Posted: 6/11/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 27

Life viewed through eyes of faith brings clarity

2 Kings 6:8-22

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

“God is at work in the world. God takes the initiative to involve me in his work. God must take the initiative to open my spiritual eyes, so I can see what he is doing. When I see the Father at work around me, that is my invitation to adjust my life to him and join him in that work. God's revelation is my invitation to join him” (Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King, “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,” p. 67).

These statements summarize the Christian's walk with God. They also summarize Elisha's viewing life with eyes of faith.

See God at work

Aram (Syria) and Israel waged war regularly during Elisha's prophetic ministry. The young maiden who told Naaman about the prophet that could cure him had been captured in one of these sporadic border raids (2 Kings 5).

2 Kings 6 begins with Syria's king planning with his staff officers to attack Israel. They plotted strategy and made plans to attack. God revealed these plans to “the man of God.” Elisha then revealed the plans to Israel's king. Elisha's advance notice allowed the king to avoid an ambush set by the Arameans on several occasions.

An old saying warns: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Ben-hadad, the Syrian king, could not believe Israel could have guessed correctly at his moves more than once or twice. He angrily confronted his staff, suspecting one of them was a traitor. He summoned his aides to interrogate them to discover who was feeding this intelligence to the Israelites.

The staff proclaimed their innocence. One of them informed the king the spy was not one of them. He identified Elisha, Israel's prophet, as the informant.

See God's presence

Ben-hadad responded quickly. He ordered his staff to locate Elisha's whereabouts. One lieutenant reported the prophet lived in Dothan. Dothan was located about 12 miles from Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom. The city's location in a valley made it highly vulnerable to attack.

The king launched a major assault against this one prophet. It was a case of overkill, unlike the response of the Texas Rangers, whose motto is “one riot, one ranger.” The king mobilized a great army of horses and chariots which surrounded Dothan during the night.

This excessive show of force greeted Elisha's servant early the next morning as he left the house. The attendant reported to Elisha what he had seen. Despair and hopelessness overwhelmed him. What chance did an unarmed prophet and his servant have before these soldiers? But God had forces only eyes of faith could see.

Elisha told the servant, “Don't be afraid.” God had already positioned forces to defend them. “Don't be afraid” is a standard response in the Old Testament to someone who is terrified. Specific words of assurance usually follow this command. God was ready to help his servants. The prophet informed the servant that God's forces and strength exceeded those of the Arameans. Although unseen, God's armies were real.

Elisha prayed for God to open the servant's eyes and reveal divine armies to him. Note the prophet did not pray for God to send deliverers. They were present. He prayed the servant would see God's protective legions. He asked God to give the servant eyes of faith.

God answered Elisha's prayer. The servant then saw God's horses and chariots of fire surrounded the enemy. At Elijah's earthly departure, Elisha encountered the “chariots and horsemen of Israel” when Elijah was taken (2 Kings 2:12). The words “all around Elisha” suggest the horses and chariots stood between him and his enemies, much as the pillar of cloud kept Pharaoh's armies from reaching the fleeing Hebrews at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19, 24). God's protective army had already taken its place. God's forces were poised to defend the prophet.

See God's mercy

The Syrian army approached Elisha to seize him. The prophet prayed, and God blinded the soldiers. Elisha then led them to Samaria. After arriving and in answer to another prayer of Elisha, God restored their sight.

Israel's king asked Elisha, whom he referred to as “my father,” if he should kill the enemy. “No,” said the prophet, “prepare a feast for them.” The king had not captured them. They were the prophet's captives. Elisha would determine their fate. The day would not be one of killing but one of celebration and feasting. The king obeyed and prepared a feast for his enemies.

Many people want to counter hostility with more hostility. Nations lift up weapons against other nations, and war persists. Hostilities escalate as violence begets more violence.

God's approach to hostility differs. God brought the armies of Israel and Aram to the table for food and conversation. And although the results were not permanent, the narrator reported “the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory.”

God works to accomplish the divine plan and to bring nations and peoples together. God's people need to look with eyes of faith at the resources available for their deliverance and reconciliation with others.

Questions for discussion

What hampers our ability to see through eyes of faith?

Is it easier to see God's working, his presence or his mercy?

Posted: 6/11/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for June 20

Building God's kingdom focus of church leaders

1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17-18;

Hebrews 13:7, 17-18

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

I must confess that this lesson has been harder for me to write than any other. On the sixth draft, I decided it might be time to call the Standard and pass the pen to the next writer.

This lesson is on church leadership. There was a time many years ago when the answers to leadership questions came easily to me. In those days, all answers came easily to me. My seminary professors are to be commended for giving me all the answers to the questions of ministry. If only they had given me the memory to keep up with them.

