Posted: 4/28/06

Katrina effort unites African-American Baptists

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)—Three historically African-American Baptist denominations have agreed to raise $1 billion for ongoing recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The National Baptist Convention USA, the National Baptist Convention of America and the Progressive National Baptist Convention have created the National Baptist Convention Develop-ment Initiative to oversee the effort, which will include funds for rebuilding houses, churches and businesses in New Orleans. Some funds from the plan will be earmarked for new homeowner classes and help with credit and mortgage problems.

The plan, besides being by far the largest amount of Katrina relief proposed by a religious group, also is a milestone of cooperation for three Baptist groups who have had sometimes-contentious relationships. Convention leaders have differed in the past over civil rights and other issues.

Formed in 1895, the National Baptist Convention USA spawned the National Baptist Convention of America in 1915 and the Progressive National Baptist Convention in 1961.

Progressive Baptist leaders chose to split with the mother convention because its leadership was not supportive of the civil-rights tactics of its founders, including Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Mays and Ralph Abernathy.

Politics aside, initiative officials say the organization will bring a cooperative renewal to the area, especially when it comes to raising and using the funds. They plan to get the money through financing from Chase Bank and from celebrities associated with New Orleans. The first projects funded under the initiative are slated to begin in June, and anyone in the city who suffered loss will be eligible to receive help.

Russell Odom, special projects director for the organization, said the main focus will be to get businesses—and life—back to normal for the victims of the hurricane. That goal is no small task: Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $75 billion in damages and at least 1,604 deaths, according to USA Today reports.

“Our goal is to work with local pastors and their congregations to get our churches reopened; to assist homeowners with renovating their homes, if possible, or rebuilding, if necessary; and to help businesses reopen,” Odom 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: 4/28/06

Texas Baptist Forum

Pride in possessions

I was a college sophomore when I bought my first car. It was a black 12-year-old ’41 Ford. Jones Chevrolet in Center stored it for me eight months while I made the down payment on it. It cost me $495, and I couldn’t wait to drive it home.

• Jump to online-only letters below

Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.

“When my soul was troubled, it was Billy I reached out to for advice, for comfort and for prayer. You could say Bill has been the conscience of our nation and sometimes of the world.” George H.W. Bush Former U.S. president, speaking in College Station as he awarded the George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service to evangelist Billy Graham (Houston Chronicle/RNS) “Academics often think of conservative Christians as rubes and dupes. The reality is that the real movers and shakers behind the evangelical movement are highly educated, thoughtful people with entrepreneurial skills, wealth and extraordinary management savvy.” Robert Wuthnow Professor of social sciences at Princeton University, commenting on a comprehensive study by Michael Lindsay, a sociology doctoral student (Princeton Weekly Bulletin/RNS) “What many people find disagreeable about the political use of evil is that it’s rooted in self-righteousness on the part of the speaker. It’s saying we’re entirely different from our enemies without any attempt to understand them.” Robert Gahl Professor of ethics and morality at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome (RNS)

I painted the dash tomato red and put a wheel cover and steering knob on it before driving it to East Texas Baptist College to show it off. Parking it every day in front of the dining hall assured me that everyone saw it. I was proud of that car!

When I was converted to the Lord, I was so proud of the Lord Jesus. I apologized to people I had offended, returned the 50 cents I’d stolen from Barney Bridges’ café and showed my new faith to everyone.

Many people don’t show off their cars like they used to. I’ve also noticed that many Christians don’t show the Lord off like they once did.

I wonder why.

Doug Fincher

San Augustine

Organ donors first

The generosity of live organ donors like Jerry Wooley (April 17) is remarkable. But we wouldn’t need many live organ donors if Americans weren’t burying or cremating 20,000 transplantable organs every year.

There is a better solution to the organ shortage: If you don’t agree to donate your organs when you die, then you go to the back of the waiting list if you ever need an organ to live.

Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It also will make the organ allocation system fairer. About 60 percent of the organs transplanted in the United States go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a nonprofit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. They do this through a form of directed donation that is legal in all 50 states and under federal law.

Anyone can join for free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 888-ORGAN88. LifeSharers has 4,186 members, including 364 members in Texas. More than 400 members are minor children enrolled by their parents.

David J. Undis

Nashville, Tenn.

Methodists’ example

Food for thought: “Methodists across the nation will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the milestone decision granting full clergy rights to women in the United Methodist Church this year. All 63 United Methodist conferences have special activities planned for the commemoration, according to the United Methodist News Service.”

With more women pushing for the same rights in the Southern Baptist Convention, is it not worthwhile to note that the Methodist Church’s decline accelerated with this unbiblical decision?

Let’s continue to teach and stand for God’s clear teaching concerning the pulpit and pastoring.

Michael Simons

Cleburne

Culture & Scripture

The third paragraph of Jim Salles’ letter (April 3), dealing with culture and Scripture and how the two interact, is an example of exegesis out of hand.

