Defending the Faith, Abortion Prohibitions, & Steps of Obedience

Bárbaro Castellanos, dean of the Baptist Seminary in Havana and president of the Baptist Convention of Western Cuba, was invited to participate in a panel discussion concerning the public’s opinion of the new Cuban Family Code on Palabra Precisa (Precise Word), a TV show on the Cubavisión Network.

Cuba’s “Family Code” is a set of laws dealing with everything from marriage to divorce to the raising of children. It also includes rules for disciplining children in Cuba that prohibit “any type of corporal punishment,” Castellanos said. Though Castellanos decries abuse of children, he said the Family Code “limits the rights of parents towards their own children.”

During the program, Castellanos was able to share the Gospel and speak consistently from a Christian worldview. He says this is very rare on network television in Cuba.

State lawmakers across the U.S. continue to adopt pro-life protections this year in hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will return abortion policy to their home jurisdictions in a ruling expected by this summer.

Florida and Kentucky are the latest states to enact abortion prohibitions during legislative sessions. Across the country, more than 500 pro-life measures have been introduced in 2022. Florida and Kentucky, which both approved bans on abortion after 15 weeks gestation, joined others that have enacted pro-life laws that include a nearly total prohibition on abortion and bans at different stages of pregnancy.

Oklahoma, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming have also passed legislation to protect the unborn.

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Stories of older Christians being baptized are serving as a reminder that it is never too late to take a step of obedience.

One of those is 93 year old Bernice Oliver of Glasgow, Kentucky.

Erdie Carter, senior pastor at Glasgow Baptist, said Bernice’s wife Evelyn was a faithful church member, but he never attended. During the pandemic, the couple began watching the church’s services on a local TV broadcast.

Carter said the couple have been married for 67 years, and Evelyn has faithfully prayed for Bernice to receive Christ as his personal savior.

The pastor made home visits to the couple but Bernice was never responsive to the Gospel.

A few weeks ago, the man began faithfully watching the church’s Sunday services.

The next time church members visited, he said he was ready to make a decision for Christ.

After walking him through this decision, the church members followed up by asking if he would like to be baptized. He said he would.

Bernice was baptized in late March.

Find more stories at BaptistPress.com.