Posted: 2/21/06

Chinese Christian leader Wenzao Han dies

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

NANJING, China (ABP) — One of China's most prominent modern-day Christian leaders has died at the age of 83.

Wenzao Han died Feb. 3 in Nanjing. He served from 1996 to 2002 as president of the China Christian Council, and in other capacities with the organization, which is the officially state-sanctioned Protestant denomination in China.

China's communist government placed severe restrictions on religious freedom during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. However, it allowed some Christian churches to re-open beginning in 1979. The China Christian Council was established the next year, combining several different Protestant traditions. According to the group's website, it is a "post-denominational movement" where, "In the spirit of mutual respect, Christians with different faith and liturgical backgrounds worship God together."

However, human-rights groups continue to criticize the Chinese government for periodic attempts to repress unofficial Protestant "house churches" not affiliated with the CCC, as well as Chinese Catholic bishops and churches that continue to be loyal to the pope's authority.

Han was head of the CCC when, in 1997, it complained about a Southern Baptist Convention agency's practice of sending clandestine missionaries to work in China as humanitarian workers, circumventing the involvement of the CCC or the government.

According to Don Sewell, a missions-partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas official who knew Han from his travels to China, "Chinese Christians have lost a great man in Dr. Wenzao Han."

Sewell said that, despite being forced as a young Christian to work in labor camps, Han "never lost his joy, optimism, or faith" and that Han "related to the new regimes in the Chinese government with aplomb. His message harbored no bitterness, nor revenge; he acted like Jesus."

Han's funeral was held Feb. 9 at a Nanjing funeral home, followed by a memorial service at Mouchou Church in Nanjing. He is survived by his wife, two sons and three grandchildren.

Posted: 2/21/06

COMMENTARY:
On the death of Han Wenzao (1923-2006)

By Britt Towery

The news of the death of Dr. Han Wenzao in Nanjing caught my wife and me by surprise. Jody put her hand to her mouth, for it was like losing a member of the family. We paused to pray for his wife Zhuo Zhaohua, who was by his side for six decades.

For my wife and I, Han was as fine a Christian leader as we have ever met. The term "Christian statesman" fit Han Wenzao perfectly. We enjoyed the fellowship of the Hans in their home and work with the China Christian Council which he led for many years.

In 1953 when Jody and I felt God's leading us to China as missionaries political realities made it impossible. We took the next best assignment, that of Taiwan, the Republic of China, some 100 miles off the East China coast.

The mainland of China became the People's Republic of China in 1949 under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. America broke relations with the PRC and recognized Taiwan as "China." The Taiwan government and China proper remain to this day in an unresolved civil war. Though the two governments still do not recognize each other, they work well together in making money.

We were living in Hong Kong when the first opportunity to visit the China mainland came in 1982. Communist China was opening to the West more under the leadership of Chairman Deng Xiaoping. Christian churches began to receive their property back and worship in them was made possible by the able leadership of Bishop K.H. Ting and Han Wenzao.

In 1985 the Amity Printing Company was organized with Han Wenzao in a leadership role. The United Bible Societies of the world made possible the publishing of the Bible and hymn books in China for the first time in over 40 years. At the same time the Amity Foundation began programs for foreigners to teach English and other languages in universities and institutes. Work in health care and rural development helped the Chinese to see that Christianity was good for the country. His efforts narrowed the gap between believers and the citizens who knew so little of Christianity.

The Communist had made a great deal of how Christianity entered China with the blessings of foreign governments and had a part in the attempted dividing up of China as Africa had been treated by the European powers. It has taken time for the truth and value of Christianity to the people as a whole.

I met Han Wenzao the first time on a rainy February day in the Nanjing Theological Seminary. It was 1984 and after an exchange of letters arrangements were made to meet. My purpose was the possibility of making a documentary film that would relate what Christians in China had been through and where they were at the moment. There were to be no foreigners in the film, only testimonies by lay and clergy.

The need for Christians around the world to learn first-hand these things drove me to see if the SBC Foreign Mission Board would back such a venture. They were not as easy to convince as Han. As we talked for hours, he ask if I were a Baptist like Jimmy Carter or Jerry Falwell. Even then he knew the difference. I was the first Baptist he had met.

The film was made by the FMB (now International Mission Board) "Winter is Past" in 1985. Han's brief appearance in the film reveal the kind of man of faith he was. He told of the people loving the Bible and the faith of the re-opening churches were completely on biblical foundations.

Now, 20 years later, Amity has published over 40 million Bibles in China. (I have often said, that Chinese Bible is the only thing made in China that Wal-Mart does not sell.)

In 1994 on one of my last visits to China Han met my plane in Beijing and drove me to my hotel. As busy as he was with the People's Consultative Conference going on at the time, he wanted to keep up with his friends. I admired his ecumenical spirit and his many international trips opened the eyes of many that China was entering a new era in Christian history.

The healing between the Christians in Taiwan and the mainland was further strengthen when Samford University honored Han and a Taiwan colleague, Chow Lien-Hwa, with doctorates. That university should be proud of such an honor at a time when healing was needed between Taiwan and mainland China.

As Philip Wickeri, close friend of the Han family, wrote: "May they [the family] find comfort in knowing that he will be remembered all over the world, and that his work for China, for the Amity Foundation and for the Church will constitute his living legacy."

Britt Towery of San Angelo was a missionary in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong for 30 years.

Posted: 2/17/06

Texas Baptist Forum

Missing a good friend

I have lost a good friend. Phil Strickland died.

Those words haven’t completely sunk in yet. He fought cancer for so long, and so courageously, I thought he might finally win the fight. Every day he whipped cancer was one more day God blessed us. Every day he fought was one more day the children of Texas had their most effective voice. Every day Phil got up and went to work, when most of us would stay home, was one more day Texas legislators knew there was a voice of reason in the chaos of the culture wars that have engulfed our state. Every day Phil fought to stay with us was one more day defenders of religious liberty had a passionate ally.

Phil Strickland was a paradox. He was as comfortable on the deer lease as he was at a black-tie affair in North Dallas. Phil was serious and incredibly funny. He was a politician and strategist who was intensely spiritual. He had white skin, but his heart belonged to African-Americans and Hispanics. He was judicious in his speech but never failed to be heard on important issues.