Leaders need good judgment. The problem is, as someone smarter than me has noted, “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” If that is true, I have had plenty of opportunity to gain experience.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the qualifications for church leadership in 1 Timothy 3. These verses frequently have been the source of controversy. Taken too literally, we will never have leaders. Who among us is “above reproach”? Taken too lightly, these verses allow anyone to serve in leadership.

I wish I knew where I put all those answers! Oh, well, let me tell you what Paul says about church leaders.

Leaders must have an unquestioned commitment to Christ. Many of the attributes ascribed to leaders in the Timothy text are restatements of the “fruits of the Spirit” as outlined in other parts of Scripture. Church leaders must be Christ followers. They should give evidence in their lives that they have been conformed to the image of Christ.

Leaders must have an unquestioned commitment to their family. They must be committed to their spouse and to their children. They must give loving, nurturing, caring leadership in the home.

I often am asked to explain the “husband of one wife” portion of the text. It is beyond the limits of this writing to jump in the middle of that one. Suffice it to say, after 30 years of marriage, I think I am beginning to understand a little of what that means.

Let me confess the part of the text that concerns me most. The King James Version said a church leader should be, “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection, with all gravity.”

You will need to ask me again in another 30 years. My children will need to be in their 50s before judgment can be fully rendered on that one.

Seriously, this is good news and bad news to parents. Keep being faithful. The book isn't closed on their raising. Don't despair. God is not through with them. Don't be proud. They can still stumble and fall. Keep praying. Keep raising.

Leaders must have an unquestioned commitment to the church. After 25 years of serving as a pastor, I have a more realistic view of the church. I know many of its shortcomings. I know where the skeletons are in the closet.

I also believe in it more than ever and am more committed to it. It is the bride of Christ. He loves his bride. Don't tell me you do not like my wife. If you do not love my family, you do not love me. I love the church of Jesus Christ, warts and all.

Leaders are examples. Hebrews 13:7 says: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Leaders must proclaim the truth faithfully. They also must be conformed to that truth personally. We remember the words of O.J. Simpson's attorney: “If you can't trust the messenger, you can't trust the message.” Leaders need to be trustworthy. They must have exemplary character.

Leaders should be followed if they are leading us to Jesus. We do not follow pastors and deacons because they are perfect. We follow them because they are following the One who is. It is a journey we take together. We all will need a little help along the way. He has given us leaders to serve all those who follow Christ. Thank God for them. Serve with them. Pray for them. Follow Jesus with them.

The church needs leadership. Church leaders should be like conductors of great orchestras. When they do their best work, the audience hardly knows they are there. Never self-serving, they are servants to the music, faithfully leading their performers to work together to recreate the music of the masters. When church leaders do their best work, we do not seek to build monuments to the leader. We seek to follow the Savior. We desire to build his kingdom.

Questions for discussion

How can the line be drawn between taking these verses too literally and taking them too lightly?

Is one of the qualifications for church leadership seemingly more important than others to you?

Posted: 6/11/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for June 27

God gave you to your church for a reason

1 Corinthians 12:4-15; 20, 27

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

God has given his church everything it needs to be effective in ministry and service. This gifting of the church for ministry also has been the occasion of misunderstanding and division.

Spiritual gifts. Two words. “Spiritual” suggests the source of these gifts. They come from God, given by his Holy Spirit to his church. The word “gifts” has as its root the word “grace.” Spiritual gifts are grace gifts from God that equip his people for effective ministry in his world.

The Corinthian church loved their giftedness. They especially loved the showy gifts. To be able to mesmerize a crowd with an unknown tongue or an eloquent prophecy was highly esteemed.

One can only begin to imagine the Corinthian cacophony as all wanted the speaker's box at the same time. All talking and no listening makes Jack a confused Christian. The lost world must have thought it especially strange.

You have a gift

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). You are included in that phrase “each one.” Our salvation is never to privilege alone. It also is a calling to responsibility within the kingdom of God.

God chose Abraham, and he promised to bless him. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2). That is privilege. He also promised to use him. “And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). That is responsibility. C.S. Lewis said that God chooses some for the sake of those he has not yet chosen.

By the same Holy Spirit that brought us to Christ and the privilege of salvation, we also have been gifted for service and responsibility. You have a service gift.

Your church has ministry needs

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Have you noticed that there are different lists of gifts in the Bible? Did Paul expect his readers to combine them into one exhaustive list that would contain all the possible spiritual gifts? Or did he offer them as suggestive lists within individual churches? The lists may have been different because the needs of the churches were different.

I have been to seminars and read books on spiritual gifts. They often seem to suggest that believers can discover their gifts in some sort of spiritual isolation booth. It seems to me that any attempt to discover spiritual giftedness apart from a prayerful look at the needs of the church always will result in selfish pride rather than selfless service.

Wasn't that the problem in Corinth in the first place? They were highly gifted. They also were terribly proud and selfish.

