Posted: 5/14/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for May 30

Good citizenship should be a mark Christians

Titus 3:1-15

By David Morgan

Trinity Baptist Church, Harker Heights

The Oklahoma license plate read N8V TXN (Native Texan). The owner may have been living in Oklahoma, but I suspect he considered himself a Texan. Christians may live in this world, but their true citizenship is in heaven. Even though this world is not home for Christians, they should be ideal citizens because they are believers.

Doing good to all people (vv. 1-7)

Early Christians affirmed Jesus was Lord. They seem to have wondered how this confession affected their relationship to earthly rulers. Titus needed to remind the Cretans that they remained accountable to earthly kingdoms. While they could not pledge ultimate allegiance to human authorities, Paul taught they should submit to their temporal rulers.

Persecution of Christians was not widespread when Paul wrote, but a generic hostility toward the church was common. Instead of being contentious and uncooperative, Christians should act courteously toward all people. Only when the laws of human governments conflict with God's will should believers resist them. Dissent and protest may be appropriate actions for believers but should be prompted by specific circumstances. "Every good deed" can refer to either Christian acts of kindness or basic conduct that goes with good citizenship. One reason Paul told Christians to submit to the government was they had once belonged to that world.

Paul included himself with the Cretans when he characterized their pre-Christian lives as ungodly. Those without Christ are without spiritual understanding, disobedient to God's will, astray from God's plan and enslaved by all sorts of sinful lusts. Other traits from which God had delivered them include wickedness, envy and hatefulness. Alone they could not overcome sin's controlling power.

Verses 4-7, one sentence in the Greek language, declare God saved them despite their wickedness. What they could not do for themselves, God did. These verses, likely a hymn or a liturgy for worship, summarize the gospel: God saved sinners, filled them with his spirit and gave them a future hope.

Christ's coming, described as God's kindness and love, made salvation possible. “Kindness” includes God's generosity and goodness. The word “love” emphasizes God's affection. The word was used at times when slaves were ransomed. Paul may have been thinking of this when he wrote.

No human effort, no matter how inspired, could gain salvation for the Cretans. Salvation cannot be earned by keeping any moral law or following any certain religious ritual. Salvation originates only with God's mercy.

Paul accented the contrast between human effort and divine action by applying three images to salvation. “Washing” alludes to baptism, which symbolizes the internal cleansing from sin at conversion. This is the only instance in Paul's writings where he used the concept of “rebirth” (“regeneration”). Only Paul emphasizes the idea of salvation as “renewal” (Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:10). “Renewal” suggests an inner transformation, which begins at conversion and continues thereafter. The new Christian is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God pours out his Holy Spirit on believers at conversion. The Spirit becomes the operative and sufficient power for Christians to live godly lives.

God saved and poured out his Spirit on believers so they might become heirs. Both “heirs” and “hope” indicate Christians do not yet fully realize all salvation offers them. They anticipate receiving their full inheritance at some future time.

Salvation means God has justified Christians. He has acquitted them though they are guilty. He has declared them righteous and made them righteous. Believers spend the remainder of their lives becoming what they were made to be at conversion. The word “his” is a much stronger term than normally used. It means “of that one” and accents Jesus as Savior (v. 6).

Doing good as Christians (vv. 8-15)

Changed people will lead changed lives. The “trustworthy saying” refers to Paul's statements concerning the Christian's redemption. Paul next instructed Titus to teach that God expects Christians to perform good deeds. These may allude to Paul's initial call for Christians to be good citizens (vv. 1-2) or simply do kind acts. Good deeds will benefit many.

Paul asserted, as elsewhere in the pastorals (1 Timothy 1:4; 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:23), that believers should “avoid foolish controversies.” “Foolish” highlights the stupidity of the factious teachers. The mention of “law” suggests the controversies concerned both keeping the Mosaic law and emphasizing genealogies. Paul has been highlighting the power of God's grace. He obviously would reject the legalism of those who called for radical obedience to the Old Testament law.

False teachers were to receive two reprimands. Paul most likely envisioned the warning being private and not public. The action of these teachers reflected the total perversion of their lives. They continue in sin. Their failure to respond to the warning brings condemnation on them. Believers should shun them.

Paul concluded this note to Titus by encouraging Christians in the church to provide for the needs of others in the congregation.

Question for discussion

What actions can Christians take to be good citizens?

