Religion
Indiana, Arkansas Pass Revised Religious Objection Proposals
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signs a reworked religious freedom bill into law after it passed in the House at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, April 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Brian Chilson)
ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press
TOM DAVIES, Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Lawmakers in Arkansas and Indiana passed legislation Thursday that they hoped would quiet the national uproar over new religious objections laws that opponents say are designed to offer a legal defense for anti-gay discrimination.
The Arkansas House voted 76-17 to adopt a revised bill after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson asked for changes in the wake of mounting criticism. Hutchinson signed it only moments after the vote, saying the new version recognizes that “we have a diverse workforce and a diverse culture.”
A parallel process played out at the Indiana Capitol as the House and Senate passed changes to a law signed last week by GOP Gov. Mike Pence, who quickly approved the revisions.
“Over the past week, this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation,” Pence said in a statement. “However we got here, we are where we are, and it is important that our state take action to address the concerns that have been raised and move forward.”
The new legislation marks the first time sexual orientation and gender identity have been mentioned in Indiana law.
The Arkansas measure is similar to a bill sent to the governor earlier this week, but Hutchinson said he wanted it revised to more closely mirror a 1993 federal law.
The Indiana amendment prohibits service providers from using the law as a legal defense for refusing to provide goods, services, facilities or accommodations. It also bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or U.S. military service.
The measure exempts churches and affiliated schools, along with nonprofit religious organizations.
Business leaders, many of whom had opposed the law or canceled travel to the state because of it, called the amendment a good first step but said more work needs to be done. Gay-rights groups noted that Indiana’s civil-rights law still does not include LGBT people as a protected class.
Former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, now a senior vice president at drugmaker Eli Lilly, praised the changes but said the state’s image must still be mended.
“The healing needs to begin right now,” he said.
Democratic leaders said the amendment did not go far enough and repeated their calls to repeal the law.
“I want to hear somebody say we made a grave mistake, and we caused the state tremendous embarrassment that will take months, if not years, to repair,” House Minority Leader Scott Pelath said.
The lawmaker behind the original Arkansas proposal backed the changes, saying he believed the law would still protect religious beliefs.
“We’re going to allow a person to believe what they want to believe without the state coming in and burdening that unless they’ve got a good reason to do so,” Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger told the House Judiciary Committee.
Like Pence, Hutchinson faced pressure from the state’s largest employers, including retail giant Wal-Mart. Businesses said the bill would hurt Arkansas’ image. Hutchinson noted that his own son had signed a petition urging him to veto the bill.
After Hutchinson signed the compromise bill, the House voted to recall the original proposal from his desk. Conservative groups said they would have preferred Hutchinson sign the first bill, but they grudgingly backed the revamped measure.
“The bill that’s on the governor’s desk is the Rolls Royce of religious freedom bills. It is a very good bill,” said Jerry Cox, head of the Arkansas Family Council. “The bill that just passed … is a Cadillac.”
The revised Arkansas measure only addresses actions by the government, not by businesses or individuals. Supporters said that would prevent businesses from using it to deny services to individuals. Opponents said they believed the measure still needs explicit anti-discrimination language.
The original bill “gave us a black eye. This bill ices it,” said Rita Sklar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas. “We still need some Tylenol.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, called the new law an improvement but said it could still be used be used to discriminate based on sexual orientation.
The revised bill also faced opposition from Republicans frustrated over the governor’s request for changes to a proposal he had initially planned to sign.
“I, for one, do not appreciate someone hiding behind this body when they’re unwilling to take a stand one way or the other,” Republican Rep. Josh Miller of Heber Springs said.
Similar proposals have been introduced this year in more than a dozen states, patterned after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, with some differences. Twenty-one states now have comparable laws on the books, including Indiana and Arkansas.
The backlash gave pause to lawmakers in other states considering their own religious freedom proposals.
A divisive bill in Georgia stalled Thursday as the end of the 2015 session approached. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola warned lawmakers against approving “any legislation that discriminates.”
In North Carolina, the House speaker said deliberations over a bill would be slowed to give lawmakers time to determine if the legislation would harm the state’s economy.
A proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution would prohibit the government or any other entity from imposing burdens on religious freedom, potentially opening the door for businesses to refuse to serve gay people on religious grounds.
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Davies reported from Indianapolis.
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Associated Press Writer Allen Reed in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.
