Posted: 12/01/06

Poverty trumps hot-button issues with most voters

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—”Kitchen-table” issues like poverty and greed were more important to voters in this year’s midterm elections than issues usually trumpeted by religious groups, recent surveys revealed.

Commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, the survey reported that faith groups who told voters to consider kitchen-table issues when voting had a 20 point higher national favorability rating than religious groups that told people to vote for candidates according to views on abortion and same-sex marriage.

Poll organizers agreed the results demonstrate a growing trend among religious groups to rally around issues like peace in Iraq and poverty rather than more polarizing topics like abortion.

And the findings could help determine voting priorities for people of faith in 2008.

The post-election poll tallied responses from 16,477 voters nationwide, including 4,186 Catholics, 3,807 “born-again” Christians and 6,032 frequent church participants. It was conducted Nov. 7-10 by Zogby International.

Katie Barge, director of communications strategy for Faith in Public Life, said young voters, even those who attend religious services each week, consistently embraced kitchen-table issues over the more traditionally conservative issues.

That represented a narrowing of the “God gap” in voting patterns—a gap that reached its peak in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections.

In those elections, voters who attend religious services regularly—and particularly white evangelical Protestants and white Catholics—voted overwhelmingly for Repub-lican over Democratic candidates.

However, the percentage of such voters who said they voted for Democratic candidates in 2006 increased significantly.

“Overall, it’s interesting to note, too, that abortion really declined as the most important issue among moral voters,” Barge said.

“More than twice as many voters named poverty, greed and economic crisis as the biggest moral problems in the United States than abortion.

“When voters hear from groups that are emphasizing these issues, they like what they hear.”

According to the poll, 62 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 said the most important crises in America are economic justice, poverty and greed or materialism.

Not surprisingly, Iraq was a top issue for voters. Barge and her fellow pollsters found almost 46 percent of voters said the war was the most important issue on the docket. That’s up 4 points from 42 percent in 2004.

By comparison, less than 8 percent of voters said abortion was the top moral issue, and roughly 9 percent said same-sex marriage was the top moral issue.

Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, said the results about Iraq show that religious people want to address the issue head-on.

“On Iraq, clearly … many of us are going to call for a national debate,” he said.

“We hope the administration participates. Their leadership is important here, but the debate has to occur with or without the current administration.”

The narrowing of the “God gap” occurred because of broader political agendas nationwide, Wallis said.

It was a “moral-values election,” he said, adding that “When someone says it wasn’t, they’re just wrong.”

Corruption has become a big issue. Republicans led the way with several recent scandals, he said, which made their base feel betrayed.

And since voters are so concerned with economic crisis and poverty, that apparent betrayal has caused them to reconsider where they place their votes.

Now that Democrats have a congressional majority, they will have to prove themselves to religious voters by making policies friendly to blue-collar workers, Wallis said.

Religious voters aren’t a “cheap date,” he said, and now that they’ve voted in new leadership, they’re going to want results.

“Trust and outreach both count,” Wallis said. “One of the next steps you’re going to see religious voters supporting, for example, are the minimum-wage initiatives.”

Many of the voters who switched allegiances this year were religious voters, researchers said. Catholics who voted for Democrats were up by 12 percentage points since 2004. More than 47 percent of Catholics named Iraq as their most important moral issue, up 6 points since 2004.

Experts like Tom Perriello said the data shows not that Catholics are turning Demo-cratic, but that they have established themselves as true swing voters.

“This was not a suggestion that the Catholic vote is moving to the center,” the co-founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good said.

“There’s nothing particularly moral about the center. There’s a sense that the Catholic vote did shift this year, but that was driven by moral priorities … and the Catholic message.”

Indeed, when Catho-lics named the most important value guiding their vote, 67 percent said “a commitment to the common good.” Twenty-two percent said “opposing policies such as legal abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem-cell research.”

Perriello said his group, a non-partisan organization that promotes Catholic issues in public policy, got solid results in appealing to mainstream Catholic groups about kitchen-table issues. And he plans to employ the same methods for 2008.

“The 2004 election was dominated by conservative Catholic groups with a very narrow agenda,” Perriello said.

This year, he said, “it’s about treating Catholic voters as independent. And the response (in the polls) was to the conviction of that message.”

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: 12/01/06

Program gives poor families reason to give thanks

By Miranda Bradley

Children at Heart Ministries

ROUND ROCK—Shontoya Watt works hard to provide for her family, but living in a low-income housing complex, she hasn’t always found it easy to give thanks.

This Thanksgiving was different, due largely to Texas Baptist Children’s Home’s HOPE program.

“Sometimes you know you are going to make it, but you still need that little bit of encouragement,” Watt said, adding the children’s home ministry “has given me that over and over again.”

Watt—who has three children, ages 3, 11 and 16—works as a substitute teacher in the Pflugerville Independent School District.

After she leaves school each day, she reports to her second job as director of the activity center for the housing complex where she lives.

To assist Watt and her neighbors, middle-school students involved in HOPE’s youth leadership groups delivered turkeys with all the trimmings to their homes just in time for Thanksgiving.

“I think I’m going to cry,” she said as she was presented with the basket, which included a turkey, stuffing, side dishes and a six-pack of soft drinks.

HOPE, a community outreach program that assists families in at-risk environments during difficult times, also sponsors after-school programs for children in low-income housing throughout the Round Rock area. The turkey delivery project was the first outreach experience for the youth leadership group, who often are on the receiving end of such generosity.

