Posted: 11/19/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Dec. 5

Proclaim Christ Lord with the way you live life

John 1:19-34

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

John the Baptist was a visual oddball and a bold one at that. When he preached, curious crowds gathered to see and hear.

Clearly and courageously, he began the debate of the ages as a voice “crying in the wilderness.” The issue was: “Who is Jesus?”

Today, this question engages people in holy places and in Hollywood, stirs discussion by brilliant scholars in universities and the uneducated in backward villages and is debated in statehouses and in simple homes. Who is Jesus supposed to be? What is the meaning of his life? Did Jesus consider himself both God and man? Was he an itinerate sage, a social cynic, an apocalyptic prophet, an inspiring rabbi, or is he truly God?

John the Baptist introduced the question, saying, “but among you stands one you do not know” (1:26). Jesus offered the question to his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27; Luke 9:18).

Few question the existence of the historical Jesus, but many debate the divinity of Christ. The aim of John's Gospel is to prove the true nature and character of Christ through the testimony of witnesses. John the Baptist was the first to confess and testify (1:19-21) of the divine identity and uniqueness of the man, Jesus from Nazareth.

He is Lord

“Make straight the way of the Lord” (v. 23). John, the writer-apostle, in the poetry of the prologue declares Jesus to be Christ, the incredible Word (vv. 1-18). He then presents his first witness, John the Baptist, respected by the Jews as a prophet, to corroborate his own belief.

The first announcement the Baptist made was that Jesus is Lord. This title affirms and validates Christ's absolute power and absolute authority. All people, in their personal freedom, are to submit in spiritual worship and obedience. Christ stands above all, in all authority, with a special measure of holiness, grace and love.

He is worthy

“I am not worthy to untie” his sandals (v. 27). Christ deserves his power and authority and because of his power and authority is worthy of our confession and praise. It is one thing to declare Christ as Lord and another to accept him as Lord. This is the crucial step in understanding the nature of salvation. Genuine faith believes with the heart as well as the mind.

John the Baptist personally accepts the lordship of Christ in humility, praising him by describing his own unworthiness. Tending to shoes and feet is the menial work of a servant, but he considered himself unworthy of that. Rather than seek notoriety for himself, he prepared the way for the Lamb of God.

He is Savior

“The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (v. 29). John is the intermediary who knows the past and sees the future (v. 17). Isaac asked Abraham, “Where is the lamb?” (Genesis 22:7). Isaiah spoke of “a lamb to the slaughter” (53:7). John also could see the new revelation in the old symbolism that Christ was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29).

The lamb is a symbol of Christ's character without blemish, the perfect sacrifice offered for the sin of the world. The lamb also is a symbol of suffering, laying down his life willingly for others (the Passover lamb, Exodus 12:7-12). Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificed himself on Calvary as our substitute and became our Redeemer. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

He is knowable

He is the one on “whom you see the Spirit come down and remain” (v. 33). He voiced before the crowd, “… among you stands one you do not know” (1:26, 31).

How does one recognize Jesus as the Christ, the expected Messiah? The Vatican has a document written by a Roman proconsul of Judea, describing the physical appearance of Jesus. John the Baptist did not identify Christ by his appearance. Two things convinced the Baptist that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. The first was a spoken word or revelation from the Father, the “one who sent” him. The second was the fulfillment of that revelation when the Spirit came down upon Jesus and remained as had been told to him (v. 33).

This same principle is in effect today. Christ went away and left his Holy Spirit with us (John 14:15-27). As the presence of the Holy Spirit proved Jesus was God in human flesh, the presence of the Spirit attests to the validity of the Christian church and the Christian experience of faith. Christ is knowable through Scripture, the Holy Spirit and the testimony of other believers.

He is God

“This is the Son of God” (v. 34). John the Baptist confessedJesus' superiority, his redemptive work and his deity, progressing to the ultimate conclusion that Jesus, Lord and the Lamb of God, was the divine Son of God. The chain of proof included a prediction or revelation from God, the fulfillment of that prediction and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Discussion questions

How does the way you live your life proclaim who you believe Jesus to be? Do your actions and your beliefs match?