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Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Black History
Oakland Faith Leaders Gather to Revitalize the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Oakland
Oakland faith leaders and civic officials recently gathered at the Church of All Faiths to revitalize the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Oakland and Vicinity. Led by convener Pastor Mark Anthony Clifton, Sr., the meeting aimed to unite clergy around civic engagement and community restoration. The event featured a call to action for the upcoming election and presentations on workforce development, drawing support from prominent figures including Mayor Barbara Lee and local school officials. Organizers shared their vision for the alliance’s future as they prepare for new collaborative initiatives. read more.
Pastors, civic leaders, and community members in the Bay Area gathered Thursday, Oct. 8, at Church of All Faiths in Oakland for a meet-and-greet marking a renewed push to revitalize the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) of Oakland and Vicinity.
A highlight of the evening was the “Souls to the Polls: Our Voice, Our Vote!” segment, led by Pastor Damon Owens of Genesis Church in Antioch, which urged congregations to turn out for the election. Organizers also announced a proposed joint pre-Thanksgiving worship service for Nov. 17, with the location to be announced.
Pastor Marcie Hodge of Prayer Mission Church called the program to order, and Rev. Michael Wakefield Wallace of Mt. Zion M.B. Church led the opening devotion. Pastor Cubie Finley III of Parks Chapel AME read Nehemiah 2:17-18, the passage behind the event’s rallying cry, “Let us rise up and build.”
COGIC National Evangelist Dr. Lucinda Taylor, principal of Westlake Middle School, delivered the opening welcome.
Dr. L.J. Jennings of Kingdom Builders Church gave a brief statement of purpose, explaining the alliance’s mission of ‘Voice, Vision, and Values.’ Pastor Terry Benjamin of Restoration Evangelistic Ministries then introduced the convener, Pastor Mark Anthony Clifton, Sr., who is in his 26th year leading East Oakland Church of God in Christ. Clifton has been reorganizing the alliance to unite clergy around civic engagement. He noted that IMA’s national roots in 1926 in Galveston, Texas, and honored the Oakland leaders who came before him, including his grandfather, the late Bishop Martin J. Clifton, Sr.
“The work of the IMA of Oakland is just a continuation of the work done before us. Today, working together we can continue to solve many of the issues our community faces,” said Clifton.
Members were invited to share testimonies, challenges, and ministry needs.
Other participants included Dr. Billy Dixon of At Thy Word Christian Center and Pastor Raymond Lankford, CEO of the Oakland Private Industry (OPIC) Council who shared information on the organization’s workforce development programming.
Public officials in attendance included Mayor Barbara Lee, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, and Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Denise Saddler, strengthening the ties between the faith community and local government.
“We are better together and our city is stronger when we partner with our faith leaders,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.
Bishop Brondon Reems of Center of Hope Community Church provided the closing prayer and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey M. Parker, Sr., host pastor, gave final remarks and thanked attendees for coming.
“It’s an honor to serve the community and bring everyone together,” said Parker.
Dozens of pastors from Oakland, Antioch, and the greater Bay Area were recognized as supporters.
“I want our partners and attendees involved to help rebuild the city they love and this is only the beginning of a larger movement to restore our great city,” said Clifton.
Black History
Practitioners of African Traditional Spirituality Offer Ancestral Reverence Ritual Oct. 31
The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence will host “Ancestral Souls Rising” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, featuring a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion. Led by elders and priests across the African diaspora, the seventh annual ritual honors those lost without traditional rites while addressing current social challenges. This year’s event connects ancestral wisdom with contemporary issues, including a two-day conversation inspired by Afro-Beat music focused on Black community solidarity and the sacred importance of voting. Read more for details on the ritual schedule and participants.
The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence (C4GAR), a group of elders who practice African traditional spirituality, will lead a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
Called ‘Ancestral Souls Rising,’ the council members and 21 priests will lead the prayers from many parts of the African diaspora: Africa, Portugal, and across the U.S. from Maryland to the Bay Area.
Now in its seventh year, the annual ritual began during the 2020 pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people died alone and were buried in mass graves without rites and rituals according to loved ones’ traditions.
This prayer event was and is intended to give peace to the departed and comfort for the living who still mourn. Each year, we gather names of new ancestors from living elders to elevate them into the “Great Hall of the Titans.”
In ensuing years, C4GAR added themes to the prayer gathering that referenced current events. In 2024, before the consequential presidential election, C4GAR called on people to vote, invoking the memory of Civil Rights Movement heroes and heroines like John Lewis, who urged “Good Trouble,” and Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously declared that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
The day of global Prayer on Oct. 31 will be followed by a two-day conversation inspired by “The Blueprint,” an Afro-Beat song by UyiosaEl, to write our new blueprint that supports solidarity and action in the Black community.
