Posted: 11/15/05

BaptistWay Bible Series for Nov. 27

Everything is to be subjugated to God’s will

• Judges 17:1-6; 18:1; 19:1; 20:1-5; 21:25

By Ronnie Prevost

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

“Just wait,” they told me, “things could get worse.” So, I waited and, sure enough, things got worse.

Have you ever felt that way? Throughout the book of Judges, we have read of Israel’s decline, or as this unit’s title puts it, Israel’s downward spiral. We may think we have seen the worst in Israel with the stories of idolatry, human sacrifice, unworthy and fearful leaders, and wasted potential we have studied.

The three intertwined tales found in this last lesson of the unit, however, show a climax—the worst of the worst. It is a sad summary of a people—supposedly God’s people—falling to pieces.

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The first story, told in Judges 17:1-6, involves a man from Ephraim named Micah. He had stolen 1,100 pieces of silver—from his mother! Fearful due to a curse his mother pronounced at the discovery of the theft, Micah confessed. In response, she blessed him, counteracting the curse.

Sounds just like a loving mother, doesn’t it? The problem is, she let him keep the silver he used to mold an idol and also religious clothing and relics to use in worshipping the idol. He then paid a Levite to legitimize the idolatry by leading in that worship. To top that, the mother spent 200 pieces of silver to build the shrine where the idol would reside.

Next, in Judges 18:1, we read the tribe of Dan sought, “a place of their own where they might settle.” This tribe already had shown a reluctance to join the struggle for taking the land God had given them. They are chided, in Judges 5:17 for not following the judge, Deborah. Now they remained unwilling to receive the inheritance God particularly intended for them. It was too hard, the Amorites too strong. So, still doubting God’s power, they moved to the north and picked on someone smaller than themselves. No surprise then that when they came upon Micah, they took over his shrine and worshipped that idol.

Finally, Judges 19:1 and 20:1-5 tell the tale of a Levite—much like the Levitical priest of Micah—and his concubine. They had just reconciled after a marital tiff. Returning home, they spent one night in the town of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin. There some men of Gibeah rape and murder the concubine. The outrage that ensued brought an assembly of all the Israelite tribes, from Dan (now in the far north) to Beer-Sheba in the southernmost parts of Judah. Those there (400,000 infantrymen alone) swore vengeance and pronounced their justice: death to all the Gibeahite men (not just the guilty).

But things did not turn out as they had planned. Chaos resulted and the tribe of Benjamin virtually was wiped out. The extreme measure to which Israel went to cover their mistakes and attempt a remedy are both tragic and comic.

As bad as it can get, the three stories tell of “bottoming out,” each one topping the other for disgrace until the summary observation in 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit,” which echoes what is written in 17:6.

How true it was. Israel had no king, and certainly not God. Moses was long dead. So were Joshua and the judges such as Deborah and Gideon. With no leader everyone, as the saying goes, “did their own thing.”

Of course, Israel was not sure whether or not they wanted a king. They wavered on that issue. There was the ill-advised attempt to recruit Gideon for that position. On the other hand, in 1 Samuel 12:12-15, they balked when God sent them a king (Saul).

Never satisfied. Seldom faithful. Hardly obedient. (How many commandments were broken in these three stories?) That final verse really does say it all.

The bad news is we really are no better today than the Israelites. It seems we can easily make idols out of everything—and anyone! In our desire to be fiercely independent, we do things our way with no consideration of God as our king. As happened with Israel, our lives, too, fall to pieces when we exclude God from them. We say we long for direction from God, but refuse to follow when his commands direct us to a direction we fear to go.

Chaos is inevitable—in our lives, our world and our churches—when we follow our own selfish ways. Continuing to be like Israel in that day, we seek our own remedies. The result is similar: chaos and confusion are compounded. Individually and collectively, we fall apart.

Is there hope? Oh, yes! The entire Bible is filled with stories of good people gone bad and bad people whom God makes good. Throughout Scripture, we read about the evil of which people are capable when they do not follow God—and the great things that God can do through them when they follow God. After all, isn’t that why God came down as his Son—to pick up the pieces of broken humanity and our broken lives? Without Jesus as our King, the downward spiral of our lives is inevitable. With him we can be whole.

Discussion question

• How does our idolatry today cause brokenness in our lives and our churches?

• How does/can God put broken lives and churches back together?

Posted: 11/15/05

Family Bible Series for Nov. 27

Submission to the will of God is an imperative

• Job 42:1-17

By Donald Raney

Westlake Chapel, Graham

Few people find the idea of submission to be appealing. We willingly submit to the authority of the law and our employer to avoid repercussions, but most do not willingly submit to the will of another person. Often, even in the midst of physical or emotional suffering, many people stubbornly refuse to place themselves under the authority of someone else.

In times of significant struggles, some may even fail to submit their will to God’s care and leadership. Yet it is precisely when we have submitted ourselves to God that he can most clearly reveal himself and his will to us. It only is when we have surrendered our plans and perspectives to God that we are open to accept God’s instruction.