A discussion of spiritual gifts from the perspective of this text needs to be church-centered. If the Corinthians had focused their discussion of spiritual gifts on the needs of their church rather than on the desires of individual members, they would not have been so contentious about it.

The place to begin the discovery of your spiritual gift is with a realistic look at the needs of your church. If there is a need you can meet, you have found your gift. Paul says these gifts are “for the common good.” They certainly are not for the exaltation of one church member over another.

You are God's gift to your church

“And in the church God has appointed apostles … prophets … teachers … workers of miracles … those able to help others, those with gifts of administration and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28).

In this passage, Paul does not merely say the Corinthians have gifts of prophecy, teaching, helping or preaching. He says they are apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, helpers and administrators. This is crucial to understanding Paul's theology of spiritual gifts.

It is correct to say all believers have a spiritual gift. It is more correct to say all believers are a spiritual gift. You, as a spiritually gifted individual, are God's gift to your church. What kind of gift are you?

When you give a gift to someone, you want it to be an expression of your love for them and something that will be useful to them. Spiritual gifts fulfill these two gift prerequisites. Spiritually gifted individuals should be seen as an expression of God's love for the church. They also equip the church to fulfill our Lord's mission for his church.

Does your church view you as a gift from God? Are you helping your church achieve its mission? Do you work in concert with other gifted individuals “for the common good”? Somehow, I think the answers to these questions are more important than our usual debates over the issue of spiritual gifts.

Questions for discussion

Are you convinced that you are spiritually gifted?

How will it change your service if you begin to think of yourself as a spiritual gift to your church?

How is a church affected by lack of service by members?

Posted: 6/11/04

After 50 years, Gallup passes
his poll on to next generation

By G. Jeffrey Macdonald

Religion News Service

SOUTH HAMILTON, Mass. (RNS)–For the past half century, the Gallup Poll has been phoning strangers, asking personal questions and then telling the world what Americans believe on topics from prayer to haunted houses and the afterlife.

The Gallup Poll's fascination with religion and spirituality has had little to do with the usual rationale for polling–a client's need to accrue market research data. Instead, the polling giant has been probing the inner life of Americans for a far more personal reason–the boss wants to see souls saved.

“The most profound purpose of polls is to see how people are responding to God,” George Gallup Jr. said after giving the spring commencement speech at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. “When I ask a question on these subjects, what I'm always trying to find out is: 'Are we doing the will of God?'”

After 50 years in the family business, Gallup finally has traded his pollster's cap for quieter days in retirement. Although he plans to remain influential in the business and active in its outreach projects, he will no longer craft the questions or write the analyses that have earned him opportunities to give weekly public speeches and author 16 books.

Before stepping aside, however, Gallup seized the chance to share more than the latest survey data with a graduating class of soon-to-be evangelical pastors. After rattling off a few significant figures, he went where he never goes in his official analyses, adding a sermonic spin that tells where his heart has been all along.

“The world knows a lot about Jesus, but do they know him?” Gallup asked the commencement crowd. “It is for the churches to seize this moment, to take the vague spirituality of the day and turn it into a faith that is solid and transformative.”

Gallup, now 74, could have been a priest at age 24. He explored the calling then while volunteering at an Episcopal church in Galveston.

But he came to believe the enterprise founded by his father in 1935 “could be a ministry.” So upon graduation from Princeton University with a degree in religion, he went to work beside his dad as an assistant editor. Primary task–write good questions.

Over the decades, the polling enterprise transformed from a wonkish interest practiced by a smattering of eccentrics to a dominant force in American marketing and politics.

All the while, Gallup was writing questions that would take the nation's pulse on crucial issues–abortion, gun control, the Vietnam war. Through times of peace and tumult, however, he never lost interest in also “measuring” what he understands to be the work of the Holy Spirit.

For instance, at the start of this new millennium, Gallup has found that 50 percent of Protestants feel uncertain of their salvation. On one level, Gallup infers from this a generally anxious society, but on another level, he sees the effects of neglected teachings on the sufficiency of God's grace through Jesus Christ.

“Churches have neglected what they should be all about, and that's discipleship,” Gallup said in an interview. “Therefore, there is no transformation. People look at churches, and they don't see lives being changed. The core is getting mushy. … Anything that doesn't lead to Jesus should be cast off.”

Gallup's passion for his Savior and unrivaled access to the ordinary person's mind have carved for him a unique position among evangelicalism's celebrity personalities.

Just as the movement reveres Franklin Graham as evangelist, Charles Swindoll as preacher and Chuck Colson as top dog for prison ministries, so also does George Gallup Jr. enjoy a bit of royal status as evangelicalism's foremost statistician and researcher, the one who feeds front men precious facts they need to know about believers and potential converts alike.