Posted: 11/19/04

Florida court rules school voucher program unconstitutional

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (ABP)– A Florida state appeals court ruled the state's school-voucher program is unconstitutional because it provides funding to religious schools.

The Florida First District Court of Appeals ruled 8-5 that the state's Opportunity Scholarship Program, first created in 1999, violates the Florida Constitution.

The ruling upheld a similar 2-1 opinion handed down in August by a panel of the same court. Then, as in the new ruling, the majority judges said the Florida Opportunity Scholarship Program is unconstitutional because it allows government-funded scholarships to be spent at religious schools.

The Florida Constitution states that no state money “shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid … of any sectarian institution.”

Attorneys for Republican Gov. Jeb Bush and other Florida officials had argued the program is constitutional because the provision in question does not impose any greater restriction on funding of religious schools than does the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court said a similar Ohio voucher program did not violate the clause of the First Amendment that forbids government from making a law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

But Judge William Van Nortwick, writing the majority's opinion, rejected that argument, saying a plain reading of the “no aid” provision of the Florida Constitution is required by a more recent Supreme Court decision.

Earlier this year, the justices ruled in Locke vs. Davey that Washington state could be allowed, under the federal Constitution, to provide indirect funding to religious schools but could not be forced to if the state chose not to do so.

“For a court to interpret the no-aid provision as adding nothing substantive to article I, section 3 of the Florida Constitution would require that court to ignore the clear meaning of the text of the provision and its formative history,” Van Nortwick wrote.

But Judge Ricky Polston, writing for the minority, dissented, saying the Florida provision shouldn't be interpreted as being any more restrictive than the First Amendment. He also said the state government already provides indirect funding to religiously affiliated groups and shouldn't treat schools any differently.

“There is no distinction between this Opportunity Scholarship Program and the state Medicaid program that funds religiously affiliated or operated health-care institutions providing free or subsidized medical care,” he said.

“Other examples are legislative programs providing public funds to any public or private person or organization for preservation of historic structures, rent paid to churches for use of their facilities as polling places, and government-subsidized pre-K or child-care programs operated by churches or faith-based organizations.”

The case, Bush vs. Holmes, began when a collection of civil-rights and educational organizations sued the state on behalf of a group of Florida parents who believed it was unconstitutional. In 2002, a trial judge agreed with them and ordered the program halted. Bush and other state officials appealed that ruling.

In the most recent decision, the appeals court asked the Florida Supreme Court to review the case.

Posted: 11/19/04

Posted: 11/19/04

At 86, Billy Graham says he's feeling his age
but stays committed to preaching the gospel

By Marshall Allen

Religion News Service

PASADENA, Calif. (RNS)– In Southern California for yet another evangelistic crusade, 86-year-old Billy Graham says he feels his age but isn't about to stop preaching the gospel.

Graham's son Franklin, who now runs the day-to-day operations of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said his father now preaches every sermon as if it might be his last.

The famous evangelist held a four-day crusade this month at the Rose Bowl and is scheduled to hold another crusade in June in New York.

Graham's health has been poor in the past year.

He suffers from Parkinson's disease and spent almost the entire year in bed after breaking his hip and pelvis in two separate incidents.

He uses a walker to get from place to place and preaches from a specially designed podium that allows him to sit down if necessary.

When asked how he's feeling, Graham laughs and says: “I'm 86, and that's all I need to say. I'm 86.”

Graham's health problems and aging do not make him reflect on his life or death. He said he already thought about his mortality when he committed his life to Jesus Christ in 1934, when he was 16.

“I'm ready to go. I'm happy to go. I'm looking forward to it,” he said.

Graham said that although he missed his wife, Ruth Bell Graham, who was unable to make the trip to Pasadena due to health reasons, he felt God called him to come to California one more time.

In his 55 years of ministry, Graham has preached in person to more than 210 million people. He has led hundreds of thousands of people to commit their lives to Christ.

More than 300,000 people were estimated to attend the four-day event at the Rose Bowl.

Posted: 11/19/04

Family ministry should focus on family
strengths, Hardin-Simmons prof says

By Miranda Bradley

For Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–During a time when families increasingly look different, a Hardin-Simmons University professor said it is important for churches to broaden their ministry scope.

