Posted: 6/06/03

BGCT Elder Statesman Award
presented to Herbert Reynolds

By Marv Knox

Editor

INDEPENDENCE–Praised as “a Baptist from the top of his head to the tip of his toes,” Herbert Reynolds received the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Elder Statesman Award June 1.

Friends and admirers from across Texas gathered at the historic Independence Baptist Church to recognize Reynolds, known for more than three decades as a leader in Christian higher education and a champion of religious liberty.

The BGCT's Baptist Distinctives Committee and Texas Baptist Heritage Center present the Elder Statesman Award each year in coordination with the Independence Baptist Association. The award is reserved for Texas Baptists who have had distinguished careers in Christian service.

The setting at Independence–original site of the two oldest schools affiliated with the BGCT, Baylor University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor–was particularly appropriate this year. Reynolds has served Baylor for 34 years.

He was elected the university's executive vice president in 1969, president in 1981, chancellor in 1995 and president emeritus in 2000.

Both personally and professionally, Reynolds is a worthy recipient of the Elder Statesman Award, said Paul Powell, dean of Baylor's Truett Seminary, who made the presentation.

Before joining the Baylor administration, Reynolds completed a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, including service as the commander and director of plans for the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, Powell noted, citing Reynolds' professional expertise in psychology.

“Herbert Reynolds is a scholar and a scientist of the first rank, but he still has a child-like–not to be confused with childish–faith and rock-like convictions,” Powell said.

“He's a Baptist from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He has worked tirelessly to preserve Baptist ideals.”

Reynolds also has exhibited “lion-like courage,” Powell added, specifically referencing Baylor's charter change more than a decade ago, which gave the university's regents authority to select 75 percent of their members, with the BGCT selecting the other 25 percent.

“He preserved academic and religious liberty for Texas Baptists, and he never faltered,” Powell claimed. “Herbert Reynolds is a John the Baptist kind of man. When he takes a stand, he stands there, even if he has to stand alone.”

In addition, Reynolds has “prophet-like conviction,” Powell said. To illustrate, he noted how Reynolds legally preserved the name “George W. Truett Theological Seminary” for Baylor and then opened the seminary “long before it was needed.” Now, the seminary is destined for greatness and to preserve Baptists' grand tradition of ministerial eduction, he added.

“Herbert H. Reynolds is the most influential and revolutionary Texas Baptist in the second half of the 20th century,” Powell declared. “He stands head and shoulders above everyone else.”

Other program speakers also praised Reynolds' leadership.

“He has deep passion for the things that make Baptists–particularly Texas Baptists–important in the world of faith,” said Charles Wade, the BGCT's executive director. “He has been generous with the Baptist vision for Texas. He has encouraged others to think about the whole Baptist family and not just Baylor.”

“He is a shining example of 'contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,'” said Winfred Moore, visiting distinguished professor of religion at Baylor, quoting the New Testament book of Jude.

“He's done what he's done with grace, love and compassion, sometimes standing against evil when others did not understand,” Moore said. “He is a man of great ideas, and all of them have been around 'contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.' … My prayer is that you and I will imitate Herbert Reynolds as he imitates the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Here is a life to celebrate, a life to imitate, a life to thank,” noted Bill Pitts, religion professor at Baylor and president of the Independence Association.

“Dr. Reynolds has been a friend to Baptists around the world,” added Bill Pinson, the BGCT's executive director emeritus. “I cannot think of one more deserving.”

While president of Baylor, Reynolds was named one of America's 100 most effective chief executive officers in a study of the 3,400 presidents of American colleges and universities. He also was elected chairman of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In 2001, he received the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Founders Medal.

He is a graduate of Trinity University and Baylor, where he earned master's and doctor's degrees.

He has served on numerous boards and committees related to business and education.

He is an active churchman and member of First Baptist Church in Waco, where he has served on committees and been chairman of deacons.

He and his wife, Joy, have two sons and a daughter, all married, and seven grandchildren.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

More than 200 Texas Baptist students
head out for missions work worldwide

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ARLINGTON–Neither wars nor disease nor financial instability could keep more than 200 Texas Baptist students from embarking on summer missions projects this month.

Most of the student missionaries serving in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas departed for their assignments June 1 after obtaining training and inspiration at First Baptist Church of Arlington.

Brenda Saunders, director of the BGCT student missions program, said she is impressed by the students' willingness to serve despite volatile worldwide issues. Volunteers will serve in 16 countries and 14 states.

“This year we're really excited to see the number of students,” she said. “With SARS and war, you'd think they'd want to stay close to home, but they see it as more of a challenge.”

The students, including those in “creative access countries” where Christian witnessing is not allowed, are as “prepared as they can be,” Saunders said. They have been trained in Texas for the specific countries where they will serve and will go through on-the-field training with experienced missionaries.

Saunders hopes the mission experience will deepen the students' faith and inspire them to take the gospel around the world for years to come. “Ultimately, I pray summer missionaries will become career missionaries and pastors to new-work areas.”

As they prepared to leave, many students said they eagerly awaited getting to their assigned locations and seeing God work through them.

“I'm really excited but don't know what the Lord is going to do,” said Jessica Berry, a Sam Houston State University music therapy major assigned to Washington. “You don't think people have never heard the gospel in America, but they haven't, especially in the north.”

More than 100 missionaries will face unfamiliar cultures and language barriers on foreign soils. Rather than looking at those aspects as obstacles, Coby Colley, a recent Texas Tech University graduate serving in Germany, looks for the experience to broaden his horizons.

