Posted: 1/23/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 8

The difference in praying and saying prayers

Ezra 8:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 5:13-18

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Nothing we do in our Christian experience is more important than establishing a relationship with God through prayer.

True prayer must be more than a formal “saying of words” properly spoken in King James English. The praying God hears is a spontaneous expression that comes from the depths of our hearts. True praying requires a unique kind of discipline which involves a sense of our unworthiness, a personal delight in being on speaking terms with our Lord and a willingness to call on others to join us in prayer for special needs.

A call to prayer and fasting

Ezra was a priest and a scribe, a descendant of Aaron, who was among the Jews who lived as captives in the Persian Empire. Ezra and Nehemiah were in good standing with King Arta-xerxes, and were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the city.

Before Ezra and the Jews accompanying him left Persia for Jerusalem, he called a fast so they might humble themselves before God and pray. Ezra knew the task before him was going to be an awesome one. He knew his heart and the hearts of those with him must be in tune with God. They must be willing to humble themselves before the Lord. A time of fasting would help them focus more clearly on their personal spiritual needs. They would see themselves as powerless apart from the presence of God with them. The journey itself would not be without its perils. So Ezra led the people in prayer for a safe journey for them, for their families and their possessions.

Note that Ezra “was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road” (v. 22), because he had told the king “the hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him.” In other words, he had borne witness of his faith before this pagan king. Now he must prove his faith by trusting in God for protection. Do our actions match what we profess?

An encouragement to pray continually

As Paul was bringing his first Thessalonian letter to a close, he gave a series of specific, to-the-point instructions to believers in verses 16-18. Among these rapid-fire commandments is one that concerns prayer. However, Paul preceded that prayer commandment with an exhortation to “be joyful always.” First century Christians were discriminated against shamelessly, often to the point of losing their lives. Yet in the midst of such persecution, they were to be joyful. Paul referred to an inner joy, not the surface effort reflected in a forced smile that barely covers an attitude of self-pity.

The uniqueness of Christian joy lies in the fact that it shines forth under the most adverse circumstances. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave a summary of the hardships he had undergone for the sake of the gospel. In the course of that recital, he mentioned he had been “sorrowful, yet rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Very closely related to this constant joy is a spirit of incessant prayer. The only way to remain joyful even in the midst of the most pressing trials is through an uninterrupted communication with God. Paul did not mean we were to pray “non­stop,” but rather maintain a relationship with God that is constant. Perhaps we might best describe it has having a line to heaven's throne that is always open and available for our use.

Praying can take place, whether words are spoken or not. Our hearts can be in touch with God even while we are in the midst of our everyday duties. The most monotonous hours during a day can be enlivened by an awareness that our God is instantly available to us through prayer.

A basis for effective praying

In these verses in James, we find two emphases on prayer–one deals with prayer in every circumstance of life (vv. 13-16), while the other illustrates the effectiveness of sincere praying. James said that when we find ourselves in trouble, we are to pray. The normal reaction to trouble is to complain, feel mistreated or become bitter. Even in the dark shadows of trouble, prayer can help us establish such a relationship with the Lord that we will “sing songs of praise.”

Sickness is another situation in which prayer is needed. James gave detailed instructions as to what we should do in such times. It is always helpful to “call the elders of the church” to pray for us and anoint us with oil “in the name of the Lord.” Some see this anointing as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, while others see it as a medicinal anointing. Oil was indeed a popular medicine in biblical times. James brought his teaching about prayer to a climax by insisting prayer will be powerful and effective if it comes from the hearts of those who are right with God.

Questions for discussion

What role can fasting play in a Christian's life, particularly in regard to prayer?

What is the only basis for effective praying?

Posted: 1/23/04

Gaither discovers the longer he serves, the sweeter it grows

By Stacy Hamby

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)­ Bill Gaither wasn't good enough for gospel music. At least, that's what he was told.

So, with his dream of singing Southern gospel music seemingly out of reach, Gaither went home and began writing.

More than 500 songs and dozens of popular videos later, Gaither and his wife, Gloria, were named Christian Songwriters of the Century in 2000.

“I became a teacher because I was not good enough to do gospel music,” said Gaither, who taught high school English in his hometown of Alexandria, Ind.

“There were piano players and singers better than me. So I started writing songs. I never realized it would become this popular. Writing came naturally to me.”

The Gospel Music Hall of Famers together penned songs that are mainstays in hymnals around the world.

Those songs include “The King Is Coming,” “Because He Lives” and “He Touched Me”–the song that catapulted him into the national spotlight in 1969 when Elvis Presley recorded it.

He, Gloria and his brother Danny founded the Bill Gaither Trio in the 1970s, and later he formed the award-winning Gaither Vocal Band, in which he still sings bass.