“It was cool to give someone something so special,” one of the students said. “My friends think it’s a good thing, too.”

Watt, who has spent a lot of time interacting with the HOPE program staff, said she sees tremendous improvement in the children involved with the children’s groups.

“You just see everything about them change,” she said. “HOPE takes them on outings to go swimming in the summer and on special trips in the winter. These are kids who don’t get to do that sort of thing. It’s amazing what a difference it makes in their lives.”

Watt began work at the activity center just one month before HOPE launched its children’s group in her community. Since then, the children have grown in more ways than she can count. Sarah Eubank, HOPE program supervisor, credits some of that with Watt’s involvement.

“She has a real heart for kids,” she said. “The sacrifices she makes to help these children means a lot to us. That’s why we wanted to surprise her with this Thanksgiving dinner today, so she would know we are thankful for her.”

Watt, a fourth-generation product of low-income housing projects in Mississippi, said her main goal is to give the children something better to shoot for. Just as she left her home state because she set higher goals for herself and her family, she hopes these children will do the same.

“I wanted to break that cycle of bondage,” she said.

“I know these kids want that, too. The most important thing I teach them is love. Today, they can see that someone cares about them and that God is smiling on us.”

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: 12/01/06

TOGETHER:
From Thanksgiving on to Christmas

This season always comes as a special gift to me. Caught up between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my spirit begins to soar a bit more, like a bird riding the updrafts of sun-warmed air rising from overheated fields of freshly plowed earth or miles of urban asphalt.

Some of the exhilaration is purely family and memories. I have been blessed with family trips, warm welcomes and slowed-down schedules that hover around me like benedictions.

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

One snowy day, we piled into our Volkswagen Beetle to hurry from my folks’ home to Rosemary’s folks’ home so we could spend part of Christmas day with both families. Racing across Oklahoma’s rolling hills, suddenly the front hood sprung loose and flew back against the windshield.

Three children were riding in the tiny backseat and “cubby space.” They squealed in amazement and then concern. “Daddy, don’t let the presents fall out!”

We had stuffed that front trunk so full of suitcases and presents that the latch simply couldn’t hold it tight. I had been upset because the radio kept going in and out on the reception of the Cowboys’ playoff game. And now this!

First, I had to find a way to stop safely while not being able to see the road in front of me. Second, I had to calm the children and a wife who had warned me the trunk was too full. Third, we had to be sure not one toy was lost. Fourth, I had to find a way to repack so the trunk lid would stay shut. Fifth, I still wanted to hear the game. And sixth, we had only two hours to cover a hundred miles and get to our second Christmas dinner by evening.

I don’t remember how, but we made it to Rosemary’s family gathering in plenty of time and, to the delight of all the children, added still more to the treasure trove of gifts that make children’s eyes beam in unabashed delight.

Across the years, God has blessed my family with blessings and joys that stretch our capacity to carry them all home. The salvation that has found us has united us with God and one another in a love that truly sustains us.

But there is more. Doesn’t it somehow seem just right to you that Thanksgiving rolls right into Advent and Christmas?

Advent is the season of waiting, of anticipation. We give thanks for all God has done in creation, redemption and in his personal encounter with us. And then we pause on the journey to the Christmas birth to consider how dark our world would still be if not for Jesus. And we journey, as it were, to Bethlehem’s stable with Mary and Joseph, and we still are amazed that it could be so ordinary a thing as a baby being born and so extraordinary a thing as a baby being born.

We sing for joy, and we kneel in wonder and praise for God. Everything can be different than it was. We don’t have to go on the way we were. Jesus calls us to follow him.

I have never gotten over it. Thanksgiving is how I prepare for Christmas. Or as the Apostle Paul would say, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

We are loved.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

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: 12/01/06

Wade to release Valley probe
to law-enforcement officials

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

MCALLEN—Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Charles Wade will give law-enforcement officials complete copies of a BGCT-commissioned investigative report and all relevant exhibits regarding alleged misuse of convention church-starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley.

BGCT leaders are attempting to schedule a meeting with law-enforcement officials in an effort to gauge their interest in the documents.

“I have made the decision with the advice of counsel to ask the legal authorities to consider making a thorough investigation of the allegations that have surfaced,” Wade said during a trip to the Rio Grande Valley.

The BGCT-commissioned report is 42 pages long and contains the names of people accused of wrongdoing. Investigators examined more than 10,000 pieces of evidence in their efforts.

The report indicates a portion of $1.3 million in BGCT church-starting funds was misused between 1999 and 2005 by three pastors in the Rio Grande Valley—Otto Arango, Aaron de la Torre and Armando Vera.

BGCT President Steve Vernon, who is accompanying Wade on his trip, said convention leaders want to address this alleged misuse of church-starting funds thoroughly and return to their focus on expanding God’s kingdom.

“We want to address this situation, learn from it, and then we want to go about our business,” he said.

Convention leaders are considering options to recover funds that were allegedly misused.

“We’re going to seek restitution,” Wade said.

Wade and Vernon are visiting pastors throughout the Rio Grande Valley, including a stop at Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in McAllen, where Arango formerly was pastor. Wade expressed his appreciation for the congregation’s commitment to missions. The church gives more through the BGCT Cooperative Program than any other Hispanic congregation.