Posted: 5/14/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for May 23

A touch from God can heal broken relationships

Genesis 27:41; 32:3-5, 9-11; 33:1-5, 10-11

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

I spent several of my growing-up years fighting in the back seat of a '57 Chevy with another Baptist pastor … my brother! We were not preachers then. We had years to go before content would matter in our preaching. At the time, we just worked on the volume.

I am sure our parents never dreamed we would even grow up to be friends, let alone preacher friends. We did not always get along in those days. Now, I cannot imagine my life without him. I preached at his church on his 10th anniversary. I was introduced by a deacon as “that ratty little brother we have all heard so much about!” I have told a few brother stories of my own over the years. I cherish and embellish them all.

The texts for this week cover too much to dissect in a column of this nature. Let me simply tell the story of two brothers. I offer it as one myself.

Jacob was not his father's favorite, and it bothered him. Esau was. Esau was a man's man. He was a lot like his uncle, Ishmael. Isaac saw his half-brother leave home due to family conflict. He must have looked up to his older brother the way younger brothers have from the dawn of time. Maybe when Esau was born, he reminded father Isaac of his lost older brother.

Jacob became the object of Rebecca's attentions. He stayed near the tents while Esau went hunting. Esau read Field and Stream while Jacob devoured The Ladies Home Journal. He wanted his father's attention and, with the help of his doting mother, came up with a plan or a trick to get it.

While Esau was away on a hunting trip, Jacob fixed some stew and went to see his blind father. He put animal skins on his arms to hide his softer features. Isaac knew it was the voice of Jacob, but it was the arms of Esau. He blessed the wrong son. That is how Jacob stole his older brother's birthright.

When Esau came home, he hated his brother. He said when their daddy died, he would kill his little brother. Jacob took Isaac's blessing and ran off. He found a wife in another land. She was the younger and the prettier of two sisters. The older girl should have married first.

And she did. When Jacob woke up after his honeymoon, he found himself married to the wrong sister. His father-in-law said something like this: “Boy, I don't know where you come from, but around here we respect the birthrights of the older siblings.”

The trickster got tricked. He worked another seven years for the right wife. He did not get two for the price of one. Trust me on this. He paid double for his trouble.

Jacob headed for home, at least 14 years after his theft from Esau. All the way home, he wondered what Esau would do. Would he kill him?

The night before the brothers met, a man came and wrestled with Jacob. The man was later described as an angel, and he touched Jacob a good one right in the hip. He limped until the day he died. In spite of the pain, Jacob wouldn't say “uncle” or “calf rope.” He hung on and said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he did! He blessed him by changing him.

He told him he would no longer be Jacob, which means “the trickster.” He changed his name to Israel, which means, “God rules.” Then Jacob figured out he had been wrestling with God all along.

The next day, the two brothers met. They did not fight. No killing took place. They embraced. Everything that ever happened in the back seat of their father's '57 Chevy was forgiven. It seems Esau had done some changing of his own. God is in the changing business.

That is the Reader's Digest version of seven chapters in Genesis. What does it mean for brothers today?

Brothers in Christ are brothers for eternity. Grace has a way of changing the past, whatever it may have held. Jacob and Esau got over their past because they both experienced God in their present.

Do you want to get closer to your brother or sister? Get closer to your Savior. Let him change you first. Nothing will enhance your relationship with others like a growing, life-changing relationship with your Lord. He has not given up on you. He also is at work in your sibling. He is a God who changes everything. And everyone. If your sibling does not know the Lord, share your Savior with them. You will find a new life of love together.

Take it from me–nothing is better than a brother (or sister) who loves you. Except a Savior who loves you both.

Questions for discussion

Do you recall family conflict in your life that you thought could not be overcome but have now seen that relationship healed?

The life of Jacob was changed, and his relationships as a part of that, when he received a special touch. Can you recall a similar circumstance?

Posted: 5/14/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for May 30

Contentious spirits can hurt the cause of Christ

Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:5-6, 9-10, 17; Philippians 4:1-3, 10, 14-16

By Rodney McGlothlin

First Baptist Church, College Station

Someone has remarked that where two Baptists are gathered at least three opinions will be shared. We have been, and we remain, a contentious people. It may be our heritage, but it is not a birthmark of which we should be proud.

Euodia and Syntyche were not Baptists by name, but they met the prerequisites. They got their names recorded in the Bible because of a disagreement.

These two women were prominent laborers with Paul at one point. Somehow, they got out of sorts with one another. We do not know why. Does it really matter? Paul saw no reason to belabor the causes of their little tiff. He seems to be more concerned about the effects of their dispute and the damage it eventually would bring to the cause of Christ if not corrected.

