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Arkansas derives from the Osage language, and refers to their relatives, the Quapaw people. The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta. Previously part of French Louisiana and the Louisiana Purchase, the Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836. Much of the Delta had been developed for cotton plantations, and landowners there largely depended on enslaved African Americans' labor. In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. On returning to the Union in 1868, Arkansas continued to suffer economically, due to its overreliance on the large-scale plantation economy. Cotton remained the leading commodity crop, and the cotton market declined. Because farmers and businessmen did not diversify and there was little industrial investment, the state fell behind in economic opportunity. In the late 19th century, the state instituted various Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise and segregate the African-American population. White interests dominated Arkansas's politics, with disenfranchisement of African Americans and refusal to reapportion the legislature; only after the federal legislation passed were more African Americans able to vote. During the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools. Following World War II in the 1940s, Arkansas began to diversify its economy and see prosperity. During the 1960s, the state became the base of the Walmart corporation, the world's largest company by revenue, headquartered in Bentonville.
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Supreme Court May Soon Consider Overturning 45-Year Precedent Concerns emanating from three states' legislative decisions to display the Ten Commandments in public schools has raised questions of whether the U.S. Supreme Court may ultimately weigh its hand on the issue at the national level. First Amendment rights and issues of separation of church and state have become front and center after legislatures in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas passed laws requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. Several plaintiffs across the trio of states have brought lawsuits forward challenging laws that passed. In June, seven Arkansas families filed suit against state law signed by Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and intended to go into effect in public school classrooms and libraries, arguing that constitutional rights were violated. (Newsweek 7/18/25) READMORE>>>>> Christians divided over Arkansas law to mandate Ten Commandments A new law mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in all Arkansas public school classrooms was signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The law is shrouded in religious and First Amendment controversies. In resisting the law putting the Ten Commandments in every Arkansas classroom, the Rev. Britney Stillwell wondered: does this trivialize my religion? “At best they blend in and become something we don't pay attention to,” she said. “And at worse, there used as a bludgeon for what faith should be.” (Arkansas Public Radio 4/29/25) Read More>>>>> Arkansas children, and adults, should have the freedom to read The ruling strikes at the heart of an argument recently made by former state Sen. Jason Rapert, a leading proponent in Arkansas of library book banning, albeit by another name. Rapert, founder of the Holy Ghost Ministries and member of the Arkansas State Library Board, has tried repeatedly to defund public libraries that offer books he finds objectionable for minors — mostly those with LGBTQ+ themes. Recently, he suggested he wasn’t trying to “ban” books but merely wanted to “segregate” them “to an appropriate space” away from children. Yet Holmes’ (U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III) ruling makes it clear that segregating books because we disagree with their viewpoints is unconstitutional under the First Amendment no matter how we describe the practice. (Arkansas Times 10/4/24) READ MORE>>>>> Arkansan in Ukraine warns of Russian threat to religious freedoms Brian Mefford, an Arkansas Baptist living in Ukraine, says Russia has declared a “holy war” on the West and is targeting Protestants, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others within the Ukrainian territory it now occupies. Baptists are among those targeted by Russian invaders, he said. Russian president Vladimir Putin isn't just waging war against Ukraine, he's also battling to extinguish religious freedom, an Arkansas expatriate is warning. Evangelicals are among those said to be in the cross hairs. (Democrat Gazette 6/4/24) READ MORE>>>>> Arkansan in Ukraine warns of Russian threat to religious freedoms Brian Mefford, an Arkansas Baptist living in Ukraine, says Russia has declared a “holy war” on the West and is targeting Protestants, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others within the Ukrainian territory it now occupies. Baptists are among those targeted by Russian invaders, he said. Russian president Vladimir Putin isn't just waging war against Ukraine, he's also battling to extinguish religious freedom, an Arkansas expatriate is warning. (Arkansas Times 3/6/24) READ MORE>>>>> Religious rightwing candidates win seats on Conway School Board Conservative Christian candidates won both Conway School Board seats Tuesday, including one they had lost less than a year ago. In Zone 5, Bill Milburn, a retired police major, took back the seat he lost last May to Trey Geier, an Army combat veteran and roofing businessman. In Zone 4, Trip Leach, chief financial officer of New Life Church in Conway, defeated Ruthann Curry Browne, a teaching artist and retired teacher. With all precincts reporting, unofficial vote totals from the Faulkner County clerk’s office showed Milburn with 885 votes to Geier’s 851, and Leach with 651 votes to Browne’s 630. (The county’s election returns do not yet include 29 provisional and overseas ballots, many of which likely were not in Conway’s Zones 4 or 5.) (Arkansas Times 3/6/24) READ MORE>>>>> |
mediaFebruary 10, 2023: Baptist News Global reported: The gospel of fear as told by Al Mohler and Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Al Mohler wants us to believe there was devil worship at the Grammys last Sunday. Two days later, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dark and dismal picture of an American democracy being destroyed by Democrats who sound suspiciously like devils.
