Posted: 10/3/03

DOWN HOME:
The cap was OK; his head wasn't

In most of Texas, we pretty much miss out on one of the most terrific parts of “normal” autumn–beautiful weeks when leaves turn crimson and scarlet and golden and saffron.

But at least the weather's cooled down. And at last we've folded down our tailgates in the parking lot of the purest pinnacle of the sporting universe. Namely, feud season.

MARV KNOX Editor

High school teams have entered the arch-rival grudge match part of their schedules, when “bragging rights” are up for grabs. In college ball, we've got fearsome foes squaring off against each other almost every Saturday. Last weekend, Texas Tech and Texas A&M kicked off another round. This weekend, it's the “granddaddy of them all”–Texas vs. OU.

Fortunately, I have been blessed to attend one Texas-OU ballgame. I wondered if I would get out of the Cotton Bowl alive.

This was almost three decades ago, during my sophomore year at Hardin-Simmons. My buddy Neil and I shared a table in Psychology 101, and I heard that his dad, an OU alumnus, bought two tickets to the Big Game and sent them to his only son.

So, I practiced psychological torture on Neil. I whined. For days on end. Whining is annoying in a 3-year-old. It's downright pathetic out of a 20-year-old. Finally, just a couple of days before the game, Neil asked if I wanted to go. (I now realize a girl backed out of a date, and he guessed he couldn't ask another girl, so he settled for me, figuring I'd owe him forever.)

Right after class, I broke a date with Joanna, the comely coed who later became my wife and who appreciates Texas football and understood. Well, almost understood.

More than the score (I think they tied), I remember the excitement and noise. Few experiences rival sitting in the Cotton Bowl during the Red River Shootout.

Except possibly getting shot, which I thought might happen to me. At halftime, I realized I was scorched. Being practical, I decided to buy a cap. Being loyal, it had to be a UT cap. I must've made that decision after suffering sunstroke.

Neil's dad's OU-alumni tickets were, of course, on the OU side. There I sat, with a burnt orange cap in a sea of crimson and cream. All those great Sooner fans who had been loaning these “nice college boys” their binoculars and popcorn suddenly stopped talking to us, much less offering us stuff.

Neil suggested we leave two minutes before the game ended. Dumb but not blind, I agreed.

I remember laughing as we fled the Cotton Bowl and ran to our car. Neil probably laughed because it's funny having a lunatic for a friend. I laughed because I was giddy to still have a head, much less a UT cap.

Sometimes, the Lord saves us from ourselves. All the time, God's grace is as grand as football rivalry on golden autumn afternoons.

Posted: 10/3/03

EDITORIAL:
Baylor: A century of health care

Almost exactly 100 years ago–Oct. 16, 1903–visionary Texas Baptists founded a hospital that has touched millions of lives. “Is it not now time to start a great humanitarian hospital?” asked George W. Truett, legendary pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas. Cattle baron C.C. Slaughter, one of most the generous laymen anywhere, responded by offering the first donation to make the challenge a reality. Charles McDaniel Rosser, a leading physician, supplied the expertise. Robert Cook Buckner, orphan home founder and owner of the kindest heart ever to beat in Texas, lent credibility as the first board chairman. With such leadership, the Baptist General Convention of Texas signed on. Texas Baptist Memorial Sanitarium was born.

This month, Baylor Health Care System, the sanitarium's direct descendent, celeberates its 100th anniversary, a fine time to thank God for our far-sighted ancestors' magnificent vision and for how God has multiplied its impact through the decades.

Baylor Health Care System defines itself as a “Christian ministry of healing” that “exists to serve all people through exemplary health care, education, research and community service.”

BHCS encompasses 14 hospitals and 76 other medical facilities across North Texas. Last year, the 1,900-bed system treated more than 400,000 patients, including 74,195 who were admitted and 444,581 outpatients. The system is comprised of 12,600 employees and utilizes the services of 2,414 physicians. It holds $1.6 billion in total assets and operates on $1.2 billion in revenue.

Through the decades, BHCS has been a trail-blazer among medical providers. For example:

1929, Baylor created the Baylor Plan, a pioneering hospital insurance program that developed into Blue Cross.

1938, Joseph Hill, a hematologist at Baylor, invented a machine to dry blood plasma for storage without refrigeration. Hill's invention saved thousands of soldiers' lives during World War II.

1960, Baylor surgeons performed the Southwest's first heart pacemaker implant.

1961, Baylor opened the first clinically oriented virology lab in the United States.

1983, Baylor University Medical Center became the first hospital in the Southwest to own an MRI machine.

1988, surgeons at Baylor University Medical Center performed Texas' first unrelated-donor bone marrow transplant.

1993, U.S. News & World Report recognized Baylor as one of the best hospitals in the nation, an honor it has received 11 times.

1997, Baylor surgeons pioneered using a genetically engineered pig liver to allow a patient to live while awaiting a successful liver transplant.

2000, the system became the first in the nation to screen newborns for 30 inherited diseases.

Beyond cutting-edge medicine, Baylor Health Care System always has focused on its mission to provide medical treatment to people who otherwise could not afford it. Just last year, BHCS supplied $120 million in charity health care for 24,000 patients. BHCS illustrates how Texas Baptists have taken seriously Jesus' admonition to care for “the least of these.”

That's also true because BHCS still fulfills its mission to provide a “Christian ministry of healing” by caring for the soul as well as the body.