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Few people in the Bible learned this lesson more clearly than Job. After all of the speeches by his friends and Job’s own repeated declaration of innocence before God, Job ultimately comes to realize that when life caves in, the best plan is to continue to submit to and honor the sovereign Creator.

Job 42:1-6

For the first 37 chapters of Job, God’s voice is not heard outside the heavenly assembly. God patiently allows the speeches of Job and his friends to continue until Job boldly calls on God to answer for the way Job has been treated. Out of his growing frustration, Job challenges God’s sense of justice.

God answers in chapters 38-41. In those chapters, God clearly asserts his unique place as the Creator by outlining his power, knowledge and sovereignty over all of creation. The tone of God’s words in these chapters does not appear to be that of a reprimand of Job. Yet God clearly wants to remind Job of his position in relation to that of God.

It also should be noted that in these chapters God does not give Job an answer to his question of why he has suffered. He merely reminds Job that God is in possession of knowledge far surpassing all Job could dream of and that he exercises that knowledge in sovereignty over creation. Chapter 42 then represents Job’s response to God’s revelation.

God’s words appear to have had the desired effect. Job’s tone in chapter 42 clearly had changed from one demanding answers to one of humble submission to the power of God. He has been reminded of the gulf that lies between his knowledge and that of God.

In verse 3, he admits he had spoken of things that he did not understand. He then goes on to state that, since he now understands, he repents. Job is not repenting here of some great earlier sin that had led to his suffering as his friends had suggested. Instead he is repenting of the presumptuous attitude and accusation he made concerning God’s justice. While he will continue to bring his questions to God, Job now understands he is in no position to accuse God.

Job 42:7-9

Having heard Job’s response, God turns to address the three friends who had given Job advice. God clearly is displeased with the way they had spoken to Job. Twice God affirms they had not spoken the truth in offering their opinions. All suffering is not due to punishment for sin on the part of the one suffering. These men had not consulted God before offering their explanations of Job’s pain.

Job is shown to have been more righteous in his words than his friends by the repeated phrase “my servant Job.” These friends should thus repent and offer sacrifices to God. They will further benefit as the righteous Job intercedes for them. This is another way in which Job is honored by God. Having committed his own life to God, Job is in a position to offer genuine prayers for God to show mercy to his friends.

Intercessory prayer is indeed a powerful tool which God grants to all believers. It not only is effective in the life of the one being prayed for, but also affects the life of the one praying by strengthening his or her commitment to God and keeping his or her focus on the needs of others.

Job 42:10-17

The book of Job concludes with the happiest of endings. God returns to Job all he had lost and more. His health is restored, he becomes financially prosperous again and he regains a large family. While it appears Job certainly was rewarded for remaining faithful to God, we must be very careful how we handle and apply the end of this story.

God is not promising to reward financially or otherwise all believers in this life. Indeed such a claim would contradict the primary message of the book. Just as suffering is not a sign of punishment for disobedience, prosperity is not a sign of blessing for obedience.

Job tells us we cannot break God’s thoughts and acts down into a simplistic equation that mandates certain actions by God. God’s ways are much higher than ours. While God does want us to bring our questions to him, he alone ultimately holds the answers and determines when to reveal them. Our task is to remain faithfully submitted to God and enjoy whatever blessings God sends.

Discussion questions

• What are some of the ways that we can maintain our submission to God?

• When was the last time you personally experienced the results of intercessory prayer?

• If you could have any one question answered by God what would it be?

Posted: 11/15/05

Explore the Bible Series for Nov. 27

Circumstances can’t defeat God’s purposes

• Romans 8:28-39

By Trey Turner

Canyon Creek Baptist Church, Temple

A particular circumstance tests the application of this lesson on God’s providential care.

I baptized the same morning Kyle Lake was tragically killed doing the same. University Baptist Church in Waco saw their pastor electrocuted while serving the Lord among the congregation he loved.

I have ministered to families in grief, performed funerals and heard news of tragic circumstances before, but this scenario disturbs me because baptism in a church should be safe. It challenges previously assumed “safe-places” with a reminder that safety is not surety.

What can the believer hope for in God’s provision? Can he or she expect safety? Comfort? Protection from death or illness? What do these circumstances mean for that believer’s faith?

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God’s work: No worries (Romans 8:28-30)

Grief makes people feel so alone. Quoting Romans 8:28 can seem like a mean lecture from well-meaning people who have not experienced this grief. They say, “Trust God; it will all work out.”

The Apostle Paul talked about how the Spirit of God helps people when they do not know what to pray (v. 26). Here he begins by saying what believers do know: “We know that God works” in circumstances. Even when people do not know how God can redeem bad circumstances, he works in them because God works “in all things.” By themselves, “things” cannot and do not work themselves out. The belief that “all things work together” must be understood instead to mean, “God works in all things.”

Paul’s conviction, “we know,” is the Christian’s hope—the firm belief that God works all circumstances toward a good end. Specifically, God is bringing the believer through even bad circumstances to a God-honoring end—his or her completed end as a sanctified disciple of Jesus Christ.