“The church has really pushed the traditional family as the model,” Randall Maurer told a workshop titled “Making the Most of Family Ministry” during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session.

“But families are made up of single parents and blended units. We have been slow to respond to the needs and strengths of these groups.”

When starting a family ministry, Maurer said, it is most important to remain positive, speaking to the assets of a family group, not its weaknesses.

“Talking about the negatives can be very depressing,” he said. “Instead of thinking about fixing people's problems, a church should focus on encouraging positive aspects of that particular group.”

Family ministry should not be tackled as merely another program.

Rather, it should become a “theme for everything we do,” he said.

Some questions to ask in starting such a ministry are:

When we have taken the first steps, what will we be doing differently as a church?

How is some of what we want to happen happening right now?

When our family ministry is successful, what will be the first thing we will notice?

But the most important advice Maurer shared was probably the most simple.

“There must be a team approach to starting this kind of ministry,” he said. “They should be motivated and excited to go back to their churches and create this kind of outreach. If you are not enthusiastic, then the ministry may not thrive.”

Posted: 11/19/04

Worship is an end in itself, not just a means
to an end, Hardin-Simmons professor insists

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

SAN ANTONIO–True worship focuses on God, not on self-fulfillment or evangelistic outreach, a Texas Baptist music professor insists.

Clell Wright, professor at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, led a workshop on “Rethinking Blended Worship” during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in San Antonio.

“In our consumer-driven society, we have made church and we have made worship about us–about what fits our needs,” Wright said.

“When it comes to worship, it's not about us. It's not about our desire for self-fulfillment and what appeals to us. It's not about what effectively reaches a particular group of people. …

“We have made worship a means to an end. We have forgotten that worship is an end in itself.

“It serves no other purpose than to extol God–to praise him as Creator and Father, to glorify him as Savior and Redeemer, and to experience him as Counselor and Comforter.”

Teaching by example, Wright invited workshop participants to experience a worship model based on diversity, rather than a lowest-common-denominator blending.

Using the analogy of baking, he noted blended ingredients lose their identity when someone bakes a cake.

In contrast, he called for a worship model in which each element maintains its distinctive identity.

Wright advocated an approach drawing from a variety of traditions, cultures and societies from around the world.

When it comes to musical instruments, he urged worship leaders to be stylistically true to the music–using organ for traditional hymns, guitar for praise choruses and bongos for worship music from the Caribbean or Africa.

“Worship is a reflection of who we are, and we are creatures of culture,” he acknowledged.

At the same time, he encouraged churches to incorporate a wide range of worship practices from different cultures–“not out of ulterior motives” but out of awareness that Christians benefit as they learn from other members of the family of faith.

Posted: 11/19/04

Illinois Baptists cut governing board
membership by more than half

By Michael Leathers

Associated Baptist Press

TINLEY PARK, Ill. (ABP)–Amid concerns that too much power is being concentrated in the hands of fewer leaders, messengers to the Illinois Baptist State Association's annual meeting approved a constitutional change to reduce its board of directors by more than half.

The board currently has 72 members chosen from throughout the state. Under the new model, that board will be whittled down to 33 over the next three years. Twenty-four board members will come from six regions, four from each region. Nine others will be at-large members.

About 1,000 churches affiliate with the Illinois Baptist State Association.

During the association's 98th annual meeting in the south Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, most messengers speaking against the change hailed from southern Illinois churches. Many speaking in favor were from northern Illinois.

“I believe the plan is flawed,” said Allen Speer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Cobden. “We need diverse representation.”

Randy Grace, pastor of Hurricane Memorial Baptist Church of Herrin, said a larger number of board members provides stronger representation and promotes better ownership. After the session, Grace told a reporter he also had concerns about the equitable division of the six regions, noting that the northern regions give less to the Cooperative Program unified giving plan.

Coupled with a decision last year to allow the board of directors to elect its own chairman and supporting officers, the board reduction gives too much authority to a small number of leaders, said Tim Sadler, pastor of First Baptist Church of Anna. Sadler said he was “uncomfortable” seeing that much authority being handed over while the association president's power is scaled back.