Wade affirmed the congregation and its leaders as individuals who are committed to growing God’s kingdom. They should not be associated with any wrongdoing, he insisted.

“This church itself did not do anything wrong,” Wade said.

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: 12/01/06

NBC puts seasoning back in Veggies

By Chansin Bird

Religon News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Fans of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber may notice a welcome change in the VeggieTales episodes aired on NBC’s Saturday morning cartoon lineup—less editing of religious content than originally feared.

“The last batch of episodes are airing with very little editing,” VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer said. “Not none whatsoever, but very nearly none whatsoever. Much less than earlier episodes.”

Originally, NBC had asked for changes in four of 13 episodes—mostly editing out references to God and the Bible.

Vischer said he was not thrilled with the edits, but was happy to have the cartoons on network television.

Vischer said he had “no idea” why many recent shows have had fewer edits.

But Paul Irwin, president of the American Bible Society, said his organization has sponsored “several hundred thousand” complaint letters to NBC and its parent company, General Electric.

“NBC has learned that this is not a matter of casual interest to the people of this country,” Irwin said.

However, Terry Pefanis, chief operating officer of Big Idea—the company that created VeggieTales—said NBC has been pretty consistent from the outset, and never asked for all God references to be taken out.

“God has been in the shows all along—just not as many references as in the original shows,” Pefanis said.

In addition to the four initial edits, all 13 of the shows’ “bookends”—an opener that starts with a letter from a child, a biblical resolution to an issue and a Bible verse at the end—were removed from the NBC versions

“I think what really brought a lot of these issues to the forefront is our shows close with a Bible verse as well as Bob and Larry saying, ‘Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much,’” Pefanis said.

“Those were taken out for the broadcast version. I think that’s largely what a lot of this public debate has been about.”

For its part, NBC said none of its standards have changed. The network still abides by an episode-by-episode review.

“NBC is committed to the positive messages and universal values of VeggieTales,” the network said in a statement.

“Our goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with these positive messages, while being careful not to advocate any one religious point of view.”

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: 12/01/06

Pro-lifers blast Warren for inviting Obama

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)—Members of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Southern California hosted a two-day summit on the global AIDS crisis in an effort to “serve the hurting like Jesus did.” But the event was not without critics—including some conservative Christians.

The event, which began Nov. 30 and concluded on World AIDS Day Dec. 1, was slated to feature Bono of U-2, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), among others.

But according to some evangelicals, and Southern Baptists in particular, Warren cannot hope to fight the “evil” of AIDS while “justifying another” evil—abortion. In a Nov. 28 letter, representatives from 18 pro-life groups condemned Warren for inviting Obama, who supports abortion rights.

“In the strongest possible terms, we oppose Rick Warren’s decision to ignore Sen. Obama’s clear pro-death stance and invite him to Saddleback Church anyway,” the letter said.

“If Sen. Obama cannot defend the most helpless citizens in our country, he has nothing to say to the AIDS crisis. You cannot fight one evil while justifying another. The evangelical church can provide no genuine help for those who suffer from AIDS if those involved do not first have their ethic of life firmly rooted in the word of God.”

Signers of the letter included Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum; Judie Brown, president of the American Life League; and Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.

Saddleback representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Wiley Drake, second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, also voiced his opposition in a personal e-mail sent to Warren and media outlets Nov. 28. Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., just north of the Lake Forest, Calif., megachurch, addressed his note to a “fellow Southern Baptist pastor.”

While not an initial signer to the pro-lifers’ letter, Drake repeated the request for Warren to rescind the invitation “to the enemy Sen. Obama.” He wrote he was “very disappointed at this move and … this is bad for the kingdom of God.”

The pro-lifers’ letter cited Obama’s opposition to a partial-birth abortion bill and support of condom distribution as key reasons for their outrage.

“The name of the seminar at which Sen. Obama will be appearing is entitled, ‘We Must Work Together,’“ the letter noted. “No, Mr. Warren, Mr. Obama, we will never work with those who can support the murder of babies in the womb.”

Other special guests for the summit included Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, Franklin Graham, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Sen. Sam Brown-back (R-Kan.), and Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International.

Statistics from Compassion International report that more than 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981, when it was first diagnosed. Today, nine out of 10 children with AIDS live in Africa. And by 2010, an additional 25 million children worldwide will lose both parents to AIDS, the organization said.

Southern Baptist-affiliated Saddleback Church, with more than 20,000 worship attendees each weekend, is one of the largest churches in the nation.

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: 11/30/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for December 10

Have a little talk with Jesus

• John 3:1-16

By David Wilkinson

Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth

Faith and conversation go together.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, we are invited to overhear a one-on-one conversation between two religious teachers. One is a formally educated teacher and recognized leader within the religious establishment of his day. The other is a “grassroots” leader, an outsider, an untrained teacher and itinerate preacher with a motley band of followers.

This nighttime question-and-answer session serves the Gospel writer’s purpose of piling up the evidence for his testimony to the truth—that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God. This evidence, in turn, is intended to lead us to a deeper understanding of the person and mission of Jesus and ultimately to call us to a decision.

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Layers of meaning

This famous conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus comes in condensed form. We are let in on part of the discussion, but we must navigate the course of the conversation without the advantage of seeing the men’s faces, hearing the inflections in their voices, or observing their gestures.