He would disagree with you in a strategy meeting and somehow draw you into his friendship. He was a public figure who loved his family most. He traveled the world, but his favorite vacation was a trip down a Texas river, in a canoe, with his dog.

I will miss him.

Ed Hogan

Houston

Church, state & phones

“Gospel lighthouses or cell phone towers?” (Jan. 23) seems to commend churches for using their facilities for commercial purposes. However, if the cell towers are placed in areas where there were zoning restrictions on height of a structure and where the church got exemptions from this restriction for their steeple or other structures, placing a commercial enterprise in this church structure amounts to abuse of the privileged status.

In addition, if the church is not paying taxes at the usual commercial rate for this secular endeavor, it should be. If it is not paying taxes on the cell phone facilities located on their property, this could, and perhaps should, open the church to taxation on all of its property. 

Leaders should think carefully about this “free money” to carry on the mission of the church in spite of LifeWay pushing these projects and Steeplecom making the arrangements.

The statement by Steeplecom President Tom Moylan that these commercial enterprises will funnel “millions—no, billions—of dollars into the kingdom of God” certainly makes jumping into these commercial enterprises tempting. But is it compatible with separation of church and state, or is it just using the status of the church in a commercial and secular way?   

Sherman Hope

Brownfield

Reinventing the wheel?

In the last issue of the Standard (Feb. 6), a two-page spread promoted the nine new areas of emphasis, with each area adding a congregational strategist to work alongside a regional church-planting strategist.

The accompanying story said this was an action of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.  I served until recently on the Executive Board and would have been hard to convince that we need this. It looks like we are reinventing the wheel.

We already have area missionaries or directors of missions strategically placed around the state.  Couldn’t we train them to do this work or give them assistance? The old program could use tweaking, but this looks like an overlap of strategy and emphasis.

I pastor in Dallas Baptist Association at Pleasant Terrace Baptist Church, and we have a thriving Hispanic mission.  This came about through the able work of our Dallas Baptist Association under the guidance of Gary Hearon. Some BGCT funds help, but that program already existed. 

Are we now competing with our historic and faithful associations and areas?   

George M. Mosier

Dallas

Theory, not fact

I was saddened when I read Brent Walker’s opinion about evolution (Jan. 23). It is a shame to think that Christians are willing to accept the beliefs of scientists over the infallible word of God. First Corinthians 1:18-31 teaches us about accepting the wisdom of man over the wisdom of God.

Evolution is a theory! It changes as scientists find flaws in their earlier theories that used to be taught as fact. As well, there are a great number of scientists who believe in a literal six days of creation, just as Genesis teaches us. Not all scientists believe in evolution. It should never be taught as a fact. Evolution is a theory!

This truly is a matter of faith. Could God have created the world and life in billions of years by using evolution? Sure, but did he? What does the Bible tell us? Why did God spell out very clearly in Genesis 1 that the earth was created in six literal days? (“There was evening, there was morning … .”) He clearly indicated that each day was a literal 24-hour day. He has given us his word so that we would not be deceived by the ideas of men.

Christians, it is time we stand behind the word of God, no matter what men say. Science is not foolproof and constantly changes, but the word of God is perfect and never changes. Which will you believe and teach your children?

David E. Jones

Jayton

Story of evolution

I’d like to tell my story of evolution: In 1928, I was in the fifth grade. The teacher told us we came from monkeys. I would not admit it was so. I had to sit in the corner, the first and only time I sat in a corner.

I went home and told my mother. She got the well-worn Bible down and read, “In the beginning, God … .” That was all I needed. My parents were true Christians. I still believe “In the beginning, God … .”

I believe all the Bible. In times like these, to remember “God is love” and “God is still on his throne” is hard.

Wilma Brown

Glendale, Ariz.

Jaw-dropping shock

Only rarely do I read an article that makes my jaw drop in utter shock, but Roger Olson’s article “Why ‘inerrancy’ doesn’t matter” (Feb. 6) did the trick. This professor at Truett Seminary openly advocates the Bible having mistakes.  Yet out of the other side of his mouth, he states his belief that the Bible is “infallible.” Anyone with reason would find this very strange. 

To prove the Bible wrong, he quotes 1 Corinthians 10:8 and Numbers 25:1-9, and how the first says 23,000 people died, and the second says 24,000 died.  Is it hard to believe Paul may have had access to historical records that said 23,000 died in one day, while the Numbers passage says 24,000 people died in all?

A man of faith does not trust his wits above the inspired word of God. If the Bible is wrong here, where else is the Bible mistaken?  Is the Bible also wrong about capital punishment, human sexuality/gender roles, or any other controversial issues? I am sure Olson can correct all the errors of the Bible for us. I can only assume he believes Jesus was mistaken when he said God would preserve his word until all things are fulfilled (Matthew 5:18).

While I am deeply saddened by Olson’s thoughts, there will never be a better advertisement for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

Tim Overton

Louisville, Ky.

Petty bickering

My thanks to Roger Olson for his objective and informative article about a word that has, unfortunately, divided Southern Baptists into two factions.

We Baptists better do as the Bible admonishes us to do: Quit this petty bickering over selfish interests and get on with the work we are supposed to be about—spreading the gospel of Christ.

Rex A. Reddy

Corsicana

Paul’s numbers

While agreeing with Roger Olson (Feb. 6) that some on both sides of the inerrancy discussion are being way too disagreeable, I do need to respectfully point out the verses he cited do not appear to show that the Apostle Paul made a mistake as he claims.

In Numbers 25:9, the New English Translation Bible reads, “Those who died by the plague were 24,000.” In Numbers 25:4-5, an indefinite number of leaders were to be arrested and executed, and in Numbers 25:8, an execution ends the plague. These events appear to cover more than one day and would indicate that deaths occurred by execution as well as the plague. Moses totaled all deaths from the plague during its run, which is a different group of deaths than Paul cited.

The New English Translation Bible shows Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:8 as, “23,000 died in a single day.”

Note that Paul appears to describe the number who died from either cause in one day, while Moses describes the total number of people who died from the plague.

There is no external evidence to prove or disprove the correctness of either man’s number; and without the number of executions or the days during which deaths from either cause occurred, one should not use Moses’ number to unequivocally declare Paul’s number to be a mistake.