March 5, 2023: KSL News reported: Ex-Arkansas governor says ‘more voices’ in 2024 GOP race are ‘good for our party. Hogan said in a statement Sunday that he wanted to avoid a “pileup” in the GOP primary that could result in Trump clearing the field and securing the nomination. Hutchinson disagreed with that stance, telling CNN that “this is not 2016” and that 2024 will be “different” because Trump is a “known quantity” He also said that evangelical Christian voters “are convinced that we need to have a different type of leadership in the future.”
April 7, 2023
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Are the Christian Cowboys helping Israel Evangelical missionaries?
Last week, the Jewish world responded with uncharacteristic mania to a picture of four men in cowboy hats, taken by Haviva Litman Zwickler, that went viral on social media. The picture was captioned, “These Cowboys from Arkansas and Montana were at JFK today on their way to help out at the farms in Israel. They are not Jewish.” Jews were still celebrating their arrival when reports started appearing, intimating that the American cowboys, and HaYovel, the sponsoring organization, have an agenda that might include “spreading the gospel.” (Rivkah Lambert Adler/Jerusalem Post 11/18/23) READ MORE>>>>>
Last week, the Jewish world responded with uncharacteristic mania to a picture of four men in cowboy hats, taken by Haviva Litman Zwickler, that went viral on social media. The picture was captioned, “These Cowboys from Arkansas and Montana were at JFK today on their way to help out at the farms in Israel. They are not Jewish.” Jews were still celebrating their arrival when reports started appearing, intimating that the American cowboys, and HaYovel, the sponsoring organization, have an agenda that might include “spreading the gospel.” (Rivkah Lambert Adler/Jerusalem Post 11/18/23) READ MORE>>>>>
October 16, 2023: Arkansas Times: Former state Sen. Ballinger peddles Christian nationalism from AR to AK
His 2022 defeat in the Republican primary means he can no longer force his Christian nationalist ideas on Arkansas, but former state Sen. Bob Ballinger of Ozark is taking his agenda on the road.
Ballinger signed on as a staffer for Rep. Sarah Vance, a conservative from Homer, Alaska, who was elected to represent her district in Juneau in 2019
His 2022 defeat in the Republican primary means he can no longer force his Christian nationalist ideas on Arkansas, but former state Sen. Bob Ballinger of Ozark is taking his agenda on the road.
Ballinger signed on as a staffer for Rep. Sarah Vance, a conservative from Homer, Alaska, who was elected to represent her district in Juneau in 2019
Oct 6, 2023: Assemblies of God: FROM ITALY TO THE OZARKS
For Chi Alpha students at the University of Arkansas, traveling abroad on short-term mission is a commonplace one-way exchange. But this year for the first time, an international student missionary team came to them.
When Arkansas Chi Alpha staff pastor W. Justin Overton led an outreach team last year to northeast Italy, he invited the Italians to visit their campus. Six students from the Italian university took him up on the offer.
For Chi Alpha students at the University of Arkansas, traveling abroad on short-term mission is a commonplace one-way exchange. But this year for the first time, an international student missionary team came to them.
When Arkansas Chi Alpha staff pastor W. Justin Overton led an outreach team last year to northeast Italy, he invited the Italians to visit their campus. Six students from the Italian university took him up on the offer.
Aug 26, 2023: Arkansas Democrat Gazette: At Christian worldview conference in Little Rock, speaker advises advocates to “be nice”
Scores of Arkansans gathered in Little Rock this month for a Christian worldview conference organized by the Arkansas-based Family Council.
The two-day Foundations of Truth Summit featured a number of local and national speakers.
Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for biblical worldview and strategic engagement at the Washington-based Family Research Council, spoke about "What it means to have a Christian worldview." Owen Strachan, provost and research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, focused on "Empowering change: Equipping the pastors and leaders."
Scores of Arkansans gathered in Little Rock this month for a Christian worldview conference organized by the Arkansas-based Family Council.
The two-day Foundations of Truth Summit featured a number of local and national speakers.
Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for biblical worldview and strategic engagement at the Washington-based Family Research Council, spoke about "What it means to have a Christian worldview." Owen Strachan, provost and research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, focused on "Empowering change: Equipping the pastors and leaders."
May 16, 2023: Christian Post: 67 Arkansas churches leave the UMC
Sixty-seven congregations in Arkansas have officially disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church, being part of a wave of departures driven largely by the mainline Protestant denomination’s ongoing debate over LGBT issues.
Sixty-seven congregations in Arkansas have officially disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church, being part of a wave of departures driven largely by the mainline Protestant denomination’s ongoing debate over LGBT issues.
April 7, 2023: Arkansas Times: Watchdog group calls out Sanders’ “white Christian nationalist” views, assails education plan
The Freedom from Religion Foundation said in a statement Friday that Gov. Sarah Sanders’ school voucher plan will destroy Arkansas public schools and described the governor’s views as “white Christian nationalist.”
The organization, a church-state watchdog based in Wisconsin, provided a copy of a full-page ad it says will run in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday. The ad states the organization’s opposition to Sanders’ education overhaul, saying the plan will direct money to mostly religious schools.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation said in a statement Friday that Gov. Sarah Sanders’ school voucher plan will destroy Arkansas public schools and described the governor’s views as “white Christian nationalist.”
The organization, a church-state watchdog based in Wisconsin, provided a copy of a full-page ad it says will run in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday. The ad states the organization’s opposition to Sanders’ education overhaul, saying the plan will direct money to mostly religious schools.
April 4, 2023: Arkadelphian: Legislation aimed at religious freedom heads to Arkansas Senate
A proposed law similar to a ballot measure rejected by Arkansas voters last year passed the House of Representatives along party lines Monday.
House Bill 1615 would amend Act 975 of 2015, known as the Conscience Protection Act or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Critics of the legislation at the time said it would legalize discrimination against LGBTQ Arkansans.
A proposed law similar to a ballot measure rejected by Arkansas voters last year passed the House of Representatives along party lines Monday.
House Bill 1615 would amend Act 975 of 2015, known as the Conscience Protection Act or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Critics of the legislation at the time said it would legalize discrimination against LGBTQ Arkansans.
April 3, 2023: CBN: 'Praise the Lord, We're Alive!' Victims of 52 Tornadoes Survey the Damage; 32 Dead
Rescue and recovery efforts are underway in 11 states after tornadoes killed at least 32 people over the weekend.
Rescue and recovery efforts are underway in 11 states after tornadoes killed at least 32 people over the weekend.
March 29, 2023: Arkadelphian: 3 Arkansas colleges ranked among most conservative in U.S. | Stacker
In some conservative circles, there is a belief that the definition of inclusion on college campuses has evolved to exclude them. And some would argue that any exclusion runs counter to the notion that colleges are where divergent views should be embraced and discussed. For some students, the way to avoid a sense of ideological dismissal is to choose to attend a conservative college. Typically religiously affiliated, conservative schools distinguish themselves through a codified sense of religious identity, strong conservative ideologies, or deep-rooted connections to conservative politicians and organizations. Some schools inherit the conservative vibe from their communities, while others are conservative on their own. Some are inherently conservative because of their professional or business-friendly nature, while others are steeped in a deeply held history of conservatism.
In some conservative circles, there is a belief that the definition of inclusion on college campuses has evolved to exclude them. And some would argue that any exclusion runs counter to the notion that colleges are where divergent views should be embraced and discussed. For some students, the way to avoid a sense of ideological dismissal is to choose to attend a conservative college. Typically religiously affiliated, conservative schools distinguish themselves through a codified sense of religious identity, strong conservative ideologies, or deep-rooted connections to conservative politicians and organizations. Some schools inherit the conservative vibe from their communities, while others are conservative on their own. Some are inherently conservative because of their professional or business-friendly nature, while others are steeped in a deeply held history of conservatism.