Twenty-seven permanent chaplains serve through the system. They train 25 to 35 additional chaplains a year, and they also work with more than 120 part-time volunteer chaplains. Together, they make more than 160,000 pastoral contacts a year. They conducted 739 hours of support-group sessions, provided 1,156 hours of counseling to BHCS employees, ministered in more than 12,000 instances of deaths or medical emergencies, led 942 worship services and distributed 7,214 Bibles for babies last year.

Of course, the Baptist General Convention of Texas cannot foot the bill for all the Baylor system's costs, but the proposed 2004 BGCT Cooperative Program allocates $240,000 to help underwrite the chaplaincy program and contributes $18,000 for charity ministries.

Baylor Health Care System celebrates its 100th birthday this month, but it is not alone.

The BGCT also directly affiliates with four hospital systems–Hendrick Health System in Abilene, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospitals in Beaumont and Orange, and Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen. Two other systems–Baptist St. Anthony's Health System in Amarillo and Baptist Health System in San Antonio–also indirectly are related through other affiliated entities.

This emphasis on Christ-centered care for bodies as well as souls reflects in other BGCT endeavors, such as four child and family ministry enterprises and five retirement and aging-care ministries, as well as ministries to human need through River Ministry, disaster relief, Christian Women's Job Corps and other programs.

Baptists don't theologize much about whether souls in heaven can look down and see events on earth. But if so, we can only imagine these are ministries that make Truett, Slaughter, Rosser and Buckner proud–and grateful to God.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 10/3/03

EDITORIAL:
Measure churches this fall

Most Baptists are obsessive measurers. Almost every family with children has a place–maybe the pantry wall or the kitchen doorway–where they measure the kiddoes at the same time every year. Others take pictures of the youngers on the first day of school, always by the same chair or standing in the same spot. Just to see how they've grown. Just to mark the progress of time.

We come by this naturally. Southern Baptists started collecting measurements of their churches in 1870, when they asked the original Sunday School Board to prepare an annual report toting up the tallies on Sundays School statistics. Like most families' annual wall markings and photos, those reports charted growth and change. And the reports changed themselves. For decades, the report was called the Uniform Church Letter, and at one time it contained 150 measurements. Not quite 10 years ago, it became the Annual Church Profile, and it has trimmed down to 51 vital statistics.

Unfortunately, Texas Baptists aren't measuring up to our reputation as measurers, reports Clay Price, the Baptist General Convention of Texas' chief researcher and statistician. The number of Texas Baptist churches that have completed the Annual Church Profile has decreased by 15 percentage points in five years, from 82 percent of churches in 1998 to 67 percent last year. “This means one of every three congregations did not report in 2002,” he observes, noting a couple of good reasons for churches to participate in the annual survey:

First, it's biblical. Price points to Acts 1:15, where Luke records that 120 people were present when the apostles selected Matthias to join them, replacing Judas.

“I like to think (Luke) found the original 'church clerk' and got the official count of those present,” he says. “Of course, there are many other examples of numbers in the New Testament, a fact that speaks to God's concern for all humanity.”

Second, “because 'people count,' it is important for churches to count, literally,” he adds. When Southern Baptists collected the Uniform Church Letter, the emphasis focused on communicating with other churches, providing statistics on primary church tasks and developing a historical record of the denomination. With the advent of the Annual Church Profile, the primary purpose switched to helping individual churches evaluate their own ministries.

“God cares about his people, and he cares about his church,” Price insists. “The Annual Church Profile is just one way the church can examine its main tasks and build a record of the growth of God's kingdom. Even in churches where numbers are down, it is possible to see that people are studying the Bible, being baptized and participating in the life of the church”

If you are a church clerk or administrative assistant, look for the 2003 ACP materials from your associational office and complete them. Then encourage your pastor to share the report with the church to celebrate the growth of the God's kingdom this past year. If you are a pastor or church leader, help the clerk get the proper numbers. If you are a church member, look for and ask about the report. The BGCT research information office and most associations can provide a 10-year profile of statistics on individual churches. The Annual Church Profile provides a helpful yardstick. Use it to measure your church.

Posted 10/6/03

CYBERCOLUMN:
'Luther': Big movie, small crowds

By Brett Younger

Martin Luther is arguably the most important historical figure of the last thousand years. “Luther” isn’t the best movie of the last thousand years, but it is a good movie about a great story.

The film opens with a law student caught in a spectacular lightning storm. Luther is so terrified that he prays to St. Anne, promising he will become a monk if she keeps him from becoming toast. People have gone to seminary for worse reasons.

Luther works hard for the salvation the church has taught him he has to earn. He’s tortured by guilt even though his mentor assures him, “In two years, I’ve never heard you confess anything remotely interesting.”

Brett Younger

The brilliant monk is sent to Wittenberg to work on a doctorate, teach theology and preach every Sunday, because “We preach best what we need to learn most.” Luther is found by “a God whom I can love, a God who loves me.” He preaches, “To see God in faith is to look upon his friendly heart.”

Luther becomes disillusioned with a church more interested in fund raising than in being Christ. The selling of relics (first century souvenirs) and indulgences (tickets to heaven) becomes the target of Luther’s subversive wit. He points out that many saints left behind more body parts than they started out with and that “18 of the 12 apostles are buried in Spain.” He preaches that the people shouldn’t “obsess over relics and indulgences when Christ is here, in your love for each other and in the word.”