Most of the students, including Texas Tech fine arts major Jordan Gray, are volunteering for the program for the first time. The possibilities for ministry seem endless to Gray, who is part of a team that will lead revivals in the Northwest United States.

“I honestly don't know what to expect,” Gray said. “I'm just going on faith. I went to the interview not knowing if I was going to do this or not. I guess it was the right place at the right time. (God) said go and do it, so I'm doing it.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

Pastors say long tenures benefit ministries

By Toby Druin

Editor Emeritus

Houston Garner became pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in 1963, the year President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Forty years later and soon to be 75, Garner remains pastor of the church located near Bells, east of Sherman.

And he's likely to continue there awhile.

“I'm still in pretty good health,” he said, “and the Lord hasn't released me yet.”

Although pastorates generally are lasting longer, Garner's tenure remains exceptional.

He and several other Texas pastors with long tenures recently spoke with the Standard about their experiences–how they have extended their ministries over multiple decades, what they have learned and how they and their churches have changed.

40 years behind same pulpit
Clothing styles and worship styles have changed in the 40 years Houston Garner has served Hebron Baptist Church as pastor, but he's preached the same gospel to people both old and new.

The key to pastoral longevity for Garner has been “just trying to stay with preaching the gospel and staying out of politics,” he said. “I've got both Republicans and Democrats among my people. I keep away from politics; that's what's broken up a lot of churches.”

The advantage of being at Hebron 40 years, he said, has been in being there long enough to know not only his church members and their children and grandchildren, but also the community. He has been with church members when their children were born, and he has baptized many of those children and then performed their wedding ceremonies.

“The time I've spent here has just helped me to grow in knowledge of the people,” he said. “I've learned to understand them and to be more of a witness than a judge. When you see people in all kinds of situations, if you can just learn to put yourself in their shoes, it helps.”

His own experience of losing a daughter at 15 in a car wreck and going through another daughter's divorce has helped too, he added.

“When you go through those situations yourself and then see others experiencing the same thing, you learn to be a little more sympathetic,” he explained. “I have seen people in trouble and then have seen them come out victoriously.

“I have been in the community so long, I have friends all over the county,” he said. “That's another advantage of being here so long. Last year, I preached 37 funerals, but only seven were from our own church family.”

Time also has helped him move the church toward more mission support. When Garner came to Hebron, he said, the church was giving $4 a month to missions. “It wasn't long until I suggested we should be a tithing church, giving 10 percent to missions,” he said.

The church has been on a percentage giving basis for many years. Three years ago, members decided to build a half-million dollar auditorium and not borrow money for its construction. They moved into the 500-seat facility last Easter.

Ron Durham has experienced two areas of ministry at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco–almost eight years as minister to college students and associate pastor and almost 23 years as pastor. The church honored him earlier this year on his 30th anniversary. The Waco City Council declared “Ron Durham Day” in the city to mark the occasion, and the Texas Senate passed a resolution noting the anniversary. A letter from Gov. Rick Perry topped off the observance.

The key to his longevity, Durham said, has been a “wonderful, dedicated staff, people who have a team spirit and work well together. No pastor is successful without a good, solid staff.”

His years as pastor, he said, have enabled him to be at Columbus Avenue “long enough to have prayed for some babies at their births to eventually performing their wedding ceremonies.”

“The time has enabled me to minister in so many different times of need–the birth of babies, graduation, marriages, deaths of parents. Ministering to people in all kinds of need and plateaus of life has been a real delightful thing. Through the years, we've been able to develop many long-term friendships.”

And that lends credibility, he said. “I have worked hard to develop trust among our people, and it comes through longevity. My being here this long has also brought community recognition, not only for me, but also my church.”

His congregation's basic needs haven't changed during his 23 years as their pastor, Durham said, but they have been affected by cultural changes, especially in the pressures placed on families.

“Keeping family as a sacred entity is a real challenge,” he said. “The world gets into the church today in regard to the sanctity of the family. We try to place a heavy emphasis on the family. Every year, we honor couples who have been married 50 years.”

Staying up-to-date in reading and study habits presents an ongoing challenge, Durham said. In the latter years of his ministry, he has become adept at researching various issues on the Internet.

“I want to stay current but at the same time preach the old gospel,” he said. “The message hasn't changed with the passing of time.”

In Irving, Wallace Philpot believes Oak View Baptist Church wouldn't call him as pastor today if he were the person he was 37 years ago when he came as pastor.

“They have allowed me to grow personally and professionally,” he explained.

Like Garner and Durham, Philpot said one of the keys to his long tenure is simply “staying with the stuff.”

“I don't chase after fads. One of our missions did a contemporary worship service, but that's not my bag.”

The advantage to being at the Irving church so long has been getting to know the people more than just casually, to be involved in their lives and touch them at many points of need, he said.

The disadvantage, he quipped, is not getting to preach the same sermons over and over. “You have to keep studying.”

The Irving church was in an established community when he came there, he said, and has had to deal with many changes. The church completed a new worship center two years ago, but along with providing for its own needs, it has become missions-minded, Philpot said. It now sponsors eight missions, including one just four blocks away, and has sent many family groups to the mission congregations to help them get started.

Along with the missions outreach, Philpot said, one of the most satisfying things about almost four decades at the church has been seeing families to whom the church has ministered producing other families.

“We now have grandchildren of our first families serving in leadership positions,” he said.

