Houston church believes ministry begins at home, particularly among the church staff_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

Houston church believes ministry
begins at home, particularly among the church staff

By George Henson

Staff Writer

HOUSTON–When Lisa Archinal started seeking a ministry project for her Sunday school department, she realized she didn't have to look beyond the households of her church's staff.

Her father, Clois Smith, was a minister more than 45 years, 27 of those as an associate pastor at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston.

When she sought a ministry project that would force her department of young married couples to look past their own needs, the wives of staff members seemed a natural choice.

“As the child of a staff wife, I saw that many times they give a lot of ministry, much of it behind the scenes, and often it goes unnoticed,” she said.

While she moved away for a time, she has returned to Tallowood, which has 11 staff wives.

As a part of the ministry, the Sunday school department gives a bit of special attention to each of the staff wives at Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, wedding anniversaries and birthdays.

The ministry also has grown to include an annual appreciation dinner, and for the first time this year, a girls' night out at a local hotel.

“A businessman in our church donated some 'hotel points' he had accumulated, and we were able to treat them to a dinner and a movie, and put them up in a downtown hotel for a kind of slumber party, where they could just enjoy time together,” Archinal said.

“We're just trying to do whatever we can to show them how much we love and appreciate them.”

Laura Rogers, one of the members of the department who plays a key role in the ministry, believes it is time well spent.

“I think this is an important ministry, because our ministers do so much, and their wives are always there to support them. Their wives are the ones that are left home alone many nights, and I think it is important to support them as well,” she said.

Archinal devotes Thursdays each week primarily to prayer for the wives of the Tallowood staff.

“I call them every few weeks to get any confidential prayer requests they might have, and I don't share those with anyone,” she said.

Melanie Brooks, wife of Pastor Duane Brooks, said the ministry not only is greatly appreciated, but also fills a real need.

“It's just a wonderful experience. They remember our birthdays and anniversaries and send us simple things and a note. It's just really nice,” she said.

“Also, they allow the staff wives to get together as a group. Our husbands get to do that at staff meetings and quarterly retreats, but because we are involved in different ministries in the church, we don't really have any other times that we are all together, and that makes it really special.”

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.




Worship growing more diversified, survey of Protestant churches says_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

Worship growing more diversified,
survey of Protestant churches says

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

The typical worshipper in a Protestant church today is more likely to be singing choruses projected on a screen and taking notes from his pastor's PowerPoint presentation than he was five years ago, a new study reveals.

But the same research shows most churches still sing traditional hymns and use a printed order of worship at least once a month.

Ellison Research, a marketing research firm in Phoenix, Ariz., conducted the survey for Facts & Trends magazine, a publication of LifeWay Christian Resources.

According to survey results published in the magazine's March-April issue, churches moving toward more contemporary worship styles outpaced those shifting to more traditional styles by an 11-to-1 margin.

Researchers surveyed 659 ministers in all 50 states representing all major Protestant denominations. Geography, church size and denomination were carefully tracked to ensure appropriate representation and accuracy.

Ministers currently active in church leadership were asked whether worship style in their church had changed in the last five years. Fifteen percent said their worship has become much more contemporary, and another 36 percent said it was somewhat more contemporary. Forty-four percent noted no significant change, while 5 percent said their worship has become more traditional in the last five years.

Movement toward a more contemporary worship style was most pronounced in the larger churches and among Pentecostals. Twenty-seven percent of churches with 200 or more members had become much more contemporary, compared to 14 percent among mid-sized churches, and 9 percent among churches with fewer than 100 members.

Pentecostal churches were more than twice as likely as non-Pentecostal churches to report a major shift toward contemporary worship styles (31 percent, compared to 12 percent).

Not surprisingly, pastors under age 60 were almost twice as likely to have led their church toward much more contemporary worship as were older ministers.

The study also examined specific elements used in worship, and it showed the greatest increase in the last five years was in the use of electronic media, though they still are used by fewer than half of all American Protestant churches.

Five years ago, only 5 percent of Protestant churches used computer graphics presentations at least once a month. Today, projected computer graphics are used in more than one-third (36 percent) of all Protestant churches. Five years ago, 4 percent used video clips during worship services, compared to 29 percent now.

The number of churches using praise and worship choruses nearly doubled in the last five years (from 38 percent in 1999 to the current 74 percent). Churches using drama have grown from 23 percent to 42 percent.

But if pastors are trying to appeal to a visually oriented generation with a short attention span, they're missing the mark in at least one area. The survey showed the average sermon is nearly 31 minutes long–roughly the same length as it was five years ago.

And some other things remain unchanged. Nearly all churches (95 percent) pass an offering plate, bag or basket in the worship service. A clear majority of churches observe communion (89 percent), sing traditional hymns (88 percent), print an order of worship (85 percent) and use hymnals (78 percent) at least once a month in worship.

A majority of Protestant churches still have choirs (62 percent), use congregational or responsive readings in worship (52 percent) and offer Sunday night worship services (51 percent).

The study found considerably more diversity in worship today than was present just five years ago, said Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research.

“Of the 17 worship elements we explored in this study, the average church today uses 9.8 of them once a month or more,” Sellers noted. “Five years ago, the average church used 7.3 of them. Even traditional elements such as hymns, altar calls and communion celebrations have become more common as churches diversify what they offer to worshippers.”

For more information, visit www.ellisonresearch.com/PastorStudy.htm.

