Editor’s note: Jan. 22, 2023, is Sanctity of Life Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention.

DACULA, Ga. (BP)—Not every church is debt free with nearly 100 acres of unutilized land, but glorifying God with the land was an early priority of lead pastor Landon Dowden at Hebron Baptist Church.

“My question was how can we use this property for the glory of God and for the good of our community,” Dowden told Baptist Press. “After all the research, there’s not a single maternity home (for mothers under age 18) in the metro Atlanta area. The closest one is in Savannah, which is about four hours away.”

Other homes exist, such as Sheltering Grace Ministry in Marietta for woman at least 21 years old, and House of Dawn in Jonesboro for women as young as 18. But the nearest home for unwed pregnant women regardless of age is The Living Vine in Savannah.

Since beginning at Hebron in November 2018, the pastor has led the church in planning The Haven, envisioned as a residential pregnancy home for women under the age of 21, with admission allowed at any stage of their pregnancy until eight weeks post-partum. Under Georgia law, the women cannot stay at the home past eight weeks after giving birth.

“If you have a young lady who’s 21 and pregnant and has no place to go, we want them to know we’re building a place for you,” Dowden said. “Which means stricter requirements from the state of Georgia, but we’ve all just had a burden this is the best route to go, to provide a safe place that would be for the most vulnerable, the youngest ones who may get kicked out of their home, or these sorts of things.

“The Lord has blessed us with property and we are in a highly populated area, and there’s a need for a ministry like this. Our folks couldn’t be more excited. … We want to be a blessing.”

Hebron Baptist member Leah Manning, The Haven’s executive director, joined the work in its investigative phase as an answer to prayer, she said.

“I felt like I needed to be involved more in a ministry. I wanted to serve more. I was serving in the preschool, but I just felt like God was calling me to do something more, and I didn’t know what that was,” she said. “I just made it my personal prayer request. I basically said, ‘Put a door in front of me, if you open it, I’ll walk through it.’ I just made that commitment.”

She had worked for the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services immediately after college, and was still drawn to social work.

“I’ve always felt my heart was back in social work, and I didn’t know how I was going to get back there. That’s when Pastor Landon started at Hebron, but he had mentioned something about a maternity home, just on a Sunday morning during church,” Manning said. “He mentioned, maybe that’s something we should start. I touched my husband’s shoulder. Hey, I think that’s what I’m supposed to do.

“God opened the door and I walked through it.”

Hebron Baptist, which averaged 2,000 in Sunday attendance before the COVID-19 pandemic, ended 2022 within striking distance of its $3 million fundraising goal for the home to be built on a 20-acre site with room for expansion adjacent to the church. The congregation owns an additional 80 acres across the street from its campus, Dowden said.

“We have just seen the Lord provide. We’ve been blessed,” he said. “Within two days the Lord brought in $300,000, and so we are within about $200,000 of that $3 million goal. It’s just been really incredible to see.”

The original home, with groundbreaking anticipated this winter, will house up to eight pregnant mothers. The church will be heavily involved in the home’s being built as a separate non-profit, Dowden said, with plans to help the young mothers thrive either in parenting or through placing their children for adoption.

“We won’t pressure them either way,” he said. “We want to meet them where they are, and then figure out what are the next steps we need to do to help them for what’s coming. That’s our goal. It’s not an easy ministry.”

Dowden participates in annual pro-life community prayer walks, and sees the ministry as a logical extension of that work.

“It certainly is easier to walk and pray and get money, and talk,” he said. “And it’s certainly easier to provide care and then send them back to their car or wherever, versus opening up a home where you’re going to care for them around the clock.”

The Haven is partnering with Obria Medical Clinics of Gwinnett, a network of accredited, non-profit and faith-based educational and humanitarian centers for women and their children, as well as fathers who wish to be involved.

Expectant mothers will be screened for admission to the home and then mentored by a live-in married house couple, will attend Bible study and weekly worship services, and will receive training in basic life skills.

“The reality is I have no idea how it’s going to turn out,” he said. “But the Lord gave us a burden and we’re trying to be diligent with our research. He knows already how He will use this ministry, and our responsibility is to be obedient. His responsibility is results.”

The church is studying the possibility of building additional homes on the 20-acre site, perhaps a transitional home to help mothers after they leave the Haven, or a home for elderly widows, thereby impacting both ends of the life spectrum.

“My hope is that there are a lot of lives that are saved,” he said, “not just the babies, but the moms, and that there’s a lot of gospel impact beyond what we can ask or imagine. Even as we pray, that the Lord knows the little ones that He’s knitting together and the purpose that He has for them here.”

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE—Most Protestant churchgoers spend time alone with God at least daily, but there’s a range in what they do in that time and what resources they use.