“The more you know about your audience, the more effective you can be in communicating the gospel,” said Robert Coleman, professor of evangelism and discipleship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Gallup “always seems to be ahead of the curve, to know what's coming in the future. … It shows how God has gifted people in many different ways. His is a ministry as a gifted pollster.”

Where Gallup stands out further is in shaping a secular domain as well as a religious one. Unlike mainstream journalism and science, where researchers generally are expected to approach their subjects with disinterested objectivity, polling has evolved to presume the questioner has certain interests at stake.

Gallup, say his colleagues, has shown how methodology can be rigorously objective without disenfranchising the researcher of his or her deepest concerns.

“It's essential for there to be a human and interested component to survey development,” said Nancy Belden, president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

“When George Gallup Jr. brings an interest in religion and spiritual life to his research, he is going to ask questions that are enlightened by his own thinking. It should not be a source of bias but of improvement to the questions. He's shown how that can happen.”

In retirement, Gallup plans to engage the broader side of his interests, which include playing trumpet, tinkering with a 1923 Packard and traveling with his wife, Kingsley. Yet more time to spare also means more time for Christian service, as he plans to keep writing books and leading seminars on the vast potential for small-group ministries.

As for the Gallup Poll's future, questions on religion and spirituality are sure to continue, Gallup said, under leadership that shares a keen interest in the topic.

Frank Newport is editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll and vice president of the Gallup organization in Princeton, N.J. His father, John Newport, served more than 40 years as a philosophy of religion professor and administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

And because George Gallup Jr. still carries his pocket-sized notebook, for scribbling down survey questions that might come to him at any hour of day or night, his ideas might even find their way into a questionnaire now and then.

“The inner life is the new frontier of survey research in coming years,” Gallup said. “We know so little about mystical experiences, yet the religious dynamic is perhaps the most powerful of all in American culture. This is a way to unite our country on a deep level and produce a more peaceful world.”

Posted: 6/11/04

Gay marriage? North Texas
pastors say: 'Not on my watch'

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ARLINGTON–About 1,000 people called for a constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriages and civil unions during a recent rally promoted by a coalition of North Texas African-American Baptist churches.

Howard Caver, pastor of World Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, insisted a constitutional amendment is the only way to stop the United States from pursuing non-biblical decisions concerning homosexuality.

“The only thing we see that can stop the nation from going crazy on this is an amendment,” said Caver, one of the initiators of the Not on My Watch coalition that promoted the rally.

Christians must come together to voice their opinion to lawmakers about gay marriages, Caver continued.

Rally participants came from a variety of political ideologies, but they were united in their stance against homosexual unions, he said.

Caver drew a sharp distinction between pro-homosexual movements and civil rights efforts, saying gays are looking for “special” rights because of a chosen lifestyle. People choose whether to engage in homosexual behavior; they don't choose their race, he said.

The Bible clearly indicates homosexual behavior is a sin, Caver said. The nation would be flying in the face of biblical teaching if it allows gay marriages, and that could have several consequences.

Legalized homosexual unions could lead God to remove his protection over the United States, he added.

“God is the same God,” Caver said. “He hasn't changed his opinion. If we sanction this, we are bringing the wrath of God.”

The legalization of gay marriages also has detrimental effects on future generations who largely view homosexuality as acceptable, Caver said. Homosexuals “recruit” young people to experiment with gay lifestyles, he asserted.

Response from the first rally has led organizers to look to stage similar demonstrations in other cities. Caver said he hopes this is the beginning of a groundswell of support for the amendment.

“We sounded the alarm, and God has positioned people to say, 'Yes, that's right,'” Caver said.

Posted: 6/11/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Another name

Regarding the proposed name change for the Southern Baptist Convention: I spent nine years in northern Minnesota. I started a church, worked in two others and was intimately involved with the working of Northwoods Baptist Association (in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin), and for a few years was a member of the executive board of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention (which did indeed remove “Southern” from its name!).

I can assure that on the ground, the name “Southern” does great harm to our work.

I was asked why Warroad, Minn., needed a “Southern” Baptist church. The word “Southern” is definitely a negative in the eyes of Minnesotans.

I dare say that most (virtually all of those I knew, and there were many) of the home missionaries in Minnesota and Wisconsin would tell you that the letter writer who opposed the name change was simply mistaken.

There may be other reasons to resist removing “Southern” from our denomination's name, but “the word 'Southern' has not been detrimental to the cause of Christ through churches bearing the SBC name for over 150 years” is not one of them.

I miss my years spent in Minnesota, but I do not miss having to overcome the name “Southern” in order to start a church. We simply must be honest in our assessments of the situations before moving forward.

Unfortunately, honesty is in short supply in SBC life. For that, I am very sorry–and ashamed!