Data summary:

Passing an offering plate/bag/basket etc.: 95 percent use today, 80 percent used five years ago

Celebration of communion: 89 percent use today, 72 percent used five years ago

Traditional hymns: 88 percent use today, 76 percent used five years ago

Printed bulletin/order of service: 85 percent use today, 68 percent used five years ago

Hymnals: 78 percent use today, 73 percent used five years ago

Praise & worship choruses: 74 percent use today, 38 percent used five years ago

An altar call: 67 percent use today, 52 percent used five years ago

Children's sermon or children's worship: 65 percent use today, 47 percent used five years ago

A choir: 62 percent use today, 55 percent used five years ago

Congregational/responsive readings: 52 percent use today, 44 percent used five years ago

Worship on Sunday evenings: 51 percent use today, 44 percent used five years ago

Drama (skits or sketches): 42 percent use today, 23 percent used five years ago

Identifying visitors (stand, raise hands, etc.): 38 percent use today, 34 percent used five years ago

PowerPoint or similar computer graphics: 36 percent use today, 5 percent used five years ago

Video clips shown in the service: 29 percent use today, 4 percent used five years ago

Christian rock/pop/country music: 25 percent use today, 9 percent used five years ago

Secular music: 7 percent use today, 4 percent used five years ago

(Courtesy of Facts & Trends)

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.




Around the State_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

Around the State

Dusty Burris, a student at East Texas Baptist University, will be the opening act for the contemporary Christian singing duo Shane & Shane March 30 at Centenary College in Shreveport, La. The concert is free to area college students with a valid student identification card. Burris is a member of Immanuel Church in Marshall, where his father Carlton Burris is pastor.

bluebull Jessica Wright, president of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Nursing Students Association, has been elected Southern Regional Director by the Texas Nursing Students Association.

Girls in Action from First Baptist Church in Friendswood recently delivered a check for $851.71 to Texas Baptist Encampment in Palacios to help repair the damage dealt by Hurricane Claudette. They had attended the camp a few weeks before the storm and were upset to learn it had been damaged. They raised money by having a bake sale, cake walk and parents' night out. The girls are pictured with camp Director Rob Kessler in front of the Gulf Coast dorm, one of the buildings destroyed by the hurricane.

bluebull Williamson Association will hold a team leadership training course at its offices April 5 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Deadline for registration is March 29. For more information or to register, call (512) 930-0965. Clint Anderson is director of missions.

Anniversaries

bluebull Teo Cisneros, 20th, as pastor of Templo Jerusalem in Victoria.

bluebull Bob Billups, fifth, as senior associate pastor of First Church in Denton.

bluebull David Edwards, 10th, as pastor of Main Street Church in Georgetown.

bluebull Glenn Ward, 30th, as pastor of Acton Church in Granbury, March 28. The church will hold a banquet in his honor at 5:45 p.m.

bluebull First Church in Paris, 150th, April 24-25. Saturday will include a reception for former staff and members at 2:30 p.m. in Heritage Hall. At 6:30 p.m., a reunion choir fellowship and rehearsal will be held in Fellowship Hall. Former Pastor James Semple will preach the Sunday morning sermon, followed by a catered barbecue lunch. A celebration service featuring preaching by former Minister of Education Bill Taylor will follow the meal. Former pastors James Riley and Ronald Prince also are expected to attend. For more information or to reserve tickets for the catered lunch, call (903) 785-6431. Randall Perry is pastor.

Events

bluebull The Concert Choir of Hardin-Simmons University will present a concert at Gambrell Street Church in Fort Worth March 24 at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but an offering will be collected. Clyde Glazener is pastor.

bluebull First Church in Nacogdoches will present “The Majesty and Glory of Easter” at 7 p.m. April 4. For more information, call (936) 564-7379. Allen Reed is pastor.

bluebull Contemporary Christian music artists Bebo Norman and Ginny Owens will present a concert to celebrate the opening of the worship center at The Heights Church in Richardson April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, call (972) 231-6047, ext. 292. Gary Singleton is pastor.

Retiring

bluebull Dan Bates, as pastor of Heards Prairie Church in Bremond. He had served the church seven years and has been in ministry 41 years. He is available for preaching or music supply and interims at (936) 825-8244.

Deaths

bluebull Felton Jones, 94, Jan. 19 in Hamlin. He was minister of education at First Church in San Angelo from 1947 to 1966. After his retirement, he stayed to teach a men's Sunday school class for more than 20 years. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Grace, in 1999. He is survived by his daughter, Sandra Thompson.

bluebull Gilbert Callaway, 78, March 6 in McKinney. On the day he was born, doctors told his mother he would not survive his first year due to a serious heart defect. He did, and was pastor of his first church at age 19. Congregations he served as pastor include First Church in Wylie and First Church in Lewisville. In 1979, he became director of missions for Collin Association, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. Following retirement, he continued to serve as a Sunday school teacher, Bible class instructor at the Collin County Jail and Meals-on-Wheels volunteer. In 2001, he was honored by Gov. Rick Perry and the state of Texas with the Paul and Silas Award for his volunteer work at the jail. In 2003, Collin Association honored him by establishing the Gilbert Callaway Love Offering to benefit new and existing Baptist ministries. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Nora; daughters, Connie Atkins, Carla Falkner and Kelly Callaway; brother, Melvin; sisters, Dorothy Boen and Vera Anderson; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

bluebull Nita Jones, 73, March 8 in Arlington. She and her husband, Don, were missionaries with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board from 1957 to 1993, serving in Korea. After retirement, they returned to Grand Prairie, where she formed a handbell choir at Inglewood Church. She is survived by her husband of 53 years; daughter, Elizabeth Adkins; son, Preston; and three grandchildren.

bluebull Kathleen Jones, 81, March 15. The daughter of Southern Baptist missionaries, she was appointed herself by the Foreign Mission Board in 1953. With the assistance of two nurses, she opened the medical and church work in Kediri, Indonesia. During 35 years of service, she was staff physician, administrator, outpatient clinic supervisor and resident supervisor at the Baptist hospital there. After retirement, she worked for many years at the Cornerstone Clinic for Women in Little Rock, Ark. She is survived by her sister, Mimi Abington.

bluebull H.L. Hall, 79, March 16 in Longview. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he was a member and deacon at First Church in Longview. He was preceded in death by his brother, Forrest. He is survived by his wife, Chlo; son, Ken; daughter, Joyce Homeyer; sisters, Ernestine Roden, Ethel Stroud and Shirley Robinson; brother, Don; four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Ordained

bluebull George Tijerina to the ministry at First Church in Hallsville.

bluebull Michael Tollison to the ministry at North Park Church in Sherman.

bluebull Rick Myatt to the ministry at Heights Church in Temple.

bluebull Fred Williams as a deacon at First Church in Rowlett.

bluebull Jim Burleson, Glen Glasson and James Tucker as deacons at First Church in Gorman.