Nicodemus comes at night, hinting at a conversation shrouded in mystery. The way the conversation unfolds fits John’s method of depicting faith, or belief in Jesus, at different stages. People who encounter Jesus respond in different ways and with varying degrees of understanding and commitment.

Those who follow him begin a spiritual as well as a literal journey as they come to understand Jesus more clearly and begin to recognize more deeply what discipleship requires. Nicodemus likely represents many Jews in Jerusalem who had responded to Jesus’ signs with partial but inadequate faith (John 2:23-25).

The conversation begins with Nicodemus’ affirmation that Jesus is a “teacher who has come from God” whose actions clearly indicate the work of God (v. 2). In his response (v. 3), Jesus immediately moves the focus from signs and wonders to the kingdom of God, implying a true spiritual leader would recognize that the reign of God—the kingdom of God—was what Jesus was all about.

In the phrase, “born from above,” Jesus uses the first of several double entendres, a favorite literary device in the Gospel of John. Through a string of double meanings in this encounter, the reader sees the emergence of “two widely divergent views of life in the kingdom,” according to theologian Fred Craddock.

Nicodemus, like the woman at the well we will encounter in next week’s lesson, responds to Jesus at a naïve and literal level. Misinterpreting Jesus’ use of the Greek word anÿthen, which can mean both “again” and “above,” Nicodemus asks, “Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” (v. 4).

Jesus’ response that one must be “born of water and Spirit” reinforces his message: The kingdom of God is a spiritual realm and to enter that realm is a gift of the Spirit.

Here Jesus employs a second play on words through his use of the Greek word, pneuma, which can mean “word” or “spirit” (v. 8). The world of the Spirit, he says, is like the wind. It is a deep mystery that defies easy explanation. You don’t know where it’s coming from or where it’s going. And even the best religious training won’t automatically guarantee understanding (v. 10).

Clarifying the mission

Verses 11-13 return to theme of the prologue: Jesus as the preexisting Word of God has come into the world in human form. To further clarify his identity and purpose, Jesus compares himself to the bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness. The people who had been bitten by fiery serpents and were sick nearly to death could be healed by lifting their eyes to look at the serpent (Numbers 21:4-9).

Jesus, as God-in-human-form, has come to be “lifted up” and in obedience to God to die on a cross (v. 14). There is yet another double meaning here. The Greek word hupsoÿ means to lift something up; but it can also mean to exalt someone to a place of honor or dignity. Just as the people who followed Moses were saved, so everyone who looks to Jesus with eyes of faith will be saved.

Verse 16, one of the most beloved verses in all Scripture, has long been recognized as a summary of the gospel. God’s love—agapaÿ—is the basis for sending God’s Son into the world. Verse 17 is a commentary on this principle: God’s purpose in Christ was not condemnation and judgment but the salvation of all humankind. The gift of God’s Son came from God at God’s initiative as an act of divine love.

Invitation to conversation

The Gospel writer does not tell us how Nicodemus responded to Jesus. Many scholars believe later references to Nicodemus (7:50-51, where he tries to keep the Pharisees from silencing Jesus, and 19:38-42, when he comes to the tomb with Joseph of Arimathea to bring spices to anoint Jesus’ body for burial) imply he became a secret follower of Jesus. If true, there remains an element of sadness in his story, because it may suggest that those with the most to commit and the most to lose are less likely to commit openly and wholeheartedly to Jesus. The greater their risk, the more cautious is their approach to Jesus, theologian John Killinger points out.

Wherever we may be in our journey of faith, Jesus invites us into conversation. He welcomes our questions, our thoughts and even our doubts. Life in the kingdom is a life-long conversation with Jesus, always tinged with mystery for “we see as through a glass darkly,” always filled with yet more to learn and discover, and always calling us to respond in faith.

Discussion questions

• Why do you think the Gospel writer does not tell us how Nicodemus responded to Jesus?

• If you were to have had a conversation with Jesus before choosing to follow him, what would have been some of your questions?

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: 11/30/06

Bible Studies for Life Series for December 10

Christian hope extends beyond here and now

• 1 Peter 1:3-13,18-21

By Kenneth Lyle

Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene

“I hope it snows for Christmas!” Children and childlike folk everywhere utter this phrase annually about this time of year. These few words express the mostly futile hope that our Christmas—this Christmas would look like the Christmas scene in a Currier and Ives print, or a Norman Rockwell painting.

Christmas hopes make this season of the year exciting for most, hectic for others, and they are uttered by almost everyone: “I hope I get a bike for Christmas;” “I hope I get my Christmas bonus;” “I hope I pass that final exam;” “I hope she likes my present;” “I hope the cantata goes well;” “I hope the Cowboys make the playoffs;” “I hope …; I hope …; I hope … .”

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What all these “hopes” have in common is the erroneous notion that hope involves getting what we want, or something happening that we want to happen. For many of us, hope becomes the way in which we express our wishes; but Christians are not called to live in wish.

Christians are called to “… new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). The lesson from 1 Peter bids us to consider anew the meaning, the basis and the outcome of hope.

1 Peter is addressed, “To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (v. 1). While the address specifies the location of these Christians, it also hints at their status within society. They are “strangers in the world,” “scattered.” Later, Peter refers to them as “aliens” (2:11).

We cannot deny the spiritual application of these metaphors. Christians are strangers in this world. The spiritual folksong “I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger” expresses well the transient sense of many Christians: “I am a poor wayfaring stranger, while traveling through this world of woe. Yet there’s no sickness, toil nor danger in that bright world to which I go. I’m going there to see my Father; I’m going there no more to roam.”