“I plead with Euodia, and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:2-3).

This is the closest thing in the Philippian letter to a rebuke. Of all the churches where Paul labored, this congregation seems to be the least impacted with moral, doctrinal or racial controversy. It was important to Paul to resolve the issue because the growth of the church and its continual involvement in the mission of the church were at stake.

How do we improve relationships between church members?

The place to begin is to celebrate our common experience of grace. Paul referred to numerous people in this text as those “whose names are in the book of life.” How did they get there? It was only God's grace. Neither Euodia nor Syntyche had reason for personal pride or spiritual arrogance. They each were saved in the same way.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are all faulty folks. Faulty people who have experienced God's forgiving grace should be able to exhibit the same grace to one another.

Relationships also may be improved by shared involvement in the mission of the church. Paul said these two women had “contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.” There was a time when they worked together in harmony with Paul. In the context of the Philippian letter, our assumption would be that they did this from the beginning of their journey of faith.

Paul commends the Philippians for their participation in the gospel “from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:5). There was a time when personal differences did not take precedence over the work of the gospel. Oh that modern Baptists would put aside personal differences for the sake of a unified witness to the gospel.

The words “agree with” are the same words Paul used in Philippians 2:2 when he said, “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” His illustration of this single-mindedness is our Lord Jesus himself. Read Philippians 2:1-11, and you will see Paul's solution to improved relationships in the church. It is to be more Christ-like and less selfish.

Finally, we may need some help from others to improve our personal relationships. We need some accountability. Paul called upon a particular “loyal yokefellow” to intercede in the situation between Euodia and Syntyche.

We do not know for certain the name of this person. What do we know about him or her? We know Paul called them a “yokefellow.” He uses this word to describe his relationship with others in gospel witness in Romans 16:3, 9, 21; Philippians 2:25; and in Philemon 1 and 24. The interesting thing is that this individual seems to be what the feuding females once were; faithful co-laborers with Paul in the work of the gospel.

How will we communicate to the world the love of Jesus Christ? It will not be by the logical purity of our doctrines or the showiness of our worship services. Paul said: “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

It will be by something Euodia and Syntyche forgot. It will be by our love for one another. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Improve your relationships with one another. Our witness is at stake.

Questions for discussion

Why was a disagreement between two women worth Paul addressing?

What attributes do you think the “yokefellow” possessed that made Paul think of him to help make peace between the women?

Posted: 5/14/04

Texas economy the big loser if slots OKed, professor says

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

AUSTIN–Texas could lose more than $520 million from its economy each year if the state's lawmakers approve 40,000 video slot machines, a Las Vegas professor has estimated.

And that doesn't even count the $1.8 billion a year in bad debts, thefts and lost productivity that could be caused by the inevitable increase in compulsive and problem gamblers, said William Thompson, public administration professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Thompson presented his findings to state officials in Austin at the invitation of Texans Against Gambling, a statewide anti-gambling coalition.

Introducing video slot machines into Texas will “hurt Texas pocketbooks,” Thompson said.

“Each machine will likely take $65,000 a year from players. The trouble is the players are Texans. The money lost to machines is already in Texas. The money will come out of Texas pocketbooks,” he said.

Based on the state's own revenue projections, 40,000 slot machines could result in $2.6 billion in revenue.

But at most, Thompson estimates no more than 10 percent–$260 million–would be lost either by non-Texans or by Texans who would otherwise gamble and lose the money outside the state.

“Assuming that $260 million comes to the state, we can ask how much of the $2.6 billion won by the machines is retained in the Texas economy. Not enough,” he stressed.

Much of the profit will go to out-of-state investors, he said, noting 40 percent of the racetrack owners live outside of Texas.

Machines would have to be purchased out of state, from manufacturers in Nevada for about $480 million, he estimates. And they will have to be replaced periodically.

“A slot machine costs $12,000. A machine will have a shelf life of three years. The 40,000 machines will therefore cost $160 million a year,” he said, adding that other supplies will cost $100 million.

Furthermore, he estimates $104 million lost to the Texas economy through regulation, infrastructure and services not otherwise required.

In all, Thompson estimates a $261.9 million direct loss to the Texas economy.

Basing the total impact on a conservative multiplier of two, the net loss likely would be at least $523.8 million annually, he said.

“But the losses don't stop there. The machines will double the number of compulsive and problem gamblers in the state,” he predicted.

Thompson pointed to findings by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that the number of compulsive and problem gamblers doubles when casino gambling is introduced within 50 miles of a person's home.