Revivals

bluebull First Church, Lipan; March 21-24; evangelist, Homer Martinez; music, David Best; pastor, David White.

bluebull First Church, El Campo; March 28-31; evangelist, Tierce Green; pastor, Rick DuBroc.

bluebull Belmore Church, San Angelo; March 28-31; evangelists, Rod and Barb Thomas; pastor, Kevin McSpadden.

bluebull First Church, Center; March 28-31; evangelist, Ronnie Hill; interim pastor, Roy Fish.

bluebull First Church, Savoy; March 28-April 1; evangelist, James Seigler; music, Jack Vest; pastor, Byron Brown.

bluebull Lamar Church, Beaumont; April 2-4; evangelist, Sammy Fuentes; pastor, Warren Wargo.

bluebull Northside Church, Highlands; April 4-7; evangelist, Larry Taylor; music, Gene Littlejohn; pastor, David Brumbelow.

bluebull South Park Church, Beaumont; April 4-7; evangelist, David Crain; pastor, James Blackwell.

bluebull First Church, Rising Star; April 4-7; evangelist, Cody Moree; music, The Cherrys; pastor, David Williams.

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.




Baptist Briefs_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

Baptist Briefs

Lottie Moon Offering shows increase. If initial projections hold true, giving to the 2003 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will be up between 18 percent and 22 percent over the previous year, Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin announced recently. Surpassing the $133 million goal–or reaching the $150 million challenge goal–would enable the IMB to loosen restrictions on missionary appointments imposed in 2003, he said. The record $115 million Southern Baptists gave to the offering in 2002 was an increase of 1.15 percent over 2001 but $10 million short of the goal.

SBC online registration available. Churches can register their messengers to the 2004 Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis online at the convention's website, www.sbc.net. A church-authorized representative can complete the registration process by providing the church's seven-digit ID number (found on the Annual Church Profile); the name of the church's moderator or clerk; the church's membership, gifts to SBC causes, state convention and associational affiliations; and the messengers' names. Online registration ends at midnight June 12.

SBC child and youth registration opens. Registration is open for families who want to enroll their children in the preschool child care, the children's conference or the youth Centrifuge held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis. For all information regarding registration, visit www.sbc.net and click on "2004 SBC Annual Meeting Pre-Registration."

CBF UN missionaries move. Two Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries to New York's diplomatic community have moved to North Carolina. Ana and David D'Amico have served as missionaries at the United Nations for the past eight years. Last month, they moved to Raleigh, N.C., where they will develop ministries to Hispanics. The D'Amicos will continue to attend United Nations' conferences and connect other CBF missions personnel to conferences relevant to the Fellowship's ministry worldwide. Eventually, they will pass their responsibility as UN liaisons to Dean Dickens of Dallas, the Fellowship's associate coordinator for North American mission teams.

Central names Marshall acting dean. Molly Marshall, professor of theology and spiritual formation at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kan., has been named acting academic dean at the school. She fills the post left vacant by James Hines, who resigned to begin full-time teaching duties as the seminary's tenured professor of religious education.

CBF seeks China volunteers. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is enlisting volunteers for summer teaching positions in China through the Chinese University and China Christian Council. The CBF 2004 China Summer Program consists of five trips of varying duration and cost. Applications are due by March 31. For more information, call (877) 856-9288 or e-mail at volunteer@thefellowship.info.

Top administrators leave Louisiana College. The president and academic vice president of Louisiana College in Pineville, La., are leaving the Baptist school. Rory Lee, president for seven years, announced March 15 he is leaving at the end of the semester to become executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Children's Village. His announcement came just days after the resignation of Ben Hawkins, vice president of academic affairs. It was the same day trustees met in an executive session, and alumni joined students in a campus rally protesting the trustees' December decision to require faculty members to get all classroom materials pre-approved by the academic vice president. In addition to the book-screening policy, trustees now require all new faculty members to submit a worldview statement that includes their beliefs on the sanctity of life and marriage.

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.




BWA seeks to put conflict behind, issues statement affirming doctrine_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

BWA seeks to put conflict behind,
issues statement affirming doctrine

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP)–Hoping to put controversy behind them, the Baptist World Alliance's Executive Committee issued a statement affirming historic Christian doctrines.

The action came during the committee's first meeting since the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted to recommend the denomination break all ties with the 99-year-old umbrella group for Baptist denominations around the globe.

The SBC is the BWA's largest member body and largest contributor. If messengers to the SBC's annual meeting in June approve the recommendation, the BWA will stand to lose $300,000 in funding next year.

The BWA statement–written by an ad hoc committee BWA President Billy Kim appointed during the executive committee meeting–expressed “great appreciation for the SBC's contribution to kingdom work around the world” but added that committee members “regret the current tensions” that have led to the SBC-BWA split.