The fact the Bible consists of writings penned by those whose cultures defined women as little more than chattel should confirm that culture did, in fact, interact with the author’s basic concept of the role of women in that society. Presently, there are worldly cultures that still demean and diminish women, not only as pastors or teachers, but also as human beings.

If carried to its natural conclusion, Salles’ argument that Scripture should not be affected by culture would leave one hard-pressed to refute the notion that God continues to inspire men in their subjection of women to inferior status. Logic is in a lurch!

The life of Christ should be the plumb bob by which Christians relate to each other. The Apostle Paul is given credit for making statements that have become the wrecking ball of women’s aspirations to respond to what they feel is divine magnetism. The debate can rage over what he said, why he said it, or even if he said it. 

Those who pay attention know male and female are not combative entities, and with that light shining on the dark path of dogma, it should be clear that culture did, in fact, influence what was written in Scripture about women. It is demeaning and diminishing, and our Savior had no part in it.

Edward Clark

Danville, Ky.

Broader Christian perspective

In a time when many Baptist churches have abandoned Christian symbols, sing only songs written in the last decade and illustrate sermons mainly with film clips or current events, it is encouraging that Baptist churches like River Road, Royal Lane and Wilshire have realized the value of Lent, liturgy, lectionary and other ancient Christian practices (April 17).

Certainly, Baptists are free to adopt many styles of worship, but there are reasons these older forms have persisted for thousands of years.  First, when we worship, we are “compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” that connect our service to the everlasting worship of God by Christians of all ages and all lands. Second, our children learn the prayers and songs of our founding fathers, including much of the greatest music ever written. Third, there is comfort and purpose in following the church year that mirrors the life and work of Christ, both in joy and in sorrow.

If we neglect these things, we miss out on the best of the past, do not learn the lessons of history, and can become provincial in our attitudes. 

I have attended Royal Lane and Wilshire. Their services are definitely Baptist, but they offer a glimpse of a broader Christian perspective that is both appealing and refreshing to the soul. It might be the type of service that refreshes your church.

Dolan McKnight

Richardson

Choices about war

A U.S. or Israeli preemptive strike on Iran would be a monumental mistake. Attacking Iran would show the United States learned nothing from its colossal mistake of invading and occupying Iraq. The anger stirred up in the Muslim community of Iraq would be multiplied many times over in the rest of the Muslim world if Iran were hit.

It is pure folly for any faction in the world to believe bullets, bombs and deadly nuclear weapons will win the peace. It is a sad commentary on the state of the world when people of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths cannot find the common, higher ground that leads to brother/sisterhood—peace. Far too many believers of each religion believe their faith is superior to the others and that God especially favors them.

I am a person of faith and hope, but I fear we are moving toward unthinkable, suicidal world holy war. The God of Abraham does not want that to happen but won’t stop it if humankind chooses to let pride, arrogance and greed drive its God-given freedom to make choices.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

What might have been

When I think about the recent actions of the International Mission Board trustees, it makes me mad and sad. It is a bit ironic and hypocritical for IMB and Southern Baptist Convention leadership now to say the trustees must either be loyal or keep quiet. 

If those rules would have been in place 20 years ago, great men like Keith Parks (Foreign Mission Board), Russell Dilday (Southwestern Seminary) and Lloyd Elder (Sunday School Board) would not have had their ministries destroyed.

Dan Curry

Arlington

Homeless & children

In all my experience, some 20-plus years either being homeless or dealing with homeless issues, I have never known of a homeless person to harm a child.  Yet I have heard of many people with homes who have done children a great deal of harm. Prejudice against homeless people—as expressed by some people affiliated with First Baptist Academy in Dallas (April 3) is what prevents many of them from ever overcoming homelessness.

Yes, I understand that there are some homeless people who are guilty of violent crimes, but the truth is, homelessness is not an indicator of criminal intent. Homeless people are most guilty of public intoxication and trespassing—as they often use doorways of businesses as shelter for sleeping and for some small protection from the weather. And yet most homeless people are not even guilty of that. The majority of homeless people make use of shelters and do not bother the public with their addictions and other personal defects. 

Mostly, the homeless just want to be left alone. They do not enjoy the harassment they often receive from citizens and the police. Time in jail severely interferes with homeless people’s needs to “self medicate” their addictions and mental illnesses.  This provides more than enough motivation to avoid trouble.

Kevin Barbieux

Las Vegas, Nev.

Faith in evolution

Having read "Two new discoveries answer big questions in evolution theory," plus another article about the Religious Left found at slate.com through a link from the Baptist Standard, the question arose: If what they say is true, why should I continue to believe in God at all, when respected experts and other eminent personalities also profess belief in God but at the same time dispute that he ever created anything?

If the millions of plant and animal species we know about all evolved, as many say happened, why should I continue to believe in the God whose creation story is told in the Holy Bible? How does one come down on both sides of this question?