The president and three other officers are chosen by messengers attending the IBSA annual meeting each November. After last year's vote, their roles have been limited primarily to overseeing the annual meeting. They no longer preside over the twice-annual meetings of the board of directors but serve as ex-officio members with vote.

Larry Richmond, the former association president who oversaw the board-reduction plan during his two terms, told messengers “history has proven” large boards are not an effective model of governance. The Illinois Baptist State Association needs to move from a representative model to what he described as a leadership model.

“I came on this board in 1944,” said Jimmy Baldwin, pastor of Long Branch Baptist Church of Galatia, “and I was not aware we have too many (members) at all.”

While a smaller board may achieve some short-term advantages, Baldwin said, it will not work as a long-term model to have fewer people sharing leadership.

“A democracy is not made up of fewer people,” he said. “… Ten years from now, we will say it's a mistake.”

Tom Rains, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Quincy and a spokesman for the constitution and bylaws committee, said members of a smaller board will have a better chance to “be able to know each other and trust one another.” He said the smaller board will mean a savings of at least $12,000 annually in meetings expenses.

The constitutional change needed a two-thirds majority to pass, which it easily received on a show of raised ballots.

In other business, Don Sharp, pastor of Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church of Chicago, and Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, were re-elected as president and vice president.

Illinois Baptists reduced their Cooperative Program goal for 2005 by nearly 2 percent, to $6.77 million from $6.90 million.

The Illinois Baptist State Association keeps 57.75 percent of every Cooperative Program dollar contributed by affiliated churches and forwards the remaining 42.25 percent to the national SBC. The association excludes money targeted for the church annuity plan and Cooperative Program promotion from the ratio.

Messengers approved IBSA's 2005 budget of slightly more than $5.57 million, a reduction of nearly $74,000, or 1.3 percent, from this year's budget. Most of the projected revenue will come from nearly $4 million from Illinois churches and another $1.4 million from the North American Mission Board.

Messengers approved a resolution to recognize the contributions made by the nation's veterans. A handful of messengers unsuccessfully voted against a motion by Grace, the Hurricane Memorial pastor, to amend the resolution to describe the war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places as a “just” war.

No attempt was made to introduce a resolution calling for parents to pull their children out of public schools. Illinois was one of at least 10 state Baptist conventions where supporters of the anti-schools resolution hoped to bring the issue before messengers.

Posted: 11/19/04

Italian Baptists ask U.S. Baptists to appeal for peace in Iraq

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Bap- tists in Italy–a nation President Bush counts as an ally in the Iraq war–are asking their American counterparts to help bring an end to that conflict.

In a recent letter, the Italian Baptist Union's president, Anna Maffei, asked “all the Baptist conventions in the U.S.A.” to join together in efforts toward reconciliation rather than encouraging further military conflict in war-torn Iraq.

Messengers to the union's general assembly last month authorized the appeal for peacemaking.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government has been one of only a handful in the world to join Bush's “Coalition of the Willing” in support of the United States' efforts in Iraq.

Italian Baptists chose to address U.S. Baptists, Maffei said, “because we thought that our Baptist churches in the U.S.A., on account of their number and strength, could make a difference in the world and contribute a great deal, if they so wished, to develop peace strategies in the international arena. As sons and daughters of the Prince of Peace, we desperately need to struggle for peace and justice!”

Noting the war's cost in dollars, the lives of coalition troops and those of Iraqi fighters and civilians, the letter lambastes the war, calling it “mistaken and counterproductive,” “illegal” and “bloody.”

“The (Italian and U.S. governments') objective is to guarantee Iraqis the possibility of having democratic elections; but democracy cannot be imposed by war,” the letter reads. “The war has instead caused terrorism to flare up in a land where there wasn't any before and has restricted democracy in the countries involved in the war, through security measures, clamping down on the right to protest and the tampering with the question of freedom of information.”

It continues: “We all watch, with anguish and a sense of impotence, the news reels showing the massacre of innocents, produced by terrorist suicide bombers and car bombs and by coalition missiles, following the law of 'an eye for an eye.'”