Responding to an SBC study committee's reasons for the recommendation to cut ties, the statement also affirmed orthodox Christian doctrines “including, but not limited to” the unique nature of Christ, the “centrality of the Great Commission” to the Christian faith, and BWA's “joyful affirmation of faith in the mediation of Jesus Christ as solely and entirely sufficient for salvation.”

The SBC study committee's report contained undocumented allegations that BWA leaders had been open to “positions contrary to the New Testament and to Baptist doctrines.”

The report also accused BWA meetings and officers of exhibiting a “decided anti-American tone in recent years” and accused the group's international relief arm, Baptist World Aid, of funding “questionable enterprises.”

Prior to issuing the statement, BWA Executive Committee members spent about two hours responding to and discussing the SBC's allegations.

Fausto de Vasconcelos, a Brazilian Baptist leader and the chairman of BWA's evangelism and education division, described his anguish over the situation because of the close relationship Brazilian Baptists have had with the SBC over the years. Noting his 10 years in the United States as a student in Southern Baptist seminaries, he said, “I am a Southern Baptist.”

But de Vasconcelos added that, despite the fact some of the anecdotes cited by the SBC as examples of liberalism stemmed from events his division of BWA sponsored, “I have not seen or heard anything that has to be defended at this point,” he said. “The idea in Brazil is that we're not dealing with a theological matter, but with a political problem.”

Paul Montacute, director of Baptist World Aid, said he repeatedly had asked members of the SBC study panel to provide examples of the “questionable enterprises” they had accused BWAid of funding, but that they refused to cite any.

“We were amazed that such a powerful committee of Southern Baptist leaders could make unsubstantiated charges,” he said. “We're still waiting to hear what it is that we've been up to and what makes it a 'questionable enterprise.'”

Committee members expressed perhaps their greatest indignation at the charges of “anti-Americanism.”

Theo Angelov, secretary of the European Baptist Federation and a survivor of Communist persecution of Christians in Eastern Europe, noted his father was arrested and imprisoned for eight years on charges of being an American spy even though he had never visited the United States.

The government was suspicious of his father, he said, merely because he was a Baptist.

“Now, we are going to be persecuted from the other side in such a way?” Angelov asked. “Let somebody who has suffered more come and accuse us.”

BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz and Kim both urged the committee members to pray for a miraculous reconciliation between BWA leaders and SBC leaders prior to the SBC's vote on the issue in June.

But Lotz also said the purpose of this meeting was to put the matter behind them and move forward in BWA's work.

Citing Philippians 3:13, Lotz said, “After this Executive Committee meeting, we will forget that which is past.”

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.




ANOTHER VIEW by Brent Walker: ‘Under God’ invokes multiple issuues_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

ANOTHER VIEW:
'Under God' invokes multiple issues

By Brent Walker

The United States Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

The Court should rule that it does not. Here's why.

The Pledge of Allegiance is not a religious exercise. Clearly, any attempt by the government to demand or even urge participation in prayer or worship would violate the Establishment Clause–particularly in the public schools. But ours is a secular pledge, which is intended to inspire patriotism. It does not have the purpose of advancing religion. At most, it is an acknowledgement of this nation's religious roots and the fact we continue to be a “very religious people,” to use Justice William O. Douglas' phrase.

bluebull This reference to America's religious character is non-sectarian. A pledge to “one nation, under Jesus” or “under Buddha” would be difficult to defend. True, “God” implies monotheism, and “under God” is not a perfectly nuanced reflection of religious pluralism. But as my former colleague Buzz Thomas says, this is a pledge, not an essay. It's hard to come up with a more inclusive phrase.

bluebull Students cannot be compelled to recite the pledge, with or without the words “under God.” The Supreme Court ruled 11 years before “under God” was added in 1954 that students have the right to forgo pledging allegiance to the flag. Students who object to reciting the pledge cannot be compelled to say it or be disciplined for not participating.

bluebull A practical reason. If the court strikes the words “under God” from the pledge, there would be an immediate groundswell to amend the Constitution. Although constitutional amendments are difficult to adopt, this one would most likely pass and, in the process, open the door to more far-reaching Establishment Clause mischief.

Having said all this, what is legal and constitutional is not always helpful or wise. For theological and policy reasons, I would be happier if the words “under God” were not included.

Civil religion in its various forms has long been a pervasive part of American political culture. According to sociologist Robert Bellah, “Civil religion is about those public rituals that express the nexus of the political order to divine reality.”

In its most benign forms, civil religion serves as a unifying, cultural balm that reminds us of our religious roots as a nation. But it can easily and often morph into an idolatry of nationalism, or, at the least, result in the trivialization of religion.

Simply stated, civil religion is not the same as heartfelt, vital religion. Ceremonial religion is not life-altering, world-changing religion. “Ceremonial deism,” as it is sometimes called, is a pale substitute for authentic faith in a personal God whom we call “Abba Father.”

Indeed, one of the traditional arguments in favor of the constitutionality of this and other forms of ceremonial deism (such as “In God We Trust” on coins) is that, through long use and rote repetition, the words have lost any religious import they might have had. In short, what is commonplace becomes mundane.

As my friend Derek Davis of Baylor University's J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies has written: “The God of American civil religion is a God stripped of his real essence and instead becomes a God used to advance national interests, be it anti-communism in the 1950s when the phrase 'under God' was added to the pledge, or in the 2000s, as the God of the bumper sticker 'God Bless America,' whom America calls upon to fight the war on terrorism. God becomes a watered-down deity, a supreme power called upon only to bolster patriotic sentiment and advance national goals.”

The vitality of religion in America is thus diminished–not enhanced–when we conflate our penultimate allegiance to Caesar with our ultimate allegiance to God.