Paul says the thought should not linger which says, “God cannot use this incident.” Instead, affirming, “God will see me through and I will be more than I am now.”

God’s love: No doubts (Romans 8:31-32)

Read the “if” statement as the grammar suggests saying, “Since God is for us,” what can keep the believer down? Since at great effort, God has worked to bring the believer redemption, why would one think he would stop short of that goal? He or she is encouraged to have a steadfast hope. In difficult circumstances, do not doubt God’s love.

Christ’s work: No charges (Romans 8:33-34)

Since the believer does not doubt God’s goodness, nor does he doubt God’s love, should the believer have reason to doubt the power of Christ’s work? There is no one who can bring a condemning word which will stick because Jesus Christ is the one who reaches. God’s love is for everyone … the believer’s goodness cannot be brought into question. Jesus accomplishes the Christian’s justification completely as he or she responds to God’s work in Christ.

Since the Christian responds to God’s choosing, the Christian’s salvation means charges that the believer does not belong to God or is not faithful to God cannot be brought. Jesus himself is serving as his or her advocate to accomplish continuing sanctification. Jesus’ work on the believer is ongoing and will be finished

Christ’s love: No separation (Romans 8:35-39)

Therefore, what circumstance can take the Christian out of God’s purposes? Nothing. Paul’s own experiences are such that he and his companions stare death in the face and still see God complete his goals of redemption. They celebrate God’s mercy even as they are redeeming others. Paul’s list of those things which are most likely to paralyze a believer’s courage add up to nothing, for he says, “I am convinced” these forces and distances cannot separate the Christian from God’s ongoing, active redemption.

It is with humility that I approach the great loss of University Baptist and especially that grief of the Lake family. One trembles under such pressure, yet Paul affirms the magnificent activity of God from the midst. Fellow believers, pray Christ’s joy as you see his mercy and fellowship through these difficult times. May the wonder of his strength overwhelm you and keep you close to him. Finally, may his ministry to you serve as fuel for God’s glory as you minister to others.

Discussion questions

• What fears do Christians have today?

• What fears keep believers from obedience?

• What fears keep believers from ministry?

• From these verses, how would you encourage people to overcome their fears and find courage to be faithful despite them?

Posted: 11/15/05

Harris: Leaders model evangelism lifestyle

By Jenny Pope

AUSTIN—Congregations will reflect the lifestyles of their leaders—especially when it comes to evangelism, Pastor Jeff Harris pastor of Grace Point Baptist Church in San Antonio told participants at a seminar during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

“Evangelism begins and ends with you,” Harris said. “Either you embody the lifestyle or you do not. If you do not have a passion for lost people, your own people never will. That passion has to come from you, the leaders.”

Harris has focused his efforts on the neighbors in his cul-de-sac, holding picnics and praying intentionally with his family for opportunities to share Christ’s love. He has seen eight neighbors come to faith in Christ.

“There are opportunities we miss everyday,” he said. “When we begin to live out our faith in our lives, it becomes an epidemic, infectious, and it will spread in our community. Like Acts 1:8 says, ‘When the Holy Spirit comes on you in power, you will be my witness.’ You have to expect things to happen.”

When ministers teach church members how to embody their faith and expect things to happen, leaders also must equip them to share their story, he said.

“Your people do not need another program,” he said. “They already have the knowledge to share their story and the Holy Spirit within them. The only thing they need to know is I once was lost and now I’m found.”

Harris said he does not consider himself an expert and will never write a book on the subject.

“There’s already a book; it’s called the New Testament,” he said. But he does not shy away from speaking the truth about the churches he sees today.

“Some of us are so legalistic we’re starching our underwear,” he said. “We need to loosen up a little bit. We’ve gotten so acculturated where we only have church parties with church people. … It’s true—lost people stink. But we cannot protect our kids from the world. We can only prepare them for it.”

Posted: 11/15/05

Austin church impacts
community by going door-to-door

By Miranda Bradley

AUSTIN—Opportunity knocked this week for Eva Agueera, a five-year Austin resident. When she answered the door, Robert Flores stood with a Bible in hand. After a brief conversation in her apartment doorway, Agueera accepted Christ as her Savior.

Agueera’s was the first home visited by Flores, a member of the Iglesia Bautista Principe De Paz Baptist evangelism team. The team of 20 meets three times a week for training so they can make the most of their door-to-door ministry.

Leady Santos, 16, said she is always eager to share Jesus with others.

“Sometimes they will be skeptical because I’m so young. But, I’m doing this for God, even if they don’t open the door.”

Pastor Nestor Menjivar, said he has a different goal for his team than most.

“We are not doing this to grow our church,” he said. “We’re trying to get the word of God out there, to plant a seed.”

Menjivar’s ultimate goal is to seek out possibilities for new churches in homes or apartment complexes.

Much of the community around the church does not have transportation to and from church. That was the case for Agueera, who had not attended church services since she moved from Mexico. Without a car, she was unable to take part in worship services she loved so much. That, Menjivar said, drives the motivation for satellite churches.