Rod Norville

Houston

Religion and Evolution: mutually exclusive

There’s no greater dichotomy than the difference between religion and evolution (Jan. 23). They are mutually exclusive!

Evolution, the belief that we all came from a gas explosion 12 billion years ago, is not only not scientific, it violates every known law of science and was long ago disproved. Scientifically, evolution couldn’t start, nor is there a mechanism to propel it from protozoa to people.

Louis Bounoure, president of the Biological Society of Strasbourg, said, “Evolution is a fairy tale for grown-ups.”

T.N. Tahmisian of the Atomic Energy Commission, said, “In explaining evolution, we do not have one iota of fact.”

Malcolm Muggeridge, said, “Evolution … will be one of the great jokes in the history books of the future.”

Intelligent design should be taught in science class, and evolution should be relegated to a philosophical discussion in social studies. The foolish decisions made by courts and judges, turning our Constitution on its head, are legendary. It’s no surprise when they come down on the wrong side of this issue.

What is surprising is that any ordained Baptist minister would champion teaching America’s children lies in science class rather than truth.

Brian Burgess

Peacock

Coretta Scott King

Thousands of mourners waited for hours in freezing rain at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church and the state capitol rotunda to pay their respects to the “first lady of the civil rights movement,” Coretta Scott King. President Bush and former President Clinton led the list of dignitaries at memorial services.

Coretta Scott King was much more than a devoted wife and partner of the celebrated civil rights leader. She traveled throughout the globe on behalf of peace and nonviolence, racial and economic justice, minority rights, religious freedom, the poor and homeless, educational opportunities, nuclear disarmament and ecological sanity. She helped found organizations advocating social justice, received honorary doctorates from more than 60 colleges and universities, and wrote three books and a nationally syndicated column.

Coretta Scott King was also a vegan, who eschewed all products of animal suffering, including meat, dairy, eggs, leather and cosmetics containing animal ingredients or tested on animals. Her strong belief in peace and nonviolence extended to the violence perpetrated against billions of innocent sentient animals in America’s factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Her passion for justice extended to the most downtrodden living beings on the planet—the animals bred, abused and killed for food, fur, research and entertainment.

Coretta Scott King truly practiced what she preached. And for that, I salute her.

Damian Hale

Dallas

Commandments for Gentiles

Amen to Roger Olsen for asserting “why inerrancy doesn’t matter” (Feb. 6)! It seems inerrancy is to fundamentalists as anti-communism was to Joseph McCarthey. Hint of it, and you are blackballed.

I agree with Olson. Furthermore, I put my trust in God himself to guide me into his way, whether it is in his book, my circumstances, instruction from my fellow Christians and any number of ways that God can impress upon me through his Holy Spirit. 

That said, I have another question. According to Acts 15, the council in Jerusalem decided that the Gentiles should not be burdened with the laws as given by Moses. Instead, they accepted that God himself was living in people and that salvation was by faith alone in Jesus. Therefore, they decided to reduce the “commandments” to the following: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.”

Why post the Ten Commandments? We Gentiles only have these four given to us by God through the Jerusalem Council. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to post these four?

We don’t really “get it.” The important thing is the continual relationship/communication with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit—not a “to do or not to do” list without errors!

Steve Livengood

Stamford

Love not the world or Super Sunday

The Bible says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The one loving the world does not have the love of the Father in him. For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world is passing away and the desire of it; but theone doing the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Jesus said, “I do not pray for the world” (John 17:9).

Jesus also said, “I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

Jesus added, “They (his followers) are not of the world.” Also, “The world has hated them because they (his followers) are not of the world” (John 17:14).

So, what do we do? We (the church) take the world into our churches and try to sanctify the world by having “Super Bowl Sunday” to entice the young people to fellowship around the world.

What kind of conflicting message are we giving to our young people? No wonder the church has lost its spiritual power.

Ernest V. May Jr.

Livingston

Making God a liar

Apparently, we do not have any journalists who are Bible scholars who would know the teaching of the evolution of man makes God a liar. It is recorded, “He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son” (1 John 5:10). That record is the first book of Moses, called Genesis, and the last book of Revelations.

Would there be an editor of religion who would know that “all flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes and another of birds” (1 Corinthians 15:39).

For those who have never read the Bible, the creation of Adam and Eve was as adults without any parents (Genesis 1:26-27) by God.

Those who teach the evolution of man are making God a liar the same as those who approve of homosexuality, and they are guilty of it.

In a nation under God, we have ungodly teaching.

B.D. Norman

Dallas

Inflated egos

Why does the Baptist circle grow smaller? The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board has decreed missionary applicants must be baptized in Southern Baptist churches, etc. The Apostle Peter warns, “There are people who are deliberately stupid, and always demand some unusual interpretation” (2 Peter 3:16).

Stupid is not the complete answer. Inflated egos must continuously be fed by making new rules. 

IMB trustees might go for this: Require all missionaries to be baptized by trustees where Jesus was baptized. Wouldn’t that be great?

Since God changed the course of the river, sand would have to substitute for water.  “Covered with sand” is a better picture of being buried.  

If egos had weight, some would need wheelbarrows.    

Rex Ray

Bonham

Bible will defend itself

Hooray for that 19th century British Baptist, whoever he was, who refused to enter the biblical inerrancy debate of his age, the Downgrade Controversy.

He held: “Who? Me? I’d just as soon defend a lion or a tiger. Just turn the Bible loose; it’ll defend itself.”

John Slay

Dallas

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/20/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Landmarks

By Berry Simpson

The guys and I were sitting around discussing our current book, Soul Salsa, by Leonard Sweet, and we spent some time on this question: What was the best day of your life, and what was the worst day of your life?

Sweet believes disciples should landmark the moments in their lives. It’s important to know when you’re having one of life’s best moments, or worst. And we should landmark both in our memories. Not to simply be stuck in the past, but as an exercise to remind us that it’s the individual moments that make our lives worth living.

Answering the question is harder than it sounds, because we tend to round off our memories and don’t dwell on specific days. We all had to think hard to decide on best and worst.

For me, I decided my worst day was in the summer of 1986, when my employer told me I was no longer being transferred to California. Four months earlier, the vice president of operations offered me a position as district engineer in the Rio Vista office. On paper, it was a parallel transfer, but with respect to budget and activity and company visibility, it was a big opportunity to step up the corporate ladder. Cyndi and I traveled to Lodi, Calif., to look around and meet my future co-workers, and even though there were no houses we could afford to buy or rent, we were very excited about making the move.