This explains why the Baptist Joint Committee–along with many other religious organizations–declined to file a friend-of-the-court brief in this case. The court can only rule on the legal issue, and our concerns are more theological, political and practical. However, we will continue to speak out publicly about how this issue is something of a tempest in a teapot and about the dangers that attend a pervasive civil religion.

Brent Walker is executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

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.




California court denies Catholic charity religious exemption_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

California court denies Catholic charity religious exemption

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–The California Supreme Court has ruled a Catholic social-service agency must provide contraceptives as part of its prescription-drug benefit for employees, raising alarms among some religious-liberty watchers.

By a 6-1 vote, the court ruled the Sacramento branch of Catholic Charities must comply with a state law requiring employers to include contraceptive benefits if they provide prescription drug coverage.

The justices ruled Catholic Charities does not qualify for a religious exemption to the law because, essentially, the organization is not religious enough.

The Roman Catholic Church–with which Catholic Charities groups across the country are affiliated–officially opposes all forms of artificial contraception.

At issue in the case was a provision the state's legislature included when the law passed in 1999. It exempts churches and other religious groups from the law if contraception violates the organization's religious beliefs.

However, the exemption is narrowly crafted. It allows exceptions only if a group:

Has as its main purpose “the inculcation of religious values.”

bluebull “Primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of “the organization.”

bluebull “Serves primarily persons who share the religious tenets of the entity.”

bluebull Is classified like a congregation or denomination under tax codes.

Catholic Charities meets none of those requirements. The court noted the group both hires and provides services to people of many faiths other than Catholicism, and it does not include overt religious instruction or evangelism as part of its service programs.

Attorneys for the charity argued the state exemption discriminated against the Catholic Church–even though the church originally supported its inclusion in the bill–because it defined what sorts of groups qualified as “religious” too narrowly. Catholic social teaching, they contended, requires that Catholics provide food, clothing and other benefits to the needy with no religious strings attached.

But the court's majority appealed to previous federal court decisions–including a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1990–in saying that the state was within its rights to force Catholic Charities to comply because the law treated it equally with secular entities.

“The law treats some Catholic organizations more favorably than all other employers by exempting them; non-exempt Catholic organizations are treated the same as all other employers,” said Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, writing for the majority.

Werdegar also quoted a state legislator's comments from debate on the law's passage: “The intention of the religious exemption in both these bills is an intention to provide for exemption for what is religious activity. The more secular the activity gets, the less religiously based it is, and the more we believe that they should be required to cover prescription drug benefits for contraception.”

However, the justices did say the third requirement for an organization to qualify for the religious exemption–that it must serve primarily those of its own religion–is “problematic.”

“To imagine a legitimate purpose for such a requirement is difficult,” Werdegar wrote. “Reading the provision literally, a hypothetical soup kitchen run entirely by the ministers of a church, which inculcates religious values to those who come to eat … would lose its claim to an exemption from the (requirement) if it chose to serve the hungry without discrimination instead of serving co-religionists only. The legislature may wish to address this problem.”

In a separate opinion concurring with the majority, Justice Joyce Kennard raised a concern about another of the state's criteria for qualifying as a religious organization.

“I have serious doubts that the First Amendment, as construed by the United States Supreme Court, allows California to limit its religious-employer exemption to religious entities that have as their purpose the inculcation of religious values,” Kennard wrote, noting some religious organizations “like Catholic Charities … are organized for the purpose of feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and providing shelter to the homeless.”

The lone objector to the court's judgment in the case was Justice Janice Rogers Brown. In a lengthy dissenting opinion, she said the state was overstepping its bounds with regard to religion in the case.

Brown said the majority's opinion begs this question: “May the government determine what parts of bona fide religious organizations are religious and what parts are secular? And, in particular, may the government make such distinctions in order to infringe the religious freedom of that portion of the organization the government characterizes as secular?”

Rogers continued, “A substantial amount of federal case law supports Catholic Charities' claim that the legislature's attempt to draw distinctions between the religious and secular activities of a single religious entity is an impermissible government entanglement in religion. I am inclined to agree.”

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.




Call to ministry may be in a variety of vocations, hospital CEO insists_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

Call to ministry may be in a
variety of vocations, hospital CEO insists

By Marv Knox

Editor

DALLAS–God calls people into all kinds of professions; the challenge is to seek God's will and follow it, Joel Allison told a convocation audience at Dallas Baptist University.

Allison, president of Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, illustrated his point with his own life story: As a young man, he seemed headed for the pastorate or a mission field. But God led him into health care administration, which has been his ministry for three decades.

"Wherever you're serving, if it's God's plan, it's a calling."
—Joel Allison, president, Baylor Health Care System

Allison, the first member of his family to attend college, addressed the campus community on the morning he received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from DBU.

He enrolled in Baylor University in Waco during the mid-1960s on academic and athletic scholarships, majoring in religion and journalism.

“I had dedicated my life in high school to some type of Christian ministry, and I was trying to understand what particular area of Christian ministry God would want me to serve him in,” he said. “I tried daily to understand God's will for my life.”

But that understanding took an unexpected turn during his senior year, Allison reported.

Nearing the end of their collegiate careers, he and his wife, Diane, scheduled a visit to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, the next logical step toward becoming a pastor or a missionary.

But God used that trip to “raise more questions and doubts than affirmations,” he recalled, noting seminary administrators told him he “might” be admitted, they “might” get into seminary housing and she “might” be able to get a teaching job.

“We understand you have to have faith … and with prayer, you can overcome barriers,” he said. Still, the tentative nature of every aspect of the trip caused them to pray for God's guidance and clarification.

They got it through a series of events.

First, he got close-up exposure to hospital life. His brother-in-law was participating in a family medical residency at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. On weekend visits, Allison got to put on scrubs and make rounds.