“Evangelism is different these days,” he said. “You have to keep a kingdom view, or you will become discouraged.”

Dozens of people have converted to Christianity as a result of the evangelism teams’ ministry. Some of them do not attend Iglesia Bautista Principe De Paz. But Menjivar does not complain.

“And that’s OK with me,” he said. “We’re just planting the seeds for a ministry that will come later. Maybe the harvest is not for us to reap.”

Flores has only been involved in the ministry for two months, but said his greatest thrill is when a person accepts the Lord.

“Whenever you see something like that it feels great,” he said after leading Agueera to Christ. “You know you will see them in heaven then.”

Menjivar credits ministries like the door-to-door evangelism effort for increasing the church’s visibility in the area.

“People know who we are,” he said. “The difference between us and some other ministries is we are not saying they need to join our church. We’re inviting them to meet Jesus Christ. That’s the best gift we can possibly give them—the opportunity for salvation.”

Posted: 11/15/05

BWA honors Texas Baptists as 'full members'

By Craig Bird

AUSTIN—Denton Lotz, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, presented Baptist General Convention Texas Executive Director Charles Wade with a framed membership certificate signifying the recent acceptance of the BGCT as a full member in the 100-year-old Baptist fellowship.

Lotz noted when the BWA was founded 100 years ago, “85 percent of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and the United States, but now 60 percent of Christians live in the southern hemisphere. There are 400 million believers in Africa, 550 million in Latin America and 360 million in Asia.

“The church has moved south—and I don’t mean south to Texas but south of the equator,” he said during the BGCT annual meeting. “God didn’t call just the NATO countries when he gave us the Great Commission. He gave it to Christians everywhere.”

Lotz pledged that BWA will continue its work supporting Baptist churches around the world as they preach the gospel, will help the needy through Baptist World Aid and work to promote and protect human rights and religious freedom.

“We want religious freedom for everyone, everywhere,” he said. “We want Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims to be free to worship—but we demand the same freedom for Christians.

“We will continue to tell countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen that since you take advantage of your freedom to build mosques in the United States and Europe, then you need to grant us the freedom build churches and freely share our faith in your countries.”

Posted: 11/14/05

Michael Bell elected first
African-American BGCT president

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

AUSTIN — The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) announced today at its annual conference, that it has selected Michael A. Bell as its new president.

Bell, the first African American ever elected to this post, currently serves as senior pastor at Greater St. Stephen First Church in Fort Worth and as first vice-president of the BGCT.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the largest non-Catholic Christian group in the state, with a membership of 5,700 churches and 2.5 million people.

Bell has long supported the ethnic diversity and inclusion of the BGCT.

“The door is open. There is no need to keep wasting time looking for the keys. It’s open,” stated Bell, addressing a large crowd at a local church Sunday, “Let’s walk through and be part of what God has for the Baptist General Convention — all of the Baptist General Convention of Texas — to do.”

Bell holds a Doctor of Ministry from the Interdenominational Theological Center and Morehouse School of Religion, a Masters of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Tyler, and a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University Divinity School.

“God didn’t make everybody short, black and bald,” Bell added, in his trademark charismatic style while rubbing his hand over his head, “and he didn’t make just roses — he made daffodils and bluebonnets, too. We need to recognize and celebrate our diversity.”

Posted: 11/11/05

Baylor regents unanimously elect Lilley president

By Marv Knox & Ken Camp

Baptist Standard

WACO–Baylor University regents unanimously elected John Lilley, president of the University of Nevada at Reno, as the Texas Baptist university's 13th president on a first ballot following the unanimous recommendation of an 11-member regents presidential search committee.

Lilley, 66, is a consensus builder who impressed the regents with his collaborative approach to leadership and love for Baylor, Regents Chair Will Davis said. He takes office Jan. 2, succeeding Robert Sloan, who became university chancellor June 1.

He earned three degrees from Baylor, and in January, the Baylor Alumni Association awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award–the organization's highest honor.

Lilley–the son of a Louisiana Baptist pastor–is a licensed Baptist minister who served as a minister of music during his student years.

Although he has been an ordained ruling elder in Presbyterian churches in recent years, Lilley and his wife, Gerrie, said they looked forward to “coming home” and rejoining First Baptist Church in Waco.

“I've always told my Presbyterian pastors, 'I may be joining your church, but I'm a Baptist,'” Lilley said, noting that distinctive Baptist principles were life-shaping beliefs “learned at my father's knee.”

Lilley described Baylor as “the crown jewel of Texas Baptists” and said he looked forward to a strong relationship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Given the choice between traveling to Washington, D.C., to participate in Baylor's bid to obtain the George W. Bush Presidential Library or going to the BGCT annual meeting in Austin, Lilley said he chose to meet with Texas Baptists, noting the library presentation was in good hands.

Lilley acknowledged this move at this point in his career is something he would do “only for Baylor.”

The president-elect showed emotion when he recalled leaving a small-town Louisiana Baptist pastor's home to study at Baylor in the late 1950s.