Chuck Pitts

Houston

Silly notion

The proposal to remove Southern Baptist children from public schools–I find myself siding with the liberals and moderates. I believe it is a silly notion for T.C. Pinckney to suggest, and I feel confident the resolution will get nowhere at the convention. I don't believe many Southern Baptists share his views, although I commend parents who chose to home school their children, for whatever reasons.

We have to ask ourselves, “Who has to take responsibility for the conditions of our schools today?” Christians have sat on their hands for years, idly sitting by while the nonbelievers and “humanists” have taken over our schools. Rather than duck our tails and run, we need to stay and fight.

We need to encourage Christians to run for local school boards and encourage our Christian youth to seek careers in education. We need to vote for Christians in our state legislature. We need to take our schools back, not give up and run.

I remember a time schools did not schedule activities that interfered with church. It needs to be that way again.

F.A. Taylor

Kempner

Exemplary volunteers

It really gladdens our hearts to see you featured volunteers Sam and Maria Rodriguez in your article on the Texas floods (May 31). No two volunteers could better show the work of the child care unit.

We met Sam and Maria at several volunteer meetings, even got to share meals with them. They have served in many areas of child care. They, like we, want to be involved in the little ones' welfare. No one better could have been spotlighted in your article to show what volunteers really do.

We are proud of that article because it shows no biased opinions, just the real work of the Baptist volunteers. You even used colored pictures!

Please give us more of this type of journalism, and remember that is what a state Baptist paper should be about.

Bill & Bettye Roberts

Whitewright

Baptist banter

After reading the latest issue of the Baptist Standard (May 31), I felt I should let everyone know about the recent meeting between Baptist General Convention of Texas officials and SBC officials. I can tell you about the meeting, but I can't reveal my sources.

In the opening session, two convention officials were overheard saying:

“No, I didn't!”

“Yes, you did!”

“No, I didn't!”

“Yes, you did!”

In another session, the parti-cipants attempted to unravel an especially knotty issue.

“Get off my side!”

“You're touching me!”

“That's my side!”

“Stop touching me!”

The meeting closed when one convention executive explained: “I'm rubber; you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”

Eddie Hilburn

Frankston

Bad read

The Baptist Standard is not very uplifting reading. It is faithful to print all the negative things they can find concerning the SBC, even attempting to discern motives and judge those motives in print.

I see the BGCT on a continual downward spiral. As they are going down, their finger is continually pointed at that awful SBC.

Maybe if they would focus on what God has called them to do and get busy about that, they could stop the bleeding. If not, the BGCT will soon be history.

It is a sad thing to see a convention focused on verbally attacking another convention instead of focusing on what they need to do to win people to Christ.

Jim Ballard

Edgewood

Free exercise

After reading the article about Phil Strickland's comments on the Ten Commandments rally, I assure you I do not want my church to have anything to do with the Christian Life Commission or anything Strickland directs.

He states, “I'm amazed that so-called conservative people want big government running their church.” This remark sounds derogatory and un-Christian, calling brothers and sisters “so-called.” With all due respect, we are not so-called. We are conservative people, and we do not want big or little government teaching us anything.

Yes, we know what the Bill of Rights says. The First Amendment assures our free exercise. The reason people have rallies and protest is because we do not have free exercise. The government has prohibited our exercise of religion.

If Strickland thinks he has free exercise of religion, try praying at a football game or in schools, or posting the Ten Commandments on schoolhouse walls, or passing out tracts on sidewalks in front of a schoolyard.

It has gotten so bad that one pastor is not allowed to pass out his business card in Wal-Mart.

The reason it has gotten so bad is because our leaders talk as Strickland does and do not stand for what the Bible says. They had rather stand up for the government. I'm very sorry for leaders that think this way.

I know the Ten Commandments, and, yes, they are posted in our church. Not only posted, they are taught!

John F. Eakin

Houston

True practices

I am writing in response to Frank Moore, whose letter (May 31) is to me an indication of much of what is wrong with the SBC today.

He judges the editor by saying, “… if you arrive in heaven.” It is time some folks realize that when we stand before the Lord someday, the first question asked us will not be why did we not sign the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.

And furthermore, the purpose of any newspaper is to present other opinions. The SBC would like to have only their positions put forth, but thank God for editors who are not afraid to publish others' opinions.

Unfortunately, many Southern Baptists no longer think for themselves, but like the letter writer, they allow a few to do their thinking.

I appreciate the Baptist Standard for its balance of reporting. And I appreciate the BGCT, which follows true Baptist practices.

Johnny Mansell

Ennis

Posted: 6/11/04

Mary Hill Davis Offering funds
cutting-edge missions, helps Texas Baptists meet needs

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

Since Baptists give regularly throughout the year to support the varied ministries of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, why is the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions needed?

“Over the years, it has allowed Texas Baptists to begin new mission ministries that could not have been funded by the BGCT Cooperative Program,” said Carolyn Porterfield, executive director of Texas Woman's Missionary Union. WMU's board of directors approves the offering budget allocations each year.