“It was a wonderful experience for me,” he remembered. “It was such an unusual, different place. Hospitals are so alive from the busyness–24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The next semester at Baylor, Allison took a photojournalism course and was required to shoot a photo essay. He chose “a day in the life of a medical resident” and immersed himself in the life of a hospital.

Not long after that, the Allisons traveled to Uvalde with her brother, who was completing his residency and thinking about joining a medical practice in South Texas.

During a tour of the hospital, Allison learned the incoming administrator had intended to minister in a church but felt God's leadership to minister by leading a hospital.

“At that moment–one of those defining moments–it really hit me: Maybe this is what I'm supposed to do,” he said.

The next Monday morning, he called Hillcrest Hospital, a Baptist facility in Waco, and both top administrators confirmed that they saw themselves engaged in a “ministry of healing.”

So, Allison took a fork in the road to ministry, following a direction that led him to Hendrick Medical Center, a Baptist hospital in Abilene, as well as to hospitals in Amarillo, Corpus Christi and St. Joseph, Mo.

He joined Baylor Health Care System as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer in 1993 and became president and CEO in 2000.

“This is a truly wonderful Christian organization that is governed by a tremendous board of trustees–Christian men and women who are committed to the mission and vision of Baylor, its commitment to patient care, community service, research and education, to be a healing ministry.”

Allison urged young people to consider ministering through health care, describing the doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators with whom he works:

“So many of them are there out of a sense of calling. They want to serve. They have chosen their life's work in a way of serving others to minister to those who come with specific needs.”

That sense of purpose and commitment can be reflected in many fields, as long as God leads, he added.

“Wherever you're serving, if it's God's plan, it's a calling,” he explained. “What we have is a challenge to be sure we are in God's will, that we are looking for that calling, that we are truly following his will for us.

“He has a plan for each of us. Our challenge is to be sure we find that plan.”

DBU President Gary Cook affirmed Allison as a role model for professional ministry.

“There are all sorts of ways to minister,” Cook told the convocation audience.

“God may call you to be a Christian lawyer, a Christian doctor, a Christian schoolteacher, a Christian business person. He called Joel Allison to be a Christian health care administrator.”

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.




Down Home: Coveting leaves sinner ‘flushed’_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

DOWN HOME:
Coveting leaves sinner 'flushed'

If confession is, as they say, good for the soul, I'm about to get better.

Here goes: I have broken the Tenth Commandment. Smashed it to bits. Obliterated it.

You say, after all the controversy of late, you don't have the Ten Commandments memorized, and you can't quite put your finger on No. 10. I have coveted.

Covetousness is a sneaky sin. At first, you don't realize you're coveting You just “want” something. Well, maybe you don't, but I did.

MARV KNOX
Editor

And it seems so insignificant, too. You ask yourself–or at least I asked myself: “What's so wrong with wanting, even craving, that? I sure wish it were mine.”

When I first realized I might be coveting, I did what any kid brought up on Scripture memorization and Sword Drills would do. I went to the Bible. Looking for loopholes.

The first part of Exodus 20:17 looks OK: “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or his maidservant, his ox or donkey.”

My “neighbor”–who lives in another subdivision–has a nice house, but I like mine better. His wife's a wonderful person, but I'm madly in love with Joanna and couldn't imagine a more fantastic wife. And he doesn't even have a manservant, maidservant, ox or donkey.

But the last part of the verse snagged me: “… or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

See, I covet his toilets. No, it's true. And if you've bought a new house, or even a new toilet, in the last decade or so, you know what I mean. They're created to conserve water.

And while they may or may not succeed in achieving that purpose, they definitely can drive their owners crazy, especially owners with children. To use biblical terms, these ecological toilets strain at a gnat, and they certainly couldn't swallow a camel.

So, that's how, one lovely evening when we were over at our friends' home for dinner, I came to covet.

My daddy's a pastor, and he's always said you're coveting if you want to take away what belongs to others, even if you wish they could have something better. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending upon how you look at it), I couldn't rationalize my way out of this one, because I spend more than my share of time in our local hardware mega-store, and I know nothing new in the plumbing world can compete with the pre-regulated ceramic hardware.

Some theologians would say this is a matter of temptation, not sin, and I won't really break No. 10 until I go over to my friend's house with a wrench in my pocket and larceny in my heart.

They can quote Martin Luther, who said something like, “Just because a crow flies over your head doesn't mean you have to let him build a nest in your hair.”

If only flushing covetous desires were so easy.

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.




EDITORIAL: Christians must insist state support quality education_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

EDITORIAL:
Christians must insist state support quality education

Very soon, Gov. Rick Perry will convene a special session of the Texas Legislature to consider public school finance reform. The consequences of legislators' actions will impact Texas for at least six decades–until next fall's kindergarteners retire.

Why should Christians concern themselves with something as secular as public education? Here are several reasons:

Following Jesus' teachings, Christians should care about basic human needs.

An adequate education is vital. Students who do not achieve basic competency are doomed to eke out an existence in jobs that pay little more than minimum wage. That translates into a lifetime of poverty, which often means substandard housing, almost non-existent health care and poor nutrition. Ignorance and hopelessness often are accompanied by substance abuse, teen pregnancy and violence, absentee parenting and a behavioral pattern that produces another generation dominated by despair.

More than any other endeavor, education is an investment in the future. … We're all connected, and what happens to one affects all.

Of course, educating the next generation of Texans is expensive. The cost of teaching 4.2 million students in 1,041 school districts is an estimated $27 billion. And it's getting more expensive. Our school rolls are growing by 70,000 students per year, at an additional cost of $1.1 billion annually.

Worse, we're falling behind. Texas ranks 34th in average expenditure per student. Last year, we spent $745 less than the national average on each student. In districts across the economic spectrum, we've had to cut teachers and academic programs and increase class size. Yes, we have some excellent schools and well-educated students, but many of our children are falling behind.

bluebull We should be concerned about justice.