“The atmosphere I experienced–in the classroom and out of the classroom and at First Baptist Church here in Waco–that was a transformative experience for me,” he said.

And the opportunity to come back to Baylor is a special privilege, Lilley added. “To be president of a place where you can give full expression to your faith, where its naturalness is unleashed, already it is a great joy.”

Fielding questions from reporters in a news conference and in an interview, Lilley faced the issues that have divided the “Baylor family” in the past few years, as well as specifics about how he will serve the school that has a long history as a Texas Baptist institution but also designs on prominence far beyond the Lone Star State.

Baylor regents, faculty, alumni and students have been divided over the future of the university, primarily the leadership of former President Sloan.

Baylor 2012, the school's 10-year vision to make it a top-tier university with a distinctively Christian character, has been the flashpoint of controversy.

Among other issues, 2012 has raised questions regarding the appropriate balance of faith and learning, and it has pitted faculty against each other, with long-term teachers who excelled in the classroom against newer scholars whose emphasis is on research.

Mending the rift will require “big ears,” Lilley said. “There needs to be lots of talk, lots of conversations. … My sense is that everyone, No. 1, loves this university and wants it to grow and prosper as a Baptist institution and also as a top-tier institution.”

Excelling in academics and holding fast to Baylor's reputation as a Christian university in the Baptist tradition will require balance and touch, he said. And it means recognizing constituents within the Baylor community will disagree–“as Baptists do,” he added.

Lilley noted he has studied Baylor 2012 and will seek to lead Baylor to fulfill its aims.

“Its fundamental premise is that Christian universities in the Baptist tradition … will remain so through great effort,” he said, acknowledging many universities founded by churches and denominations have cast off their mantles of faith as they have sought academic prominence. “It's very easy to lose that focus (on faith). Our question is: Can we maintain and enhance it?”

In recent years, Baylor's constituencies have argued about how to balance faith and learning–its legacy as a Baptist Christian university as well as its desire to be respected for its academics, he said, but he delineated the terms of the disagreement. “Baylor has had a spirited debate about how to do it, … but agreement that it should be done.”

In recent years, the Baylor community not only has sought to handle the faith-and-learning debate, but also to grapple with the classroom-versus-research debate.

“To take on either of those issues simultaneously is a huge undertaking,” he admitted.

Penn State University at Erie, which he led for 21 years, shifted from being a school noted for its classroom teaching to a research university during his administration.

While long-term teaching faculty can feel diminished when new research professors arrive, the transition can be made sympathetically, he said, noting the important factor is everyone is valued.

A school like Baylor can honor and affirm excellent classroom teachers while progressing in research, he said, adding teaching is central and scholarship is crucial.

Resolving the faith-and-learning debate is even more difficult, Lilley said.

“We must find a way to be intentional about Baylor's faith,” he stressed, noting Baylor 2012's emphasis on this is appropriate but not easy.

“We have to figure out how to balance this,” he added. “The only way to deal with this is to talk it through. I can't resolve it, but I think I can create an environment where reasonable people can come together and work this out.”

Asked if he would be a unifier who could bring reconciliation to Baylor, Lilley said: “That's every president's wish. Every president wants to have an intellectual community that pulls together. … Spirit, trust and fellowship are very important.”

Underscoring his sense that Baylor's relationship with the BGCT is vital, Lilley said he would be a Texas Baptist within two days, when he and his wife would join First Baptist Church in Waco, where he was a member when he was a student at Baylor. He also intends to attend church with every member of the Baylor board of regents.

“Baylor has been the crown jewel of Texas Baptists–and it still is,” he said. “The relationship is very important. I will do everything I can to strengthen that relationship.”

Although Lilley has not been a member of a Baptist church for much of his adult life, “I was raised a Baptist and always have been a Baptist,” he said.

His father, Ernest Lilley, was a longtime Baptist pastor in Louisiana, and his mother, Sibyl, was a schoolteacher and strong Christian influence.

“My father led me to Christ at age 6,” he recalled, noting some people may question whether he was too young to make such a commitment. “Having been raised as I was raised, it was authentic.”

From his father, Lilley learned bedrock Baptist principles, he said. “Eternal salvation by faith, not of works; immersion; soul freedom; priesthood of the believer–all those things I learned at my father's knee. … Faith has been a great part of my life.”

In recent years, he has attended Presbyterian churches, primarily because of worship, he said.

“Music is at the core” of worship for him, he explained. “I grew up on a bit of rock 'n roll, but I want to have that organ.”

Outside the South, he has not found Baptist churches that provide the kind of worship that touches him spiritually, he added. “Not that there aren't Baptist churches (in the communities where he has lived), and I certainly don't condemn them. But, simply speaking, (contemporary worship) doesn't speak to me.”

So, he and his family have been members of large, downtown churches that engage in worship with organs and choirs and stirring preaching, he said.

Lilley majored in music at Baylor, earning bachelor's degrees in 1961 and 1962 and a master of music degree in 1964. He earned his doctorate in music at the University of Southern California in 1971.