A church considering calling a pastor it expects to have around for a long time should be careful to find one who is “committed to the word of God for his direction in ministry,” Philpot said. “He is going to have to be willing to love his congregation, and his past record should reveal that he loves his people. He will have to have the ability to enlist the heads of households in the church. If that doesn't happen, it won't happen.”

Leroy Fenton, pastor at First Baptist Church of Waxahachie for more than 25 years, said the key to a long pastorate is “having a pastor's heart and not really being into climbing the ladder of success. Once you have a church of a certain size, you have more than you can do anyway.”

“A long pastorate honors the calling of God, enhances the use of a pastor's spiritual gifts and encourages him to deal with problems rather than run from them,” Fenton said. “There are always financial, family and personality issues. It's good to stay and face those issues. A long tenure also probably helps establish credibility, biblically, morally, relationally and socially.”

The disadvantage, he said, is in getting to the point “where you know so much, where you have become so familiar with what is going on with the people and the community that they feel intimidated by what you know. I try to overcome that by telling people up front: 'Let's talk honestly. I put my shoes on just like you do. I have my own problems just like you do.'”

A pastor with a long tenure also can develop a habit of pre-judging someone's response, he warned. “If you have asked a person repeatedly to teach a class or take some other job, and they repeatedly have turned you down, you might get to the point of not asking them, and that can inhibit the work of God. There is also the possibility that pastor and people can begin to take each other for granted, but the advantages of a long pastorate far outweigh the disadvantages by tons.”

Seminaries could do a better job of preparing pastors, Fenton noted, thereby enhancing the possibility of them serving long tenures. More emphasis should be placed on leadership skills, he said, and also on administration.

“There is a ministry in administration,” he said. “What I was taught was that basically I would have to be an administrator, but shouldn't. I think just the opposite now. Someone has to administrate, set goals and lead the people to carry out the tasks of the church. Those issues are critical.”

His long tenure in Waxahachie, he said, has helped him become a better preacher, counselor and administrator, “but there are probably some things I am worse at.”

To stay fresh, he said, he reads constantly and reads a variety of things–magazines, news reports in all areas, newsmagazines, “anything I can get my hands on to help me know what the issues are.”

Paul Powell, dean at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, offers a unique perspective on long pastorates, having served at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler 17 years before entering denominational service.

“I'm still burying and marrying people who were influenced by my ministry, even though I've been gone 13 years,” he said. “That's the primary advantage of a long pastorate; you really get to know the people and become part of their lives so you can make a lasting impact on them. You get close to them, and it brings joy to your life and to theirs.”

A long tenure also builds trust so that a pastor can lead a church properly, he said. “Until you have been there a long time, it's difficult to lead a church to do things. They don't want to start something if they think you are going to leave.”

Pastoral stability also helps build a strong staff, Powell said, although he noted it can be a disadvantage for the pastor and staff to grow old together. “It's good if you have both maturity and youth.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

Texas Tidbits

Dilday gives commencement address. Russell Dilday delivered the address to Howard Payne University's graduating class during recent commencement ceremonies. He served as interim president in 2002-2003. Lanny Hall presided over his first commencement as president at Howard Payne as the university awarded baccalaureate degrees to more than 250 graduates. Alfonso Flores Jr., pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana de San Antonio, received the honorary doctor of divinity degree.

Garland feted. Diana Garland, dean of the School of Social Work at Baylor University, will receive the Priscilla and Aquila Award fom Christians for Biblical Equality in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 9. The award is given to those who have "risked their necks for the gospel," a reference to Romans 16:3-4.

Jordan scholarship named. Dallas Baptist University has created a scholarship fund in honor of Chris Jordan, professor of biology at DBU for 21 years, and his wife. The scholarships will be given to Christian students majoring in biology or pre-med.

Tanner named to foundation post. Paula Price Tanner has been named director of foundation relations at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the department of external relations. The newly-created position will focus on raising funds for the university through foundations. Tanner has been with the university since 2001 as director of institutional research. Previously, she worked 15 years at Baylor University and was assistant vice president for marketing and communications in the Baylor Alumni Association. She and her husband, William G. Tanner Jr., a professor of computer science at UMHB, are members of First Baptist Church in Belton.

Dunagan to lead Paisano. Dan Dunagan has been named manager of Paisano Baptist Encampment, between Alpine and Marfa in the Big Bend. Dunagan will continue as Baptist Student Ministries director at Sul Ross State University in Alpine and pastor of Marathon Baptist Church in Marathon. Paisano's annual General Encampment will be July 20-25. Preachers will be Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, and Rob Boyd, pastor of Green Valley Baptist Church in suburban Las Vegas. Bible teacher will be Randall O'Brien, religion professor at Baylor University. For information about the General Encampment or other bookings, call (432) 837-3074.

Hispanic women to gather in Keller. "A Time to Love … A Time to Heal" will be the theme for the ninth annual Celebrating the Hispanic Woman family conference, Aug. 8-9 at First Baptist Church in Keller. About 1,000 women are expected for the conference, which will feature resources for strengthening family life and Christian discipleship. Registration is $35 before July 26 and $45 afterward. Checks can be made payable to CERI and mailed to Christian Education and Research Institute, P.O. Box 776, Keller 76244. Discounted hotel reservations are available in the area. For more information, contact Margarita Trevino at (817) 431-2192 or Bertha Diaz at (210) 734-2088.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

TOGETHER:
Strategic plan charts BGCT's course

The Baptist General Convention of Texas strategic plan casts a seven-part vision for Texas Baptists–reaching all people, beginning new churches, improving church health, encouraging healthy families, meeting human needs, equipping the laity and developing theological education. We are moving forward in building a stronger convention by helping our churches, institutions and related ministries be stronger and healthier.