More recently, Ken Medema has seized upon the more positive aspect of the Christian mission in the world: In his song “By the Waters of Luxury,” he reminds us Christians are “sent as insurgents by the Prince of Peace to work for kingdom come!”

While Peter’s identification of Christians as strangers and aliens lends itself to this sentiment, it more likely represents the actual social status of the people he is addressing. Scholars generally agree that Peter here writes to people who were not native to the regions listed in the address (v. 1).

These Christians were “resident aliens” who had migrated to these regions in Asia Minor for economic or political reasons. Since they were not natural-born residents of these regions, they were marginalized, discriminated against and perhaps even oppressed by the “true” citizenry.

These resident aliens had found acceptance, comfort and a degree of status because of their association with the church. Peter writes in part to confirm and reemphasize that these “strangers” are not just scattered resident aliens, but rather they are “… a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God …” (2:9).

Peter begins this task of affirmation by reflecting on the foundation of hope which is the death and resurrection of the Jesus. Peter forgoes the expected thanksgiving section of letter, and bursts forth into praise for what God has done in Jesus: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1:3).

Like the words of the old hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” Our hope is built on the faithfulness of Jesus to the task set before him. Without Jesus’ “righteousness,” his faithfulness to God’s purpose and the vindication of that faithfulness provided by his resurrection, Christian hope would have no foundation.

Peter’s use of the language of inheritance (1:4-5) demonstrates the foundation of our hope comes as proof in the now time of something that will come to full fruition in the future. Peter’s contrast of “perishable things” with “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1:18-19) shows this proof—this foundation of hope—came at a great price. God in Christ has defeated the power of sin and death, and this is the foundation for our hope.

Because of this great foundation, Christians can live life even in the midst of difficulties and trials. Because of the eternal nature of our inheritance, our hope as Christians extends beyond the here and now. Peter’s original audience consisted of marginalized, discriminated against and oppressed Christians. Peter was probably writing from Rome in the early to mid 60’s of the first century, experiencing the initial rumblings of official Roman persecution of Christians. Yet Peter still admonishes his listeners to live from the perspective of hope (1:6-9).

Peter offers a few other thoughts about the nature of living hope: It comes as the fulfillment of prophecy, and it is evidence of the privileged position of Christians. Peter reminds his readers that the prophets spoke about the promise of God’s salvation, and angels in heaven long to see and understand the hope Christians have (1:10-12).

Finally, Peter wants to be absolutely certain Christians understand a living hope does not primarily focus on the future, but rather requires disciplined thoughts and actions in the present: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set you hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1:13).

Genuine Christian hope does not lead us to wishful fantasizing about the hereafter. No, a living hope pushes us into the world, to change the world, so all might experience God’s gift of living hope.

Discussion questions

• How do we distinguish between faith and hope? How do faith and hope inform and complement each other?

• It is easy to identify certain “wishful” worldly desires as false hopes. Can and do wishes ever replace hope in our Christian life?

• Since 1 Peter is most likely addressed to marginalized, resident aliens does it still have much to say to privileged western Christians?

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: 11/28/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for December 3

John reminds of Christ’s eternal nature

• John 1:1-18, 29-36, 43-45

By David Wilkinson

Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth

As you read the opening lines of the Gospel of John, imagine the following scenario: The aged apostle sits alone at the rough-hewn table where the light from an oil lamp casts long shadows across the room. John, the beloved disciple, son of Zebedee and fisherman-turned-follower, scans the pages of parchment spread before him. Nearing the end of his life, some seven decades since he and his brother James left their nets to trudge the dusty trails of Palestine with the itinerant preacher from Nazareth, John has completed his Gospel.

He has penned a faithful account of his vision of Jesus, including Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing, his conflicts with the religious establishment, his execution at the hands of the Romans and his resurrection at the hands of God.

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The completed work before him is a brief treatise. John’s intent was to do more than retell the story of Jesus. It was to interpret his life, to communicate the meaning of what Jesus said and did. It was to lead his readers to believe.

Now, as the evangelist reviews his work again, it seems incomplete somehow. It cries for something else, something that captures the glory and mystery of the Son of God and puts everything into perspective.

So John—or, if various biblical scholars are correct—an editor who was probably a member of the Johannine community, picks up another piece of parchment. In the stillness of the night, he pauses and prays. For the next half hour, he reflects once more on the wonder and mystery and glory of it all. Then he picks up the quill again—and in the days that follow, a new introduction begins to take shape.

John remembers the Book of Beginnings from the Hebrew Scriptures. And he writes: “In the beginning …”

He ponders the Hebrew idea of wisdom and the Greek concept of the word, the logos, and he adds: “In the beginning was the Word … .”

He envisions the pre-existing Christ—Jesus as the Word that existed even before the creation of the world, and he continues: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:1-3).

This language echoes Paul’s description of the cosmic Christ in the letter to the Colossians: “He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, [who] exists before all things, and in him all things hold together” (1:15, 17). Jesus is the eternal Word, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He is the great “I Am,” the One who is and was and ever shall be.

John thinks again about the opening lines from Genesis. He whispers the familiar words to himself, recalling the themes of creation, life, light and darkness. He remembers being taught as a boy in the synagogue that the Torah is the light for the world. So he writes that in Jesus is life, “and the life was the light of all people,” the light that “shines in the darkness,” the light that puts chaos to flight.