River Ministry is the best example of how the offering enables the start of new ministries, she said. The multi-faceted ministry along the Texas-Mexico border initially received all its funding through the Mary Hill Davis Offering and probably could not have grown over the years without continued financial support from the offering.

“What (the offering) has begun is just phenomenal,” Porterfield said.

The statewide goal for the 2004 Mary Hill Davis Offering is $5 million. All of the money received will support BGCT ministries. Churches send their offering to the BGCT for disbursement to the various ministries. The offering also provides the entire operating budget for Texas WMU–$983,000 in the 2004 offering budget.

But the offering is about more than raising money for missions, she said. “It became a way for people to have focus” on mission work in Texas through the education and prayer that accompany the offering. When Baptists are knowledgeable, then “praying, giving and going increase.”

“I'm not going to pray for people or needs I don't know about,” Porterfield said. “In Texas, we can put our hands and our dollars together since the Mary Hill Davis Offering supports ministries that are close to Texas Baptists.”

She connected it to Jesus' announcement that the spiritual fields are white and ready for the harvest. “Sometimes we like to pray with our eyes closed so we don't have to see the fields,” Porterfield said.

Jesus offered a different model. He “walked out among the people, and he challenged us to go out among the people,” she added.

“The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions allows Baptists a chance to go out among the people of the state through our prayers and our offerings and even personal involvement.”

Posted: 6/11/04

Missions legacy of
Mary Hill Davis continues

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

A teenage girl danced around the room, and Faydell Brenner asked her what she was doing. The girl said dancing made her feel good about herself. Brenner replied that doing something for Jesus was a better way to accomplish the same goal.

Brenner, 73, has been leading teenage girls in missions education and activities for almost 50 years through the Acteens program at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston. And her attitude about “doing something for Jesus” mirrors that of another missions-minded woman whose life ended about the time Brenner's was starting.

Mary Hill Davis died almost 70 years ago, but each year Texas Baptists remember her when they give to a special missions offering named in her honor. The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions is emphasized in churches each September, but many churches contribute to it year-round.

This summer, the Baptist Standard will highlight various missions causes supported through the offering, which has a statewide goal of $5 million. But beyond the specific missions needs, the name of Mary Hill Davis evokes a certain spirit.

Brenner finds it in many of the girls she leads at Tallowood Church. “I have great hope … because some of them are really committed already” to missions, she said. When a need is seen, the girls “rush to get involved and do the most they can.”

Mary Hill Davis rushed to get involved in missions during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Born in Greenville, Ga., she came to Texas as a child in 1870, according to a short biographical sketch written by Inez Boyle Hunt. Davis' parents joined First Baptist Church of Dallas, and later she did, as well.

After marrying physician F.S. Davis at age 20, Mrs. Davis began to make her mark in missions. Eventually, she was elected president of Baptist Women's Mission Workers, which later reverted to its original name, Woman's Missionary Union of Texas. Davis served in that role 26 years.

Mary Hill Davis

Davis “challenged Texas Baptists to put first things first, … to put God first and the things of his kingdom,” said Carolyn Porterfield, executive director of Texas WMU.

And because of that, Davis had an “ability to see beyond her own language and culture group,” Porterfield said. She had a “real heart for the Mexicans” who were coming to Texas.

Davis also helped many Texas women develop leadership skills. “She saw the potential of women,” Porterfield said. Davis realized that if every Baptist woman could get involved, they would make a huge difference in the state.

As a result, Davis led women to “do things they probably didn't think they could do,” including paying for construction of Memorial Dormitory for women at Baylor University in Waco, Porterfield said.

“WMU is still in the business of helping women develop as leaders,” said Joy Fenner, a member of Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in Dallas and former executive director of Texas WMU.

And that is not the only way modern Texas women have taken after Davis. “You still find women in our churches today who are very tenacious about missions,” Fenner said.

Davis was “well-educated, attractive and had the option to live a self-centered, protected life,” said Mary Lou Serratt, longtime Texas WMU leader from First Baptist Church in Amarillo. “Instead, she chose to expand her world and become a model of servant-leadership. She was enthusiastic in outlook, unselfish in reaching others and totally committed to making a difference in lives through sharing her love for Christ.

“Her fingerprints are on the beginning work among immigrants, students, the poor, the homeless, the unfulfilled,” Serratt said. “I believe she saw these involvements as opportunities, not inconveniences.”

Because of such personal qualities, the Texas missions offering bears Davis' name. It is a critical funding source to all that Texas Baptists seek to do in regard to missions.

But WMU leaders also see Davis' legacy in individual lives.