Luther emphasizes personal faith and the Bible in a way that challenges the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses on the Wittenberg church door on All Hallows’ Eve 1517 looks more like what probably happened than how you would expect a movie to portray the event. Luther’s tract is just one of many documents hanging on the community bulletin board. The visionary priest did not envision the Reformation, but the conflict was inevitable.

In 1521, at the Diet of Worms, the church leaders demand that Luther recant. He responds courageously: “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither safe nor right. God help me, here I stand.”

It’s expecting too much to ask a movie to capture the passion, wit and intelligence of Martin Luther in two hours. It’s hard to do justice to it all—the translation of the Bible into German, the encouragement of clergy to marry and the anarchy let loose by Luther’s ideas. The movie is messy like the Reformation.

The film closes with “540 million people worship in churches with roots in the Reformation.” This, of course, includes every church in the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Christians owe a debt to Luther for proclaiming the priesthood of all believers.

You need to see Luther fast, because it’s not going to challenge “The Lord of the Rings” for box office supremacy. Our family went the evening Luther opened and shared the theater with only six others. (Not many are saying, “I cannot do otherwise. Here I sit.”) It’s not often that major figures of the Christian faith are depicted in feature films; so if you see only one movie about a 16th century theologian this year, make it this one.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth

Posted 10/9/03

CYBERCOLUMN:
Accountability

By Berry D. Simpson

I might as well admit it now: I joined Weight Watchers. I’ve got the starter kit, I’ve weighed in on their special scales, and I’ve attended two meetings in which I was the only male in the room.

I didn’t start off that way. At first what I did was what I always doI I decided to follow the Weight Watchers program without actually joining. I found lots of information on the Internet. I found several lists of foods and their points, and I found lots of tips about how to count points and watch what I do and how to convince myself to stick to my goals, and all that.

Berry D. Simpson

I also found a program to help track daily points, log my food journal, track my daily weight, calculate my body mass index and target weights, and all that cool stuff.

I was committed and ready to go. I told myself the reason I only pretended to do Weight Watchers was to save money, being the tightwad that I am. Why pay weekly fees when I can do all the work myself? But one day I realized it wasn’t the cost I was afraid of. It was the accountability.

I wasn’t really committed to the program or the results as long as I was the only one who knew what I was doing, and that has been my pattern throughout my life. In most circumstances, I am content to sit in the back of the room keeping my own score sheet and working my own goals and keeping quiet about what I am doing. I like to say that I don’t need the approval of other people and that I am self-contained and need only me. I don’t need to jump to the front of the room and make a big deal out of anything. I also tell myself I behave this way so as not to draw attention to myself or cause trouble for other people. I treat it like a virtue.

However, I realized that I often used this false humility as protection from making real commitments. Staying in the background sounded noble, but it was actually my flight from accountability.

In regard to this Weight Watchers program, I knew as long as I kept my own records and did my own reading and kept my own points, I could feel successful whether or not I actually succeeded. And since no one else would know the real story, they couldn’t check up on me or think I was failing or think I was undisciplined.

When I joined Weight Watchers officially, paid my money and decided to go to the meetings, well, it was a big deal. Now other people who are not my wife know how much I weigh and whether I have lost pounds since last week or gained since last week. For a back-row sitter like me, that is a wobbly way to live.

I must also say it is scary to go to a weight-loss meeting and be the only man in the room. Being in an official weight-loss program already seems borderline unmanly, and the meeting only adds to the discomfort. However, I am now committed, so I will be brave. Last week, I even sat in the middle of the room rather than on the back row.

I will admit to one big strategic error. I joined Weight Watchers on a Saturday, one day before we left on a seven-day cruise, and if you know anything about cruises, eating is a big part. There is food available all day every day in many varieties and unlimited volume. I was happy to come back from the cruise having gained only four pounds, but it would have been 40 pounds if I hadn’t run every morning for an hour and climbed the stairs from deck two (where we slept) to deck nine (where all the action took place) several times each day.

It would have made more sense to join Weight Watchers after we got home from the cruise, but I knew I had to make my move as soon as I had the courage worked up and shouldn’t wait until later when my intentions might cool.

A couple of days ago, Cyndi and I were discussing a friend who used to weigh more than I do now, who has since transformed himself into a very fast highly-disciplined marathon runner, and who is somewhat good looking in that flat-bellied way some women find attractive, and I realized how far I have to go to be the man of my dreams. I think there will be even more accountability in my future.

Berry Simpson, a Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland.

Posted: 10/3/03

Texas Tidbits

Baylor social work rates highly. On the licensure examination of the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners, graduates from the Baylor School of Social Work bachelor of arts program achieved a 100 percent passing rate, and graduates from the Baylor master of social work program achieved an 88 percent passing rate. The passing rates for all schools in Texas are 69 percent for licensure at both levels.

Hispanic School sets record. Fall enrollment at Hispanic Baptist Theological School is the highest in its 56-year history–206 students from 15 countries speaking five languages.

Christopher Hammons

Norm Slosted

HBU names Slosted. Norm Slosted has been named vice president for student affairs at Houston Baptist University. He moves from Hope International University in California, where he was vice president for student affairs. He holds bachelor's and mater's degrees from Azusa Pacific University and is a candidate for the doctor of education degree there.

HBU receives major gifts. Woodland Baptist Church of Houston has created five endowed scholarships at Houston Baptist University with a gift of $936,000. The church also gave $51,271 toward a scholarship in memory of Ray Mayfield Jr. The university also received a gift of $500,000 from the United States Steel Corp. for a cultural arts center.