Statistically, introducing 40,000 video slot machines into Texas would likely produce 90,000 new compulsive gamblers and 160,000 problem gamblers, he said.

“Tragically, among the 90,000 new compulsive gamblers, there will be 23,000 suicide attempts, resulting in over 1,000 suicides that would not occur without the gambling opportunities presented by the machines,” Thompson concluded.

Weston Ware, legislative director for Texans Against Gambling, urged concerned Texas Baptists to contact Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dew-hurst to express opposition to legalized video slot machines in the state.

Call Perry toll-free at (800) 252-9600 and Dewhurst at (800) 441-0373.

Posted: 5/14/04

Half of Americans believe giving time
more important than donating money

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Half of the people in the United States believe giving one's time to charity is more important than giving money, a poll by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has indicated.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed said money is the more important gift to charitable causes, and 23 percent said time and money had equal importance.

“This research suggests that there's an emotional, visceral connection to volunteering that just cannot be duplicated by writing a check,” said Brad Hewitt, Thrivent Financial's senior vice president of charitable programs and volunteering, in a statement.

The survey also indicated that people who are committed to prayer and regular worship attendance are most likely to say they have volunteered with a church, school or nonprofit organization in the past 12 months.

Sixty-six percent of those who attend religious services weekly and 58 percent of those who pray daily said they had volunteered in the past year.

In comparison, 28 percent of those who rarely or never prayed and 25 percent of those who never attend religious services said they had volunteered in that time frame.

Churches and synagogues are most likely to receive financial support from Americans than other charities, the survey found. Fifty-seven percent of Americans said they financially support faith groups, compared to 33 percent who support educational institutions, 30 percent who give to medical research and 27 percent who aid social service organizations.

The survey's results are based on telephone interviews with a nationwide sample of 1,000 adults by Harris Interactive. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Thrivent Financial is a not-for-profit financial service organization with almost 3 million members. It formed from a merger of two Lutheran fraternal benefit societies, Aid Association for Lutherans and Lutheran Brotherhood, in 2002.

Posted: 5/14/04

Calling to missions came as a whisper: 'India'

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO–When Heather Herschap became convinced last year her prayer life was too focused on her own needs, she asked God for direction.

“God whispered into my ear: 'India.'” she said. “I wasn't sure what to do with that.”

Understandably, since she's not a typical missionary candidate. Herschap, a student at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, has cerebral palsy that confines her to a wheelchair and allows her only the partial use of one arm.

“I immediately started praying for the people there” in India, she said.

As she prayed, she recalled a dream from more than a year earlier. The dream had inspired her to write a poem, and she re-read its description of a dark dungeon filled with physically disabled people lying helplessly on the floor. In her dream, she stood and walked over to a window, opening it to let in the sunlight and fresh air.

“That's when I sensed I need to be in India,” she said, adding she was convinced God was calling her to bring the light of his love to helpless people living in darkness. “But I didn't know who to contact.”

Herschap discussed the matter with her roommate, a missions student at Truett Seminary, who advised her to contact the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“The people at the BGCT put me in touch with WorldconneX, and from then on, it all came together,” she said.

Herschap's call became the first test of the fledgling mission network's ability to fulfill its promise of “connecting God's people for God's vision,” said WorldconneX leader Bill Tinsley.

About that same time, Tinsley's associate Carol Childress met Chip Kingery, founding director of proVision Asia, a nongovernmental organization based in Bangalore, India.

One key component of Kingery's organization is helping physically challenged people in India secure medical help and gain the skills they need to become self-supporting.

“Carol asked if we would be able to use anyone like Heather. And I told her if anybody will do it, we will,” said Kingery, who launched the humanitarian ministry more than 15 years ago as a Texas Baptist Mission Service Corps volunteer.

Tinsley and Kingery each met Herschap, who confirmed for them she had a clear sense of calling into short-term missions in India.

Kingery particularly was pleased to discover she had an undergraduate degree in psychology from Baylor and a desire to become a Christian counselor.

"I knew we definitely would use Heather and let her utilize her skills in counseling," he said. "We have 40 Indians who work with us, and half of our staff are physically challenged.

“She should be able to counsel them, sharing the testimony of her life and offering the encouragement of just being there.”

Herschap will serve one month this summer as a volunteer with proVision Asia.

In addition to bringing Herschap and Kingery together, WorldconneX also contacted Greater Good Global Support Systems, to help secure logistical and technical support for her.

“It's a real team effort. That's the beauty of WorldconneX,” Kingery said.