It also criticizes the Italian and American governments' rhetoric surrounding the war. “We all see our leaders, in the same vein as the exponents of Islamic fundamentalism and of terrorism, waving the flag, talking of a war between civilizations and claiming that God is on their side.

“We believe that God, who said, 'You shall not kill' and who sent Jesus to die for our sin, is a God of peace, of reconciliation and of justice–that he is on the side of the victims of war, whoever they are, military or civilian, Iraqi, American, widows, parents, orphans, prisoners, whole peoples reduced to misery and famine.”

The letter asks U.S. Baptists for two responses:

To organize peacemaking-focused “manifestations, round tables, focus groups, meetings for reflection on the alternative to war, that involve people of diverse religious confession, cultural tendency and nationality.”

To lead “ecumenical prayer meetings in which we pray that God touches our leaders' hearts and those of terrorist and resistance leaders and that he brings them to repent, to change direction, to stop the fighting and open up a dialogue with their enemies,” and to encourage the exchange of coalition forces “for U.N.-led peacekeeping forces” to occupy the country.

A spokesperson for the Baptist World Alliance, a worldwide umbrella group for Baptists, said the letter appears directed at the Southern Baptist Convention, because it is the only U.S. Baptist group to express official support for the war.

“My feeling is that the main people to whom they would direct that–I'm making a judgment call–would really not listen to them or have any concern about them,” said Wendy Ryan, noting BWA had not formulated an official response.

In 2003, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution affirming Bush for the war in Iraq and noting, “We believe Operation Iraqi Freedom was a warranted action based upon historic principles of just war.”

SBC officials had not responded to requests for comments. A spokesperson for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship said the organization would not have a response until leaders had a chance to review the letter.

Richard Schramm, a spokesperson for the American Baptist Churches U.S.A., said he was not aware of any official response to the letter from that organization.

Gary Percesepe, coordinating director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, endorsed the Italian Baptist statement, which he said “call(s) on the churches to express clearly the prophetic message of Jesus Christ that there is a third way open to us, an alternative to war, rather than the false dichotomy of 'fight or flight.'”

“We call for active and courageous nonviolent resistance to evil, following the example of Jesus,” added Percesepe of Springfield, Ohio. “We call for the abolition of war and the embracing of Jesus' ethic of love for one's enemies.”

Posted: 11/19/04

Ivory Coast violence could spread
across Africa, church leader warns

By David E. Anderson

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Mvume Dandala, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, has warned that the violence in the Ivory Coast could spread to other parts of Africa.

Dandala made his comments as the United Nations Security Council last week imposed an immediate arms embargo on the African nation's government in the wake of its violent confrontation with France, the country's former colonial ruler.

Dandala urged African and other world leaders to continue efforts to secure peace, especially in Liberia and Sierre Leone, conflict-ridden neighbors of Ivory Coast.

“This is a commitment that other African countries and the international community should seize and hold on to very firmly,” he said.

Posted: 11/19/04

Kerry failed to link vision to values, operatives say

By Kim Lawton

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Operatives hired to guide Sen. John Kerry on religious issues say the campaign fell short in linking the presidential candidate's political vision to deeply held religious values and in mobilizing faith-based voters.

“You don't get what you don't work for,” said Mara Vanderslice, the Kerry campaign's director of religious outreach, in an exclusive interview with the PBS television program “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.”

At the same time, she said she was excited about the positive results of bringing people of faith into the campaign.

“I think we've pioneered a new direction for the Democrats,” she said, adding that there is a “whole flood of … religious people (who) want a place at the table in the Democratic Party.”

“It was a fledgling effort,” said Mike McCurry, White House press secretary during the Clinton administration and perhaps the most senior Kerry campaign adviser urging the outreach to faith communities.

“It's something that for a national Democratic campaign was rather new, and certainly a lot of good lessons (were) learned that we can build on.”

Vanderslice, an evangelical Christian, joined the Kerry campaign in April.

It was the first time a Democratic presidential campaign had a national staff person specifically charged with mobilizing people of faith at the grassroots level.

Some Democratic activists weren't sure what to make of Vanderslice's efforts. Colleagues jokingly referred to her as the “church lady.” There also was some internal resistance to the outreach, she noted.