Hammons to new role at HBU. Christopher Hammons, associate professor of political science, has been named director of the master of liberal arts program at Houston Baptist University. Hammons received his doctorate and master's degree from the University of Houston and his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas.

Historical Society to meet. The Texas Baptist Historical Society will hold its annual meeting Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Southcrest Baptist Church, 3801 S. Loop 289, in Lubbock. The luncheon will include election of officers, recognition of history award winners and a presentation by Ken Camp of the BGCT Communications Center. He will speak about the history of Texas Baptist Men's disaster relief work. The luncheon is $6 per person, payable at the door, and the deadline for reservations is Oct. 29. For more information and reservations, contact the Texas Baptist Historical Society at 4144 N. Central Expressway, Suite 110, Dallas 75204; (972) 331-2235.

DBU hosts workshop with GMA. Dallas Baptist University will host Academy on Campus in partnership with the Gospel Music Association Oct. 17-18. The educational workshop and talent competition for aspiring Christian artists and songwriters will include instruction, evaluation sessions and a talent competition for unsigned artists and composers. Register online at www.dbu.edu/academy or call (214) 333-5613. Registration is limited to 400 participants.

Posted: 5/19/03

Restoration project bolsters historic Texas church

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

ANDERSON–If the walls of Anderson Baptist Church could talk, they would tell stories of early Texas Baptist history.

Current renovations to the historic church won't bring the walls to life but will preserve the life of the structure, built in 1855.

The stone meeting house of Anderson Baptist Church is believed to be the oldest church building in Texas still occupied by a congregation.

The church also was the birthplace of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1848, although that was before the current building was erected and before the BGCT was called the BGCT.

Further, the first Baptist newspaper in Texas was published at the church in 1855. The Texas Baptist, a predecessor to the Baptist Standard, was published by George Baines, pastor of Anderson Baptist Church and grandfather of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Anderson Baptist Church also birthed the first woman's missionary organization in the state, the Female Missionary Society in the interest of Indian missions, in 1858.

This spring, the church has undertaken a major renovation of the structure, replacing the mortar that holds together the stone walls on the exterior and installing new windows.

Next in line is a renovation of the church bell tower and renovation of the fascia boards all around the roofline. The bell in the tower still is used weekly to signal the start of worship.

Estimated cost of the bell tower renovation is $20,000, an expense the church is seeking assistance with from former members and others interested in preserving Texas Baptist history.

The church will celebrate completion of the rebuilding of its walls June 22 in a service fashioned after the Old Testament account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem.

Anderson Baptist Church is the birthplace of Texas Baptist cooperation. In 1848, representatives of 23 Texas Baptist churches met there to form the Baptist State Convention.

NEXT IN LINE for restoration is the bell tower.

The church's first pastor was Z.N. Morrell, a legendary pioneer preacher who had come to Texas from Tennessee.

The church's beginnings predate the founding of Baylor University and the founding of the Southern Baptist Convention. From monthly preaching meetings in a log schoolhouse with a dirt floor, a church was established with seven members in 1844.

The current rock building was constructed with stones dug out of the surrounding hills by slave labor.

Although important in Texas history, the Anderson church never has been large, according to a published history of the congregation. That may be due to the constantly shifting population in the area and the fact that the church from its early days helped start other churches.

“The fact that the Negroes separated from Anderson Baptist Church in 1867 to form their own church probably accounts for the decline in membership from 153 in 1876 to 69 in 1880,” the history recounts. “There were 100 members in 1953. There were approximately 18 members in 1994.”

At one point, the church nearly died out, reported Dwain Steinkuehler, current pastor. Then in 1997, Jim Adams came over from First Baptist Church of Navasota to work with five widows who were keeping the Anderson church alive. Together, they grew the church to about 50 members.

Some of those members have since died, but others have come in, and the membership continues to hold at about 50, Steinkuehler said.

Despite its small size, the congregation has given about $10,000 toward the renovation project while meeting its ongoing expenses.

Steinkuehler may be addressed at Box 784, Anderson 77830. The church's phone number is (936) 873-3363.

Posted: 5/19/03

Jeff Burns	Kimberley Burns	Billy Creech	Ami Creech
Joe Ragan	Tom Reed	Robert Shehane	Carel Shehane

Around the State

Four Hardin-Simmons University graduates received special recognition at commencement exercises May 10. Bethany Teer of Arlington received the Julius Nelson Olsen Medal for having the highest grade average. Paul Matthies of Crawford received the George Skiles Award, and Gina Pavlicek of Shiner was the winner of the Minnie L. Anderson Award. Both awards are given for excelling in character, personal development and service to the university. Kirk Hancock of Abilene was the winner of the Hemphill Graduate Honor Award as the graduate who has excelled in academic studies, possesses character and behavior consistent with the university's purpose and exhibits potential for significant contribution in his chosen field.

Molly Hunt has joined Hardin-Simmons University as an admissions representive.

Hardin-Simmons University's faculty and staff organizations have elected their officers for the coming year. Faculty officers will remain Jaynne Middleton, president; Tina Tarrant, vice president; and Michelle Dose, secretary. Officers of the staff council will be Travis Seekins, president; Don Ashmore, vice president; and Joella Michael, secretary.

Appointments

Eight people with Texas ties were among the missionaries appointed by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention May 7 in Framingham, Mass.:

Jeff and Kimberly Burns will serve in the Western Pacific as evangelists and church planters. He formerly was a self-employed Christian comedian. He also formerly was youth minister at Sycamore Church in Fort Worth and singles minister at Harvest Church in Watauga. She is was the secretary to the president of Southwestern Seminary from 1995 to 1997. They have three sons, Hudson, Joseph and Caleb.