“They have resources we don't and vice versa. Their approach opens the door for people, offering them ministry opportunities and connecting them so they can serve where they are called–including people who otherwise might not be able to serve.”

Admittedly, Herschap “never in a million years” thought she would be able to serve as a missions volunteer with a ministry to disabled people in India.

“Five or six years ago, if you had told me I'd be in seminary, much less going to India, I'd have laughed in your face,” she said.

“That wasn't in my plans. But God had a much better plan than anything I could ever come up with.”

Although she attended several different churches growing up in Laredo, Herschap did not make a personal faith commitment to Christ until she came to Baylor.

She was baptized at Seventh and James Baptist Church during the spring semester of her freshman year.

A few months before she graduated, she came to the conclusion that instead of pursuing graduate studies in psychology and counseling, she needed a seminary education.

“Truett was the first and only seminary I applied to. I was pretty sure this was where God was leading me, so I didn't have a back-up plan,” she said.

Even though she admits to being “slightly worried” and fearful about aspects of her upcoming summer missions experience in India–“like how to get from point A to point B”–Herschap said she has been encouraged by her fellow students at Truett and by members of Seventh and James Church.

Her parents initially opposed the idea of her trip to India, but they eventually offered their blessings and their financial support for the venture.

“They're still cautious, but they are open, and they know that it is what God has called me to do, at least for now. They know it will be a good experience and I'll learn a lot from it,” she said.

After she completes her seminary degree, Herschap hopes to become a biblically based counselor, working both with physically disabled and nondisabled people.

And while she hasn't “heard the call” to long-term international missions, she said it would be “exciting and fun, and I'm definitely open to it.”

For now, she's focusing on the upcoming trip to India. Herschap has no desire to “shove Christianity in anybody's face,” but she hopes her time in Bangalore will offer opportunities for her to share her faith both in word and deed.

And she hopes her presence will be an inspiration to the disabled people with whom she will work.

“I want to use what God has shown me to help them see anything is possible with God–including going to India,” she said.

Posted: 5/14/04

IMB to send out 200 more workers this year

By Mark Kelly

International Mission Board

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–A promising outlook for the 2003 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering convinced Southern Baptist International Mission Board trustees to send an additional 200 workers overseas this year.

David Steverson, vice president for finance, told the board early indicators for the 2003 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions look “extremely promising.”

With still more than a month to go before the books close, the offering stands at almost $127 million–about $19 million ahead of the previous year's pace.

Receipts for the offering appear to be running more than 18 percent ahead of the same period last year.

At that rate, the final total May 31 would exceed the base goal of $133 million, Steverson said.

As a result, the trustees adopted a finance committee recommendation to add $13 million to the 2004 budget, including an additional $5 million to send 200 long- and short-term missionaries who would not otherwise have been sent because of appointment restrictions imposed in 2003.

The mission board was forced to limit appointments and cut stateside staff in June 2003 because income from churches was not keeping pace with growth in the number of new missionaries coming forward for overseas service.

President Jerry Rankin had promised to loosen restrictions on appointments if Southern Baptists rose to the funding challenge.

During their recent meeting in Nashville, Tenn., board members also elected Gordon Fort–regional leader for mission work in southern Africa–as vice president for overseas operations, voted to consolidate eight of the board's regions of work into four and appointed 76 new long-term missionaries for overseas service.

Fort's name was brought to the full board as the unanimous recommendation of an eight-member search committee that worked six months to select a candidate.

, said Jay Owens of Roanoke, Va., chairman of the board's overseas committee. After two interviews with Fort, the committee was “thoroughly and completely satisfied” and agreed with President Rankin in nominating Fort for the position.

“God brings certain gifts into these positions for certain times,” Rankin said. “The task of selecting someone for this position really challenged us. Where do we go in the future? What is the need?

“We needed someone who would keep us focused and keep us on pace, someone who clearly reflected a heart for lostness, for completing our task of reaching all peoples,” Rankin said. “If we are going to continue to be used of God in moving forward, we needed someone who could nurture our missionaries, who has reflected a pattern of mentoring, of training our leadership spiritually, and of nurturing our families.

Posted: 5/14/04

Church electioneering could cost tax exemption

By Kevin Eckstrom

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–The Internal Revenue Service has warned churches and other houses of worship they risk losing their tax-exempt status if they engage in partisan election-year politics.

The IRS, in a routine advisory issued every four years since 1992, said religious groups are “prohibited from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.”