The Robin Hood school-finance system sought to close the gap between the richest and poorest school systems. And while it did narrow that gap, it created problems at both ends. The poorest districts still are under-funded and inadequate. Meanwhile, the wealthier districts are over-taxed, hamstrung by regulations and frustrated.

Texas schools must provide equity, defined as “substantially equal access to similar revenues per student at similar levels of tax effort” and an “adequate education” for all students.

The new finance system must spread the burden for education more fairly. And it must afford students everywhere the opportunity to receive excellent training. Whether they live in a booming suburb, a declining farm community or the teeming Rio Grande Valley, students deserve an education that will prepare them to become productive adults.

Texans must own up to racial diversity to meet this challenge. In America, we tend to think of black-white relationships. In Texas, demography drives the issue. In 2000, Hispanics comprised 39.5 percent of the student population; that figure will be 46.1 percent in 2010 and 66.3 percent in 2040. No matter where they were born and what language they speak at home, our children must be well-educated.

bluebull Christians must care about fairness.

The good news is Texas is a low-tax state; we rank 48th in total taxes as a percentage of personal income. The bad news is our taxes are regressive; they place an unfair burden on certain segments of the population. For example, 80 percent of Texas' 2003 tax revenue derived from property or sales taxes. Such a narrow range of taxation places an unfair burden on segments of the population. Property owners pull more than their weight, as do poor people, who spend a disproportionate share of their income on sales taxes.

This imbalance could be rectified by a state income tax, accompanied by decreases in property and sales taxes. Texas is one of only nine states that does not tax income. Such a tax shift makes sense in terms of fairness and effectiveness. But since the state uses its no-income-tax posture to lure ultra-wealthy CEOs to move their companies here, we're more likely to ice skate on the Brazos in July than pay state income tax.

So, to achieve fairness as well as solve Robin Hood and achieve equity, the Legislature needs to look at picking up more of the cost of public education so local property taxes can be decreased and so the tax burden can be distributed more evenly.

bluebull We should strengthen, not harm, our state.

We must not allow “solutions” that only make matters worse across our state. Such solutions are irresponsible.

That's why we must oppose the two quick fixes likely to come from well-financed lobbyists–gambling revenue and vouchers.

Sources will vary slightly, but numbers presented in this editorial reflect some of the most commonly cited educational statistics.

Even if casinos and video lottery terminals were to produce the revenue their advocates propose–a claim that is highly suspect–that money would be offset by the costs to Texas communities. Gambling is regressive. It takes a toll on gamblers and their families. And it pumps money out of communities (as opposed to spending in local legitimate businesses) while it escalates related costs, due to crime, bankruptcy and other social problems.

Beyond that, vouchers would leech money out of school districts even as they provide their beneficiaries with training that is inferior to what they could receive in most public schools.

bluebull We must provide for the future.

More than any other endeavor, education is an investment in the future. Some people believe their responsibility for education ends after their children graduate. Others feel they have no responsibility for educating children outside their communities. As Steve Murdoch, the state demographer, correctly notes, life just isn't that simple. We're all connected, and what happens to one affects all.

From a merely pragmatic perspective, we must educate students well, or Texas will become an economic backwater with an under-educated workforce, diminishing natural resources and cramped cities. We must demand an education system built on quality standards, not minimum standards.

From a spiritual standpoint, Jesus cared for all people–their physical as well as spiritual well-being. We should follow Jesus' example.


–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

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.




LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for March 28: Respect for all people marks a healthy church_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for March 28

Respect for all people marks a healthy church

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

Treat others as family (5:1-2)

One important image of the church in the New Testament is the family of God. Those who receive Christ are called the children of God (John 1:12). Jesus regarded those who do his will as his family (Mark 3:33-34). Christians are adopted as sons and call God “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-16). Churches are the family of God.

Churches strive to become families where each person is committed to others. Members assume responsibility for each other and in turn make themselves accountable to each other. The Apostle Paul used family relationships to show the virtue in treating others in God's family with respect.

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Paul insisted that Timothy treat elders in the congregation with dignity. Should he need to admonish them, he should appeal to them with gentleness and consideration. He should not be harsh or sharply reprimand them.

Church leaders can become overbearing and harsh, consumed with their task as leaders. Remembering to treat all people kindly will help overcome this temptation.

Honor widows (5:3-16)

Paul also said Timothy should treat older women as he would honor his mother. Both younger men and women also deserved his respect. He should treat male peers as brothers and women as sisters. Paul included a special note concerning the relationship with these women: treat them “with absolute purity.” Timothy's behavior should provide no grounds for suspicion.

Paul addressed women's behavior several times in his letter (2:9-15; 3:11; 5:3-16). The presence of a temple of Artemis in Ephesus may have prompted Paul's interest regarding treatment of women. Such temples often were staffed by female priests, and worship may have included sexual activity with these women. If this was the case in Ephesus, Paul sought to distance the church's worship as much as possible from the pagan temple's rituals.

Paul's counsel for the church to care for widows reflected the unrestricted acceptance found in poet Robert Frost's words: “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. I should have called it something you somehow haven't to deserve.”

When Paul urged the church to give proper recognition to widows, he meant both respect and financial support. A husband's death in Paul's day left widows vulnerable. Society left them few alternatives for supporting themselves. The most frequent options were begging and prostitution.

Paul expected widows with children to receive support from their children and grandchildren. Caring for their widowed mothers was one way by which Christian children demonstrated their godliness. Such help would show their faith. It also would be a way for children to honor their mothers for the sacrifices made for them.