In recent years, the Gaithers have been known best by their popular “Homecoming Series” videos and concerts.

What has become an international phenomenon actually started with an impromptu taping in a Nashville studio in 1991.

The Gaither Vocal Band was wrapping up a recording session that had included several legendary Southern gospel music artists, including The Speer Family, The Cathedral Quartet and the Happy Goodmans.

After the planned session ended, the artists lingered and gathered around the piano, singing, swapping stories from the old days and sharing a few laughs and tears.

The video camera still was rolling.

Gaither knew he had something special.

That spontaneous sing-along became the first “Homecoming” video, released in 1992.

The response to that video was so overwhelming that Gaither decided to reassemble the artists and try to reproduce the spontaneous style, fearing it might not work.

He had no need to worry.

The artists forgot about the cameras as they sang and shared stories.

Today, there are Homecoming concerts in just about every major venue in the country.

And the videos–which have sold more than 7.5 million copies–consistently rank in the top 10 on the Billboard video charts.

Gaither, though, takes it all with characteristic humility.

“Whatever I did, I couldn't do without them,” (the artists), he said.

“I'm like the turtle on the fencepost–I didn't get there by myself. All I did was expose them; I let people see them and hear them sing.”

Gaither is credited with rejuvenating Southern gospel music and the careers of many legendary singers as well as launching the careers of many others.

Tim Riley, bass for the 2003 Male Quartet of the Year, Gold City, said: “Bill Gaither has done so much for gospel music. He quickened peoples' spirit.

“They heard songs on the radio and saw the videos. They had to come see the groups in person. It gets into your blood.”

Guy Penrod of the Gaither Vocal Band said today's gospel music is blending the sound of the old 1940s and 1950s quartets and pop groups with the technology of the current generation.

“Kids are starting to hear that and say that's cool,” he said. “We're growing a new generation in gospel music, and Bill is helping to do that with the concerts and videos.”

And he shows no sign of slowing down.

In his mid-60s, Gaither keeps an active schedule with his Gaither Vocal Band, Homecoming concerts, the annual Praise Gathering and the management of everything in between.

“I work together as a team with Gloria,” he said.

“We have no long-range plans for retirement; we never have. We just walked through the doors God has opened.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Committees to study HBU relationship, BUA financial needs

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS­The Christian Education Coordinating Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas is setting up committees to deal with Baptist University of the Americas' financial needs and the convention's relationship with Houston Baptist University.

At its winter meeting, the board voted unanimously to create two committees. One will consider the Baptist University of the Americas' requests for additional funding this year. The school in San Antonio, formerly named Hispanic Baptist Theological School, is asking for $1 million to help with operating expenses and another $3.5 million to buy property across Interstate 35 from its current location.

The other committee will “evaluate” the BGCT's relationship with Houston Baptist University since the school entered into a “fraternal agreement” with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. A motion passed at the BGCT annual meeting in Lubbock last November instructed the board to study the BGCT/HBU relationship.

An agreement signed in 2001 between BGCT and the university called for the school to have a “unique affiliation” with the convention “by not affiliating or establishing a formal relationship with other denominations, conventions or religious entities.” Different views of what that wording meant surfaced in following months.

After the university signed its fraternal agreement with the competing Baptist convention in 2003, messengers to the BGCT meeting in Lubbock passed a motion offered by Robert Creech of University Baptist Church in Clear Lake to have the Christian Education Coordinating Board study the matter.

The committee looking at the Houston Baptist University-BGCT relationship will consist of two members of the current coordinating board, two members from the committee that drafted the original agreement between the school and the BGCT and two at-large members.

The Christian Education Coordinating Board will report its findings to the BGCT Executive Board May 25.

Baptist University of the Americas' issues are solely financial. University President Albert Reyes said the school's trustees requested the $1 million “to meet all obligations related to certification and accreditation standards recently attained.”

Last fall, the school received accreditation as a Bible college, an effort the BGCT has supported significantly with additional funding the past three years, according to Keith Bruce, coordinator of institutional ministries for the BGCT.

The proposed $3.5 million land grant would be used to buy 78 acres across the highway from the school's current 13-acre campus. Reyes said deterioration of current buildings, coupled with the existing campus' higher market value than the larger tract, moved the BUA board to request the funding.

Both requests would require approval of the BGCT Administrative Committee and Executive Board, as well as the Christian Education Coordinating Board. As a result, a committee made up of two people from each of those bodies, plus three at-large members, will consider the proposal.

A third financial request from Baptist University of the Americas is that the school be added to the formula used to fund the BGCT's other eight universities. That request will be considered by the coordinating board's administrative/finance committee. It will be part of a broader review of the funding formula sought by Dallas Baptist University. Other issues the review will consider are how students in online courses and at off-campus centers are counted in the formula.

