Kentucky Baptist Convention Committee on Public Affairs

From Christianity Today: Study Reveals Casinos Ruin Cities

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:17:31 +0000

A recent post on ChristianityToday.com goes a long way towards debunking the myth that casinos offer economic salvation to floundering cities. Among the facts: 1. Casinos are inwardly-focused by design. They are made so that customers go in and don’t come out. The idea that casinos boost nearby businesses is a myth. 2. Casinos primarily [...]

Kentucky Family Foundation Files Response Briefs in Instant Racing Case

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:02:14 +0000

Yesterday the Family Foundation of Kentucky filed its response briefs in the Kentucky Supreme Court “Instant Racing” case. When a trial court was deciding whether or not new “instant racing” video machines at racetracks are legal, the Kentucky Family Foundation was barred from asking questions or presenting evidence. The Family Foundation challenged the trial court’s [...]

Settlement Will Go Forward Over Sunrise’s Objections

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:02:56 +0000

A federal judge rejected Sunrise Children’s Homes bid to block a settlement agreement between the plaintiffs and the state of Kentucky that Sunrise alleges would single out Sunrise for undue scrutiny and place them at a competitive disadvantage with other child care providers. According to terms of the settlement, the commonwealth of Kentucky must ensure [...]

Chitwood Part of Panel Discussing Religious Freedom Act

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:46:58 +0000

KBC Executive Director-Treaser Paul Chitwood was among the panel members discussing the implications of the passage of the Religious Freedom Act in March of this year. See news coverage here: WDRB 41 Louisville – News, Weather, Sports Community The text of the law: Government shall not substantially burden a person’s freedom of religion. The right [...]

Christians and Gay Marriage

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:30:50 +0000

Even as other states greenlight gay marriage, Kentuckians largely oppose it. WFPL News, a public radio station in Louisville, recently hosted a discussion on gay marriage featuring Dr. Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort and Rev. Maurice “Bojangles” Blanchard of Highlands Baptist Church in Louisville. Last Sunday, Dr. York also preached [...]

Ky. Horse Racing Commission Approves New ‘Instant Racing’ Games

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:52:37 +0000

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved four new “instant racing” games and forty machines for the parlor at Kentucky Downs. While the commission an Kentucky horse racing tracks insist the ‘instant racing’ games are perfectly legal forms of pari-mutuel wagering, the games bear an uncanny resemblance to slot machines, which are illegal in Kentucky. See [...]

ERLC President-Elect on CSPAN

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:33:22 +0000

(BAPTIST PRESS) In his first television appearance since being named president-elect of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore was forthright in his positions but stressed the importance of Christians being Kingdom-minded in approaching issues. Moore, who will officially begin June 1 with the SBC’s entity for moral and religious liberty [...]

Kentucky House, Senate Vote to Override Veto of HB 279

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:13:29 +0000

Tonight, the Kentucky House voted 79-14 and Senate voted 32-6 to override Gov. Steve Beshear’s veto of the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). The bill is now law. The text of the law: Government shall not substantially burden a person’s freedom of religion. The right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated [...]

Steve Weaver: Baptists and Religious Liberty: A Call for Action

admin — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:53:07 +0000

Steve Weaver, church historian and pastor of Farmdale Baptist Church in Frankfort, recently posted the following on his blog: Baptists have historically defended the principle of religious liberty. Since Baptists have always believed in churches made up only of professing, baptized believers, they have always rejected the idea of a state church union which results [...]

Gov. Beshear Vetoes Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279): What’s Next?

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:23:08 +0000

Despite strong support in both the House and Senate, Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the Religious Freedom Bill (HB 279). Since the bill’s passage by the General Assembly, the American Civil Liberties Union and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) opponents of the bill have been urging Gov. Beshear to veto the bill, alleging that [...]