Billy and Ami Creech will serve in Western Europe in community outreach. He is minister of youth at Lakeshore Drive Church in Weatherford. They have two sons, Ian and Gabriel.

Joe Ragan will be an evangelist and church planter in Central and Eastern Europe. He is minister of education at Southwayside Church in Fort Worth.

Tom Reed will be a strategy coordinator in Eastern Africa. He is a former International Service Corps missionary in Africa, adjunct teacher at Criswell College and radio producer with USA Radio Network in Dallas. He is a member of First Church in Dallas.

Texas natives Robert and Carel Shehane will serve in Western Europe, where he will be a strategy coordinator. They have four grown children.

Retiring

Paul Stripling, as executive director of Waco Association for more than 21 years. A retirement reception will be held June 29 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Columbus Avenue Church in Waco. Last year, the association honored him on his 20th anniversary with a celebration banquet held at First Church of Woodway.

Anniversaries

Houston Garner, 40th, as pastor of Hebron Church in Bells.

Rob Morris, 10th, as worship pastor at Woodforest Church in Houston, May 5.

Calvary Church in Cisco, 50th, June 1. Jack Clack will preach, followed by lunch. Danny Martin is pastor.

Prairie Valley Church between Lone Oak and Campbell, 125th, June 6-8. Former pastor Ted White will preach Friday at 7 p.m. with a fellowship following. Former pastor Eddie Frazier will preach at 7 p.m. Saturday. Music will be provided by the Paul Cherry family. Former pastor Royce Litchfield will bring Sunday morning's message, followed by a luncheon. A bluegrass gospel concert will begin at 1:30 p.m. Tommy Witt is pastor.

First Church of Forest Hill in Fort Worth, 100th, June 22. Don Gates will be the guest preacher and Duane Blakely the guest musician. For lunch reservations, send $7.50 to 3430 Horton Road, Fort Worth 76119. Don Mitchell is pastor.

First Church in Olton, 100th, June 27-29. Kyle Streun is pastor.

Events

First Church in Merkel honored Edna Teaff for 65 years of teaching Sunday School April 27. At 91, she still is teaching a women's Bible study class each Sunday.

First Church in Howe commissioned Ernie and Terry McLaughlin as Mission Service Corps volunteers May 4.

Wade Daniel will be in concert at First Church in Conroe June 1 at 6 p.m.

Deaths

Algernon Swan, 80, March 5 in Andrews, N.C. Swan was the retired head of Hardin-Simmons University's research center, coming to the school in 1981 and taking the helm of the center in 1984. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jane; daughters, Mary Elizabeth Swan and Caroline Swan; and six grandchildren.

Alan Neely, 74, May 14 in Raleigh, N.C. A graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he taught missions at Southeastern Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary. He also served as a Southern Baptist missionary, teaching at International Theological Seminary in Cali, Colombia, from 1963 to 1976. He was active in the formation of the Alliance of Baptists and was a prolific writer. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Virginia; daughters, Jennifer Wilkins and Elizabeth Forsythe; son, Roger; and four grandchildren.

Licensed

Amy Dennis and Shelly Melia to the ministry at First Church in Burleson.

Revival

Garner Church, Weatherford; May 26-28; evangelist, Mark Wheeler; music, Marksman Quartet; pastor, Alan Kuykendall.

Posted: 5/19/03

Baptist Briefs

Missionaries' killer sentenced to death. The man accused of killing three Southern Baptist hospital workers has been sentenced to death, his lawyer told the Associated Press. Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, 30, was sentenced to death May 10 for the shooting deaths of Baptist workers William Koehn, Martha Myers and Kathleen Gariety Dec. 30 in Jibla, Yemen. The verdict was given in Jibla, the AP reported. Kamel will appeal, with his lawyer describing the verdict as violating Islamic law.

Alliance links with two other bodies. The Alliance of Baptists has approved a proposed ecumenical agreement with the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that would foster greater cooperation between the groups' leaders, congregations and seminaries. The proposal has not yet been approved by the other bodies.

Directors of missions website launched. Woman's Missionary Union has launched DirectorofMissions.com, an interactive website designed to improve communication among directors of missions, associational staff and other missions-minded leaders. The website is the result of market research, focus-group studies conducted by WMU in 2002 and interviews with various directors of missions from across the country.

Companions in Christ training offered. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Upper Room Ministries will co-sponsor four regional Companions in Christ training events this summer, including one in Texas. Companions in Christ is a 28-week small-group experience that builds spiritual practices within congregations, helping participants open more fully to God and to one another. The Texas training session will be held July 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco. It will be led by Carolyn Shapard, minister to adults at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, and Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for congregational life. For more information, visit www.cbfonline.org and pull down the “resources” menu.

Texans to be honored. Three Texas Baptists will receive awards when the Baptist History & Heritage Society meets May 22-24 in Belton at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. William Reynolds of Fort Worth will receive the society's national Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to Baptist history. Charles Wade and Bill Pinson, current and former executive directors of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, each will receive the society's Officers Award for commitment to historic Baptist principles and the values of Baptist history and heritage, creative leadership, and support of the Baptist History & Heritage Society.