Currently, Baptist University of the Americas is scheduled to receive $459,000 through the 2004 BGCT budget. It also is set to receive about $105,000 through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. If it were treated like one of the eight BGCT-affiliated liberal arts universities, its funding from the BGCT budget would rise to more than $800,000, Bruce said.

Linda Brian, chairperson of the coordinating board's administrative committee and a member of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, said the committee is aware of the “strategic position” the school has in preparing leaders for Hispanic churches. “We need it and want it to do well. At the same time, we are very much aware of budgetary restraints here,” she said.

“There have been funds in the past” that have been sent to support the school, Brian said. “We want to look at what all can be done … without detriment to the other schools. … It's a tall request that has been made, unprecedented.”

Posted: 1/23/04

'Miss Cul' mothered Hardin-Simmons
co-eds for more than four decades

By Loretta Fulton

Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE–For 41 years, “Miss Cul” pampered, admonished and consoled thousands of young women under her care as a dorm mother at Hardin-Simmons University.

Even after Aileen Culpepper retired in 1985, she was a regular on campus, eating one meal a day in the cafeteria.

“I give it credit to my good health,” Culpepper, 84, said of the cafeteria food, which is traditionally scorned by students.

Last month, Culpepper received a reward for her many years of keeping a sharp eye on her girls. She was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree during a graduation ceremony in Behrens Chapel on campus.

“My mind still doesn't comprehend it,” Culpepper said. “I was about as ordinary as anybody could be.”

Several thousand young women who were under Miss Cul's watchful eye from 1944 to 1985 would disagree.

One is Dorothy Kiser, a 1962 graduate who is now the registrar at Hardin-Simmons. Kiser recalled the strict curfew and dress code that were in place at HSU when she was a student. “Miss Cul” had a keen sense of time and hem lengths.

“I can still remember seeing her with her arms crossed and giving you that look,” Kiser said.

Times have changed. Hardin-Simmons no longer has curfews or a dress code. Culpepper knows the girls didn't like those restrictions, but she still thinks they're a good idea.

“I don't think any 18-year-old is ready for full responsibility,” Culpepper said.

However, she was pretty responsible herself at that age. She grew up in Anson, attended junior college two years and then earned an education degree from Hardin-Simmons in 1940.

She taught school two years at Ira and Spur, but then World War II changed her plans. With no brothers in the service, Culpepper felt compelled to represent the family in the war effort.

She got a job in Fort Worth as a file clerk with Consolidated Aircraft, which was turning out planes for the war.

“My mother wasn't too happy about the idea,” Culpepper said.

But she stayed on the job for 14 months until the president of Hardin-Simmons, the late Rupert Richardson, asked her to come back to HSU in 1944 as director of Mary Francis Hall. She spent 11 years in that job before moving to Behrens Hall, a residence hall for freshmen women.

Culpepper lived in an apartment in the dorm and was on duty year-round. She estimates 6,000 students passed through her dorms over the years.

One of Culpepper's favorite tricks was to get a list of the new girls each year a couple of weeks before school started. She would memorize roommates' names. When the girls arrived, she would ask one her name and then turn to the other and say her name.

The young women were happy to be known on campus already , but also a little concerned about what else the dorm mother knew about them.

Miss Cul has plenty of happy memories to share. But she also had more than enough tragedies to deal with, beginning soon after taking the job in 1944. One young woman in the dorm had three brothers in World War II. Each eventually was killed in action.

“I got the message and had to tell her three times,” Culpepper recalled.

She remained active on and off campus until she fell and injured herself in September.

She has received numerous honors from Hardin-Simmons and letters of thanks from “her” girls.

But she still is in disbelief over the honorary doctorate she received.

“I would have to say it exceeds any expectations I ever had,” she said.

Posted: 1/23/04

Does biblical command to care for
aliens depend on their legal status?

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Churches' responsibility to care for “aliens and strangers” as the Bible commands transcends legal issues about immigration policy, according to David Guel of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

While President Bush's proposed temporary worker visa program could change the legal status of up to 8 million undocumented aliens, Christians' obligation to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of immigrants remains unchanged, he added.

Christians should obey laws, but sometimes following God means doing the right thing regardless of legalities, said Guel, regional associate with the BGCT Church Multiplication Center.

“If not for civil disobedience, the Egyptians would have killed off baby Moses,” he said, alluding to an incident in the Old Testament book of Exodus when Hebrew midwives disobeyed a mandate from Pharaoh requiring them to kill male Jewish newborns.

Ministry to immigrants–without regard to their legal status–falls into the same category, said Guel, whose doctoral project at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary focused on developing a strategy for ministry to undocumented aliens.

“A lot of our Baptist folks are reluctant to help people who are in this country illegally because of concern about breaking the law. But that's a non-issue when there is a hurting human being in front of you,” he said.