Lilley became the University of Nevada at Reno's president in April 2001 after 21 years leading Penn State at Erie. He began his academic career as a faculty member at the Claremont Colleges in California. In 1976, he was named assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University.

He and his wife, Gerrie, have four grown children and three grandchildren.

Posted: 11/11/05

Musical upbringing provided
foundation for ministry

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

ABILENE–When future worship leader and Christian recording artist David Frush was a small child, his parents realized God had given him a unique gift to minister through music.

As a second grader, Frush was deeply affected by the death of a classmate who died after a two-year battle with leukemia. Early the next morning, Frush's mother found him sitting at the piano and playing a song that he wrote–a composition performed two days later at his friend's funeral.

Sherry Frush, now president of the Texas Music Teachers Association, introduced her son to music at an early age, so she wasn't surprised when he expressed his deepest feelings musically.

“My mom took me under her guidance and taught me how to play and write compositions for the piano,” he said. “I took lessons with her for 14 years and participated in various recitals and competitions for performance and composition. During this time, my mother also worked with me on vocal instruction.

“I am blessed to have such a musical family and definitely give credit to them for inspiring me to live a life filled with music. My parents always encouraged me to develop my relationship with God and also inspired me to find ways to use my talents to glorify him.”

During Frush's junior year in high school, he began leading the worship band for the youth ministry at First Baptist Church in Abilene.

“First Baptist Abilene always challenged and encouraged me to reach my full potential in Christ and also gave me opportunities to develop my passion for worship,” he said.

Around that time, Frush also began planning a future career in medicine, inspired by his friend's illness. But after serving as a camp counselor for seventh- and-eighth grade boys, he felt God was calling him to reach people for Christ by using music.

“It was at this camp that I experienced a life-changing event. During the Wednesday night worship service, each member of my group came up and personally thanked me for being their leader and informed me that they had either accepted Christ as their Savior or re-dedicated their life to him. I will never forget that moment,” he said.

“The presence of the Lord has never been more real to me than at that time. I could not grasp the fact that God had used me to reach out to those students. I also felt God calling me to a decision that night. I wanted to be able to always encounter moments like that, and a desire to preach to the nations was ignited within me.”

That night, Frush called his parents and told them how God was stirring his heart.

“I knew that God was calling me to serve him through ministry, and I desired to walk in obedience,” he said.

“During my senior year, worship leader Jeff Berry began to disciple me and helped develop my calling for worship. He met with me on a weekly basis and not only held me accountable, but also gave me advice and leadership on what exactly it means to be a worship leader. He also invited me to sing and play with his band at various events throughout the year. This experience helped me understand what I was created to do. I knew that the Lord desired me to surrender to this calling for the music ministry, and I could not wait to see what he had in store.”

Frush attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, and he led worship at various church and youth events across the state. He also served on the worship team and executive staff for Grace Bible study, a weekly collegiate Bible study with nearly 1,000 students attending.

Three years ago, he released his first worship CD, Journey Home.

“I decided to name my first project Journey Home because I feel that I am on a journey that is preparing me for my true home in heaven,” he explained. “Each song reflects where I have been in a particular time of my own spiritual journey. I pray that this CD will help lead people to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and will also serve as an inspiration to fellow believers by encouraging them to give everything for the cause of Christ.”

While maintaining a busy touring schedule, Frush served as a youth intern and interim youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Abilene. This fall, he participated in the Embassy Music Tour, sponsored by World Vision.

He recently became associate minister for students and worship at First Baptist Church of Forney, and he also will be the worship leader for the church's new Saturday night contemporary worship services, scheduled to begin in January.

“I am called to serve on the road and desire to use our ministry to preach to the nations, but I believe that having a local church's support is a necessity,” he said.

“My aspirations of leading worship are to inspire, challenge and encourage people to encounter an intimate time of praise and adoration with their Father in heaven. I will always surrender to this mission and strive to encourage others to do the same.

“I believe that God uses the heart of a person to reach out to others. It is not always the people with the best musical skill that God uses. The heart is so much more important, because it allows the leader to be submissive to the Lord's leadership for any service and also contains the desire to truly use the music as a form of ministry.”

Posted: 11/11/05

Ancient church ruins
discovered near Megiddo, Israel

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

MEGIDDO, Israel (ABP)–The ruins of an ancient Christian church, found within the walls of an Israeli prison, may prove to be one of the earliest churches ever discovered and could change the historical understanding of the Christian church in the region.

Two elaborate mosaics loaded with Christian symbols–presumably the floor of a relatively large sanctuary–were unearthed recently by prisoners working on an expansion project for the Megiddo prison, near the site of the end-of-the-world battle of Armageddon described in the book of Revelation.

Some archaeologists say the evidence dates the mosaics to the late third century or early fourth century, when Christianity was outlawed by the occupying Romans and most Christian worship was held secretly in homes.

If the church was operating in the third century, it “would be very surprising, since Christia-nity was persecuted sporadically until the conversion of (Roman Emperor) Constantine around (A.D.) 312,” said Richard Vinson, professor of New Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.