Churches, charities and schools–known as 501(c)3 groups for their section of the tax code–may hold nonpartisan voter-education forums or voter-registration drives, but may not endorse any candidate.

Nonprofit groups may not make donations to campaigns, raise funds for candidates, distribute campaign literature or “become involved in any other activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate,” the IRS said in a recent notice.

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., however, said clergy should be able to endorse candidates from their pulpits as a matter of free speech. Jones is the lead sponsor of a bill, the Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act, that would allow clergy endorsements without the threat of losing tax-exempt status. In 2002, the House defeated the bill 239-178; Jones has since reintroduced it.

“It's time to return the freedom of speech to the churches and synagogues in our country,” Jones said at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. “God has been the quarterback on this and has led this effort to the 10-yard line.”

But the Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act faces stiff opposition from some in the faith community who say the measure would divide congregations along political lines and violate their autonomy.

“The legislation proposed by Rep. Jones is one of the worst bills pending in Congress. It would pervert, not protect, houses of worship,” said Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

Churches risk their tax-exempt status only when they engage in electioneering, he said.

Current law allows ministers to preach on moral and ethical issues and protects the rights of clergy to participate in the electoral process as individual citizens, as well as permitting churches to promote good citizenship through voter registration drives and educational projects, Walker said.

Existing law simply keeps groups from functioning both as tax-exempt ministries and partisan political action committees, he noted.

“The Jones bill would do America's houses of worship no favor. It would compromise their autonomy, turn pulpit prophets into political puppets, and politicize and divide our houses of worship,” Walker said, pointing out polls indicate overwhelming opposition to the measure.

The Federal Election Commission, concerned that some political committees are skirting campaign finance laws, is currently weighing proposed rules that also could require some nonprofits–including churches–to register as political committees subject to stricter registration and disclosure rules.

The IRS said it would examine violations on a case-by-case basis but warned it has the power to assess fines and prohibit additional political expenditures in cases of “flagrant” violations.

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp.

Posted: 5/14/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM
Seminary colleges

I don't understand the latest trend of our Southern Baptist seminaries–establishing an undergraduate college on their campuses. It sounds like a good idea, but it will prove to be a failure in the long run.

Yes, the young man or woman who enters a seminary undergraduate college will be theologically correct at an affordable price. However, the young man or woman will miss the benefits of receiving an education at a liberal arts college or even a tech school.

By going to these schools first, the young man or woman will be exposed to other people and ideas that will give them an idea of the world as well as educating them in other things useful for ministry that are not taught in seminary.

I wish Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary would reconsider establishing an undergraduate college. Doing so runs the risk of training a generation of ministers who will be naîve and uninformed about the world they are trying to minister to.

Jeff Stehle

Brenham

Absurd resolution

I have just read the text of the Christian education resolution proposed by T.C. Pinckney and Bruce N. Shortt for consideration by the Southern Baptist Convention in June. The resolution “encourages all officers and members of the Southern Baptist Convention and the churches associated with it to remove their children from the government schools and see to it that they receive a thoroughly Christian education.”

This resolution is shockingly absurd.

It throws into the garbage pit the historic Baptist emphasis on separation of church and state. It provides further evidence of the separationist tendencies of right-wing Southern Baptist fundamentalism, namely, the desire to separate from the Baptist World Alliance, from women in ministry, from academic freedom, from voluntary confessionalism, ad infinitum.

The resolution fails on multiple points.

It fails to recognize that a public school is not and should not be a church. It fails to acknowledge that public schools nationwide build character for millions of children and youth on a daily basis. It fails to affirm that tens of thousands of teachers in public schools are Baptist men and women who genuinely care about students. It just simply fails!

Should this resolution reach the floor of the SBC, I urge Southern Baptist messengers to vote it down. The self-purification process promoted by some SBC leaders counters the claim of Christ for Southern Baptists to be salt and light in the world–and that includes public schools.

Charles Deweese

Brentwood, Tenn.

Spiritual desertion

The resolution T.C. Pinckney plans to introduce at the SBC in June urging that all Southern Baptists withdraw their children from public schools reveals a shriveled-up sense of missions and a spiritual desertion of one of the main arenas of Christian witness.

In the states where Southern Baptists are in the majority, two out of every three teachers in public schools are members of Baptist or other evangelical churches. Such a resolution would be a slap in the face to these hard-working and influential Christians.

When Pinckney insists that all Southern Baptists home school their children, he wants the convention to desert Baptist homes where both parents work to keep their heads above the financial floods. Such a resolution would make Baptist parents who choose to keep their children in public schools for whatever reason second-class Christians and church members.