The church's role is neither to enforce laws nor to facilitate lawbreaking, he added. The church's role is to minister to human needs in Jesus' name.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reports 1.04 million undocumented Hispanics in Texas, Guel discovered.

“A thousand cross the border each month,” he said. “That has ministry implications for us,” he said.

Now Guel is taking his findings to churches, associations and other groups, seeking to increase awareness and urging Christians to develop “intentional ministries” to immigrants.

“When you do something with intentionality, you do it all the way in terms of devoting budget and staff to it,” he explained.

Last year, messengers to the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and the BGCT approved resolutions encouraging ministry to immigrants “documented and undocumented, through prayer and action.”

Immigration policy is the focus of an interdenominational study committee that includes representatives from the BGCT and the Texas Conference of Churches. The BGCT Christian Life Commission also has enlisted an intern from the Baylor School of Social Work and Truett Seminary to conduct an in-depth project exploring the issue over the next few months.

Suzii Paynter, director of citizenship and public policy with the BGCT Christian Life Commission, convened a meeting in Austin last month bringing together representatives from widely varied religious and human rights organizations to examine immigration issues.

Guel presented his research findings and recommendations to the group.

He told them about conducting small-group interviews in San Antonio, McAllen and Houston with 25 currently undocumented immigrants, as well as individually interviewing four formerly undocumented Hispanic Baptists.

Those interviews detailed the hardships and dangers immigrants encountered as they entered the United States, their reasons for taking such risks and incidents when churches helped them. Guel also asked them to suggest, based on their own experiences, ways churches could develop “intentional ministries” to immigrants.

Most said they arrived hungry, tired and ill after exposure to the elements.

“For many, the journey necessitated days of going without food, water, shelter and sleep. Many walked for miles through all types of terrain, encountering all kinds of snakes and wildlife,” he said.

Currently undocumented aliens, in particular, told those stories. Since the advent of Homeland Security, illegal border crossings at borderland cities have become more difficult, forcing illegal immigrants to risk crossing in remote and isolated areas, Guel noted.

Others entered the United States with the help of “coyotes,” a term used to describe smugglers of human cargo.

“Three women were transported in the trunk of a car from Del Rio to San Antonio, non-stop,” Guel said.

“In one case, an individual was jailed for four months because authorities wanted him as a witness against a coyote. He had no legal representation for a long time and did not know the language.”

Some churches already offer ministry to undocumented aliens, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services knows it, Guel noted.

Northwest Hispanic Baptist Church in San Antonio, for instance, has established a ministry center near a major employer of undocumented workers, according to Pastor Roland Lopez. While the center is open to all needy people, many who find help there are illegal aliens.

Guel interviewed a senior Border Patrol officer who confirmed his agency's written service policy mandates that officers generally not enter churches or schools.

Unless the Border Patrol is pursuing an illegal alien who has committed crimes against people or property, as opposed to someone who simply has violated legal residency statutes, a church generally is considered an inviolable sanctuary, he explained.

That same officer told him churches should not feel obligated to investigate the legal residency status of needy people before offering them help. He explained that his agency “has the charge to determine the legal status of an individual, not the church. The church should do what it's called to do.”

Guel recommended several ways churches can minister to immigrants:

Create awareness. “Educate the congregation. It's amazing the response when people see the needs.”

Meet immediate needs. “Provide food, a place of rest, and a change of clothing and shoes.”

Offer referrals. “Create a referral list of agencies, medical clinics and legal offices that are willing to assist the undocumented person in times of need and emergencies.”

Help aliens gain legal status. Churches can offer English as a Second Language and citizenship classes. “Consider making the church a center accredited by the Justice Department for assisting undocumented persons through the maze of legalization.”

Focus on children. “Look into the well-being of the children of undocumented workers.” Help them with school orientation, and provide them access to school supplies.

Provide spiritual counsel. “Find a way to offer God's love and share his plan of salvation.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Even in Churches of Christ, there's
no sign of ceasefire in worship wars

By Craig Bird

Associated Baptist Press

SAN ANTONIO (ABP)–The raging debate over worship music has surfaced in a most unlikely place–within the Churches of Christ, which bear the historical distinction of shunning all musical instruments in worship.

Over the past two years, at least five major congregations associated with the Churches of Christ have added instruments to some worship services, according to the Christian Chronicle, a 60-year-old Church of Christ newspaper.

The highest-profile case involves Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, a 3,800-member congregation led by pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado.

No one is willing to predict whether these breaks from tradition signal the start of a sweeping change or are “isolated tragedies”–the description favored by Hardin University professor Flavil Yeakley.

But they do illustrate the ages-old tension between making the gospel message “user friendly” and defending the purity of “the truth once delivered to the saints.”