In the next five years, I believe, we will see several things happen in Texas Baptist life:

We will start more than enough churches to maintain our current church-to-population ratio. This will mean that we must start between 1,100 and 1,200 churches to help us share the gospel with the ethnic cultures of Texas.

We will help our churches be missional in nature. They will see themselves as existing to move the kingdom of God forward in their communities and around the world. That means church members will want to see God's will done in earth as it is in heaven. It means churches will be the presence of Christ, moving outside their walls and into the streets, following our Savior into an incarnational ministry in the world. The missions network will be a significant resource to churches in being involved personally in mission endeavors.

We will help churches know themselves as the Body of Christ. This will be expressed by a deep devotion to God and to growing church members into the likeness of Christ. Churches will give themselves to effective biblical teaching so that members grow into fully mature disciples of Jesus Christ. These churches will take responsibility for helping the families in the church become healthy and loving “schools for Christian character.”

Our BGCT Executive Board staff increasingly will be available to and known among the churches. The BGCT exists to help the churches be what God has called them to be and assist them in working together to achieve larger kingdom goals than they can hope to do alone. Information technology will be used to improve services to congregations. All staff will see themselves not as promoters of specific programs but as consultants to help churches find the best resources and assistance in achieving their God-given calling.

We will see growing numbers of God-called men and women preparing for ministry in the churches. We will work with churches, associations and institutions to create a seamless procedure by which ministers can move from whatever level of training they may have to achieve the highest level of training God calls them to secure.

We will see growing cooperation. This requires mutual trust and shared vision. By building closer relationships, paying closer attention to communication, and honoring one another, we will seek to attain a new level of cooperation in Baptist life. We will know we are succeeding in this when there is increased involvement in mission activities; growing participation in training events; a spirit of fellowship and harmony of feeling permeating our meetings; and rising financial support for our activities in evangelism, missions, Christian education and benevolent work.

Texas Baptist institutions, associations, mission organizations and churches will know they are part of a great family. We will rejoice in the knowledge that we can support and encourage one another as we seek to be the presence of Christ in the world and work together to advance all the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom.

We are loved.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

Mary Hardin-Baylor opens
School of Christian Studies

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

BELTON–The dean of the new School of Christian Studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor believes the name of the new program clearly expresses its focus and purpose.

“We are a place where students can study the Christian faith, knowing we offer no apologies for who we are. Our students come here to study under Christian professors, and they pursue their studies with an eye toward ministry,” said William Carrell, who served as chairman of the university's religion department before the new school opened June 1.

“The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a strong Texas Baptist institution, and it fits well within our tradition of being here to minister to the churches,” he added.

Carrell sees the creation of the School of Christian Studies as a “natural development” for the university, which has grown from 1,000 to 2,700 in enrollment in recent years, and for its religion department.

He credits Steve Wyrick, former chairman of the religion department, with laying much of the groundwork for the program's growth, bringing it to the level where the School of Christian Studies became possible.

The university has set a goal of 100 students majoring in Christian studies within one year. “And I believe it's realistic to think that we could have one-tenth of the student body majoring in Christian studies in five years,” Carrell said.

Mary Hardin-Baylor has been moving in the direction of establishing the School of Christian Studies for several years. Last year, the religion faculty expanded from four full-time instructors to six: Carrell, Wyrick, Steve Oldham, Carol Holcomb, Tony Martin and Leroy Kemp.

The most obvious change students will see is a move from one undergraduate major in religion to four majors–Christian ministries, theology and philosophy, church history, and biblical studies.

The university already offers a master of arts in religion degree, with concentrations in either theological studies or Christian ministry. Ultimately, Carrell would like to see the master's-level program expanded to include practical interdisciplinary courses in management and psychology.

“But we're focused on our undergraduate program,” he said. “We have no plans to offer a master of divinity degree. We're not going to become a seminary any time in the foreseeable future.”

In fact, he said the university is seeking to work with Logsdon School of Theology in Abilene, Truett Seminary in nearby Waco, “and anybody else who wants to work with us” to develop its undergraduate program in a way that properly prepares ministerial students for seminary studies.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor also offers an 18-hour certificate program in Christian studies, and Carrell hopes to develop an enhanced program of continuing education for Christian leaders within his first year as dean.

“A strong commitment to the field of Christian studies helps identify the university,” Carrell said. “This is who the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is.”

UMHB is one of eight universities affiliated with and supported by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/06/03

Woman's Missionary Union reports growth nationwide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) –After several years of declines and plateaus, enrollment in Woman's Mission Union programs nationwide grew more than 12 percent last year.

“We are very excited to see a renewed interest among Baptists in missions education and missions involvement,” said Wanda Lee, executive director-treasurer of WMU. “It is encouraging to see an increasing number of churches implement and develop WMU age-level organizations that provide an opportunity for Christians to better understand and be personally involved in the mission of God.”

The increase in WMU enrollment was reported across the United States. Thirty-two out of 41 states or conventions with WMU organizations showed growth. The largest gains were reported in Texas, followed by Alabama, Virginia, Florida and Mississippi. Rounding out the top 10 were Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Indiana.

In addition to missions organizations, WMU also experienced increased participation in an array of ministries that offer hands-on missions opportunities, such as MissionsFEST and FamilyFEST missions experiences through WMU's Volunteer Connection, as well as Christian Women's Job Corps and Baptist Nursing Fellowship.