According to a study by Lifeway Research, nearly 2 in 3 Protestant churchgoers (65 percent) intentionally spend time alone with God at least daily, with 44 percent saying daily and 21 percent saying more than once a day. Meanwhile, 17 percent of churchgoers say they are alone with God several times a week, and 7 percent say once a week. Others admit to being alone with God a few times a month (5 percent), once a month (2 percent), less than once a month (3 percent) or never (1 percent).

This time looks different for different churchgoers, but they are more likely to talk to God through prayer than to listen to Him through His Word. Churchgoers most often pray in their own words (83 percent), thank God (80 percent), praise God (62 percent) or confess sins (49 percent). Fewer than 2 in 5 read from the Bible or a devotional (39 percent). Fewer repeat a set prayer (20 percent), consider God’s characteristics (18 percent) or something else (1 percent).

But if churchgoers were to read something during their time alone with God, most would read from a physical Bible (63 percent). Others would read the Bible in a different format such as a Bible that includes additional commentary or devotional thoughts (25 percent) or Scripture from an app (20 percent). Fewer than 1 in 3 say they would read from a devotional book that prints some Scripture (32 percent), and even fewer say they would read from a devotional book that doesn’t print Scripture (8 percent). Still, others say they would read a devotional from an app (7 percent) or read something else (3 percent).

Quiet time frequency

When it comes to spending time alone with God, females (48 percent) are more likely than males (38 percent) to say this is a daily habit for them. Those in the South (49 percent) are also among the most likely to say they spend time alone with God on a daily basis. One in 4 Baptists (25 percent) say they have alone time with God more than once a day. And those with evangelical beliefs (30 percent) are more likely than those without evangelical beliefs (15 percent) to say the same. Church attendance is also an indicator of quiet time frequency. Those attending worship services at least four times a month (26 percent) are more likely than those who attend one to three times a month (13 percent) to say they spend time alone with God more than once a day.

“We see a pattern in Scripture of followers of God withdrawing to spend time alone with Him. Jesus Christ Himself also did this,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Most Protestant churchgoers continue this relational interaction with God and use a variety of resources as they do.”

Preferences on prayer

When spending time alone with God, some prefer to pray in their own words, while others would rather repeat a set prayer. Younger churchgoers – ages 18-34 (31 percent) and 35-49 (26 percent) – are more likely than those 50-64 (16 percent) and over 65 (11 percent) to say they repeat a set prayer during their alone time with God. And those ages 50-64 (85 percent) and over 65 (89 percent) are more likely than those 18-34 (77 percent) and 35-49 (77 percent) to say they pray in their own words.

“There are many reasons to pray a set prayer. Whether someone is praying the model prayer Jesus gave or repeating the same request to God each day, these can be meaningful,” McConnell said. “At the same time, Scripture also records Psalms and prayers within its narrative accounts that show how personal and forthright we can be when talking to God in our own words.”

Females (86 percent) are more likely than males (79 percent) to pray in their own words. And those in the South (86 percent) are more likely to pray in their own words than those in the Northeast (77 percent).

Evangelical beliefs and the frequency of church attendance are also factors in how a person prefers to pray. Those who attend worship services at least four times a month are more likely than those who attend less frequently to pray in their own words (85 percent v. 79 percent). But those who attend a worship service one to three times a month are more likely than those who attend more frequently to repeat a set prayer (24 percent v. 16 percent). Those with evangelical beliefs are more likely than those without such beliefs to pray in their own words (92 percent v. 76 percent), while those without evangelical beliefs are more likely than those who hold those beliefs to repeat a set prayer (22 percent v. 16).

Preferences on practice

What it means to spend time alone with God varies from person to person. But there are some indicators of which practices are most important to different demographics of people. While females are more likely than males to say they praise God (66 percent v. 57 percent) or read from the Bible or a devotional (42 percent v. 36 percent), men are more likely than women to say they consider God’s characteristics (21 percent v. 16 percent) when spending time alone with Him.

Older churchgoers – those 50-64 (45 percent) and older than 65 (42 percent) – are more likely than those 18-34 (32 percent) and 35-49 (34 percent) to say they read from the Bible or a devotional when spending time alone with God. And those over the age of 65 are the least likely to say they consider God’s characteristics (10 percent).

Evangelical beliefs and church attendance frequencies are also indicators of a person’s preferences in spending time alone with God. Those who attend worship services the most (four or more times a month) are more likely than those who attend one to three times a month to praise God (67 percent v. 53 percent), confess sins (55 percent v. 38 percent) or read from a Bible or devotional (46 percent v. 28 percent). And those who hold evangelical beliefs are more likely than those who do not hold evangelical beliefs to thank God (87 percent v. 74 percent), praise God (76 percent v. 51 percent), confess sin (64 percent v. 38 percent) or read from the Bible or a devotional (52 percent v. 29 percent). But those without evangelical beliefs are more likely than those with evangelical beliefs to consider God’s characteristics (20 percent v. 15 percent).