Well, toward the end of May, still in Texas, I was in a quarterly production meeting with a lot of bosses when the regional manager pulled me aside and told me my transfer was going to be delayed for awhile and, in the meantime, see if I could hang out with the vice presidents in the room and try to make a good impression. I was stunned. I’d planned to leave for California the next day, we’d sold our extra car, Cyndi quit her job, we’d attended going-away parties, we were ready to go, and now I was supposed to enter some corporate fraternity rush to make a good impression to earn the position I’d already been offered. It was humiliating.

The delay stretched across the summer, leaving us feeling homeless and unneeded. Finally, months later, the regional manager told me the entire transfer had been canceled. The future was over.

That was my worst day. I felt like a failure to my family because I didn’t make the cut. I thought I’d never be one of the big boys. In fact, I never really recovered. After that day, I never worked late or worked as hard as before, and the best of my imagination and creativity—my best assets—went to other ventures and no longer to my job.

My best day was in 1983 when I ran my first marathon, the Golden Yucca Marathon, in Hobbs, N.M.

It was an unlikely best-day scenario. The race had only a handful of runners, so most of the time I was running entirely alone with no other runners visible in front of me or behind me. Cyndi was off in Lubbock at a seminar; my parents who lived in Hobbs were out of town for some reason; my grandmother was in town to cheer me on except that she was actually at my parent’s house babysitting Byron (3 years old) and Katie (6 months old).

It was raining when I crossed the finish line. Two race officials stood in the rain to record my time and my name on a clipboard, and then they ran back inside out of the rain. I stood alone in the middle of the road, rain falling on my head, my entire body was soaked in sweat and rain water, feeling like the king of the world.

I knew at that moment that I could do anything. Anything! I’d slipped over the imaginary line when no one was watching, and I was changed forever. I knew I’d never be a fast runner—I had the wrong body type and wrong metabolism—but I knew I would always be a marathoner. Like George Sheehan wrote, “I not only became a man, but accepted the man I was.” Standing in the rain, I was a manly man—no, I was The Man. It was a beat-the-chest moment. It was one of the best days of my life.

So you may ask: “Why should I care about Berry’s best or worst day?” In fact, you probably shouldn’t. But in reading my stories, maybe you remembered your own more clearly. Remembering those stories adds value to the moments of our lives.

Berry Simpson, a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland. You can contact him through e-mail at berry@stonefoot.org.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

RIGHT OR WRONG? Christians and politics

Question: How can I convey to my congregation the necessary, but appropriate, ways to interface and engage as Christians in the political context?

Answer: I’ve been told that if you want to make friends and influence people, you should never talk about religion or politics. If talking about religion and politics is not a good idea, imagine trying to find appropriate ways to relate the two. However, let me propose my Top 10 Ways for Christians to Engage Political Issues:

10. Remember that Christians are citizens of two kingdoms. Jesus recognized this with his response to a question about paying taxes: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:25). Jesus came preaching the reality of God’s kingdom to people expected to declare allegiance to the Roman emperor.

9. Uphold Christ’s ideals. Though living in two worlds, Jesus never lowered his standards to gain a following. Christians ought to maintain a tension between what is and what ought to be.

8. Find common ground within these ideals. Dialogue among believers and nonbelievers will reveal areas of agreement. Major themes of justice for all, compassion for the poor, the sacredness of human life and God’s concern for his creation should form the agenda for our involvement.

7. Maintain dialogue when consensus cannot be reached. Listen to both sides of controversial issues. Good people may disagree. Work with those with whom you differ. Continued discussion may generate new and better Christian responses.

6. Sort out what is true from what is not. Christians are bombarded from different directions with conflicting information. What you are hearing from others may not be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

5. Get the facts and know the rules. The issues we face are complex and complicated. Be informed. Research the issues. Determine appropriate and legal ways to address issues. For example, God and prayer have not been taken out of public schools. There are restrictions, but there also is a means for proper access. Start with the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty’s website for issues of church and individual involvement in school and government: www.bjcpa.org/resources/publications.htm. The Baptist General Convention of Texas Christian Life Commis-sion’s website also provides many helps: www.bgct.org/ TexasBaptists/Page.aspx?&pid= 2391&srcid=178.

4. Acknowledge our limitations. We are hampered in what we can accomplish because we live in a diverse society as well as in a world where sin flourishes. We are restrained by our own limited time and resources. But remember that you change the world if you only change one person.

3. Address a broad range of ethical issues. Trends suggest the issues that concern most Christians are abortion, homosexuality, and religious activity and displays in public places. Expand your concern. People are hungry and without shelter through no fault of their own, racism persists, and we have yet to realize “peace on earth.”

2. Get involved. From the political side, Christians are free to join the public conversation. From the Christian side, Christians are obligated to engage. Share information with others in your church. Visit with school administrators. Keep in contact with local, state and federal government officials. Join or form coalitions that address issues and seek change. Vote.

1. Pray. Our sovereign God cares about the world and all that dwells therein. Pray for God’s intervention. Pray for God to guide you as you get involved.

David Morgan, pastor

Trinity Baptist Church

Harker Heights

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

AROUND THE STATE

• Youth With a Mission will host Take Action, a free youth event, March 4. Take Action will show participants the world of missions through video, drama, music and multimedia presentations. It also will feature workshops, exhibits, speakers and contemporary worship music. The event is free and includes a sack lunch, but a $5 donation is requested to offset costs. It will be held at Twin Oaks Ranch, six miles west of Lindale from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (903) 882-5591.

• Eight vocalists from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will join more than 250 college singers from across the southwestern United States in performing at the American Choir Director’s Convention in St. Louis, Mo., March 10. Making the trip will be Austin Daniel, Amanda Cantu, Megan Bender, Jonathan Owens, Christa Wright, Reagan Cush-man, James Venable and John Cawthon.

• A Senior Saints Summit will be held May 15-18 at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. This year’s theme, “Being the Presence of Christ” will be led by Russell Dilday, preaching; Larry Putman, music; Bill Muske, morning devotionals; and Charlie Robinson, Bible study. Cost is $125 per person or $240 per couple before March 27. Costs increase $10 after that date. Add $20 for single occupancy. Fees include all sessions and nine meals. To register or for information, call (254) 295-4606.