And that brings us to Christians who strive to make their homes Christian as a single parent with school-age children. Ninety percent cannot home school or afford private school. They must depend on the public schools to educate their children.

Pinckney fails to admit that his type of opposition and fight against adequately funding public education has had a far greater influence on the slippage of our schools in world rankings than has any atheist anti-Christian conspiracy. The words “doofus thinking” come to mind.

Cyrus B. Fletcher

Baytown

Parallel abuse

The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers bears a striking parallel with our abuse of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. In fact, the Washington Post notes that some of the photos showed a cow being skinned and gutted and soldiers posing with its severed head.

The abuse of Iraqi prisoners is merely a manifestation of our culture of violence and insensitivity to the suffering of those we view as “the others.”

It matters not whether these are Iraqi prisoners, Vietnamese villagers or animals raised for food. It's a culture that gives otherwise kind and gentle farmers a license to keep dairy calves, pregnant sows and laying hens in cramped cages–drugged and deprived of natural food and sunshine. It's a culture that leads otherwise normal slaughterhouse workers to skin, dismember and disembowel cows and pigs while they are still conscious.

Punishing a dozen soldiers and apologizing to the Arab world merely places a bandage on this cultural scourge that will rear its ugly head again and again, whenever otherwise normal people feel that they have the license to unleash their violent and insensitive leanings.

The only effective long-term solution is to instill in our children the notions of kindness and sensitivity to all suffering. A good time to start is when they first ask where hamburgers come from.

Alex Grift

Dallas

Holy war

As President Bush's Iraq war of choice worsens significantly, there will come a time when the president will have to finally admit his mistakes in stirring up anti-American hatred in the Arab world.

This war has the potential, God forbid, to evolve into the worst kind of war imaginable–a holy war in the region where civilization began. We can be sure God, Bush's higher father, is not behind Bush's militarism, arrogance and bias toward the rich.

The God we know through Scripture is for turning swords into plowshares to feed a hungry world and wants us to study war no more. War creates more problems than it solves. God abhors our love for nuclear weapons and weeps over our lack of faith and trust in him.

We know what God is like through what we know about Jesus Christ. Jesus was almighty, but, oh, so humble. Humility is a quality only truly great people have. Jesus did not make mistakes, but all of us do. A humble spirit can swallow pride, admit mistakes and in the process save face. We respect and can identify with leaders who have the ability to express honest self-doubt.

God loves everyone but has a special bias for the poor and oppressed of this world. God wants the needs of the least of our brothers and sisters to be met first. The rich will always have much more than enough. In America, our trickle-down tax policies make the rich richer, the poor poorer.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Pure study

I was happy to see the Baptist General Convention of Texas is abandoning its exclusive use of LifeWay services.

I have nothing against LifeWay, but I would like to see our churches abandon their near-exclusive use of quarterlies in Bible classes. While the canned messages offered in quarterlies are often needful, they shouldn't replace pure Bible study.

About two years ago, my wife and I moved back to Texas from northern California, where I had lived for 30 years, and where I attended some wonderful churches. In the great University Presbyterian Church near the Berkeley campus, I never saw a quarterly. Instead, our Sunday school classes were devoted to studies in the Bible itself, usually chapter-by-chapter studies in either the Old or the New Testament. It fostered a love of Scripture and a desire to read the Bible that cannot be duplicated.

Ken Boren

Rowlett

Posted: 5/14/04

Lufkin's First Baptist celebrates with
dozen congregations it helped start

By George Henson

Staff Writer

LUFKIN–More than 800 people from churches throughout Lufkin joined in an evening of praise the work God has done and anticipation of what they believe he will continue to do.

The Great Co-Mission Celebration marked the first time all the churches First Baptist Church in Lufkin helped start came together to celebrate what God has done since the mother church began 121 years ago, event organizers said.

Originally, games and a picnic had been planned for an area park. But heavy rains in the days proceeding the celebration moved the meal and worship time to the church.

The evening featured a video showing the locations of the dozen churches and their establishment.

“One of the things you do if you're going to look to the future is to tie it to the past,” First Baptist Pastor Nolan Duck said. “It's really easy to be excited about the future when you look and see what God did with what started out as only nine people.”

More than one-third of the people affiliated with Unity Baptist Association attend churches that grew out of First Baptist Church, Duck said.

During J.M. Bradford's pastorate from 1943 to 1952, First Baptist started Herty, Cross Roads and Providence Baptist churches, all in Lufkin.