Oklahoma church damaged. At least three Southern Baptist churches suffered damage as a series of tornadoes hit the Oklahoma City metro area May 8-9. Trinity Baptist Church in Moore was virtually demolished. Tulakes Baptist Church in Bethany also was damaged, perhaps beyond repair. Witcher Baptist Church near Edmond had significant roof and window damage.

Traylor to be nominated. Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., will be nominated for the presidency of the 2004 Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference. Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and a former Pastors' Conference president, said he will nominate Traylor for the post during the June 15-16 Pastors' Conference in Phoenix.

Davis named Indiana executive. The State Convention of Baptists in Indiana's executive board has voted unanimously to call Stephen Davis the convention's executive director/ treasurer. Davis has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Garland since 1994. He will succeed Charles Sullivan, who is retiring after 12 years in the position.

Posted: 5/19/03

Panel warns religious freedom at risk in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON–An independent panel warned May 13 that religious freedom in Afghanistan is perilously at risk unless the U.S. government presses for greater human rights protections.

In its annual report to Congress, the president and the State Department, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said Afghanistan could again become a repressive Islamic state unless Washington intervenes.

“There are indications that Afghanistan is being reconstructed–without serious U.S. opposition–as a state in which an extreme interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law) would be enforced by a government which the United States supports and with which our nation is closely identified,” the nine-member panel warned.

The watchdog panel called for increased security to guarantee human rights, as well as secular courts to prevent “misguided judicial activism” and a commitment to make sure “punishments such as flogging, amputation of limbs and death by stoning are banned.”

The commission also rebuked Saudi Arabia, one of America's closest allies in the Middle East, for restricting non-Muslim faiths.

“The commission shares the State Department's view that freedom of religion does not exist in Saudi Arabia and notes that advancing human rights, including religious freedom, has not been a public feature” of U.S. diplomacy, the panel said.

The commission, which was chartered by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, monitors religious freedom issues and advises the government on ways to weave those concerns into foreign policy.

The panel chided the State Department, however, for ignoring many of its recommendations, particularly adding Saudi Arabia to a list of “countries of particular concern” for its human rights policy.

In March, Secretary of State Colin Powell named six countries–Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan–as countries of particular concern for their “systematic, ongoing and egregious” violations of religious freedom.

The watchdog commission wants Powell to add six more countries–India, Laos, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Vietnam–to the list, as well as naming Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Uzbekistan to a “watch list.”

Posted: 5/19/03

June 1

Amos 2:4-16

Amos in the eye of the storm

By Bill Shiell

The months of April-November provided interesting times in Pensacola, Fla., the city where I grew up.

This was the annual hurricane season, when many people became overnight crack meteorologists. They eagerly watched the weather and plotted the course of oncoming storms, using a blank map provided in the local paper. As a tropical wave turned to a depression then to a storm and finally a hurricane, we usually watched with great anticipation to see which would be the next unlucky city to feel the brunt of nature's wrath.

The book of Amos opens much like a weather forecaster charting the course of an onco

ming hurricane. Amos describes the destruction that will occur to the Canaanite tribes and villages surrounding Israel, many of whom had fought them ever since they occupied the Promised Land. In order to understand the effect Amos' words might have had on his audience, we will note his earlier words regarding God's coming wrath.

The storm

surrounding Israel

Seven nations surrounding Israel during Amos' time also had violated God's commands. In order to indicate how dangerous the times were for Israel, Amos begins by citing others' shortcomings. These oracles or prophetic sermons followed a simple pattern. He preached by by announcing that judgment was coming, discussing the irrevocable punishment from God, listing the evidence that demanded a verdict of guilt, announcing the punishment and offering a concluding statement.

With the exception of Judah, every nation around Israel had violated the commands of God against other nations. They had committed atrocities such as genocide or infanticide against other peoples.

For instance, in the judgment announced on the Aramaeans (Syrians), these people evidently rebelled against God by committing war crimes (1:3-5).The word for “transgression” in 1:3 indicates they were guilty of immoral acts against people of other nations. Their punishment was not simply a result of political disagreements with Israel. Even though Israel and Aram were frequently at war, the political disagreement was merely a byproduct of the Aram's broken relationship with the almighty God.

As Roy Honeycutt noted, God established a covenant relationship with all peoples, whether or not they had ethnic ties with Israel; and he promised to correct those who violated the terms of this agreement as well. In Aram's case, this prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-Pileser conquered and deported the citizens around 732 B.C.

The judgment Amos announced on Aram was very similar to the punishment looming for six other nations and their respective capital cities: Philistia (Gaza), Phoenicia (Tyre), Edom (Teman), Ammon (Rabbah), Moab (Kerioth) and Judah (Jerusalem). He uses the same formula repeatedly as a rhetorical device to gain his early Israelite audience's attention: “For three transgressions of ____ and for four, I will not turn back my wrath.”

Israel's stormy

relationship with God

The forecast for Israel was just as bad as the ones for the other nations. They would not escape God's judgment either, because they too had done things that would naturally result in violent destruction of their society. Beginning in 2:6, we see massive problems unfolding in the wake of God's wrath. The sins they committed were different than those of the other nations.

Whereas the Gentile nations were guilty of moral atrocities against their international neighbors, and Judah was accused of apostasy against the Lord, Israel was indicted for violation of daily moral and ethical living. Although they were living at peace with other nations politically, spiritually they were complete failures in the sight of God. Amos lists four sins they had committed in the focal text for this lesson.