Founded in 1888, Woman's Missionary Union is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention that seeks to equip adults, youth, children and preschoolers with missions education.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Story List for 5/19 Issue

Posted: 5/30/03

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM
Who's good enough?

In the summer of 2001, I had the distinct pleasure of going to Spain on a mission trip through the Baptist General Convention of Texas with a group from Howard Payne University's Baptist Student Ministry.

One week was spent in Alcobendas, at the only Baptist seminary in Spain. David and Susie Dixon served there, and I had the honor of meeting them.

While there, David and I pondered the possibility of International Mission Board missionaries being required to sign the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. I remember his statement that he would never sign it. Recent reports of his termination indicate he kept his word.

My memories of David and Susie Dixon are of wonderful, God-fearing ministers who loved the people around them and served with integrity.

If people of their caliber are not good enough for the IMB, who is? God forbid that the IMB prefer less-qualified people who will be controlled by a man-made document over God-fearing people of integrity like the Dixons.

David Tankersley

Abilene

Heritage upholds termination

Historically, Baptists have opposed creeds when the state enforced them against the conscience of its citizens or when they were implemented as a means of salvation.

While avoiding connectionalism, 19th and early 20th century Southern Baptists did not, however, oppose creeds as means of doctrinal accountability for missionaries, administrators, professors, pastors or church members.

B.H. Carroll, James P. Boyce, John Broadus and E.Y. Mullins all used confessions of faith in this creedal manner. Carroll's book “Baptists and Their Doctrines” and Mullins' selected writings in the 1997 edition of “Axioms of Religion” make this indisputably clear. These men even used the word “creed” in a positive fashion with the above qualifications.

The IMB's termination of missionaries over the 2000 BF&M is consistent with SBC heritage and history in general and the IMB's stance in particular.

David Mills

Auburn, Ga.

No. 1 responsibility

As a pastor's wife, I appreciate your recent article giving a small glimpse of this life I live (May 19). It's not something that can be defined, described or even comprehended at times.

While the church very often gets the idea that we pastors' wives belong to them, the truth is we don't. My husband is, in a sense, “theirs,” but I am delightfully my husband's!

In spite of the misconception, my No. 1 responsibility in the role of pastor's wife is to make my husband's role as pastor easier. I have the privilege of listening to, encouraging, challenging, admonishing, adoring and standing beside the love of my life.

It's really that simple, if I'll let it be.

Tessa Hall

Haskell

Main gift

I enjoyed the article on pastors' wives (May 19). I'm a pastor who is lucky enough to have a wife who looks like a doll, plays the piano, sings and cooks all exceptionally well.

But I want to also mention something the article did not: Whether most will admit it or not, a pastor's wife's main gift is encouraging her husband and increasing his confidence.

Even though my wife is talented in many ways, her most important quality to me is her encouragement. I would not be near as confident in ministry without her, and it has nothing to do with how talented she is musically or with culinary arts.

Jason Covington

Aspermont

Christian flag

During Memorial Day weekend, we paid tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom. Our adult Sunday School department is made up of senior adults age 85 and older. On Sunday, we paid tribute to those who gave their lives that we might enjoy the Christian freedoms we have.

We owe a great deal to Jesus, the apostles, the early church and others, who gave their lives that we might have the freedom to read Scriptures. To honor them, we recited the pledge to the Christian flag.

I had not done that since Vacation Bible School days. If all of us would commit an allegiance to that pledge, we would be truly “one brotherhood in service and in love.”

Robert Dillard

San Angelo

Guilt offering

We pass by them every day. The homeless people begging for money with a sign that ends with, “God bless.”

Every once in awhile, the thought of driving on without doing anything causes us to feel guilty, and we already have enough guilt. So, to cure our guilt, we reach into our pockets, hoping not to be stuck with only 10s and 20s, and pull out a couple of wrinkled bucks.

We hold our offering out the window knowing we have accomplished something for the good of humanity and liberating ourselves from guilt for another day.

And they say money can't buy happiness.

But then those ladies come to church. Most good Baptist know them well–Lottie, Annie and Mary. They come with their missionaries, who show slides of pitiful-looking people in pitiful places. They remind us we can't go on without doing something. We even listen to sermons that leave us with guilt, the kind that must be paid for. So, we reach deep into our pockets, hoping not to be stuck with only 10s and 20s, and pull out a couple of wrinkled bucks.

We hide our guilt offering in an envelope because we know we shouldn't give our alms for people to admire. We lay our offering in the plate, knowing we have accomplished something for the Kingdom and, again, having liberated ourselves from guilt.

Is it guilt or concern for souls that controls your pocketbook as you give to missions?

Jason Burden

Chilton

Tension of differences keeps faith vibrant

When men start messing with God's work and with God's called men, then they are setting themselves up as gods.

How can one find a man whom God has called to do his work? Note the prediction of Herschel Hobbs in “The Baptist Faith & Message”:

“At times one hears the prediction that Southern Baptists are about to divide over their faith. In this writer's judgment, this is most unlikely.

“Baptists have always agreed on basics but have had their differences on details. This is because they have a living faith rather than a creedal one. The tensions created by these differences have kept their faith vibrant.

“In all likelihood, the only thing that would divide Southern Baptists with regard to their faith would be for one group–to the right or left of center or even in the center–to attempt to force upon others a creedal faith. So long as they hold to the competency of the soul in religion, they will remain as one body in the faith.