Pastor Arthur DeLoach led the church to start Calvary Baptist Church in Wells and Denman Avenue and Hillcrest Baptist churches in Lufkin.

Charles McIlveene's pastorate saw the beginning of Iglesia Bautista Cristiana. Other church members left during that time to start Southside Baptist Church in Lufkin.

During 1995, while Rick Williams was pastor, Carpenter's Way Baptist Church launched, as division arose in the church's leadership.

Denman Avenue also has started two churches, Grace Baptist Church in Lufkin and Shirley Creek Baptist Church in Shirley Creek, since Charles Roberts' pastorate began there in 1982.

First Baptist plans to start two more churches–a cowboy church and an African-American congregation. Neither of those segments of the population is being adequately reached, and reaching the entire community continues to be the church's mission, Duck stressed.

While some of the churches started by First Baptist have surpassed the mother church in membership numbers and some have joined the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Duck said a good spirit of cooperation remains among the churches, and all 12 were represented for the celebration.

“We had a very good time,” Duck said .

“When people know each other, they can do that. We tied the past to the future and celebrated the present. Basically it was just a love fest.”

Posted: 5/14/04

Greenville-based MercyMe
named Dove Award artist of the year

NASHVILLE (RNS)–The Texas-based Christian group MercyMe recently was named artist of the year by the Gospel Music Association.

The band also won Dove Awards for group of the year and pop/contemporary recorded song of the year for “Word of God Speak.”

That song, composed by band leader Bart Millard of Highland Terrace Baptist Church in Greenville and co-writer Pete Kipley, was named song of the year.

Jonathan Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, won the most Dove trophies, earning three with his band and three individually.

His band won top rock recorded song for “Ammunition” and best rock/contemporary recorded song for “Meant to Live.”

Their album featuring both tracks, “The Beautiful Letdown,” was recognized as rock/contemporary album of the year.

In addition, Foreman won two Doves for his songwriting and one for his production of that album.

Stacie Orrico was honored as female vocalist of the year and also for top pop/contemporary album for her self-titled project and short form video of the year for “(There's Gotta Be) More to Life.”

Jeremy Camp earned two Dove Awards, one for male vocalist of the year and another for new artist of the year.

Other winners of two honors included the Crabb Family, the Martins, Smokie Norful, Michael Tait, Third Day, Randy Travis and CeCe Winans.

Posted: 5/14/04

God gave strength after Wedgwood shooting, pastor recalls

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–Pastor Al Meredith vividly remembers the phone call that changed his life and the path of his congregation: “You've got to get down here. Someone's shooting the kids.”

That Sept. 15, 1999, evening, Meredith discovered a man had walked into a youth prayer service at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth and opened fire, killing seven people before pulling the trigger on himself.

Speaking at a Baptist General Convention of Texas prayer breakfast during the Texas Crime Victim Clearinghouse Conference, Meredith choked with emotion as he recounted some of the lives that were lost that evening.

He spoke of Sydney Browning, the “most popular” person in the church; Kim Jones, a recently converted Texas Christian University student; and Shawn Brown, a seminary student married 22 months.

But God provides hope through the darkest times, the pastor said, and the shooting is no different. Because of the attack, Meredith was able to share the Christian message of hope in Jesus with the world through the media. He gave the invocation at the Cotton Bowl Classic.

As the congregation began dealing with the deaths, the church became an example of clinging to faith through tragedy for other believers to follow, Meredith said at the BGCT Mission Equipping Center-sponsored event. The youth group spoke to assemblies about their experience and faith. Meredith has spoken at numerous ministers' meetings about crises.

The congregation has felt a stronger presence of God in worship since the incident, according to Meredith. He believes God has blessed the church to help the congregation continue their faith and lives.

“God has given us such a sweet spirit of joy and forgiveness,” Meredith said.

As individuals heard the positive outlook of the church, they became interested in it, Meredith noticed. People traveled from out of town to attend the church. Attendance increased 50 percent in the past four years to 1,500 during Sunday worship.

“People came looking for the church,” the pastor said.

The work and growth of the church since the shooting is a testament to God's reliability, Meredith added. Like he does for all people, God continues supporting the congregation that remains scarred by tragedy.

“God is God all the time,” Meredith said. “He is not under review.”

Despite the hope, pain still runs deep throughout the congregation, Meredith said. He understood post traumatic syndrome is “real,” but he now knows it returns in waves even four years after the shooting. But church members continue believing God will carry them onward.

“Don't ask us when we'll get over it,” he said. “We'll never get over it. We'll get through it.”