Brenner sees it in teenagers. She recalled how one girl suggested the Acteens at Tallowood Baptist make sleeping bags for homeless people. The girls gathered wool from old skirts, pants and jackets; but they “didn't have a driver's license for the sewing machine,” Brenner said, chuckling at the teens' inexperience at sewing.

Consequently, women in the church got involved. The sleeping bags ended up being sent to homeless people in Mongolia.

“When they have an idea and they're that gung ho, you'd better figure out a way to do it,” Brenner said.

Tallowood Acteens are involved in a variety of ministries around the city, she said. “Everywhere you turn, there are hundreds of things you can do in your own city and state.”

Davis' spirit does not just live in the teenagers; it's in women, as well, WMU leaders said.

“I believe there are women in Texas today who live by the same principles and share the passion of joyful service,” Serratt said. “Just look at our churches and communities”–Christian Women's Job Corps, English as a Second Language classes, after-school programs, backyard Bible clubs and others.

“I know women who find their joy in life through sharing Christ's love in these areas,” Serratt said. “Day by day and week by week, I see women who agree with the statement Mary Hill Davis once made, 'You cannot hope to touch your neighbor's heart with anything less than your own.'”

Davis' willingness to sacrifice is something that needs to be emulated more today, Porterfield said.

Davis' husband gave her an amethyst necklace for Christmas in 1933. With his consent, she returned it and gave the money to missions.

“Missions wasn't just a speech she gave; it was a lifestyle,” Porterfield said. Mary Hill Davis' “overriding desire was to see people come to know Christ.” As a result, “she had to give up some things.”

Davis' character that exhibited sacrifice, perseverance and hard work should “challenge us today,” Porterfield said. “And all of that flowed out of her love for Christ.”

Mary Hill Davis served 26 years as president of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas. The annual offering for Texas missions bears her name.

Posted: 6/11/04

Interfaith group urges U.S. to renew
efforts advancing peace process in Middle East

By Juliana Finucane

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–An interfaith delegation of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders has urged Secretary of State Colin Powell to make the Middle East peace process an immediate priority.

The 33 religious leaders, members of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East, said the United States needs to re-engage in the U.S.-backed “road map” to peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the region.

“Our hope is that they (the administration) will take the road map and bring it back up again,” said Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. “We believe the moment is now. We can't wait.”

The road map calls for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Both sides have formally accepted the proposal, but Israel has added 14 reservations.

The need for peace in the Middle East is urgent and cannot wait until after the November elections, the group said, citing violence that was responsible for the deaths of more than 20 Israelis and 90 Palestinians in May.

“The longer we wait, the more the peace will have to come on the backs of more Israelis and Palestinians,” said Rabbi Paul Menitoff, executive vice president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. “There is a moral demand for action now.”

The interfaith leaders said that while they differ on some points regarding the conflict, they agree the U.S. government should play a central role in the peace process.

The leaders reiterated their commitment to the 12 steps toward peace they outlined in December, and said the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority must act simultaneously if they want to achieve peace.

The groups should not wait for a cease-fire before taking the steps, they said.

The leaders also renewed their call for the United States to send a presidential envoy to the region but said they disagreed with Powell on the timing.

“We agreed fundamentally on the principle and the importance of an envoy,” said Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church. “The major difference is the question of when. He said the time may become ripe. We're saying the time is now.”

The United States must make up a timetable for the steps that Israel and the Palestinian Authority will take in implementing the road map, create a “highly visible” monitoring system to make sure both sides comply, and increase security services and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, they stressed.

The leaders are affiliated with 22 national religious organizations, thousands of churches, mosques and synagogues and millions of constituents.

A majority of their constituents support the two-state solution proposed in the road map, they said.

As representatives of religious groups both in the United States and in the Middle East, the leaders said they could offer “unprecedented” support for the peace process.

Posted: 6/11/04

Texans embrace missions partnerships

The increase in student missionaries mirrors an increase in the number of Texas Baptists taking mission trips through relationships facilitated by the Texas Partnerships Resource Center of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

More than 3,500 Texas Baptists participated in more than 300 mission trips in the past 12 months through Texas Partnerships. Destinations included Australia, Brazil, Southeast Asia and Europe as well as stateside sites such as Oklahoma and Vermont.

While many of the trips occurred through official partnerships between the BGCT and other conventions, the center's staff helped congregations serve wherever they felt called.

Christians take these trips because of the “challenge and adventure” of sharing their faith in an area “in dire need of hearing the good news,” said Don Sewell, director of the center.

Volunteers help ministries expand worldwide, Sewell said.

An extra hand, an encouraging word and a whispered prayer all are invaluable to missionaries working in areas where Baptists are growing in their presence, he added.

“One of the greatest values of Texas Baptist volunteers is simply to walk alongside our Baptist brothers and sisters, encouraging them in a give-and-take relationship where both parties learn and grow,” he said.