“It was a slow start,” Vanderslice said. “It was very new. It's still new to many political operatives in the Democratic Party, and so there was some timidity around the language, around how to proceed.”

Meanwhile, Vanderslice was sharply attacked by some conservative activists.

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights issued a statement calling her “a 29-year-old ultra-leftist who consorts with anti-Catholic bigots.”

She calls the claims “outrageous,” saying: “I think they, the religious right, would have attacked anyone who signed up for this responsibility and this position. They believe that this is their territory, and it just showed how threatened they would be if the Democrats really started to make this a priority.”

Despite the challenges, Vanderslice said the Democrats' outreach program yielded some positive results.

“When I started, we didn't have any lists to start with,” but “by the end of the campaign we had close to 5,000 people (of faith) participating and volunteering for us.”

In addition, at the end of the campaign, there were full-time organizers in five of the key contested states.

“People out in the country said: 'Where have you been? We've been waiting for you.'”

Vanderslice urged the party to continue expanding the efforts. She noted the Republican Party and faith-based conservative groups have been doing outreach to religious communities–evangelicals, black Protestants, Catholics–for 20 years.

“It was a tremendous beginning, and I hope the Democrats will continue to understand the energy that's out there in the faith community,” she said.

But she said: “It won't be enough for Democrats just to wear the clothing of faith. There needs to be a long-term engagement with the religious community and an investment in building infrastructure, in building the grassroots, in reaching out to religious leaders and to religious people.

“We have to make the investment–on the staff level, in the state parties, in the infrastructure, to reach out to these communities and to build up a network.”

McCurry said Democrats have “to find the right way to connect to those … deeply felt values in the heartland of America that are really who we are as the American people.”

Neither Vanderslice nor McCurry suggested Democrats need to abandon their stance on such hot-button issues as abortion and gay rights.

Still, McCurry acknowledged the party needed “a little more understanding, a little more tolerance, a little more discussion on those issues to understand that there are real moral differences. … Frankly, I think the Democrats are in a better position to have tolerant, reasoned discussion of those issues than the other party.”

Vanderslice rejected the idea suggested by some political pundits that Democrats have to moderate their positions “or run to the center.”

“This election says that is absolutely wrong,” she said. “I think what we need to do is to stand up in an even stronger and more principled way for the things that we believe.”

The religious community, she said, “can be the conscience and the soul of the Democratic Party, and the more we bring that back in, I believe, the stronger our party will be, the better we'll be able to represent our positive vision for the future.”

And, she added, it will help the Democrats “start winning elections again.”

Posted: 11/19/04

Laotian refugee found God and
reason for living in a camp in Thailand

By Miranda Bradley

For Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–Fifty-two-year-old Houm met God, one of two great loves of his life, in the most unlikely of places–a Thai refugee camp.

But getting there was a lonely and scary journey.

At age 21, he was dragged away from his family in Laos and into a cold, wet jungle prison camp after Communists took over his country.

Houm told his story during a workshop on intercultural ministry during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Nov. 8-9 in San Antonio.

He used only his first name and chose not to reveal his current place of ministry out of continuing security concerns.

In the prison camp, Houm was forced to wake at 5 a.m., pledge to the Communist flag and accept his grueling task for the day.

Sometimes, it was planting rice; other times, it was digging holes. But it was always back-breaking.

“It was similar to the movie 'The Killing Field,'” Houm said. “We believed no one would survive that prison.”

He watched as people tried to escape the dismal and abusive conditions, only to be caught and never heard from again.

“I knew I had to plan carefully for my escape,” he said. “You couldn't ask anyone for food or talk to anyone along the way once you got away. You had to hide, or people would trick you and call the authorities.”

So, he planned carefully, noting how much food he would need and which direction he would go.

“I prayed every day to die,” he said. “I did not know Jesus, and I did not want to (know him) then. I just wanted to die.”

When he finally braved the jungle five years later, he pointed himself toward his hometown, hoping he had the stamina to survive the trip.

It took him three days and two nights of hiding and shivering before he slipped into his mother's house under the cover of darkness.

“But I told her I had to go away,” he recalled. “They would come for me, because people always came to their house when they escaped.