“If it proves to be as early as some of the early news reports suggest, it would be much earlier than most scholars of early Christianity would expect such a thing.” Two prominent fish symbols at the center of one mosaic, pottery shards found on top of the floor, and the style of Greek used in the mosaics' inscriptions all suggest the floor was made in the late third century. Soon thereafter, the symbol of the cross replaced the fish as the dominant worship symbol, archaeologists say.

One of the Megiddo inscriptions credits a woman named Aketous for paying for a table used in worship. Archaeologists say such tables were replaced by altars in churches of the fourth century and later.

The earliest existing churches are considered the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, both from after A.D. 330, decades after Constantine's decree legalizing Christianity. But little of the original buildings exists in either case. The 30-foot-by-15-foot floor of the Megiddo church would be a major find.

But even a date in the late 4th century would be significant, scholars say.

“Even though by that time Christianity was favored in the (Roman) Empire, this would be one of the earliest–if not the earliest–building discovered,” Vinson said.

Posted: 11/11/05

Novelist trades vampire
tales for early life of Christ

By Benedicta Cipolla

Religion News Service

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (RNS)–The queen of darkness has seen the light.

In her latest book, Christ the Lord, novelist Anne Rice turns away from the doomed souls of her best-selling tales about vampires and witches in favor of a first-person account of the 7-year-old Jesus.

“I was sitting in church talking to (God) about it, and I finally realized there was no holding back anymore,” said Rice, 64, who returned to the Catholic Church in 1998 after a 30-year absence.

“I just said, 'From now on, it's all going to be for you.' And the book I felt I had to write was the life of Christ. … When my faith was given back to me by God, redemption became a part of the world in which I lived. And I wasn't going to write any more books where that wasn't the case. You do not have to be transgressive in order to achieve great art.”

With a distinct emphasis on the devout Jewishness of Jesus and his extended family, the novel–published Nov. 1 with a first print run of 500,000 copies–depicts their first year in Nazareth after leaving Egypt following the death of King Herod. The Gospel of Matthew reports Jesus, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt shortly after his birth to escape a death sentence by Herod.

Rice meticulously recounts the daily life of Jews in Galilee against the backdrop of Roman occupation, detailing purification rites, Sabbath study, construction work in the nearby city of Sepphoris and trips to the Temple in Jerusalem for feasts and animal sacrifices.

“The pious picture of the holy family in a little carpentry shop on a hill–that's not accurate,” Rice said in her first interview about the book, speaking from her new home in California, where she moved five months before Hurricane Katrina devastated her hometown of New Orleans. “The challenge was to get some fictional verisimilitude there, to really present this as a vibrant society in which people are working and living together.”

Rice devoted much of the two and a half years she spent on the novel delving into research, from ancient Jewish philosophers and historians like Philo and Josephus, to contemporary historical Jesus studies. At times, what she found disturbed her, as she explains in an author's note following the novel.

“Some of the people in New Testament scholarship don't hide their bias at all. They're just out to prove Jesus wasn't God, but, of course, that's impossible to prove,” she said, taking issue as well with what she called “trends” and “fads,” such as theories that Jesus was a political revolutionary or married.

Rice also critiques the widespread dating of the Gospels to between about 60 and 90 A.D., and the theory that they appeared decades apart.

Instead, she believes they were produced around the same time, and all before Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Rice chooses 11 B.C. as the date of Jesus' birth. While she said she found one scholarly precedent for doing so, she uses the earlier date mainly to allow the 7-year-old Jesus to arrive from Egypt in time to witness the well-documented violence that erupted in Judea and Galilee after Herod's death in 4 B.C.

That seminal event in childhood is certain to influence Jesus in Rice's planned subsequent volumes. “At the birth of Jesus, the biggest story you would have heard–I can't prove it was ever mentioned, but I can't imagine it wasn't–was about the day the Romans came,” said John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University and the author of The Historical Jesus. “I would have no problem with someone saying that the constitutive challenge for Jesus growing up in that period was 'OK, what about God, what about Rome, what about violence, what about resistance?'”

Beyond reconstructing the daily life of the times, Rice focuses on the young Jesus discovering–and grappling with–his divinity. Her questions are less about what would Jesus do, and more about how he would think.

Rice's Jesus is conflicted and confused, a dutiful son who comes to terms with what he first only senses and then fully grasps–that he is the Son of God, yet fully human. “You can't write a book, or at least I couldn't, from the viewpoint of someone who knew he was God at every moment,” Rice said. “But I could write a book from the viewpoint of somebody who deliberately separated himself from that knowledge so he could experience things as a human being.”

The Gospels are almost silent on Jesus' childhood, giving Rice a wide berth to take certain liberties with her story. In the book, Jesus is taught in Alexandria by the Hellenistic philosopher Philo, which in turns allows for her Jesus to be fluent in Greek, something many historians doubt was the case.