At some point, John also recalls the poetry of a hymn used in the liturgy of the emerging Christian churches, and as he writes and rewrites he weaves some of the phrases into the opening paragraphs. This makes perfect sense, for there are times when narrative will not do, when prose cannot suffice, when only the language of the heart—the soul’s language of poetry and song—can give voice to depths of meaning.

Finally, like a composer creating an overture to a magnificent symphony, John the poet carefully introduces in these opening paragraphs the themes to be developed in the larger work—especially the rich metaphors of Jesus as “life” and “light.”

Poetry of the prologue

Whatever the actual process may have been, the result is a literary and theological masterpiece known to us as the Prologue to the Gospel of John. For William Barclay, “The first chapter of the fourth Gospel is one of the greatest adventures of religious thought ever achieved by the mind of man.” John Killinger calls it “a tremendous introduction—one of the greatest poems ever written.” Frederick Buechner writes that the prologue, like all of John’s Gospel, is “a hymn to perform surgery with, a heart-transplanting voice.”

Rather than attempting merely to define or describe, the poetic voice is evocative. Fred Craddock reminds us: “Poetry is especially appropriate when the topic is God and the purpose is confession, for we do not have here a subject that will sit for a photograph nor submit to precise description. The burden of definition is upon the writer; the burden of poetry is shared with the reader. And, of course, even poetry is inadequate but it is hardly surpassed when expressing the inexpressible.

In expressing the inexpressible, John’s prologue offers us such grandeur it is impossible to grasp it fully, to get our arms around it easily. So, as with great art, it is best simply to experience it. As we begin our journey through the fourth Gospel, I encourage you each time you turn to its pages to begin by reading the prologue (1:1-18). Such repeated exposure to its poetic and theological grandeur will enrich your experience.

Confession of faith

John’s prologue is not so much a doctrinal statement as a confession of faith. As with the entire Gospel, it is a confession that repeatedly confronts the reader with an invitation and a decision. Near the beginning of John’s account, Jesus says to the two disciples (and to us), “Come and see” (1:39), which is soon followed by the invitation to Philip (and to us), “Follow me” (1:43). Near the end of the Gospel, John declares he has “written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

Ultimately, as with all would-be disciples, we must decide: Is Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God or not? And do we believe—or not?

Discussion questions

• Imagine the Gospel of John without the prologue. How would its message and its impact be affected?

• In what ways does this lesson’s opening “scenario” add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Gospel of John?

• In what ways is the two-pronged invitation of Jesus to “come and see” and to “follow me” extended to us today?

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: 11/28/06

Explore the Bible Series for December 3

Seize the opportunities God provides

• Ezra 1:1-6; 3:1-3, 10-11

By Howard Anderson

Diversified Spiritual Associates, San Antonio

The Jews’ return from Babylonian captivity seemed like a second exodus, sovereignly patterned in some ways after Israel’s first redemption from Egyptian bondage. The book of Ezra begins with the decree of Cyrus for the Jews to return to Jerusalem (circa 538 B.C.), and chronicles the reestablishment of Judah’s national calendar of feasts and sacrifices, including the rebuilding of the second temple (begun in 536 B.C. and completed in 516 B.C.).

The people responded to the God-given opportunity to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple by going and by giving. Seven months after leaving the land of exile, the Israelites rebuilt the altar and restored the formal forms of worship given through Moses. When the people completed the temple’s foundation, they gathered in a formal ceremony to praise God and give thanks to him.

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Respond to God-given opportunities (Ezra 1:1-6)

“Now” connects the book of Ezra to the last statement in 2 Chronicles. God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to proclaim an edict of deliverance for the Jewish people. This is the first year Cyrus had authority over Babylon and Judah (circa 538 B.C.). Cyrus ruled only a small region of the Median Empire (modern Iran) until 550 B.C. when he took control of the larger empire, later known as the Persian Empire. Under his effective leadership the empire expanded in all directions.

Cyrus waited for several years before moving against Babylon (modern Iraq). In 539 B.C., life in Babylon was so terrible and the king of Babylon so intensely disliked that when Cyrus entered the city to capture it, no one opposed him. From that point, the Persian Empire included all of what we now know as Syria and Israel, in addition to Iran.

Cyrus, who claimed to be king of the whole earth (v. 2), ordered the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and allowed displaced Judeans to return there (v. 3). He encouraged those Jews who did not return to offer financial support to those who did (v. 4). Cyrus was a polytheist who recognized every regional god. He did not affirm the ultimate sovereignty of the one true God—the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, God chose to use Cyrus to accomplish his purposes. Through Cyrus, the Persian “messiah” (Isaiah 45:1), God began to restore Judah.

The “chief of the fathers” identifies the Jewish leaders (Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah) who responded to the call of Cyrus. ”Judah and Benjamin” are the two tribes of the Southern Kingdom from which Nebuchadnezzar took exiles back to Babylon. The decree of Cyrus applies primarily to people from these tribes. “The priests and Levites” deserve specific mention because not only are they the religious leaders of Israel, but also a rebuilt temple could not function properly without priestly and Levitical personnel.