“An earlier discipleship study from Lifeway Research showed that praising and thanking God is one of the top five predictors of high spiritual maturity,” McConnell said. “This is a widespread practice among churchgoers when they are alone with God.”

Preferences on resources

Several factors play into what a churchgoer wants to read when spending time alone with God. The youngest adult churchgoers (ages 18-34) are the most likely to read Scripture from an app (40 percent) and the least likely to read from a devotional book that prints some Scripture (21 percent). And females are more likely than males to say they would prefer to read a devotional from an app (9 percent v. 4 percent).

“Today’s Christians have more resources than ever to aid them in spending time with God and His Word,” McConnell said. “As new resources are created, they can encourage someone who, without that innovation, wouldn’t have spent time with God. But there is also a strong relationship between spending time alone with God’s Word and worshiping frequently with others who may encourage you in your walk with God.”

Those with evangelical beliefs are more likely than those without evangelical beliefs to say they would read from a Bible (78 percent v. 52 percent) if they were reading something in their time alone with God. And those without evangelical beliefs are more likely than those with evangelical beliefs to say they would read from a devotional book that doesn’t print Scripture (11 percent v. 3 percent) or Scripture from an app (22 percent v. 17 percent). While those who attend a worship service at least four times a month are more likely than those who attend one to three times a month to say they would read the Bible in their quiet time (70 percent v. 52 percent), those who attend one to three times a month are more likely than those who attend more often to say they would read a devotional from an app (9 percent v. 5 percent).

ST. LOUIS (BP)—A second federal appeals court has blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to require doctors and hospitals to perform gender-transition procedures, as well as abortions, over their objections.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Dec. 9 a permanent injunction that barred enforcement of a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that has become known as the “transgender mandate.” A three-judge panel of the appeals court, which is based in St. Louis, unanimously affirmed a North Dakota federal judge’s decision that the Catholic entities that challenged the regulation were entitled to protection under a federal law that guarantees free exercise of religion.

In August, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans unanimously endorsed a permanent injunction against the HHS rule issued by a federal judge in Texas. The Biden administration declined to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court by the 90-day deadline in late November.

Religious liberty advocates hailed the Eighth Circuit’s opinion.

The ruling “is another important victory for conscience rights in the United States,” said Hannah Daniel, policy manager for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

“The Eighth Circuit has rightly affirmed that medical providers should not be forced to violate their most deeply held religious beliefs in order to do the essential, God-honoring work of providing care for those made in His image,” she told Baptist Press in written comments.

The religious freedom advocacy organization Becket commended the decision for its clients, The Religious Sisters of Mercy and other Catholic organizations.

“The federal government has no business forcing doctors to violate their consciences or perform controversial procedures that could permanently harm their patients,” said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, in a written statement. “The government’s attempt to force doctors to go against their consciences was bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for religious liberty.”

In a similar fashion to the Fifth Circuit’s August ruling, the Eighth Circuit opinion found the Catholic entities had a valid claim under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a 1993 federal law that prohibits the government from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion. The government may gain an exemption if it can show it has a compelling interest and is using the “least restrictive means” to further that interest.

In his opinion for the panel, Eighth Circuit Chief Judge Lavenski Smith said federal judge Peter Welte was correct in finding the “intrusion upon the Catholic Plaintiffs’ exercise of religion is sufficient to show irreparable harm.” The panel agreed with other circuit courts that have ruled that showing “a likely RFRA violation satisfies” the conclusion there is “irreparable harm,” he wrote.

During the Obama administration, HHS’ original mandate, issued in 2016, defined sex to include “gender identity” and “termination of pregnancy.” The Trump administration issued a rule in 2020 that rescinded the Obama-era policy by returning to the ordinary interpretation of the word “sex.”

Under President Biden, however, HHS announced in May 2021 a reinterpretation of sex discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation includes homosexuality, bisexuality and pansexuality, while gender identity refers to the way a person perceives himself or herself regardless of biology at birth.

HHS issued a proposed rule earlier this year that largely revives the 2016 regulation. The proposal would not only force doctors, clinics and hospitals to perform procedures to which they object but require health-insurance companies to cover ones they find objectionable, critics say.

The proposed HHS rule is another in a series of actions by the Biden administration to support abortion access and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights. These include executive orders by Biden regarding both matters.