“Our elders have, for many generations, known the power of prayer, ritual and breath,” the council said in a statement.
It was and is their intention, then, to use the cultural wisdom, the gift of prayer “and the most sacred thing we have, our breath, to send energy into the world that invokes and honors our ancestors,” the council statement continued.
“Doing this creates a vibration that protects us and employs their ancient wisdom for the well-being of our communities,” the elders said.
The councilmembers, all over the age of 60, recognize that what is now history for so many was once their lived experience. And that history, those joys and sorrows, are now in their bodies.
To them, the uttered prayer and the sacred breath are oaths to an unfolding future that people can still shape.
The council members are Dr. Iyabeji Cathy Royal, Iyalocha Jennifer Dillard, Manbo Charlene Desir (Florida), Nana Sula Spirit (Louisiana), Baba Obafemi Feyemi, Ohen Nedra T. Williams, and Iyalocha Wanda Ravernell-Stewart Emeritus (Oakland).
This year, they also encourage everyone within their reach to VOTE because it is not only a secular and political act, but a sacred one. Remember, the ancestors were denied that right and died for it.
For tickets, go to:
Black History
OP-ED: The Black Church Writes AI’s Next Chapter
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — I implore my fellow faith leaders to use these tools. Start now and use them with wisdom. We count on each and every one of you to make sure our communities help write the next chapter of this story. This rapid change is not as unfamiliar as it may sound. My first understanding of AI came from using a calculator for the first time in grade school. We did not call it AI, but it was a tool that helped me work through mathematical equations hours more efficiently.
For generations, the Black church has stood strong in our communities through every historical change this country has experienced. During the civil rights movement and in recent times, faith leaders have helped uplift Black sanctuaries to register voters, keep food pantries open for people in need, and sit with families in hospital rooms in their most desperate moments. When our people faced new trials, they could always look to our faith leaders and the church to lean in to help us be included in these transformative changes.
Artificial intelligence is the latest revolutionary change to impact our society, and much like other transformations before us, underserved communities often get left behind.
I was recently featured in a report entitled “Faith, Community & AI” and it found that people send ChatGPT more than 70 million messages a week about religion. Nearly 22 million involve studying sacred texts, and 16 million ask about religious practices and holy days. Our members make up part of those numbers. They bring questions of faith to these tools every day.
Pastors have noticed, and according to a September 2025 Lifeway Research survey of 1,003 Protestant pastors, 42 percent said they use or experiment with AI in ministry. I count myself among them.
I write my sermons by hand, through prayer and study. When I finish a draft, I ask ChatGPT this question: “Where might this sermon become unclear or difficult to follow for someone early in their walk of faith?” It shows me gaps in my preparation, like where I incorrectly assumed everyone would know the context of who the Pharisees were. Then, change comes from my own pen, not the robot. The tool helps me reach the person in the back pew while the message still comes from me.
If I could have my wish, our whole community would take a similar posture. We must use these tools, understand them, and most importantly be present to help shape them if we want to be included in the coming change.
I implore my fellow faith leaders to use these tools. Start now and use them with wisdom. We count on each and every one of you to make sure our communities help write the next chapter of this story. This rapid change is not as unfamiliar as it may sound. My first understanding of AI came from using a calculator for the first time in grade school. We did not call it AI, but it was a tool that helped me work through mathematical equations hours more efficiently.
It starts with training; there is no involvement without understanding. Free AI trainings have begun in our churches and community centers across the nation. Every faith leader should sign up and, when possible, encourage members of your congregations to join you. By learning how to use AI, we can better understand what it can do, make up our own minds about its impact, and have a say in how it shapes our communities.”
Next, we must be at the tables where the builders of these tools make decisions. Presence is the first step toward understanding, and that gap is only bridged through a coordinated effort. How can any tool serve a community well if that community is not part of the conversation? Our traditions, needs, and concerns must be accounted for, and Black faith leaders are already making that happen. OpenAI’s recent Faith report states plainly that AI should never become an arbiter of religious truth. I fully intend to hold the company to its word, and the most effective way I can do that is from inside.
I will close with this––we must diligently protect what only the church can give. A believer in Seoul, Korea quoted in the report warned, “if you pour every struggle into a private chat, your pastor and your friends may never learn you need help.” A chatbot will not sit with a grieving family or pray with you at two in the morning. As we adopt this technology, it is up to us to ensure it keeps people connected to each other and to their church.
Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey is senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.
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