Pending legislation

Lawmakers mull multiple measures on the sanctity of life

COCHRAN

On Feb. 8, a group including pastors from the South Side of Chicago appealed Crabb’s ruling. The group is represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a conservative non-profit legal group.

Religious liberty at stake

If the ruling is upheld, it could have massive impact on ministers, including those in Illinois, said IBSA’s Rich Cochran “The housing allowance affects many pastors across Illinois and I believe its reversal would create a significant burden on our pastors, especially of smaller and mediumsized churches,” said Cochran, director of leadership development.

The ruling and its legal challenges also have religious liberty implications, he said. “Removing the housing allowance would actually create religious discrimination; instead of solving the problem, the Wisconsin court would actually be creating it.”

Crabb’s 2017 ruling was her second against the housing allowance. In 2013, she declared it unconstitutional, but the ruling was overturned by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Both cases

In the 2013 case, the Seventh Circuit ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the case. The current case is different, according to the Church Alliance, a coalition of large and historic denominational pension boards. This time, the alliance noted, the plaintiffs were granted a housing allowance by the foundation, “paid income taxes on the housing allowance, sought a refund of those taxes paid, and arguably have been denied tax refunds by the IRS.” The challenge specifically applies to the cash housing allowance; the part of the tax law that provides for tax-free use of a parsonage or other church-owned home is not impacted.

O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, said the Southern Baptist entity, which is part of the Church Alliance, has “monitored these challenges closely and will be prepared to provide amicus briefs at the appropriate time.”

“We believe the housing allowance law as it currently exists removes governmentimposed favor and allows churches to determine whether a church-owned home or providing a cash allowance is the best way for a church to provide for its minister’s needs,” Hawkins said. “We look forward to advocating on behalf of all pastors along with other denominational pension boards and with our Southern Baptist partners.”

GuideStone has advised ministers to consult its annual tax guide, available at www. GuideStone.org/taxguide, and its housing allowance information, available at www. GuideStone.org/housingallowance, to ensure they are properly documenting any housing allowance and reporting it appropriately on their income tax returns.

– From Baptist Press, with additional reporting by ChurchLawAndTax.com and the Illinois Baptist

Springfield | Several bills of particular interest to Christians have been on hold due to Illinois’ March 20 primary election, said Bob Vanden Bosch of Concerned Christian Ministries. The not-for-profit organization’s recent newsletter listed bills to watch, including several that deal with the state’s abortion laws. These bills are currently in Senate or House committees:

-HB 3210 would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

-Two bills, one in each house, would counteract a measure approved last year that allows taxpayer-funded abortions in Illinois, but their prospects aren’t hopeful. SB 2241 was assigned to the Senate Executive Committee and then the Subcommittee on Special Issues, where Vanden Bosch said “it is destined to die.”

-HB 4210 would ban abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

-The Ultrasound Opportunity Act, HB 4257, requires abortion facilities to offer an ulstasound to women seeking abortions after eight weeks gestation.

-HB 4393 would regulate “pregnancy termination centers,” defined as facilities that perform 50 or more surgical abortions in a calendar year.

Illinois lawmakers also could consider:

-Legislation that would allow Bible colleges to grant degrees without the approval of the Illinois Board of Education. Senate Bill 2822 is on its second reading on the Senate floor.

-Two bills, HB 3499 and SB 2231, would ban possession of firearms on church property. The Senate bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, while the House bill is currently in the House Rules Committee.

-Two bills, one in each house, would require public elementary and high school curriculum to include “a unit of instruction studying the significant role of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in society.” HB 5596 is currently in the House Rules Committee, while SB3249 is in the Senate Education Committee.

Pastors’ Conference presidency nominee

Danny Wood, pastor of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., will be nominated to preside over the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference when it convenes in his city in 2019.

“…Dr. Wood understands the joys and challenges we face as pastors and will plan a conference that inspires our hearts with great theology and application,” Texas pastor Greg Matte said in the nomination announcement.

Prior to pastoring Shades Mountain, Wood pastored First Baptist Church in Ruston, La., and was on staff at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He is the first Pastors’ Conference nominee to be announced.

Honoring Billy Graham

From the front: pioneering spirit because they describe our spiritual frontier today—200 years later.

“It will take as much courage for today’s believers to bring the gospel to the millions in our cities, suburbs, and crossroads communities as it did for first founders to carve out those communities starting at the time of statehood,” said Van Kicklighter, IBSA’s associate executive director for church planting. “Winning over wilderness has gotten no easier in 200 years.”

Against the reality of at least 8 million lost people in Illinois, Pioneering Spirit engages IBSA churches in church planting, baptisms, missions giving, and leadership development.

Kicklighter and his team have identified 200 locations in Illinois in need of an evangelical church. So far, 82 churches have accepted the challenge to “Go new places,” praying for or partnering with a new church plant.

In addition, 111 churches have said they will “Engage new people,” taking steps to increase their church’s annual baptisms. The “One GRAND Sunday” emphasis on April 8, encourage 1,000 baptisms statewide, is one aspect of this “engagement.” It is led by Pat Pajak, associate executive director for evangelism. (See “Baptisms” article on page 5.)

Another 66 churches said they will “Make new sacrifices,” by increasing missions giving through the Cooperative Program. And 111 churches will “Develop new leaders,” preparing tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, and church leaders to continue the work in the decades ahead.

In all, 115 churches accepted one or more of the challenges since the Pioneering Spirit initiative was announced at the IBSA Annual Meeting in November.

“We have been encouraged by how many pastors and churches are taking this commitment—and the critical challenge to advance the gospel in our perilous times—seriously,” said Kicklighter.

One example in the church planting area: Community Southern Baptist Church in Clay City has taken on the challenge of planting a church in Carroll County. That is one of 10 counties in Illinois with no Southern Baptist congregation. Pastor David Starr told Kicklighter that his church began praying about making the commitment after seeing IBSA’s “blue map” that illustrates lostness in the state.

To learn more about the four Pioneering Spirit challenges, and to register your own church’s commitment to one or more of them, visit PioneeringSpirit.org. Together, we will –

Go new places – praying for or partnering with a new church plant

Engage new people – taking steps to increase your church’s annual baptisms

Make new sacrifices – increasing missions giving through the Cooperative Program

Develop new leaders – preparing tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, and church leaders

– Eric Reed

A North Carolina man has garnered more than 118,000 signatures to an online petition to name a holiday in honor of evangelist Billy Graham. Kyle Siler addressed his Change.org petition to President Donald Trump and other lawmakers, noting that Graham, who died Feb. 21, “preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history.”

At least three counter-petitions on Change.org lobbied against the idea of a Graham holiday, but none has received as much support as Siler’s.

Moody faculty to affirm Bible’s inerrancy

After allegations of poor decision-making and theological drift at Moody Bible Institute, the Chicago school will require faculty members to affirm a statement on biblical inerrancy as a condition of employment, former Moody Radio Network host Julie Roys reported on her blog. Roys called the Chicago school’s adoption of the Short Statement of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy “a bold step to define and strengthen its position on inerrancy, and to hold its faculty accountable.”

– Baptist Press, Change.org, julieroys.com