosmetic surgery, we use teeth whitener, we dye our hair, we get tattoos. Many Americans view gender as one more thing on that list.”

Baptist Press

LINCOLN, Neb. — Ten more states have signed on to sue the Obama administration over its transgender directive that forces schools to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their perceived gender identity rather than their biological sex.

The states join 13 others, including Tennessee, which filed a suit in May. [Read more…]

Baptist Press

-Photo: Kristen Lowry, Kentucky Today

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. — Thousands of supporters and media descended on this rural town July 7 for the ribbon cutting of a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark. The Ark Encounter theme park opened to the public July 7.

Answers in Genesis (builders of the ark) officials estimate two million visitors will visit the ark during its first year.

On Mission Today

Terrorists opened fire at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul recently before detonating explosives, killing 42 people and injuring more than 200. It was the second terrorist attack in Istanbul in June, the month of Ramadan.

Weeks earlier, during the height of morning rush hour, a car bomb tore through a crowded area of Istanbul, killing 11 people and wounding dozens more. In a moment, Ramadan, a time associated with heightened spiritual devotion and prayer, turned violent and chaotic. [Read more…]