“She said I should go to America, but I had no money and did not know how to get there.”

His best option was to go to Thailand, which was not under Communist rule.

A friend provided a fake passport, and he began another escape across his country into the capital city before swimming across the river into Thailand.

“It was hard, because both countries had their guns pointed at each other,” he said. “If either country caught me escaping, I would be killed.”

Hoping his luck would turn, Houm welcomed the kindness of the townspeople offering hot meals.

But they contacted police, and he was jailed for two days.

Officials soon discovered he was a former army officer and sent him to a refugee camp.

“I began looking around at the 18,000 people in this camp and realized that I did not know one of them,” Houm said.

“I was looking for someone to love me, care for me, and no one here did or would.”

Trying to find a way to slip outside the walls of his new prison, Houm noticed a small group of prisoners freely walking through the gate.

He realized they were able to attend church outside the prison and thought it would be a perfect opportunity for escape.

After speaking to a chaplain, he received his pass and began joining the group.

He had succeeded in slipping out of line once outside the prison walls five weeks in a row until a military officer caught him.

“Usually they would beat you,” he said. “But I prayed to God for the first time that if he saved me this once, I would go to church for real.”

Houm praised God after the officer gave him a little slap on the head.

The next day, Houm met the pastor as he walked into the church.

“The pastor shook my hand and said: 'We are your family here. I love you, and God loves you. These are your brothers and sisters,'” he recalled. “I started to cry. All this time, I had wanted someone to love me, and he was telling me all these people did. That day, I became a Christian. I wanted to know Jesus.”

Every day after that, Houm visited the church, fulfilling every need–from stacking Bibles to cleaning pews.

Over time, the pastor offered to teach Houm the Bible so he could become a Sunday school teacher, then later, Houm was offered the opportunity to preach.

While his spiritual renewal was under way, so was his emotional healing.

He soon fell in love with a fellow refugee, and they married in the same church where Houm met his first love–Jesus Christ.

Eighteen months after he arrived in the camp, he was released and sent to America. There, he reunited with his brother, a pastor in Oklahoma. Soon, he attended Oklahoma Baptist University and then moved to Dallas to enroll in seminary.

Houm has been a pastor 22 years, but said he still has vivid memories of his time in the prison camp.

“I still wake up from nightmares,” he said.

“But I am always at peace because I know it was just the beginning of my journey to Jesus. He is my salvation; he is my life.”

Posted: 11/19/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM

Discerning eyes

The 2004 BGCT convention in San Antonio was one of the most historic conventions I can remember.

Our leaders put before us a challenging vision of our future. This new vision will streamline our governance and challenge our convention to be much more "church-centered" rather that “program centered.”

You can see the fingerprints of our Lord in much that was presented to us, but I am also deeply concerned about other trends.

Our convention voted 1,973-444 in favor of moving forward with our new vision for tomorrow. I hope our leaders will see this vote with discerning eyes. At first glance, the vote appears to be mandate for change. However, a closer look reveals a disturbing insight into our commitment to cooperation. There is a huge difference between compliance and commitment.

To capture the new day ahead, we need commitment from all our churches, but it appears we are experiencing the early stages of apathy. We talk about more involvement of our people, but we only had 2,937 messengers present. In 1985 when we met in San Antonio, we had 4,275 messengers, and in 1995, we had 6,867 messengers. Were the churches in our convention voting “no” by not showing up?

I pray our leaders will reach out to all the churches of our state with listening ears, an open heart and a bold, daring vision for tomorrow that will move us from compliance to the kind of commitment that will seize the day.

David Lowrie
Canyon

'Christian' nation

Some Baptists and others want to restore the American dream of a “Christian” nation. This is false and frightening.

Our forefathers founded the United States upon many Christian ideals, but they never meant for us to be a “Christian” nation. We are better–a secular state, with freedom to worship God or not, according to one's conscience.

Those who want a Christian nation scare me, because if they were in power, they would force their religious viewpoint upon others. I cannot think of anything more un-Christian than that!

Such Christians want political power because they feel powerless, humiliated by pagan society, frustrated by their lack of social and political prestige and influence. They take themselves too seriously and are angry because others don't take them seriously enough. They suffer from the same mindset, to a degree, as the fanatical Islamic fundamentalists.