More than a century ago, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians fought the issue of instrumental worship to a resolution, remodeling their sanctuaries to accommodate organs and pianos.

Since the Jesus Movement of the 1960s, guitars, drums and amplifiers likewise have gained acceptance in many Protestant churches, as Christians adapted musical styles to the marketplace.

The Churches of Christ, claiming about 2 million adherents, is by far the largest fellowship prohibiting man-made instruments. But other smaller groups, such as Primitive Baptists, have resisted as well.

The doctrine is based on the conviction that all congregational practices and structures should meticulously emulate the patterns of the New Testament, which reports nothing of musical instruments in worship.

For the same reason, Churches of Christ shun denominational labels. There is no formal structure or authority to the Churches of Christ beyond the local congregation, and even the capitalized “C” is avoided in the name–Churches of Christ–assigned by religious demographers.

Because of the decentralized nature of the Churches of Christ, there is no way to measure the extent of the pro-instrumental trend.

But the discussion is widespread enough that the issue is being re-examined with an intensity not seen in more than 100 years.

Breaking with tradition

The website for Lucado's Oak Hills Church deals openly with the topic. A cappella singing is still “our primary source” of music at worship assemblies, the website notes, but there are “ample opportunities for instrumental worship as well, such as at our Peak of the Week prayer services.”

“The use of instrumental accompaniment is not a doctrinal issue at Oak Hills, but it is part of our religious heritage that we have chosen to preserve,” the site notes.

Oak Hills and the Body of Christ at Amarillo South in Amarillo no longer identify themselves as Churches of Christ, according to the Christian Chronicle,

Other Churches of Christ that have added instruments, according to the newspaper, are the Northwest Church of Christ in Seattle, which added a Saturday evening instrumental service; Southlake Church of Christ, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, which added a Sunday morning instrumental service; and Farmers Branch Church of Christ, also near Dallas, which added a Saturday night instrumental service.

All five report substantial growth in attendance and say the change was driven by the need for evangelism.

Reaching the culture

Indeed, the desire to reach out to a music-saturated culture is at the heart of the debate.

One new Church of Christ, still in its formative stages, recently asked a Baptist music professor to lead the congregation in a Bible study on instrumental worship.

Paul Richardson, professor of music at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., declined to name the church. But the professor said “at least part” of the congregation “was open to examining its traditions in light of biblical and historical scholarship.”

Prescribed or permitted

Since the New Testament gives little instruction in worship, Richardson said, the basic theological issue is: “How do we handle what we don't know?”

One extreme position is to do only what is explicitly allowed by Scripture. At the other end is the view that whatever isn't specifically forbidden in the New Testament is permitted–athough always with the limitation imposed by other doctrines.

Richardson said most Christians “find our lives, our ethics and our worship in the category of 'adiaphora,'” the Greek term for things neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture, and “about which we must make decisions according to the best light given us.”

The absence of instruments in the early church may have been influenced, ironically, by Greek philosophy. The Greeks argued that emotions stirred by music could be dangerous.

In later centuries, Richardson said, instruments became part of the Roman Catholic Church “about the same time as instruments became widely accepted by society at large.”

During the Reformation, clear divisions began to emerge. Some groups influenced by Martin Luther retained the instruments.

Those influenced by John Calvin placed strict limits on music in worship. Still others, influenced by Ulrich Zwingli, disallowed music of any sort.

Baptist traditions

Calvin's influence was greatest among Baptists and later the Churches of Christ. He placed three restrictions on music in worship: scriptural songs only (mostly the psalms), human voices only, and unison singing only.

“Most Churches of Christ and Primitive Baptists long ago gave up the restrictions on text and part-singing but cling to the one against instruments,” Richardson pointed out.

Baptist groups traveled differing routes. For example, Seventh-day Baptists, strict sabbatarians who know a thing or two about defending a minority position against steep odds, were early promoters of hymn singing, despite criticism from other Baptists.

At various times in Baptist history, instrumental worship was rejected because it was practiced by the Church of England, which persecuted the free-church followers like the Baptists.

Organs often were rejected–and later violins–because they were used to provide worldly entertainment.

All those historical precedents support one of Richardson's theories: “We are all Amish.”

“We all have some idealized culture that we find more faithful to the living of the gospel as we understand it,” he elaborated.

“That culture is typically one in which we never lived, though we have sought to preserve it in some way to 'protect' the faith.”

Yet, he argued, Christian discipleship includes the need “to present the gospel faithfully in the culture in which we live without binding it to the culture.”

Keeping theology first

In every area of Christian living, Richardson suggested, there is a need to look at any issue from three approaches–theology, aesthetics and pragmatics. But they should be addressed in that order, he advised, giving theology first priority.