“The very differences which disturb some will serve as counter balances between extremes, with the vast majority remaining in between as always.”

Percy Calk

Comstock

Suspicious instead of accepting

I've just read your editorial about the mission boards' use of the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement, making it creedal (May 19).

I'm afraid the younger generation of Baptists, especially those who have not studied Baptist history, are not aware of how the enemies of Baptists have used religious creeds to harass them and to try to force them into theological molds counter to their consciences and contrary to their understanding of Scripture.

Statements of faith have always been acceptable to Baptists as indicators of what the majority thinks the Bible teaches, but not as “instruments of doctrinal accountability” requiring theological conformity.

In the past, Baptists could cooperate even when they did not completely agree with all the points in a statement of faith. Sadly, that no longer seems to be the case. Apparently there are some who are so afraid of “liberalism,” however they may define that, that they feel they must force all who cooperate with them to pledge allegiance to their formal statement of faith or else be forbidden to cooperate.

Such fear certainly is not the product of love, for “perfect love casts out fear.” Lack of love makes people suspicious instead of accepting.

David King

Marshall

Playing God

Why the firing of the International Mission Board missionaries who will not affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message?

Is it because they have committed some great sin or have they been teaching false doctrine? No! It is because they will not sign a document of man. These missionaries have proven themselves to be sound in doctrine and faithful in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, this is nothing less than persecution of our very own. With such evil in our own ranks, will God bless?

What about the calling of God in these missionaries lives? Did that change when they refused to sign? Again, no! The leadership has taken the role of determining God's will for these saints. Where they once recognized their calling into missions, they now deny for reasons that are unbiblical. Is this not playing God? Is this not wickedness? Of course, it is!

Is the Bible their real authority? Not anymore. It is the 2000 BF&M. They judge men by it now.

And after all, when a president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention stated, “The Bible is not enough”, the leadership of the SBC said, “Amen.” Oh, ye hypocrites, will you not repent?

Kenneth Martin

Ira

Heart aches for those who must decide

I awoke with a prayer for our Southern Baptist missionaries. I tried to imagine what it would be like to feel and answer the call from God to take the gospel to all the world. What is it like to devote yourself to training and education for years so you can better lead lost people from other cultures to know Jesus Christ? What is it like then, when years later, you face an ultimatum to either sign a list of interpretations of what the Bible says or lose the support that allows you to share the gospel with your assigned people?

Do you sign because you agree with every statement?

Do you disagree with one or two statements, but sign because God wants you to continue taking the gospel to the lost?

Do you sign because what matters most is reaching the lost, not teaching what Baptist believe?

Do you refuse to sign, because in your understanding of God's word, signing a statement that says you support all these interpretations would be a lie?

Which is most important, continuing to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ or standing up for your Baptist heritage and beliefs?

I am thankful to God that I do not have to make these decisions. God knows my heart aches for those who must.

May God have mercy on souls who will remain lost forever because of actions taken by religious leaders.

Charles McFatter

Semmes, Ala.

Time of resurrection

Val Borum's explanation of the day of Jesus' crucifixion (April 14) fails to take into account Jewish law connected to the first day after the day of Passover.

Since the day after the preparation (Passover) is a “High Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:7), it would have been impossible for Joseph to place the Savior into the tomb Thursday. Joseph rolled the stone to the opening, but did not finish. These two events can only mean that Joseph stopped for a reason, and that is Thursday being a High Sabbath. No work on that day. This means it was imperative that Christ be placed in the tomb, on Wednesday, close to 6 p.m.

Necessary for Christ to fulfill the type of Jonah, three full nights and three full days. No other scenario will fit Scripture than Jesus Christ being placed in the tomb almost at the stroke of 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Placed in the earth Wednesday 5:59 P.M. Thursday to 6P.M. Friday. 1st day. Begin 6P.M. Friday to 6P.M. Saturday 2nd day. Begin 6P.M. Saturday to 6P.M. Sunday 3rd day.

Scripture proves our Savior arose on the third day, which was at the close of the Jewish day, on Saturday closing the Old Testament, for the dawning of a new day, Sunday. Matthew 28:1 states dawning (drawing near) toward the first day of the week Sunday would be 6 p.m. When the women arrived, our Savior had already arisen.

James Parks

Dallas

Verdict is in

What has fundamentalist leadership done for the Southern Baptist Convention and, more importantly, for the kingdom of God? The verdict is in.

Since 1991 and the completion of the national fundamentalist revolution, average church membership has fallen from 400 to 380.

Fewer church members are enrolled in music ministry and missions education. Sunday School enrollment, once the preferred vehicle for evangelism, has decreased despite a 5.7 percent growth in church membership.

Most troubling, our baptismal rate is flat. Today, Southern Baptist churches average 9.23 baptisms per year. In 1979-80, as the fundamentalist movement began, that number was 11.99 annually.

Since the national fundamentalist revolution came to fruition, each Southern Baptist church on average is baptizing three fewer new believers annually.

One area has seen significant growth. Total gifts to Southern Baptist institutions have increased 77.2 percent since 1991. So, while local churches have fattened the coffers in national, state and associational offices, Southern Baptists have lost ground in the battle for souls.

Behind these statistics are stories of faithful Christian workers brought down, not by misdeeds, slothfulness, false teachings or immorality, but because they cling to the priesthood of the believer, the authority of Christ as the Word and a non-creedal ecclesiastical authority.