The church has a terrible history of misusing political power to kill millions of innocent people when they don't conform to the faith. Examples are the medieval Catholic Church of the Inquisition; the Calvinist, Lutheran and Catholic churches of the Thirty Years War; and the militant Puritan takeover of England.

So, this Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful to live in a free, pluralistic, secular state. To follow Christ, I must serve my fellow man and make it a better country for all. It is not my calling, nor anybody's calling, to control others and force one's religious viewpoint upon them.

God save us from a “Christian” nation.

Alvin Petty

Friona

Social issues

In response to your editorial on moral values (Nov. 8), please read the story on page 18 of the same issue: “The election also marks a defeat for progressive groups who tried to cast social justice concerns of poverty, war and the environment as moral issues.”

The things you write about in your editorial are all social issues.

Ask a liberal what moral values are, and they always say things like poverty, jobs, healthcare, environment, etc.

That's the reason they keep getting defeated and hopefully will keep being defeated.

Leslie H. Hight

Odessa

Weightier matters

Regarding the editorial on “moral values” (Nov. 8): It is profoundly true that morality is much more than sexuality. Our culture has forgotten that and seems to be “hung up” on sex.

Christian ethics cries out for attention to the weightier matters of morality.

James M. Dunn

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ridiculous ideas

Suggestions in recent letters that Jesus is a liberal and that our greed led to 9/11 and the war in Iraq are ridiculous.

Jesus is transcendent. Our political classifications cannot possibly characterize him.

However, for those who insist on doing so, let's recall that he opposes divorce, lust, lies, theft and blasphemies (Matthew 15:19-20). His word states that those who will not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10) and that the government is a “minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him who does evil” (Romans 13:3-8).

Jesus taught us to forgive and love our personal enemies, but he instituted governments to fight evil. Is this liberal?

The terrorists attacked us because they are evil, not because we are greedy, and our government's responses were necessary and consistent with Scripture.

Should we be more generous? Absolutely. Should we blame ourselves for terrorism and be paralyzed by moral confusion? The majority of Americans answered that question in the recent election.

Stephen B. Pruett

Bossier City, La.

Lying shame

I agree with the editorial regarding “moral values” nearly 100 percent.

I would have added at least one more moral problem–lying.

Henry Howard

Georgetown

Moral expression

The article “Personal morality beats social justice at the polls” (Nov. 8) shows 79 percent of those who voted based on moral values voted for Bush. What irony!

Bush ordered a premeditated, unprovoked war against the people of Iraq. That war has been roundly condemned worldwide as illegal and immoral. U.N. Secretary General Koffi Annan, Pope John Paul and Jimmy Carter have condemned it. Reports indicate it has killed 100,000 Iraqi civilians, most of them children.

The lies and excuses for that war have now been exposed and discredited. Iraq never threatened America, had no WMD, had no connection to Al Qaeda, and had no connection to 9/11.

Nevertheless, four out of five white evangelical Christians voted for Bush. And their purpose was to cast a moral vote. Without them, Kerry got over 60 percent of the vote.

How could evangelicals go so wrong? We've been misled by wolves in sheep's clothing.

Our biggest problem is not our morals–it's our facts. Three out of four Bush voters still believe WMD have been found, that Iraq was connected to Al Qaeda or that Iraq was connected to 9/11.

I don't believe Baptists knowingly condone war crimes. But we do have a moral problem. We are more concerned about the way people express love than the way people express hate.

The distinguishing characteristic of evangelical Christians is not our concern for moral values–it's our ignorance on public affairs. The people of Iraq are paying a dear price for that ignorance.

Charles Reed

Waco

Starting point

After making a sincere effort to remain at least tongue-in-cheek, the Standard's online survey soliciting Texas Baptist opinion on the proposal to start an undergraduate school at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has proven to be more than a poor sinner can handle.

In short, I think Southwestern should get back to basics and concentrate on providing a bona fide graduate school of theological education.

A good place to start might be a renewed concentration on the study and teaching of Christian ethics.

Scott Shaver

The Woodlands