Messengers to the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution regarding transgender identity that “affirm[ed] God’s good design that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception.” The resolution “regard[ed] our transgender neighbors as image-bearers of Almighty God and therefore condemn[ed] acts of abuse or bullying committed against them.” It also invited all transgender people to trust in Jesus.

A 2016 resolution on sexuality reaffirmed Southern Baptists’ love for those who identify as transgender.

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

WASHINGTON (BP)—The U.S. Supreme Court debated with lawyers at length Monday (Dec. 5) whether a state has the right to compel speech in the latest case involving the intersection of religious freedom and same-sex marriage.

The justices heard oral arguments for more than two hours in a designer’s challenge of a Colorado policy that requires her to create custom websites for same-sex weddings in violation of her religious beliefs. After two lower courts ruled in favor of the state, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the government can use a public-accommodation law – in this case, the Colorado Anti-discrimination Act (CADA) – to compel an artist to speak or remain silent without violating the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.

The high court is expected to issue an opinion before it adjourns next summer in what is so far the most significant case of its term involving the rights of religious adherents.

Lorie Smith, owner of 303 Creative in the Denver area, designs websites for a variety of causes and clients, including people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). She will not create websites for same-sex weddings, however, because of her belief as a Christian that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

Smith’s refusal to design a website for a same-sex ceremony is based on the message it would send, not on the people involved, Kristen Waggoner told the Supreme Court during Monday’s oral arguments.

Smith “serves all people, deciding what to create based on the message, not who requests it,” said Waggoner, president and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

Colorado forces her “to create speech, not simply sell it,” Waggoner told the high court. The state “says it can compel speech on the same topic, but Miss Smith believes opposite-sex marriage honors Scripture and same-sex marriage contradicts it. If the government can label this speech equivalent, it can do so for any speech, whether religious or political,” she said.

While Waggoner contended Smith’s refusal to design websites for same-sex ceremonies is based on the message she would be communicating about marriage by doing so, lawyers for Colorado and the United States argued it is based on the “status” of the couple seeking the service.

Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olson told the justices her business’ policy is “status-based discrimination,” since the CADA includes sexual orientation as a protected class. Brian Fletcher, the U.S deputy solicitor general, agreed with Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor that Smith is asking for “a status-based exception” to the CADA. Sotomayor went on to say Smith is not seeking “a speech-based exception.”

“[I]f she is discriminating based on status, and that includes if she is defining the message or product based on the status, defining the what by the who, that is not OK,” Fletcher said.

The Supreme Court’s precedent in a 1995 opinion should govern this case, Waggoner told the justices. In a 7-2 decision, the high court ruled the organizers of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade did not violate a public accommodation law by refusing to permit a lesbian, gay and bisexual organization to participate.

The First Amendment “is broad enough to cover the lesbian website designer and the Catholic calligrapher,” Waggoner said. “The line is that no one on any side of any debate has to be compelled to express a message that violates their core convictions …”

The justices offered numerous hypothetical situations in their questioning. Sotomayor asked whether the speech of artists would be protected if they declined to provide services for the wedding of an interracial or disabled couple based on their beliefs. Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked about a photography business that refused to include black children in scenes with Santa Claus.

The message in Jackson’s hypothetical is not in the photo, Waggoner said. In response to a follow-up question, she explained the Supreme Court did not say in its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage that religious objections to gay marriage are the equivalent of objections to people of color.

Sotomayor, Jackson and Associate Justice Elena Kagan, in particular, seemed to be skeptical of Waggoner’s arguments, while conservative justices such as Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch appeared to be more receptive to her points.

Afterward, Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Baptist Press, “Christians have, for 2,000 years, said that marriage is a picture of the Gospel. It was clear from today’s oral arguments that several justices have never encountered this notion on a prior occasion. This is unfortunate as it is central to understanding why a Christian creative professional would object to being compelled by the state to say something contrary to this deeply held belief.

“That is why Justice Gorsuch was exactly right when he seemed to suggest this case is not about who is being served ‘but about what’ the state of Colorado is forcing upon the speech creator,” he said in written comments.

“Today’s proceedings reveal why the court should rule in favor of 303 Creative, because to do otherwise would be tantamount to giving the government keys to a paver to roll right over private, business-owning Christians who disagree with whatever cultural notions about marriage and family happen to be fashionable at a given moment.”

In a 7-2 opinion in 2018, the justices ruled in favor of Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips in a similar case under the CADA. Phillips had declined to design and decorate a cake for the wedding of two men.

The high court’s decision was not an expansive victory for religious freedom, however. The justices found the Colorado Civil Rights Commission demonstrated “religious hostility” toward Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, but said similar facts in different contexts may produce different rulings.

The case is 303 Creative v. Elenis.

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.