News

SUPREME COURT BACKS PARENTAL RIGHTS IN CHALLENGE TO SCHOOL GENDER CURRICULUM

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major 6-3 victory June 27 in Mahmoud v. Taylor, ruling that parents have a First Amendment right to exercise their religious beliefs and should have the ability to opt their children out of public-school curriculum promoting radical gender ideology. The decision represents a significant win for religious liberty advocates and parental rights groups who challenged a Montgomery County, Maryland school policy that

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NEW WEBSITE STREAMLINES MISSION OFFERING PROMO MATERIALS

FRANKLIN – Tennessee churches now have a convenient new way to secure promotional materials for their annual mission offerings. The newly launched TNWMUOrder.org serves as a centralized hub where congregations can place standing orders for materials supporting three key mission initiatives: the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions. “The user-friendly platform allows church leaders to view and update their orders at any

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TENNESCENE: JUNE 25

EVENTS The Shadow Valley Gospel Music Festival will take place on July 10–12 at Shadow Valley, 54 Warden Rd. in Fayetteville. The three-day concert series starts at 6 p.m. on July 10 and will last until 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $25 day of the event; youth 18 and under are free. Please bring lawn chairs; concessions will be available. The WCBA Prayer will also be available each night.

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TENN. SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR DEFAMATION CASE AGAINST SBC

NASHVILLE (BP) – The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear the appeal of the Southern Baptist Convention as it tries to protect its constitutional rights in a case connected to an inquiry by the SBC Credentials Committee. Preston Garner, a longtime worship pastor and school music teacher, and his wife Kellie filed suit in 2023 against the SBC, Guidepost Solutions and others. The Garners are alleging defamation/libel and slander, defamation by implication, invasion

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‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: SOUTHERN BAPTIST LEADERS RESPOND TO IRAN BOMBING

WASHINGTON (BP) – Saying now is the time for peace, Pres. Donald Trump announced through social media a “very successful attack” on three nuclear weapons sites in Iran Saturday night (June 21). Trump’s announcement of American action came 10 days after Israel began missile attacks to drive back Iran’s production of nuclear weapons. The president said all American forces were out of harm’s way when he released the statement. Trump had issued

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SOUTHERN BAPTISTS VOTE TO KEEP ERLC

DALLAS (BP) – In the latest attempt to abolish or defund the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, nearly 57 percent of messengers voted to keep the entity. A total of 6,563 ballots were cast, with 3,744 (56.89 percent) supporting the ERLC and 2,819 (42.84 percent) voting to abolish it. Eighteen votes (.27 percent) were disallowed. Two successive majority votes are necessary to abolish an SBC entity. “We thank the messengers

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TENNESCENE: JUNE 11

DEATHS Carroll C. Owen, 102, died June 3 in Brentwood. Owen dedicated nearly three decades to pastoral ministry, serving Baptist churches in Tennessee and Illinois from 1952 to 1979. He pastored First Baptist Church in Paris, Tenn., for 17 years from 1962 until his retirement from pastoral ministry in 1979. Following his pastoral career, Owen joined the Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board as director of convention ministries, where he served

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RESOLUTIONS REFLECT SBC’S DOCTRINAL COMMITMENTS, CULTURAL CONCERNS AT DALLAS GATHERING

DALLAS — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly adopted resolutions of support for two time-honored tenets — the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message. Resolutions “On the Centennial Anniversary of the Cooperative Program” and “On Honoring the Centennial Anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message (1925) and Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message (2000)” were among eight resolutions approved

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SBC 2025: A JOYFUL SURPRISE

Bi-Vocational pastors receive dream trip to Israel DALLAS — Fifteen bi-vocational pastors received an unexpected gift at the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting: an all-expense-paid trip to Israel, courtesy of Signature Tours, a company specializing in Christian destination travel. One Tennessee pastor who was among the recipients called it “the kind of blessing you pray for but never expect.” D.J. Horton, President of the Pastors’ Conference, expressed his gratitude

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SBC 2025: REQUEST TO COUNTER SUE JOHNNY HUNT AMONG 28 PROPOSED MOTIONS

DALLAS — A request for the SBC legal counsel to countersue longtime pastor and former SBC president Johnny Hunt to recover legal fees incurred by the Convention was among 15 motions proposed during the afternoon session of the SBC Annual Meeting today (June 10). Another 13 motions were presented during the morning session. Hunt sued the SBC and several others following his appearance in the 2022 report following the Guidepost

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TENNESCENE: JUNE 25

EVENTS The Shadow Valley Gospel Music Festival will take place on July 10–12 at Shadow Valley, 54 Warden Rd. in Fayetteville. The three-day concert series

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TENNESCENE: JUNE 11

DEATHS Carroll C. Owen, 102, died June 3 in Brentwood. Owen dedicated nearly three decades to pastoral ministry, serving Baptist churches in Tennessee and Illinois

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SBC 2025: A JOYFUL SURPRISE

Bi-Vocational pastors receive dream trip to Israel DALLAS — Fifteen bi-vocational pastors received an unexpected gift at the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting: an

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