• Dallas Baptist University was the host of the annual Christian Association of Stu-dent Leaders conference. Spon-sored by Texas Baptist universities and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the conference seeks to encourage fellow student leaders to make a difference on their campuses through workshops, roundtable discussions and general meeting sessions.

Pastor Jerry Raines of Hampton Road Church in DeSoto baptized 100-year-old Zula Campagna Feb. 5. Assisting Raines were Joe Bob and Chris Kindred, Campagna’s grandson and great-grandson.

• Gale Pollock, William McKinney, Priscilla Owen and Gary Keller have been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Baylor Alumni Association. A 1986 graduate, Pollock is chief of the Army Nurse Corps. McKinney, a 1959 graduate, is a professor of psychiatry and director of the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders at Northwestern University. Owen is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and a 1976 graduate. Keller is co-founder and chairman of the board of a real estate company he began four years after his 1979 graduation.

• East Texas Baptist University has won three national marketing awards. The awards, presented by Admissions Marketing Report, included a gold award for the school’s “Tiger Eyes” T-shirt. A 30-second commercial and a billboard also were commended.

• The Houston Baptist University mock trial team competed in a national invitataional tournament and finished 13th in a field of 34. Derrick Owens was named an “outstanding attorney” at the tournament for his performance.

Anniversaries

• Sandy Grisham, 25th, as child development director at Pioneer Drive Church in Abilene, Jan. 1.

• Second Church in La Grange, 20th, Jan. 15. Ellis McKinzie is pastor.

• Chet Haney, 10th, as pastor of Parkside Church in Denison, Feb. 1.

• Roy Marshall, 30th, as pastor of First Church in Hewitt, Feb. 12.

• Kenneth Wells, 25th, as pastor of Northview Church in Lewisville, Feb. 15.

• Lowell Addy, 10th, as business administrator at First Church in Wichita Falls, Feb. 25.

• Allen Reed, 25th, as pastor of First Church in Nacogdoches, March 1.

• The Heights Church in Richardson, 50th, March 5. Former pastors Charles Vander-slice, Earl Craig and Phil Lineberger will attend the 9:30 a.m. service, as will Sue Lewis, widow of former pastor Ron Lewis. A fellowship time will follow in the Atrium at 11 a.m. Gary Singleton is pastor.

Retiring

• Butch Gott, as pastor of Harvest Acres Church in Mineola, Dec. 31, after more than six years. He was in the ministry 30 years, including tenures as pastor of Cate Street Church in Bridgeport and as youth minister at First Church in Paradise. He will continue to live in Mineola and is available for pulpit supply and evangelist work.

• Pat Riley, as pastor of First Church in Cisco, Jan. 8. He served the church two years and had been in the ministry 27 years, including 13 years at Calvary Church in Brownfield.

• Dick Sawyer, as pastor of Nesbitt Church in Marshall, Jan. 28. He had been the church’s pastor since 1995, but Nesbitt also was his first congregation to pastor in 1963. He also was pastor of De Berry Church in De Berry, Athey Church in Harleton and Clearview Church in Marshall.

• Joan Feeler, as children’s minister at First Church in Flower Mound, Sept 30. She served the church four years.

Deaths

• Paul Chambliss, 86, Jan. 21 in Lubbock. A retired pastor, he had served churches in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada. The Texas churches he served were Bethel Church in Plainview and First Church in Nolanville. While living in Vernon following his retirement, he also was a supply preacher for the area. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Gladys, a granddaughter, two brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Barbara; sons, Paul and Louis; step-daughters, Debora DeLuna and Brenda Trevino; step-sons, Dwayne, Gilbert and Brian Oakley; three grandchildren; 11 step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild.

• D.C. Mangum Jr., 65, in Baytown. He was a pastor 37 years, serving congregations that included First Church in Aubrey, Broadway Church in Galveston (now University Church), First Church in Hooks and First Church in Linden. Following retirement, he was a member of Cedar Bayou Church in Baytown, but later accepted the call to be pastor of Coady Church in Baytown. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Joan; daughter, Robin DeMent; son, Delbert; sister, Sharon Dyer; brothers, David and Kenneth; and two grandsons.

Events

• First Church in Midland will host Team Impact Feb. 22-26. A team of world-class athletes, Team Impact will perform feats of strength as they share the gospel. They also will perform in 40 schools in the Midland area as they teach about making wise choices. The events at the church will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (432) 683-0608. Gary Dyer is pastor.

• Cowboy Church of Ellis County will begin holding Sunday evening singing beginning March 5. The church does not have Sunday evening services, but will begin holding the music services on the first Sunday of each month. Music will include bluegrass, Christian country, Southern gospel and cowboy gospel. Also, the chongregation moved into its new building recently with 2,310 in attendance for the opening. Gary Morgan is pastor.

Ordained

• Jeremy Johnston to the ministry at Colonial Hills Church in Cedar Hill.

• Glenn Killam to the ministry at White Creek Church in George West.

• Paul Davis to the ministry at Richland Hills Church in Fort Worth.

• Doug Bilyeu, Wayne Mulkey and Lynn Smith as deacons at First Church in Wichita Falls.

• Don Gatewood as a deacon at Richland Hills Church in Fort Worth.

• David Bownds, Milton Tyson and Dan Jenkins as deacons at First Church in Amarillo.

Revivals

• First Church, Refugio; Feb. 19-22; evangelist, Walter Knight; music, The Newberrys; pastor, David Parks.

• First Church, Kountze; Feb. 26-March 1; evangelist, Steve Brumbelow; pastor, Tony Thornton.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

Buckner adoption

Adopting a child of another race brings joy along with “a fair share of challenges, acknowledges Adela Jones, clinical director for Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services. “While your love for your child is unconditional, the world we live in demands that you deal with sometimes-difficult issues.”

In response to interest from families who have adopted across color lines, Buckner has launched Shades of Love, a family-oriented support group that will include quarterly group sharing sessions, topical seminars, fun family outings and playtime for the children.

Two founding families will lead Shades of Love, and members will determine the group’s evolution, Jones said. Shades of Love is open to everyone who has adopted a child of color, whether or not the adoption was through Buckner.