Paul further refined his understanding of the widows whom the church should support. They had no family to care for them. They were utterly dependent upon God. They had an established history of godly behavior and Christian service. Good deeds characterized their lives. They had looked after their own families and may have helped raise children who were not their own. The women had shown their willingness to help others in the congregation.

Life throws curve balls to many people, including those in the church. One powerful witness of the transforming power of God's love is when churches provide financial support and encouragement to people facing adversity.

Help ministers (5:17-21)

Another group that deserved honorable treatment was the “elders whose work was preaching and teaching.” “Work” suggests the task of leading the church.

The “double honor” included both esteem and financial support. Paul supported his statement by referring to an Old Testament prohibition of muzzling an ox that is threshing grain (Deuteronomy 25:4). The farmer should not prevent the animal from eating as it worked. A second reason to care for the minister was that the worker deserves to be paid. Jesus had told the 70 as he sent them out, “the worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7).

Financial support is encouraged but so is emotional and spiritual support. Accusations and complaints may be leveled against any minister. Paul instructed Timothy to disregard these unless brought by more than one person.

Paul also protected the church. Should the elder deserve to be corrected because he continued in sin, it should be done publicly as an example for all. Believers can learn from the correction offered to others. We need to remember that the correction here falls under the instructions that an elder should not be harshly rebuked. Any correction should be redemptive in nature. Note, too, that the rebuke is for persistent sin and not for lesser issues.

Pastors are highly visible persons in their church and community and face intense scrutiny. They face sin like all Christians. They also are subject to criticism by others more than many. Paul reminds churches to treat them fairly, honor them and support them financially.

Question for discussion

bluebull What follows disrespect?

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.




LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for April 4: Money matters, but keep it in perspective_32204

Posted: 3/19/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for April 4

Money matters, but keep it in perspective

1 Timothy 6:3-21

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

Know good teaching (6:3-5)

Money matters. Our attitude toward material possessions reveals much about us and our level of Christian maturity. The Apostle Paul taught we should use our possessions to serve God.

A wrong attitude toward wealth was one of many problems with false teachers. Paul had already addressed the danger of false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3:11). Here he focuses more on their actions than their teachings. In addition to their desire for material things, he pointed out pride, conceit and their bent toward pointless controversies leading to dissension. Paul's words can help us to identify and reject false teachings when they appear.

These teachers were guiding people to live in ways contrary to what others were teaching about Jesus. “Agree” suggests they were attaching themselves to false doctrine instead of Jesus. The “instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ” likely refers to teachings about Jesus, although it could refer to those things Jesus taught.

study3

The church needs to keep the teachings of Jesus foremost in its life and in the mind of its people. Sound instruction draws people together, whereas false teaching creates controversy.

Pride blinded the false teachers. They could neither see what God was doing, nor could they see themselves as they really were. “Conceited” means “wrapped up in smoke.” Their own sense of self-importance was like a fog that prevented an honest self-evaluation.

Paul considered an interest in false teaching as unwholesome. “Arguments” means “word-battles.” Out of arguments and controversies springs envy, which feeds quarreling and friction among Christians. Without adequate spiritual knowledge, hard feelings and animosity increase in the church.

The false teachers were so corrupt they could not distinguish between true and false, right and wrong. They even believed godliness would generate material gain. We can understand the words “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” in two ways: (1) False teachers took advantage of the godliness and trust of those for whom the teachers were responsible; (2) religious leaders acted as committed Christians to increase their wealth.

Recognize the place of wealth (6:6-10)

Godliness will enhance the believer's life if accompanied by contentment. “Contentment” suggests an independence of external circumstances. It suggests not resignation to one's station but a confidence in Christ that all needs will be met (Philippians 4:12-13). Godliness benefits the believer but not necessarily with a larger bank account.

We enter this world with nothing and take nothing out. Physical necessities are represented by “food and clothing.” Anything beyond this is luxury to most of the world's population where some fail to have even adequate food and clothing. Paul's words recall that Jesus taught that God is concerned about plants and birds (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-31). God's concern for “small” things reminds us God will provide for us.

The desire for riches tempts many people. The word “trap” is described elsewhere as the devil's snare (1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26). Being consumed by the desire to gain wealth ensnares us.

A person enamored by wealth is “plunged into” (“drowned by”) ruin and destruction. Paul used two words with similar meaning to stress the completeness of the action.

Paul appears to have quoted a proverb to drive home his point. The craving for wealth and not material possessions themselves are the root of the problem. While all evil cannot be traced to the love for money, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Focus on what is important (6:11-12)

Paul inserted a personal word to Timothy to warn him to resist the temptations that had ensnared the false teachers. He instructed Timothy to strive for qualities of being right with God, acting with obedience and godly manner, and being gentle toward others.

Paul called Timothy a “man of God,” to liken him to other heroes of the faith such as Moses, David and Elijah. The qualities Paul mentioned would equip Timothy for the effective service God had called him for.

Timothy may have had a timid streak (2 Timothy 1:7), and Paul urged him to keep struggling to the best of his ability. Living the Christian life is difficult. God had called Timothy to discipleship and service at his baptism. Timothy's baptism also demonstrated his acceptance of God's call. Paul encouraged Timothy to take and keep hold of the life that was his in Christ.

Use wealth unselfishly (6:17-19)

Wealth has appropriate uses, although it may lead to arrogance and become the source of one's hope. We cannot trust wealth–it can be as quickly lost as gained. Since wealth can so quickly dissolve, the wealthy should generously share with others. One's generosity both reveals and builds a person's godly character, forming a foundation for the coming eternal life. Enduring hope comes from God who provides all we need.

Money cannot buy happiness, but proper use of money can enhance Christian maturity–something that will benefit us both in this age and the age to come.

Question for discussion

bluebull How can wealth be a problem?

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.