For more information about partnership opportunities, call the Texas Partnerships Resource Center at (214) 828-5181, or e-mail texas_partnerships@bgct.org

Posted: 6/11/04

Campaign teaches Christian teens
music piracy is just plain wrong

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)– A survey suggesting Christian teens have attitudes toward music piracy similar to those of non-Christian teens led the Gospel Music Association to launch a campaign with a simple message: “Millions of Wrongs Don't Make it Right.”

The message is directed at Christian teens who see nothing wrong with copying CDs or downloading copyrighted music through the Internet.

Contemporary Christian music artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Stacie Orrico and Shaun Groves have endorsed the campaign.

The anti-piracy campaign accompanies the release of a study by the Barna Group showing that only 8 percent of all teens and 10 percent of born-again teens say that music piracy is illegal.

The study found that 64 percent of born-again teens are “pragmatists”–that is, they either say that piracy is not a moral issue or they say that one form is acceptable while the other is wrong. In addition, 77 percent of born-again teens say they engage in music piracy. By contrast, 66 percent of non-Christians are categorized as “pragmatists,” while 81 percent engage in piracy.

Only 10 percent of born-again teens say that both copying CDs and downloading music is wrong.

Music piracy has been around for decades with the copying of tapes and CDs. However, with the development of the Internet and “file-sharing” software, it has become much more common. With the new software–also known as “peer-to-peer” software–music can be shared over the Internet and burned to a CD.

Although common, music piracy is illegal and punishable by as much as five years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines, according to the GMA brochure. If a juvenile is involved, the parents can be sued.

Posted: 6/11/04

National Digest

Coalition issues blueprint for ending hunger. National Anti-Hunger Organizations, a coalition of 13 faith-based and other hunger activist groups, has proposed a “Blueprint to End Hunger in America.” The group called on the federal government to cut hunger in half by 2010 and eliminate it by 2015, the goals the United States set for itself at the World Food Summit in 1996. It also said the Senate must pass the Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation, which would continue funding existing programs and also expand summer food programs and fresh fruit and vegetable pilot programs for low-income children. The blueprint calls on state and local governments to expand nutrition programs and make applying for food stamps easier. It says schools and community organizations should help increase awareness of programs that already exist for easing hunger.

Graham released from hospital. Evangelist Billy Graham was released from an Asheville, N.C., hospital June 7 after undergoing a procedure to stabilize a pelvic fracture. He sustained the fracture when he fell at home, where he was recovering from a partial hip replacement. Graham's physicians said they were greatly encouraged by his progress. He will continue intensive therapy at home for at least three months.

Senators urge reversal on stem cell research. Fifteen Republican Senators–including Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas–have joined 42 Democrats and one independent in the Senate in urging President George W. Bush to revise his order prohibiting federal funds for stem cell research involving human embryos. The leaders of the effort pointed to former President Ronald Reagan's death after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease in appealing for the policy change. Many researchers contend embryonic stem cells offer the greatest potential for treating or curing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and other diseases, but pro-life groups oppose using human embryos.

Magazine lists best Christian workplaces. Dallas Theological Seminary and the Gospel Music Association in Nashville, Tenn., were among the organizations named "Best Christian Places to Work" in a nationwide survey released by Christianity Today magazine. The Best Christian Workplace Institute commissioned the second annual survey, in which more than 10,000 employees from 107 Christian organizations were polled on their companies' employee practices.

Winners included:

Large university, college or seminary:
Whitworth College, Spokane, Wash.

Medium university, college or seminary:
Dallas Theological Seminary.

Small university, college or seminary:
Phoenix Seminary, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Media organization:
Howard Publishing, West Monroe, La.

Large service and product organization:
>Cogun, North Lima, Ohio.

Small service and product organization:
Gospel Music Association, Nashville.

Church-related organization:
Fellowship Church, Grapevine.

Large mission and parachurch:
Coalition for Christian Outreach, Pittsburgh.

Medium mission and parachurch:
Medical Ambassadors International, Modesto, Calif.

Small mission and parachurch:
Apartment Life, Euless.

Survey says spirituality sells. A survey by the trade magazine Publishers Weekly shows 18 percent of consumers bought books dealing with religion or spirituality in the past year. Using the Internet, the magazine surveyed 10,000 representative consumers. Most religion/spirituality book buyers–59 percent–are female, with an average age of 38. Forty percent identified themselves as evangelical Christians, while 10 percent identified themselves as spiritual but not religious. More than one-quarter of religion book buyers were between the ages of 25 and 34, and another quarter were in the next age tier of 35 to 44.

Only 11 percent of spirituality book-buyers were older than 55. The survey also measured what kinds of books respondents had purchased. More than two-thirds–68 percent–said they had purchased fiction. Of types of nonfiction, the largest category–practical life–was purchased by 35 percent. The next largest, purchased by 28 percent, was Bibles.