Jones asked for input from interested families, “a few families willing to share the responsibility of shepherding the group” and ongoing participation.

For more information on Shades of Love, contact Buckner Adoption and Maternity services at (214) 319-3426 or visit the website, www.buckneradoption.org for Shades of Love announcements and meeting times.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

Adoptive families find God’s love across racial lines

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner Benevolences

AUBREY—With her pigtails, purple separates and painted fingernails, 5-year-old Quincy is the quintessential girly girl. She even slurps fruit juice with gentility—pinkie extended, lips lightly pursed around the straw.

She is her mother made-over—apart from one feature. Quincy is black. Her mom, Heather Walden, is white—a bond made possible through adoption.

“You’ve heard the argument, is personality nurture or nature? Well, I say it’s a little bit of both,” said her father, Chris Walden. “I love that Quincy likes pink, frilly dresses and tea parties. And our son Jeremiah, well, he’s all boy—rough and tumble.”

Gender identity aside, the children also have a healthy sense of their birth-cultures, thanks to the couple’s savvy efforts to promote diversity in their home and community. Walden and his wife of 13 years adopted the African-American twins at birth through Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services after a four-year struggle with infertility.

Chris Walden plays with his adopted twin children, Quincy and Jeremiah.

“A couple of years before we decided to adopt, Heather was listening to KCBI (radio), and they were talking about children who were hard to place,” Walden recalled. “At that point, they had about three or four African-American children that needed to be adopted. They said for anyone who was interested to contact Buckner.”

Walden, pastor of Rock Hill Baptist Church in rural Aubrey, said they made the decision to adopt across racial lines carefully and prayerfully. Among their considerations: Does a white family have what it takes to teach black children about their history, instill ethnic pride and equip them to stand strong against racism?

If the timbre in the Walden home today is any indication, the answer is “yes.” Beyond strategic placement of black art and regular visits from black friends, the Waldens are deliberate in educating Quincy and Jeremiah about history, race, racism and their identity in Christ. Heavy topics for young minds, but the Waldens are resolute. Alongside Thomas the Train and Barbie memorabilia are richly illustrated children’s books about slavery, segregation, integration and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Then there’s Quincy’s personal favorite, Horace, about a spotted leopard adopted by stripped tigers who goes in search of his roots only to discover that home is where the heart is, and your family doesn’t have to look like you to love you.

Mrs. Walden, a stay-at-home mother, launched a personal crusade to get more children’s books like Horace depicting diverse characters in her local library. And it worked.

Adela Jones, clinical director for Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, applauds the family’s efforts.

“Adoptive parents who are flexible, open-minded and have diversity in their relationships are ideally suited for trans-racial placements,” she said. “The wise ones know that color-blind love isn’t always enough, because the world we live in still sees black and white.”

Once vilified by the National Association of Black Social Workers for robbing children of their cultural identity, trans-racial adoption is increasingly more common and accounts for 20 percent of domestic placements at Buckner.

“It is a viable solution for children languishing in foster care,” Jones contended. “But its success largely depends on honesty and open communication among families. Children placed trans-racially must learn their history, receive affirmation for who and what they are, and be surrounded by other people who look like them.”

Despite such strategies, families report that even their trips to the supermarket can be met with insensitivity and resistance.

“If we’re out as a family, I feel very comfortable. It’s when it’s me with them by myself that I get ‘disapproving’ looks,” Mrs. Walden said, recalling an incident at her local grocer when a cashier took one look at the children and asked if she would be paying with food stamps.

“People stare, children taunt and strangers ask rude questions. To be constantly asked, ‘Are you the baby-sitter?’ or ‘Is your husband black?’ can be trying. Some days I want to tell them, ‘My life is none of your business,’” said Melanie Avent, adoptive mother of Gracen, 6, and Ross, 4—both biracial.

Being part of a multiracial family invariably heightens awareness of racism and often inspires parents to action, Jones continued.

That’s why dialogues about difference are common in the Avent household in Waxahachie.

As she flips through pages of The Underground Railroad coloring book chronicling black slaves’ efforts to escape captivity, Mrs. Avent said: “I know that I’m not ever going to experience the amount of racism that an African-American would and that my children will, but in some ways I’m glad (the stares and negative comments) are happening so I can have some sort of personal experience to draw on when they need my help with that kind of thing.”

Most distributing, she said, is some people’s assumption that she adopted children of color as an act of charity.

“What they don’t understand is I needed them even more than they needed me. We went through in vitro two times, and it didn’t work for us. But we knew that adoption would work. When it came time to go to Buckner, and we were asked to make a choice of what race of child we would accept, we didn’t have to think about it. Maybe that sounds a little naïve. We just knew that God would bring our children to us, and he would work it all out.”

Both the Avent and Walden families recently joined the Shades of Love support group Buckner founded to encourage families who have adopted across color lines.

The kickoff meeting held Jan. 21 drew more than 10 families who discussed topics ranging from ethnic hair care to teaching children how to counter unkind comments.

“I wanted my children to see that we’re not a strange family,” Mrs. Avent said.

“This is our normal, and it’s normal for other people, too. They can make friends that are just like them, and I can make friends that have some of the same experiences that I have.”

Her husband, John, expressed his thoughts about the couple’s adoption journey.

“As time passes, you think of them less as adopted kids or black kids. They are just our kids,” he said. “We show them God’s love and teach them it’s not what’s on the outside that matters. It’s what’s on the inside.”

And the couple has gotten nods from the children’s birthmothers. Mrs. Avent was present in the delivery room when Ross was born and maintains close ties with Gracen’s birthmother and birthfather.

“I met the Avents at the Buckner domestic adoption picnic, and we hit it off immediately,” said Gracen’s birthmother, Laura Clowers, who is white.

“I’d been struggling financially and saw adoption as the best option for Gracen. I talked to several agencies, but I felt best about Buckner. The Avents are committed to each other and committed to providing a home filled with love and one that teaches their children to be proud of who they are. They are wise and loving and give me confidence that I made the right decision.”

The affirmation brings a smile to Mrs. Avent’s face.