“Much of the debate in the 'worship wars' is the result of starting the discussion with aesthetics or pragmatics instead of theology,” he asserted.

“If the New Testament shows us anything, it is that the church organizes itself and carries out its mission in a variety of ways, more or less appropriate to its culture.

“About the only unity that can be found in the churches of the New Testament is the confession 'Jesus is Lord.' And that was plenty to bring them into conflict with their surrounding cultures.

“The New Testament tells us very little about worship,” Richardson added, “and what is there is descriptive rather than prescriptive.

“However, it tells us a great deal about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the destination of all things, the Christian life and how we should treat others, both in and out of the faith.

“This should be the way in which the New Testament shapes our practice of worship.”

Posted: 1/23/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Uncooperative Baptists

Why do Southern Baptist Convention leaders want to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance? (Jan. 12) They want to make sure they cannot be accused of being cooperative Baptists. To that end, they seek to be as uncooperative as possible with any Baptist body.

Perhaps we should not refer to these people as “fundamentalists.” They have forsaken the fundamentals, preferring to focus on peripheral issues. They would better be described as “peripheralists.”

Leon Johnson

Honolulu

Terriers & a giant

I am sad to see that in breaking their historic association with the BWA, the leaders of the SBC felt it necessary to attack and impugn the personal integrity and doctrinal soundness of Erich Geldbach, calling him “aberrant and dangerous.”

I came to know him during his recent stay in our country. He is a gracious Christian brother of deep commitment and doctrinal strength. I have shared counsel with him and worshipped with him.

To see men of limited understanding maligning this gentle and good man is like watching terriers snapping at the heels of a giant.

My best memory of Erich Geldbach is standing by his side on Christmas Eve, candles glowing in our hands, singing, “Silent night, holy night.”

C.W. Christian

Waco

Back to the Bible

I just read the list of committee members chosen by the SBC to determine the fate of the BWA's affiliation with the SBC.

My question is: Why spend time and money on something already determined? All of it could be done over the telephone.

I think our SBC leaders are spending too much time studying the book “A Hill on Which to Die.” They need to get back to God's Bible. A good place for them to start would be 1 Corinthians 13.

Jake Bradford

Arp

Narrowing circle

Thank you for the editorial on the BWA. You hit the nail on the head.

The SBC continues to narrow the circle, pull the reigns tighter and dismiss those who are not in complete agreement. Such radical fundamentalism, at its core, must have an enemy. Once that foe is conquered, another must appear. A sobering thought is that this pattern knows no end and has no boundaries.

What a great time to be involved in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a convention with visionary leaders, who continue to broaden the circle in order to expand the kingdom of the Lord without diluting the gospel in any way.

Steve Martin

Plainview

BWA support

I'm right with you on your observations about the SBC's rift with the BWA and its executive director, Denton Lotz.

He spoke in our church the Sunday before the story broke about the SBC's proposal to pull the remainder of its funding. He never said one word about the SBC, nor did he promote the BWA. He simply preached Jesus, and that right well.

Our church will be reassigning missions support dollars in the effort to help the BWA continue its work apart from the SBC. I would encourage other pastors in “free” Baptist congregations like Third Baptist Church to suggest that their congregations do likewise.

Scott Shaver

St. Louis

Fellowship's 'founder'

An advertisement promoting Fellowship Church.com's Creative Identity Church Conference (Jan. 12) listed Ed Young as the church's “founder.”

It reminded me of a time in the 1980s, when First Baptist Church of Irving was considering whether to relocate to north Irving. Ultimately, the church decided instead to begin a mission of the church that became the Fellowship of Las Colinas and ultimately Fellowship Church.com.

During that period, FBC Irving made a tremendous sacrifice, both in providing young families who would be the initial leaders of the church and a tremendous amount of sacrifice in money. These initial leaders included Preston and Dido Mitchell, Dean West and Owen Goff, all of whom are now on staff at Fellowship in some capacity.

First Baptist Church of Irving had a great deal to do with what is now Fellowship Church.com.

As a former member of FBC Irving, I have always considered the true founder of the church to be Jesus Christ, who in this case worked through the members of FBC Irving to start this mission/church.

Gary L. Etter

Irving

Posted: 1/23/04

Baptist statesman Albert McClellan dies

By Marv Knox

Editor

Albert McClellan, a Baptist statesman and executive whose ministry spanned parts of six decades, died in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 9 after a long illness. He was 91.

McClellan worked for the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee throughout more than 30 years of rapid denominational growth and change, from 1949 to 1980.

He served as the convention's public relations director from 1949 to 1959 and as its leader of program planning from 1959 to 1981. In those capacities, he worked alongside three Executive Committee presidents, Duke McCall, Porter Routh and Harold Bennett, serving as the chief associate to Routh and Bennett.