In verse 6, “all they who were about” the returning people “strengthened their hands with vessels of silver and gold.” “All” here is inclusive—the Jews who chose to stay in Babylon and the gentiles. The phrase “all that was willingly offered” refers to freewill offerings for the temple. A special offering is an opportunity to thank God for something unusual and flows from one's own free will. The tithe is required; therefore, we cannot have a free will offering without tithing first.

Recognize the priority of worship (Ezra 3:1-3)

By “the seventh month,” the people who had returned from Babylon were settled “in the cities” (v. 1). The seventh month, for Jews, signifies a season of intense holiness since it contains such major holidays as The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. The people gathered together in Jerusalem with a common purpose, “as one man.”

In verse 2, “Jeshua the son of Jozadak” was the high priest, and his “brethren” also were “priests.” “Zerubbabel” was the governor of Judah. Both religious and civic leaders rose up to build “the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon.” They did this in obedience to the “law of Moses,” that had commanded the people to make sacrifices to God.

The rebuilt altar was positioned “upon his bases” the original foundations. The rebuilt altar was placed exactly where the old one had been before the Babylonians destroyed it. An interval of decades stood between these people and the last time the Jews had sacrificed to God; however, the continuity of the temple mount in Jerusalem connected the new with the old.

A fear of neighboring peoples encouraged the Jews to focus on the priority of reestablishing their relationship with God. Restoring worship of God might ward off danger, because God’s presence would protect the people. So the people began to offer “burnt offerings morning and evening” as prescribed in the Law (Exodus 29:38-46). These sacrifices would remind the people of God’s daily presence with them.

Rejoice in the Lord’s help (Ezra 3:10-11)

As soon as the builders completed the foundation, everyone stopped working to celebrate. Both the priests, arrayed “in their apparel,” and the Levites who grabbed their cymbals, began to “praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.” The emphasis is on the continuity in Israel’s worship between the past and the present.

The priests and Levites sang together, drawing “all the people” into worship. The song found in verse 11 can be found throughout the Psalms. It celebrates God’s goodness and his covenant faithfulness towards Israel. In joyous song, the people gave credit to God for their progress in restoration—they worshipped “with a great shout.”

If you are the recipient of God’s help you should want to shout sometime. God is good and worthy to be praised.

Discussion question

• Can an opportunity that looks good be contrary to God’s will?

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: 11/22/06

Bible Studies for Life Series for December 3

Live out the gift of faith you have been given

• Hebrews 11:1-2,5-7,32-38; 12:1-2

By Kenneth Lyle

Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene

At this time of the year, our thoughts turn to gift giving and receiving. Most have learned and taken to heart the truth of the old adage “it is better to give than receive.”

I remember when that sentiment became real in my life. During college, I had a part-time job that allowed me to work extra hours during the holiday rush. I was working right up until Christmas Eve, and I was able to get my paycheck—with all the extra hours—cashed before I left work and headed off to shop. For the first time in my life, I had enough money to buy just the right gift for everyone in my family. It really was “better” to give those gifts on Christmas morning than to receive.

Many in the church take this attitude when it comes to giving and receiving. Selfless service to the life and work of the church becomes the benchmark of the Christian experience. We often judge our spiritual health by how much of our time, talent and resources we offer to God. This is an admirable trait, but Christians must never forget that, while giving is important, there is much God gives to us.

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Over the next several weeks, these lessons drawn from several books in the New Testament deal with the life-changing gifts available from God: Faith that works; hope that lives; love that lasts; Jesus, God’s greatest gift; and salvation for all.

Conversations about faith often include statements like, “If I could just believe more …” or “I guess I just don’t believe enough.” These kinds of statements reflect the persistent notion that faith is something we “do” rather than something we possess.

At other times, we speak about faith as if it were a commodity of which we could obtain more. Do we “have faith” or “do faith”? Is faith activity or attitude? Is it something generated from within or from without? Perhaps better than any other, the writer of the book of Hebrews understood the nature of faith and how faith works.

Though most often listed along with the other general epistles of the New Testament, Hebrews reads more like a sermon than a letter. Several of the typical characteristics of an ancient letter—address, salutation, thanksgiving—are absent from Hebrews. The closing verses of Hebrews do read more like a letter and offer intriguing glimpses into the life setting of the book, including the mention of Timothy (13:22-25).

The letter itself, however, provides insight into at least one early church leader provided encouragement and instruction to a congregation of Christians through the exposition and application of Scripture to a present situation.

The anonymous author of Hebrews knows the people addressed. These people seem to be second generation Christians of long standing (2:3; 5:11—6:3). They appear as people with possessions (10:34; 13:5, 16), imbued with a knowledge of the Hebrew Scripture. They are afraid of suffering and uncertain about the nature of faith. They had experienced persecution in the past—perhaps the Emperor Claudius’ expulsion of all Jews from Rome in AD 49—and the author plainly feels further persecution may cause some to fall away, but expresses a confidence the readers would be faithful to the end.

The writer of Hebrews finds it unthinkable that a believer would withdraw from the superior relationship with God offered through Jesus and discourages the reader from seeking any other path to God.

The focal passages follow a timely reminder about the past persecution (10:32-34) and an encouragement to persevere (10:35-39). The author previously cited the faithless Exodus generation (10:26-31), but confidently asserts about this generation of God’s people that: “… we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (10:39). This generation of God’s people acts from faith, just like the great heroes of faith from Israel’s history.