Selling the righteous

for silver (2:6)

Judges in 760 B.C. Israel were corrupt; often the rich could bribe their way out of their sentences. The poor, however, could not afford to pay the bribes and were left to the whims of the judicial system. This phrase in verse 6 is a metaphor of how the righteous were acquitted easily, but the poor were left helpless.

Selling the needy

for a pair of sandals (2:6)

When the poor were brought to court, often they were falsely accused. Judges would sentence them to fines they could not afford to pay. The resulting punishment was enslavement, sometimes for just a lowly pair of flip flops. Amos calls for repentance from the act of slavery and the attitudes that bred such a practice. The people lacked any pity, concern or compassion for others.

Trample on the heads

of the poor (2:7)

The third sin was another violation of their relationships with the needy. Not only did they treat them badly in their judicial system, but in their daily dealings with the impoverished, they “trampled on their heads,” or showed contempt toward them for no apparent reason other than their economic status. The prophet Isaiah expressed a similar concern (Isaiah 3:15).

Deny justice

to the oppressed (2:7)

By denying justice to the oppressed, the Israelites exhibited a fourth problem. They were known for their “me first/everyone else second” attitude. Amos indicated the poor did not have the same access to due process of law everyone else did. The poor should have been entitled to the same privileges, but the Israelites shoved the poor out as if to say, “Get out of my way.” When it came to the poor or anyone else for that matter, the Israelites said, “I'm looking out for No. 1.”

Profane my

Holy Name (2:7-8)

If the social conditions were bad enough, the moral failings of the people were just as abhorrent to God. In verses 7-8, Amos showed the people were violating God's moral laws, a direct result of their misplaced priorities. To make matters worse, they committed these incestuous acts on the very garments received from the poor as a pledge they would pay the fines levied against them unjustly.

The prophecies

before the storm

Chapter 2 is a preview of what is to come in the book of Amos–a nine-chapter sermon on the choices Israel has made and the consequences of those choices. These themes will be repeated throughout the book, and we will return to these throughout these lessons. The people will soon see natural disasters all around them, and it will be the sign they need to turn their hearts to the Lord.

When read alongside chapter 1, the two chapters function together like the opening diatribe of a modern-day sermon. You could almost imagine Amos standing in the pulpit of a Texas church and warming up the crowd quietly with a discussion of the problems of the “world” today.

In his day, the “world” would be such great empires as the Aramaeans and the Ammonites. The likely response from the crowd to this kind of message would be “Amen,” or “That's good preaching.” When we cross from 2:5 to 2:6, however, I imagine that the crowd would have gotten very quiet. The preacher/prophet was not just talking about them; he was talking about the very people in his audience that day–the Israelites. They were just as guilty as the rest of the sinners in the world.

Amos uses political analogies from the surrounding communities and applies them to his day. The ingenious prophet knows, however, that life is about more than just strategic alliances. The struggles politically were markers indicating deeper spiritual problems only a prophet could see and address under inspiration from God. Amos saw the political, moral and theological issues intertwined into a complete breakdown of the fabric of society. The resulting judgment would feel much like the thunder, lightning and earthquakes of natural disasters on the people–but worse.

In his opening foray, Amos stands in the eye of the storm, a calm place preceding the coming destruction. He notes the one problem the people have had all along. The Israelites thought that as God's people, the covenant provided a safety net underneath them and a hedge around them so that when they acted unlawfully, they would be protected from the punishment other nations received for committing the same wrongs.

Amos will show them that just because they were a part of the covenant Moses handed down and that was reaffirmed in David's reign does not mean they are exempt from responsibility. When they have made all the wrong choices and repeatedly violated God's commands, eventually God would not bail them out any longer. He has to let nature and the consequences of sin run their course.

In a world of moral failures in society and injustice in our own court system, it is easy to turn Amos' message into a sermon directed toward everyone outside the walls of the church. But Amos is very careful to forecast a warning to God's people, and as New Testament believers, that includes us. The storm is brewing, and we have brought it on ourselves. We are left to take the next seven chapters to heart and correct our conduct.

Questions for discussion

How did Ammon, Moab and Judah show they were deserving of judgment?

Think of a time in your life when the events in the world served as a wake-up call to you. How did that affect your actions? Your worship? Your relationships?

In a covenant relationship, God agrees to do his part, and by participating in the covenant, we agree to do our part. How many different ways had God continued to fulfill his covenant toward Israel but instead, he was rejected?

Read the prophecies of Amos aloud to yourself. Begin the first prophecy with Damascus in a quiet tone and increase the volume in your voice as you move to the next country. What affect does a reading such as this have on the intensity of the moment when you get to chapter 2's prophecy against Israel? Could Amos have possibly used this simple device to get his point across?

Bill Shiell is pastor of Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo

Posted: 5/19/03

June 8

Amos 3:9-4:3; 5:10-15; 6:4-7; 8:4-6

Prophetic words to the filthy rich

By Bill Shiell

What could cause degradation in a nation of God's chosen people? Amos looks to the root of the problem in the focal passages for this lesson, as he brings judgment on the injustice caused by the lifestyles of the rich and famous followers of God.

Chapter 3:13 is the third of four oracles Amos preached against the wealth of the people in Israel or Samaria. Each oracle has the same characteristics, and we can discuss them together. Each one mockingly discusses the characteristic of the people that made them so pretentious and echoes a reference from the Pentateuch that showed how they violated God's law. Each example builds on the other, providing further reasons why Samaria will be conquered by enemies, and these enemies will be the agents of God's wrath on the people.