As she glanced across the room at Gracen and Ross playing contently, she paused then said: “God created them, and he wanted them to be who they are. He wanted them to have brown skin and dark, curly hair and brown eyes. And he wanted their mom to have white skin and straight hair and blue eyes. They are what children between me and John look like. And I think they’re beautiful.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

BAPTIST BRIEFS

Florida church considers Dallas pastor. Mac Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, was slated to preach in view of a call to First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 19. Jerry Vines has been pastor of the Jacksonville church 23 years. Brunson, 48, has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas since 1999, and also serves as chancellor of Criswell College. He made announcements about the call of the Jacksonville church in each of his church’s three morning worship services Feb. 12. Brunson served previously in churches in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. He was president of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference in 2003. Brunson and his wife, Debbie, have three children. He is a graduate of Furman University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Ministers tax guide available. Ministers can find help in preparing their 2005 federal income tax returns from an annual tax guide published by GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The free guide details recent changes to tax laws and their effect on ministers written by Richard Hammar, a CPA, attorney and widely published author who specializes in legal and tax issues for ministers. GuideStone’s legal and compliance staff edits the guide to address tax issues that affect the greatest number of Southern Baptist pastors. The tax guide can be obtained in an electronic format by visiting the GuideStone website at www.GuideStone.org. Copies can also be obtained by calling customer service at (888) 98-GUIDE (984-8433) between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays.

N.M. Baptists elect executive director. After a 17-month-long search, the Baptist Convention of New Mexico has unanimously elected Joseph Bunce as executive director. The assignment became effective immediately. A New Mexico native, Bunce served as pastor of churches in New Mexico and Missouri while getting his education. He earned a bachelors degree from Eastern New Mexico University, a master of divinity degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California. He now serves as a member of the Golden Gate Seminary board. Bunce replaces Claude Cone, who announced his plans for retirement in July 2004. Cone will continue to serve as the convention’s executive director emeritus and pastor of Monterey Baptist Church in Albuquerque.

National Campers on Mission rally set. Campers on Mission will hold its national rally June 7-9 at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem, N.C. The event is timed so participants can join in activities related to Crossover Triad, an outreach effort designed to coincide with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in nearby Greensboro, June 13-14. Scheduled speakers at the rally include James Atkins, pastor of West Asheville Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., and Ken Hemphill, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and current strategist for the SBC’s Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis. Registration forms and further information are available at www.comnatrally2006.org, from state COM presidents or by e-mailing comnatrally2006@yahoo.com. Rally coordinator Joyce Camp can be reached at (336) 407-3250.

Ouachita seeks new education dean. Ouachita Baptist University has formed a search committee to find a new dean for the Michael D. Huckabee School of Education. Stan Poole, vice president for academic affairs at Ouachita, will chair the committee. Current Dean Jeanna Westmoreland will leave Ouachita in June when her husband, Andrew Westmoreland, becomes president of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

SBC registration opens. Churches that plan to send messengers to the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C., can register online. Registration also is open for families who plan to enroll children in the preschool child care or the children’s conference, scheduled in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting. For registration information, visit www.sbc.net and click on “2006 SBC Annual Meeting.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

BOOK REVIEW: Baptists shape church
leaders of third millennium, author says

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

FORT WORTH—As Christianity’s center of gravity shifts to the Southern Hemisphere, Baptists and likeminded evangelicals stand on the threshold of tremendous opportunity, said retired missions professor Justice Anderson.

Although Catholics have enjoyed established status in Latin America and Pentecostals groups have experienced explosive growth there, Baptists occupy “the golden mean between Roman Catho-licism and Pentecostal extremes,” said Anderson, who served as a missionary-professor 16 years at the International Baptist Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and 26 years as professor of missiology at South-western Baptist Theo-logical Seminary.

Latin American Baptists—and other evangelicals who share baptistic be-liefs—can expect to assume increasing influence on global Christianity, since Third World Christians account for 60 percent of the total Christian population and evangelicalism is the dominant force in global Christianity, he noted.

“Without doubt, the leadership of Christianity, in the third millennium of its history, will be found in the South,” Anderson concluded.

That means Christians in the Northern Hemisphere must learn to “take a servant’s role” alongside—and often under the direction—of Christians in the South, he insisted.

Baptists’ role in shaping these Christian leaders for the third millennium reaches beyond those who call themselves “Baptist,” Anderson asserted.

Baptists’ emphasis on the Bible also has helped both Roman Catholicism and the Pentecostal and charismatic groups in Latin America “come to a strong evangelical center,” he said.

“There’s a greater Catholic interest in individual Bible study, and the Catholic Church is seeing the impact of Bible study being done by all the people and not just the priests,” he said. “Baptists have helped Pentecostals come to a more wholesome understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit that is based not just on experience but grounded in Scripture.”

But any discussion of Baptists and their impact on Latin America has to include the larger evangelical community, Anderson discovered as he set out to write a history of Baptists in Latin America.

“It is impossible to extract Latin American Baptists from the evangelical context from which they sprang,” he wrote in An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and their Precursors in Latin America.

Early Protestant missionaries to Latin America came largely from the Free Church tradition—including Moravians and Anabaptists. And even Anglicans, Lutherans and Reformed Christians discovered they essentially had to operate as free churches in countries where Roman Catholicism was the established church, he noted.

“This hodge-podge of Protestant pioneers gradually jelled into what I call ‘an evangelical community’—a Protestant movement—from which structured denominations gradually evolved. … However, these new denominations refused to isolate themselves from their larger ‘evangelical community’ in which they developed,” he wrote.

Baptists grew in Latin America because of both “providential” and “intentional” precursors—evangelical missionaries from varied denominational backgrounds, Anderson concluded.

“Many of these had no desire to be Baptists, and certainly did not intentionally promote the growth of a Baptist denomination,” he wrote. “But being faithful to the propagation and defense of … evangelical principles …, they prepared the soil for an emerging Baptist denomination.”

In addition to highlighting groups and individuals who paved the way for Baptist work in Latin America, Anderson’s 637-page history published by Xulon Press includes country-by-country histories of Baptists throughout the region.

Much of the book is an English translation and updating of volumes he originally wrote in Spanish.

Anderson committed himself to the extensive task of reworking and expanding his manuscript partly because he felt Latin American Baptists received inadequate attention in most English church history books, and partly because he wanted Hispanic Baptists in the United States to understand their heritage.