In mid-career, he was instrumental in developing the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, the convention's doctrinal statement. In retirement, he served on the SBC Peace Committee from 1985 to 1987, in the midst of denominational controversy.

Prior to joining the Executive Committee, McClellan was editor of the Baptist Messenger, newspaper of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, from 1945 to 1949.

Previously, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Waurika, Okla., from 1942 to 1945 and Saint Jo Baptist Church in Montague County, Texas, from 1939 to 1942. Before that, he was part-time pastor of eight rural churches and also taught school in North Texas. After he retired, he taught Baptist history and polity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

A native of Bowie, McClellan attended Decatur Baptist College and Baylor University and graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University, which conferred an honorary doctorate upon him. He also is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He wrote at least 15 books and hundreds of articles on organization, planning, forecasting, evangelism and history.

McClellan was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel. He is survived by his sons, Alan of Nashville and Renick of Chicago, and four grandchildren.

Posted: 1/23/04

Mexican Baptists hope church-starting
goal sparks movement throughout Latin America

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

MATAMOROS, Mexico­The National Baptist Convention of Mexico is ushering in a “spiritual revolution” through what appears to be the beginnings of a church-starting movement, missions observers have noted.

And its leaders hope to see the movement spread throughout the Americas.

Mexican Baptists started about 800 churches in the past year. The National Baptist Convention of Mexico goal is to have 10,000 Baptist churches in the country by 2010. About 1,700 congregations, including the new churches, currently comprise the convention.

More encouraging for convention leaders are the 10,000 students enrolled in church- starting discipleship courses designed by Otto Arango, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in McAllen and director of the Church Starting Institute.

In churches throughout the nation, laypeople enrolled in the 10 courses are gaining basic knowledge of pastoral skills, church starting, preaching, teaching, theology and church administration.

Not all the students will start churches, but Arango said he believes 60 percent will. Those who do not start congregations will be stronger members of existing churches.

“They are going to reach the goal,” Arango said. “They are going to pass the goal.”

Mexico can be transformed through this snowballing effort, predicted Antonio Villa, vice president of the National Baptist Convention of Mexico. The significant increase in churches will enable Baptists in Mexico to minister more effectively to the 104 million people in the country, 5 percent of whom are evangelicals.

But for Baptists to have a larger impact in Mexico, they must be unified and committed to work under the direction of Christ, Villa said.

“Together we believe we can usher in a spiritual revolution in Mexico,” Villa told more than 300 church starters at a training event Jan. 10 in Matamoros.

Arango and Villa said they hope this model of church planting will spread throughout Central and South America, furthering a church-starting movement.

“This will be the platform that other countries will imitate,” Villa explained.

The duo added they think the project will stir Texas Baptist work as well. Mexican church-starting efforts will encourage increased church starting in Texas.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is working with the Mexican convention through a partnership between the two entities.

A Texas Baptist donor pays for the printed materials related to the courses, training events and some travel expenses.

Both conventions are encouraging their churches to work with congregations on each side of the border.

Cooperation is key to increasing Mexican Baptist work, BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade noted.

Texan resources help spread Mexican Baptist work, while Mexican faith inspires Texas Baptists to serve faithfully.

“Some plant the seed,” Wade said. “Some water it. Others harvest it. But it is together that God's work is done.”

But more help is needed, according to Villa.

More training is desired in evangelism and missions. Religious education needs to be strengthened. Mission and construction teams are wanted.

“We will take as many as can be sent,” Villa said.

For more information about Mexico missions or the Texas-Mexico partnership, contact the BGCT Texas Partnerships Resource Center at (214) 828-5181.

Posted: 1/23/04

On the Move

Scott Bowman to First Church in Winnsboro as minister of music and senior adults.

Dan Brown to Clearview Church in Marshall as pastor.

Bill Burch has resigned as youth minister at Colonial Hills Church in Cedar Hill.

J.C. Chambers to New Hope Church in Marshall as interim pastor.

Allan Cox to Westlake Church in Chandler as interim minister of music.

Tom Dobbs to Pine Island Church in Hempstead as pastor.

Brett Edwards to Salem Sayers Church in Adkins as pastor.

Craig Evers to Harleton Church in Harleton as interim pastor.

Brandon Hitt to Iola Missionary Church in Iola as youth minister.

Billy Johnson to Colonial Hills Church in Cedar Hill as pastor.

Jerry Marshall to First Church in Cookville as pastor.

Alex Medlock to Wellborn Church in Wellborn as music minister.

Don Nichols to Westwood Church in Waskom as interim pastor.

Shane Norcross to First Church in Milford as pastor.

Clint Pardue to Calvary Church in Port Arthur as youth minister.

Larry Phenneger has resigned as pastor of Trinity Church in Royse City.