The fundamentalist appetite will not be satisfied until every paying job in an SBC organization is held by someone clearly identified with the movement and willing to sign a man-made creed as a display of total allegiance.

What hath the revolution wrought?

Bobby Quinten

Bedford

Autonomy of the church trampled

You accused some of fighting when they cried from slander and lies.

You said, “Follow the wisdom and guidance of God-appointed leadership, whether we necessarily understand or agree.”

You replaced the Bible with rules as the doctrinal guideline.

You told God women couldn't teach men. “Lord caused the donkey to speak” (Numbers 22:28). Would you prefer donkeys?

Your approval of women as missionaries but not as pastors or chaplains is hypocritical.

Your decreeing a wife should stay home shows your attitude of superiority.

You made the partnership of husband and wife a pecking order.

You made 'inerrancy' above God's word of loving your brother.

Your jealousy of another convention kept $125,000 from the Baptist World Alliance.

You say you're right because of the money given you.

You requested all money for yourself regardless of others doing God's work.

You said individual priesthood was too much freedom, so you buried what was born at Calvary.

Your required creed signing removed and prohibits many called by God.

Your triumph of dominance and control has trampled me.

I am the autonomy of the Church, and you have fooled the majority into changing Baptist principles, which earns you more than enough rope to hang yourself.

Rex Ray

Bonham

Attack on Iraq was illegal

Charles Wade did not speak for me and many other Baptists I know when he wrote about our government's premeditated, unprovoked military attack on the people of Iraq in such antiseptic terms. Neither the people nor the government of Iraq has done anything to justify calling them our “enemies.” Therefore, the word “victory” was also inappropriate.

The attack was illegal and immoral. Jimmy Carter explained why this was not a “just war” in the traditional Christian sense. The UN Charter is a treaty adopted by the U.S. Senate. The attack was illegal because it clearly violated Article 2, Sections 3 and 4, of the UN Charter. It also defied the will of the UN Security Council.

Now that the fighting has ended, we know Iraq did not have “weapons of mass destruction.” We also know our government misled us about that fact.

My prayer is for the rebuilding of America–that we would live up to our hopes and not down to our fears; that we would restore the national character and values that existed before 9/11.

My prayer is that Baptists would have the courage and integrity to rise above the idolatries of nationalism, political ideologies and political figures. If we cannot stand for the teachings of Jesus, and stand against the killing of innocent human beings, what could we possibly have to say to the rest of the world?

We might do well to consider the words of Joshua 24:15: “Choose this day whom you will serve.”

Charles Reed

Waco

What do you think? Submit letters via e-mail to marvknox@baptiststandard.com or regular mail at Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267. Letters must be no longer than 250 words.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 5/30/03

Cartoons

See second cartoon here

“It's my new invention for impromptu preaching–the inflatable Port-a-Pulpit!”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 5/27/03

'People who are dying are still living,' author reminds

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

“People who are dying are still living.”

That's the key message of a new book based on 10 years of interviews with people who are terminally ill. And it's a message the author, David Kuhl, wants caregivers, ministers and family members to understand before it's too late.

Kuhl, a medical doctor, developed a palliative care program for cancer and AIDS patients in Vancouver, British Columbia. From that, he obtained a grant from the Soros Foundation to study the emotional, spiritual and physical issues facing those who know the end of life is near.

His book, “What Dying People Want,” draws on both biblical and non-biblical texts to illustrate the stories told to him by people from their mid-20s to their mid-80s who had been diagnosed with terminal cases of cancer or AIDS.

His subjects ranged from members of his own family to his own patients to individuals he never knew before.

The book begins with Kuhl's own confession of wishing he knew earlier what he knows now–a desire applied to watching both a roommate and a father-in-law die.

“In the case of my father-in-law, my wife and I would not have left his room the last night of his life just because the hospital staff told us to go home,” he writes. “The change in his breathing pattern was such that they must have known that he was dying. We left without saying the goodbye we would have said, without speaking the truths we would have spoken. We were not there to hold his hand even in his unconsciousness. That time was so precious, but the opportunity to complete our relationship evaded us because we didn't know what to do or to say–other than to believe the doctors and nurses.”

From this platform, Kuhl addresses health-care providers, the dying and loved ones of the dying, imploring them to demonstrate greater sensitivity and seize the time that remains.

Out of his interviews with the dying, Kuhl identifies nine common concerns, ranging from changing perceptions of time to the importance of physical touch to the need to speak and hear truth to the search for spiritual meaning at the end of life.

“For the most part,” he concludes, “they wanted to be heard and to be understood simply for who they were in the world.”

The announcement of a terminal diagnosis marks a change in the way people perceive time, Kuhl reports. It signals not only an ending but a beginning–“an opportunity to ask what the time remaining in your life means to you.”

He quotes the work of two other researchers–James Diggory and Doreen Rothman–who asked 550 people to prioritize seven consequences of death. The No. 1 concern expressed was the grief their death would cause relatives and friends.

Kuhl confirms this finding, but adds that this fear actually may reduce the quantity and quality of conversation that occurs between the dying and their loved ones.

“For some people, the need to take care of others is greater than their desire to alleviate their own fears and anxiety by speaking about those emotions,” he explains.

Anxiety may be reduced by engaging in a life review, Kuhl suggests. This exercise “simply means living in the present while looking at the past,” he writes. “It enables the individual to reconsider life events, relationships, successes, failures.”

Like Adam and Eve facing expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the pronouncement of a terminal illness moves a person into a new reality, Kuhl contends. “Our naivete about life as we know it ends. Dying becomes part of our reality. We can't go back.”