Lifestyles of

the rich and famous

We can read several identifiable characteristics of the lavish lifestyles of the people during Amos' time. Their homes were filled with furniture (3:12). The houses were adorned with ivory (3:15) and were built to enormous proportions (3:15). They owned homes for different seasons–one for winter, another for summer (3:15). They successfully grew vineyards (4:11) and other crops (8:5) but cheated others out of a fair market price. Women especially enjoyed the fruits of the opulent lifestyle (4:1).

Amos focused on the region of Bashan (4:1-3). Known for its fertile land to the east of the Jordan valley, the heavy rainfall created a rich cropland filled with tall, strong trees (Psalm 22:12). Amos uses the region of Bashan as a metaphor of God's destruction. Instead of the people's growing strong like the trees of Bashan, they have fattened themselves like cattle prior to slaughter. They desire to fill themselves continually with drink, lounging and imbibing in their own wicked designs, a plan that eventually will backfire on them.

In their minds, the people were not only rich, but they thought they were famous–protected by God because of their ethnic ties to one another and their covenant relationship with him. Amos announced that covenantal agreements and fame or protection in the eyes of other nations were not permanent guarantees of peace and freedom. The covenant was only as good as the people's willingness to fulfill their part of the agreement, to follow God's laws. Israel thought God's agreement with them was for the lifetime of their race, whether they did anything wrong or not. In God's mind, the people had so routinely violated the terms of the agreement his patience had finally run out.

God's response to the people

God was particularly infuriated with the people because they violated one of the conditions of the covenant, their holiness. As God's chosen people, they had been called out to be a reflection of his holiness, separated from others to be an example for the nations surrounding them. They were to set God's standards, modeling for others an ethic that coupled moral responsibility with social justice and righteousness. Because Israel chose to rest on their laurels, Amos was forced to become God's mouthpiece, stating the people had violated the holiness codes set up by God. We get the sense of how serious this concern is in 4:2, when the Hebrew can be translated, "My Lord God swears by his holiness." This holiness motivated the Lord to correct the covenant family.

The responsibilities

of God's family

Amos models for the believer today two critical responsibilities of God's spiritual family.

Leaders must speak. The opening verses of chapter 3 allude to several cause-and-effect relationships, such as a lion roaring and a trap being tripped. Amos related his prophetic calling to these kinds of familiar operations in society. Amos' life has a cause-and-effect relationship with the Lord. The Lord speaks, and he cannot help but follow through by speaking to the people.

The leaders of the 21st century must speak in ways similar to Amos. Just as we find it natural to cheer when our favorite sports team scores, the prophetic voices of today should find it natural to speak when the lifestyles of believers become so opulent their spiritual lives are clouded by their material possessions.

Early Baptists like John Bunyan wrote of this prophetic urgency when he boldly prayed: "Oh, that those who have heard me speak today will see as I do–what sin, death, hell and the curse of God really are, and that they might understand the grace and love and mercy of God, that it is through Christ to them no matter in what condition they are, even if they are his enemies."

God's family also is accountable. Just as marriages and family systems require accountability and faithfulness to the agreements we make together, so God's family necessitates accountability to one another and a holy God. We have a very special relationship to the Lord; as the church today, we are God's chosen.

Just like the Israelites chosen by God on Mount Sinai, we are now responsible for our own choices. Our most important responsibility is to follow the example of a holy God and see the worth and dignity of every person created in his image, including the poor. Bribery, slavery and adultery all transgress the first order of God's good creation. By trampling on those who are the least, we risk running over the very Christ who said, "Whatever you have done unto the least of these, my brothers, you have done unto me."

The word from Amos is not optional. As General Montgomery, commander of the forces in North Africa during World War II, once said, "Orders no longer form the basis for discussion but for action." The family of God must take action now to avoid the imminent judgment (3:2).

On July 14, 2000, Warren Bailey died. Most people probably did not read his obituary; but unknown to most people in his hometown of St. Mary's, Ga., Warren Bailey had left $60 million to the local Methodist church. According to the Associated Press story, Bailey operated a local family-owned telephone company. He became quite wealthy over time but divorced after several years of marriage and died with no children to inherit the money. He chose to give most of his estate to the church with no strings attached to the gift.

This inheritance presented a wonderful opportunity for the church and their pastor, Derek McAleer. Most churches might crater under the responsibility of this kind of estate, but the church voted to give the majority of the money away. They divided the estate into various kinds of trusts and accounts designated to assist the impoverished and needy in their community and to go toward nonprofit groups and other churches to assist them with their projects. None of it was designated for future building construction or for the general fund of the budget.

Could Warren Bailey and the members of St. Mary's church have been modern-day prophets like Amos, willing to give for the good of the community? They certainly became responsible members of God's family.

Questions for discussion

Amos challenges us to set new priorities in our finances. What would Amos say if he were a member of your church's finance committee? How would his influence cause you to evaluate your church's budget priorities?

Christians are not immune to the temptations of materialism. If Amos were to stop by your home, what material goods would you be ashamed to show him, for fear he might have something negative to say about them?

Amos describes God as a holy God. How should that characteristic of God be reflected in our choices today?

Can you see areas of injustice in our judicial system that favor the rich over the poor? What ways can the church be used today to provide equal opportunities for justice at every level of society?

The Dallas Morning News reported that average giving to churches dropped by almost $150 per donor from 1999 to 2000, and the giving of the average Christian dropped by 19 percent within the same period. What do these statistics reveal about Christians' attitudes to generosity and giving today?