Bob Posey has resigned as pastor at First Church in Ladonia.

Jack Riley has completed an interim pastorate at Grace Temple Church in Henrietta and is available for supply or interim at (940) 592-5595.

Lisa Rowe to Field Street Church in Cleburne as minister to children.

Tom Satterwhite to Calvary Church in Abilene as interim pastor.

Harold Smith to Dial Church in Honey Grove as pastor.

Donal Tittle to Grace Temple Church in Henrietta as pastor.

Posted: 1/23/04

Fear turns to fulfillment for prison
ministry volunteer discipleship teacher

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

GATESVILLE–Fear ran through David Barron's body when he first entered a prison in 1978 to help with the data entry systems. Now the clanging of prison gates closing behind him regularly welcomes him to his mission field.

Having overcome the initial fear he experienced when working for IBM in prisons during the late 1970s, Barron, a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Gatesville, started leading inmate Bible studies for two hours a week in the Hughes Unit.

The 73-year-old has led classes since 1995, covering various biblical books and other material such as “Experiencing God.”

“It was something at first I didn't want to do, but now I look forward to it,” said Barron, a regional director of spiritual development with Texas Baptist Men.

Many of the men who come to the studies are Christians who have lost their way, largely due to alcohol and drug issues, he explained. He seeks to help them get their lives in order by giving them a firm biblical foundation and teaching them to witness.

Barron said he is encouraged to see the men spreading their faith because he and one prison chaplain cannot reach all 3,000 inmates in the unit. Although other religious groups come to the prison, the convicts can have the most powerful impact, he believes.

“I said: 'I'm not going to be here every day. You are,'” Barron said.

Not only are the men ministering to fellow inmates, they have touched Barron's life as well. The group prayed for him and encouraged him after the recent death of his son. Their support helped him bond with the group spiritually and emotionally.

“They're a great bunch of guys, and I know some of them are in there for some pretty bad stuff,” he commented.

The most exciting part of Barron's work is seeing the men connect with a local church after they are released, he said. He fondly recalls running into a former member of one of the studies during the 2001 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in Dallas. He embraced the man, who now runs a halfway house for recently released convicts.

In the last couple of years, Barron has expanded his ministry as his church enlarged its outreach to the Gatesville prison. Once a week, Barron serves correctional officers hot chocolate and coffee from a trailer that rotates among the parking lots of the different units.

Barron's pastor, Tim Crosby, has noticed an increased openness from correctional officers as a result of the church's ministry inside and outside the prison. Some officers have come to worship, while others have thanked members for their outreach.

Whether dealing with officers or inmates, Barron prays God alters lifestyles through the congregation's efforts.

“The prison ministry is thrilling to work in,” he said. “You do see lives changed.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Most American voters want a deeply
religious president, recent poll reveals

By Adelle Banks

Religious News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Almost 60 percent of likely voters surveyed say it's important for a president to believe in God and be deeply religious while also having the backing of most Americans on how he is managing the economy and foreign policy.

A new O'Leary Report/Zogby International Values Poll that looked at the political and ideological divisions in the nation showed significant support for personal religious involvement by the country's top leader.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled said having a president who is religious is more important to them than having one who is not religious, while 30 percent said the opposite.

In the poll's so-called “red states,” which were won by President Bush in 2000, the percentage is higher–67 percent–who favor having a religious president who also is considered to have done a good job managing foreign policy and the economy.

In those states–covering the South, Southwest and mountain West–23 percent favored a president who is not religious but had success on policy issues. In the "blue states," won by former Vice President Al Gore, the percentage in favor of a religious president was lower–51 percent.

In those states–the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic, the Great Lakes and the far West– 36 percent favored a president who was successful on policy matters but not necessarily deeply religious.

“It is ultimately very important for a presidential candidate to identify with a supreme being and with what are perceived to be family and church values,” said pollster John Zogby, whose Zogby International organization is based in Utica, N.Y.

He said that view is shaped by Americans' conservative or liberal tendencies, with born-again Christians viewing religion in absolute terms and mainline Protestants and liberal Catholics having a more live-and-let-live philosophy.

Brad O'Leary, a Republican strategist and pollster who commissioned the poll, said Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean is responding to the sentiment expressed in the poll that favors religious presidents. “I think you have Dean right now looking at his polling and seeing that his persona among the American public is not as a religious or deeply religious person,” said O'Leary, publisher of “The O'Leary Report” newsletter. “So all of a sudden, in the midst of this campaign in the last few days, he starts talking about his religion.”

An earlier poll also suggested an American comfort with religious rhetoric from political leaders. A July 2003 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found almost twice as many respondents thought there were too few references to prayer and religious faith by politicians than too much.

Forty-one percent said there was too little reference, compared to 21 percent who thought there was more than enough.