Life review ultimately should lead to an experience of transcendence, “a spirituality that extends from the core of their being to a spirit that cannot be contained,” Kuhl writes.

Among a number of practical tips Kuhl addresses:

The importance of physical touch. To illustrate the power of touch, he draws on the biblical story of the woman with a 12-year hemorrhage who touched the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed.

“People who are dying often feel 'out of touch' physically and emotionally. They feel that no one knows their experience. They feel isolated. They crave physical contact.”

The sources of pain. The physical pain of a terminal illness may be intertwined with emotional pain of regrets, conflict and mistakes made in life, Kuhl said. “Pain is always a combination of physical and psychological features, and for some it has a spiritual component as well. Pain must be assessed from the perspective of wholeness.”

The need for family members to talk openly. “When the death of a close family member has occurred, it must be talked about–again and again and again. Until that happens, meaningful topics will not be engaged, potentially intimate conversations won't get started–nothing will change until someone has the courage to speak what seems to be unspeakable.”

This applies both before and after the death, and it concerns both the dying and those they love, Kuhl asserts. For those who have trouble getting started, he offers this simple formula: “I feel (name the emotion) because (state what happened).”

At several points, Kuhl offers pointed suggestions to his colleagues in the health-care profession.

Chief among his advice is to develop better communication skills: “Poor communication can render ineffective all the good in medicine, as it has the potential to increase suffering.”

Good communication skills are essential for telling a patient about a terminal diagnosis and for talking about realistic treatment options, he contends.

The book ends as it begins, with Kuhl recounting the death of a family member. But the experience of walking through a terminal illness with his sister differed from the earlier experience with his father-in-law, he reports, because of what he had learned from the dying patients he interviewed.

“We were able to do and say what needed to be done and said,” he reports. “For that, I will be forever grateful.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 5/30/03

NAMB identifies two issues with BGCT

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

The president of the North American Mission Board has identified two “weighty issues” that must be addressed in a proposed cooperative agreement between NAMB and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

NAMB trustees at their May 7 board meeting did not approve the cooperative agreement, choosing instead to appoint a task force to study “substantive issues” surrounding the matter.

In a letter dated May 9, NAMB President Bob Reccord told BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade that he recommended the trustees place the cooperative agreement on hold.

“While you see our differences as 'semantics,' we consider them to be weighty issues that must be addressed before we can move forward toward a new cooperative agreement,” Reccord wrote.

BGCT and NAMB staff members have been working on the proposed cooperative agreement for months. The issue stalled first when members of the BGCT Executive Board objected to language about NAMB's requirement that jointly funded missionaries must conform to the 2000 Baptist & Message.

Staff members thought that issue was resolved when the BGCT Executive Board approved the agreement as adopted by NAMB trustees with one clarifying statement. Now, however, NAMB officials have raised new objections.

Reccord identified two problem issues–the BGCT retaining funds in Texas that normally would be routed through NAMB before returning to joint mission projects in the state, and disagreements regarding the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.

Retaining Cooperative Program funds is “at the center of our concerns,” Reccord stated in the letter. This practice, he said, violates the historic practice and agreement established in 1928 between state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as the 1991 cooperative agreement between the BGCT and the SBC Home Mission Board, NAMB's predecessor.

Retention of those funds, however, is not a new issue. The BGCT began the practice in January 2002. The BGCT does not retain all Cooperative Program funds going to NAMB, only the portion that would have come back to Texas. The change was made, BGCT officials said, to reduce bureaucracy and delays in funding.

NAMB trustees approved a version of the cooperative agreement with the BGCT in October 2002 that acknowledged the retention of Texas funds, noted E.B. Brooks, director of the BGCT Church Missions and Evangelism Section.

Regarding the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, adopted by the SBC but rejected by the BGCT, Reccord wrote: “As an SBC agency, it is the doctrinal standard by which we operate. When the BGCT chose to reject this document, it placed NAMB and the BGCT on separate doctrinal ground.”

While acknowledging “no two Baptists agree 100 percent on issues,” Reccord declared the faith statement is a “critical issue” because any personnel jointly funded by NAMB and the BGCT must affirm it.

“This includes pastors of churches that receive congregational assistance for more than three months,” Reccord explained.

Reccord's observation that the BGCT and NAMB are on “separate doctrinal ground” could be “misleading,” Brooks replied. “NAMB and the BGCT have never tested their working agreement with doctrinal statements. To begin such a practice now is inappropriate and seems to make the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message a test of fellowship. I am certain this is not what Dr. Reccord wants.”

Brooks also questioned Reccord's statement in the letter that the breakdown was not about “semantics.”

The motion adopted by NAMB trustees in May stated: “Rather than enter into an argument about semantics, we move that the president and chairman of the NAMB board of trustees jointly appoint a response task force to review the substantive issues underlying the impasse.”

“That term is theirs, as indicated in the motion approved by their board,” Brooks said. “To the contrary, we have taken the statement regarding the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message very seriously.

“We have spent significant time with commissions, committees and boards making every effort to honor their requirements while remaining true to the position of the BGCT on the issue. We recognized in adopting the cooperative agreement their right to make requirements. We indicated our willingness to work with those requirements in dealing with jointly supported missionaries.

“If there is an impasse, it is an arbitrary, unilateral position taken by the North American Mission Board trustees,” Brooks said. “The Baptist General Convention of Texas sees no impasse, only a delay on their part in acknowledging that the agreement is in effect.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.