“Hispanic Baptists should not see themselves as an appendage to our (Anglo) heritage,” he stressed. “They have a history and heritage of their own. And it’s an exciting story.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

Church fire investigations ongoing

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

CENTREVILLE, Ala. (ABP)—Federal officials continue their investigation as 10 Baptist churches in rural Alabama burned in two weeks. Authorities speculated the rash of fires could be the work of two arsonists who may be “bosom buddies.”

The most recent blaze claimed the Beaverton Freewill Baptist Church, located near the Mississippi border in the northwestern part of the state. Inspectors said the fire was the work of an arsonist, and they noted witness reports about two white males in a dark-colored SUV at the scene of several of the crimes.

“They’re not youths or teens,” said Eric Kehn, a spokesman for the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency. “It’s probably someone in their 20s or 30s. We believe they’re pretty much inseparable. They’re something like bosom buddies.”

Possible clues as to the identities of the suspects include a fingerprint from the side of a front door and a footprint found outside the back of Dancy First Baptist Church near Aliceville, The Christian Post reported. Officials also have determined that in several of the fires, the perpetrators followed the same routine—kicking in the front door of each church, setting the fire near the pulpit and escaping through the back.

Investigators said the arsonists could have set the fires in response to outside stress involving “family, relationships, work, (or) the economy.” They invited the suspects to begin a “dialogue” with them in order to reach a resolution.

To that end, locals have advertised a special phone line, post office box and e-mail address created for potential contact from the perpetrators. State and federal rewards top $10,000 for evidence leading to an arrest.

Out of the 10 fires, the latest blaze was the only one set during daylight. Possible motives for the fires seem to exclude racial hatred, since half of the churches had mostly African-American congregations, and the other half had mostly white congregations. All were Baptist, although at least three separate Baptist denominations are among the victims.

Beaverton, which has around 200 residents, lies about 85 miles northwest of Birmingham.

Rick Lance, the executive director of the Alabama Baptist Convention’s board, responded to the latest fire with a statement released through the group’s website. In it, he told the perpetrators that, despite their acts, they faced strongly committed congregations “seeking to be certain that good comes out of evil.”

Lance said while the buildings have burned, the real church consists of the people.

“Churches, like families, can go through trying times—such as what was experienced in the wave of hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast last fall,” Lance said. “Yet there is a resilience of faith which characterizes the congregations. They personify the kind of courage and compassion I believe the Lord blesses. That is a testimony of undefeatable determination and dedication.”

The series of fires began with five small Baptist churches in rural Bibb County, Ala., about 50 miles southwest of Birmingham, the night of Feb. 2-3. The fires completely destroyed Ashby Baptist Church in Brierfield, Rehobeth Baptist Church in Randolph and Pleasant Sabine Baptist Church near Centreville. The other two churches, Old Union Baptist in Brierfield and Antioch Baptist in Antioch, sustained damage but escaped complete destruction.

Fire damaged four more rural Baptist churches in Alabama the morning of Feb. 7. The second batch of fires occurred near the Alabama-Mississippi boarder, in sparsely populated Greene, Pickens and Sumter counties, roughly 60 miles from the fires in Bibb County.

Fire completely destroyed Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, near Boligee, and Dancy Baptist Church, near Aliceville. Galilee Baptist Church in Panola and Church Spring Valley Baptist Church near Emelle suffered some damage.

Local congregations have rallied to provide support to their sister churches. The Alabama Baptist Convention arranged a fund for donations and deployed mobile chapels so congregations can continue meeting.

Workers at Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries also have offered free counseling for members of affected churches at no cost, according to The Alabama Baptist.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 2/17/06

IMB backs away from trustee removal

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP)—Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board will ask the agency’s trustees to rescind an action that asked for the removal of a trustee.

But the trustee in question, Wade Burleson of Oklahoma, said the controversy that has erupted over the board’s action isn’t over.

IMB Chairman Tom Hatley confirmed the board’s executive committee will recommend the reversal at a March 20-21 meeting in Florida. Hatley is pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Rogers, Ark.

In January, the board voted to recommend removal of Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla.

In a press release following the action, IMB officials charged Burleson with “broken trust and resistance to accountability” because of an Internet weblog, or blog, he has maintained.

On his blog, Burleson has criticized previous board actions placing theological restrictions on missionary appointees that he—and other Southern Baptists—have said far eclipse SBC doctrinal consensus.

The board’s press release said trustees did not take the action because of Burleson’s opposition to the new policies, but because of the way he conducted his dissent. Because trustees of Southern Baptist agencies are elected by SBC messengers, they can only be removed by action of the full convention. It meets in June in Greensboro, N.C.

In a statement following the January meeting, Hatley said: “This difficult measure was not taken without due deliberation and exploration of other ways to handle an impasse. … The trustees consider this a rare and grievous action but one that was absolutely necessary for the board to move forward in its duties as prescribed by the SBC.”

Asked to explain IMB leaders’ change of heart, Hatley said, “It’s mainly (that) we discovered more options for handling trustee relationships than we thought we had.”

A Feb. 14 story released through Baptist Press, the SBC’s official public relations agency, reported the IMB executive committee’s decision to reverse was made Feb. 10.

In his Feb. 16 blog, Burleson said that while he felt IMB trustees overreacted, he had been prepared to take his case to messengers to the SBC annual meeting.

“I, and others on the board, did not want this issue to go before the convention in the first place,” he wrote. “We felt the motion to remove was unsubstantiated, without precedent, and occurred without any attempts at mediation. The first time I ever heard of the motion was the day it was presented. Nobody had come to me privately to tell me what they were going to do.

“However, once the recommendation for my removal for ‘gossip and slander’ had been read into the public record, I was fully prepared to provide my defense. … Since the board chose to make this issue public, if there is to be ‘discipline’ it would need to be of a public nature.”

Now, even though IMB leaders have backtracked, the issue may not die down quietly.

The trustees’ original attempt to oust Burleson has set off controversy among Southern Baptist bloggers and chatrooms. Some have cast the conflict in generational terms, with the old guard of conservatives who led the SBC’s rightward shift during the 1980s butting heads with a cadre of younger leaders who, while also conservative, want more power.

Bloggers also have speculated the conflict involved disagreements among powerful SBC officials over the leadership of IMB President Jerry Rankin.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.