Rice also borrows two incidents–the slaying of a playmate and the turning of clay sparrows into live ones–from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a second-century work that shows Jesus learning to use his divine powers for good. It never was accepted as part of the Christian Scriptures.

But again, biblical scholars question why Rice is devoting so much time to Jesus' childhood, when the Gospel writers seemed to think it unimportant.

“If you want to talk about the infancy of Jesus, it's perfectly valid, but please don't say you're doing it according to the spirit of the Gospels,” said Crossan. “Only two of the Gospels even bother to talk about Jesus' birth, and only Luke bothered to mention the infant at age 12. The other (Gospels) figure that's not important. Let's get to what really counts, the public life.”

Rice said her greatest hope for people reading Christ the Lord is that they will at least begin to think about Jesus, if not come to believe in him. Due in part to her dismay at the damage done in Christian relations with the Jewish community in the wake of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, she plans to send copies of her novel to Jewish leaders.

“Of course, they're not going to turn around and give a quote to a book called Christ the Lord, but I want them to know that I understand Jesus is a Jew and all his family were, and all his apostles and all the first Christians were. … I hope it will generate good will,” she said.

Rice's ultimate goal, she said, is for readers “to think, 'Wow, maybe he did exist.' That was the challenge, to make it real. The greatest compliment people pay me when they read this book is when they say, 'I was there.'”

Posted: 11/11/05

Baptists respond to new Baylor president

By Marv Knox & Ken Camp

Baptist Standard

WACO–Baylor University Regents Chair Will Davis of Austin characterized the unanimity surrounding President-elect John Lilley's selection as “remarkable.” Given the deep divisions among Baylor's various constituencies in recent years, others called the vote “miraculous.”

Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Charles Wade considered Lilley's election an answer to prayer.

“I have been in conversation with some of those who brought his name forward, and they have been excited to tell me that this man understands Texas Baptists and wants to be a faithful partner in helping Baylor University and the BGCT move together to achieve great goals to the glory of God,” Wade said.

“I have prayed for and believed that the regents of Baylor would make the right decision in this process. Of everything I know about John Lilley, I am confident they have done that. I look forward to introducing him to the convention in Austin and to a fruitful collaboration to advance the kingdom of God in Texas and around the world.

“I believe this signals that the prayers that have been offered for Baylor through this difficult process have been answered, and the future is as bright as it as has ever been for Baylor.”

Bill Brian, chairman of the regents' presidential search committee, agreed Lilley's unanimous election has a divine root.

“I am sure some wondered if we could bring a unanimous recommendation,” Brian said. “Lots of Texas Baptists have been praying for us, and their prayers have been answered.”

Lilley's qualities for bridging the Baylor divide are apparent, he added.

“He has wide and deep experience leading universities,” Brian explained. “He is a Baylor grad for whom Baylor and First Baptist Church in Waco were transforming experiences.”

“The fact his assignments have kept him at some distance from the issues that have divided Baylor” also is a plus, he said. “He is unfettered in leading Baylor to move forward.”

Brian predicted Lilley will succeed in reunifying the university. “He wants to, and he will need help from the regents, faculty and staff, students, alumni and Texas Baptists to make it happen. … It will be a collaborative effort to continue the healing (Interim President) Bill Underwood began, but he can do it.”

Clyde Glazener, pastor of Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the BGCT representative on a presidential search advisory committee, said the regents and search committee questioned Lilley thoroughly about his commitment to Baptist principles, and they were convinced of his dedication to them.

“This a very good thing–a very positive thing,” he said.

Stan Allcorn, a regent and pastor of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene, insisted Lilley's involvement in the Presbyterian Church was not an issue.

“We heard his testimony. We heard his wife's testimony. He sounds like he could have been Herschel Hobbs' next door neighbor,” he said, referring to the renowned Oklahoma Baptist pastor-theologian who chaired the committee that drafted the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message, a pivotal doctrinal document for the denomination.

Allcorn characterized the unanimous votes by both the search committee and the regents as “miraculous–maybe not quite the same as the parting of the Red Sea, but certainly something that doesn't happen every day.”

John Wilkerson, a regent from Lubbock, predicted Lilley will be able to bring Baylor's period of disharmony to a close. “His skills and love for Baylor will make him a great president for our university,” Wilkerson said.

“Because of his love for Baylor, his knowledge of Baylor history and his ability to get along with about everybody, I think he can and will unite the divergent factions of the Baylor family.”

David Malone, president of the Baylor Alumni Association, praised Lilley's selection. “I am equally confident Dr. Lilley is the right president for Baylor at this time,” Malone said, noting Lilley is experienced at all levels of academic administration.

Lilley possesses a rather unique quality among loyal Baylor alumni, since he has lived and worked far away from the campus and has been geographically distant from the Baylor battles, he said.

“He doesn't have a dog in this fight,” Malone insisted. “He was able to come in and win the trust of every person on the presidential and advisory search committees.”

Regent Randy Ferguson of Austin commended Lilley for being “very open, very frank, very honest with the board” and described him as “a very compassionate man who stands for the right things. He loves Baylor and wants Baylor to be all it can be.”