The justifiably famous “definition” of faith found in 11:1 asserts: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Modern translations offer helpful insight into the meaning of “substance” (hupostasis) and “evidence” (elegchos). In legal documents, a pistis (faith) constituted a pledge or guarantee of payment or performance.

For the writer of Hebrews, faith includes assurance, confidence and conviction about things hoped for and certainty, proof, and verification about things unseen. This characteristic of assured conviction about expected yet unseen promises from God—this “faith”— allowed the great figures from biblical history to act faithfully.

The “roll call of the faithful” fills out the remainder of chapter 11. The listing of great figures from the past that demonstrate and illustrate a particular character trait was a common literary device in the ancient world. Here, however, the author follows the chronology of the Old Testament story and thus connects faith and faithfulness to salvation history and God’s plan for all of humanity.

What binds all these great individuals together is their understanding that their basis for security came not from their own talents or abilities, but rather, from an unseen God. Abraham and Sarah heard the call to travel to a place they did not know, and they went (11:8). Likewise, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and a whole host of others exercised assured confidence about expected but unseen promises.

The writer of Hebrews wants Christians to understand that they are a part of a magnificent history that is just now reaching its apex: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (11:39-40).

The writer concludes the discussion of faith by comparing the Christian life to a race that requires endurance. In such a race, any extraneous weight hinders and drags down. The author encourages Christians to get rid of anything that distracts from focus on “Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (12:2).

Here is the essence of faith as gift. It is only through Jesus’ faithfulness to God’s purpose that we in turn can exercise faith. Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. … Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (12:2-3). Jesus by his faithfulness makes possible our faith—our entrance into the race. Jesus, by his victory gives us faith—our assured confidence to run the race to the finish line.

Discussion questions

• If faith is a gift, what is required from us as Christians? Do we rest in faith? Exercise faith?

• Twenty-first century western Christians may have much in common with the original audience of Hebrews. In what ways might we become lazy, sluggish, fearful and uncertain about our faith?

• What kind of weights and hindrances do Christians need to be aware of and discard as they run the race?

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: 11/27/06

CYBER COLUMN: At home again

By Berry Simpson

I just finished reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, a powerful book that will haunt me (in a good way) for a long time. In fact, the reason it sat on my too-be-read shelf for over a year was because I’d heard enough about it to know it would have a big impact on mek and I didn’t want to read it until I was ready. But my friend Carol kept asking if I’d read it yetk and I couldn’t keep telling her I was waiting to start.

I can’t write about most of what Didion said because I haven’t experienced the losses she had—the loss of her spouse and the loss of control to help her family—and I just don’t feel qualified. I don’t think I’m grown up enough to write about all of that. But I can write about this—something she said about being at home. She wrote: “In California, we heated our houses by building fires. We built fires even on summer evenings, because the fog came in. Fires said we were home, we had drawn the circle, we were safe through the night. I lit the candles.”

I like her description of being home. I like drawing the circle. I like it when my wife, Cyndi, has candles burning in the living room or in the kitchen. Even when the fragrance is too strong for me, it feels like being home.

There is also something about it being dark outside that makes me happy. I’m not really home until it gets dark. I don’t know why that is, and in fact I just thought of it for the first time. Maybe because if it’s still daylight when I come home, I harbor thoughts of going out and doing chores before it gets dark, and so it feels like I’m still on the job. But if it is dark outside, I know I’m inside to stay. As a result, wintertime always feels homier to me than summertime, since in the winter it’s usually dark when I pull up in the driveway. The house feels more like an island, a safe haven, when it’s light inside and dark outside. The world shrinks to the size of my house. It’s not unlike the feeling I get when running outside in cold weather and my world shrinks down to inside my jacket and hood and gloves. It seems very small and compact and safe and defensible.

So when I go inside, I like to change into casual clothes (the closest thing I have to pajamas), which immediately alters my mood and softens my thoughts. Once I change clothes, I’m at home. Like Joan Didion, I have circled the wagons. I’m settled in. I don’t mind leaving to run an errand for Cyndi, but those are the exceptions. Usually I am home to stay.

We used to burn fires in our fireplace, a lot, when Byron was home, and that made me feel at home. Since Byron was an Eagle Scout, we put him in charge of the fireplace. We kept a stack of wood by the back door under the porch so it would stay dry. We didn’t have gas jets in our fireplace, so Byron had to use old newspapers and kindling and matches to make the fire, the old-fashioned way, just like home.

Maybe one reason a fireplace seems so homey is because, at least in my life, it’s a total luxury. I’ve never had to maintain a fire to heat the house or cook food. No, the fire in our fireplace was optional. That made it a treat instead of a chore. Maybe that’s one reason it seemed homey and cozy.

I also know a fire in the fireplace is purely an emotional appeal. As an engineerk I know the fire draws more heat from the room and up the chimney than it gives out to warm the room; the only really warm space in directly in front of the fire. No, it is the sight and sound of the fire that I like.

Unfortunately, nowadays, since our Eagle Scout left home for the big city, we don’t build fires. Cyndi and I simply don’t go to the trouble, but often I wish we would. It feels more like home to have a fire burning.

It’s funny that I’m writing about this, because the idea of home, of feeling at home, is something I think about often. In fact, one of my favorite Bible verses, Ephesians 3:17, says “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart.”

It’s my prayer that Christ feels at home in my heart and in your heart, as if we had a cozy fire going and he was relaxed and comfortable. At home.

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.

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