Yes, God is our Savior and the Bible is true. However, he did not create us as the Bible indicates; we evolved over time. Can both really be believed by the same mind? Does anyone really think the science is conclusive on evolution anyway? Is evolution theory as settled as the Second Law of Thermodynamics? If not, aren't some exercising more faith in evolution than others do in Jesus Christ?

Further, with other advances in science now allowing us to see the living child inside the human womb, how do we reconcile God's love for all people with the practice of induced abortion? By valuing the child's life less than the parent's, have we not then made distinctions among ourselves, and become judges with evil motives? (James 2:4)

David Hammons

Fort Worth 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: 4/28/06

N.C. Baptists elect new
executive director-treasurer

By Tony Cartledge

N.C. Biblical Recorder

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP)—Milton Hollifield became the 14th executive director-treasurer of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention during a special called convention April 11—the first in the convention’s history.

An announced total of 1,066 messengers attended the meeting, approving Hollifield’s election with no apparent opposition.

A member of the convention staff since 1993, Hollifield had been serving as executive leader for the evangelism group. He was nominated by a search committee looking for a successor to former executive Jim Royston, who resigned last May to return to the pastorate.

The North Carolina convention has been divided in recent years, as fundamentalists and moderates battled over the election of officers and how church contributions should be handled. Several churches have been expelled over homosexuality and other issues, and some statewide board members have resigned over SBC policies, like the exclusion of women from pastoral roles.

Hollifield said during his installation that North Carolina Baptists work in partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and other mission sending groups to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of hurting people.

“I acknowledge there are significant differences among us,” Hollifield said. “But I am challenging you to focus on our points of agreement. I believe we will accomplish more united than we will as separate entities.”

The North Carolina convention’s executive committee and board of directors endorsed Hollifield’s nomination Jan. 24.

During the special convention session, Don Warren, chair of the board of directors, officially nominated Hollifield for the position. There were no other nominations, and Hollifield was elected on a show of ballots.

“The driving desire of my being, as your leader, is to help North Carolina Baptist churches achieve what God is calling each of them to accomplish in their respective fields of ministry,” Hollifield said, as he expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in him.

The son of a pastor, Hollifield worked in the funeral industry and for Duke Power before entering full-time ministry. He graduated from Mars Hill College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was associate pastor of West Asheville (N.C.) Baptist Church 1980 to 1982, pastor of First Baptist Church of Stanley, N.C., 1982 to 1991, and director of missions for Gaston Baptist Association 1991 to 1993.

Hollifield and his wife, Gloria, have one son, Judson, an attorney who lives in Asheville.

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: 4/28/06

Offering changes lives in Thailand

By Alison Wingfield

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

ATLANTA—The cost of a typical week’s grocery bill in the United States was all it took to change a life.

Money given last summer to the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Offering for Religious Liberty and Human Rights is being put to use to help hilltribe people in Thailand obtain legal status in that country. Individuals and churches also contributed a substantial amount to help with this project.

About $45,000 was collected at the 2005 CBF General Assembly for the first Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Offering, to be shared by the Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance.

The remainder of the CBF portion will be used to fund projects with Fellowship partner churches ministering in areas where religious liberty issues exist. The offering will be collected again at the 2006 General Assembly June 22-23 in Atlanta.

For 5,100 baht, or about $123, a Palaung is able to register for an alien resident card, which offers significant residence rights.

“That is a lot of money for most Palaung families,” said Rick Burnette, one of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel. “They make somewhere between a dollar to two dollars a day.”

He and his wife, Ellen, work with various hilltribe people as liaisons with the Palaung and Kachin minority networks, assisting communities in finding ways to make a living, including sustainable agriculture, and dealing with related rights issues.

“This offering has been extremely timely,” Burnette said. “We don’t think it was merely coincidental.”

The Palaung registration fund fit the criteria of the Carter Offering, noted Don Durham, CBF Foundation president and chair of the committee responsible for disbursing the offering funds.

“This is what being the presence of Christ looks like when we engage the grassroots at home with the grassroots around the world,” Durham said. “A significant number of CBF churches were already involved with the Burnettes in funding this registration project. And there were individuals with no rights of any kind. Basic citizenship rights are the first step toward religious liberty rights.”

Providing direct assistance to those whose religious liberties are endangered or non-existent is a key objective used by the committee to determine where to distribute the funds, said committee member Jimmy Allen, chaplain and senior minister of the chapel of Big Canoe, Ga.

The Palaung registration fund “seemed a good fit for beginning this process,” Allen said. “They need help meeting the high costs placed on them to get the protection of being citizens of Thailand.”

Many of the Palaung and Kachin fled civil unrest in Myanmar during the last two decades and have settled in Thailand near the border with Myanmar. As immigrants, it has been difficult for them to get documentation to allow them to work.

Using $10,000 of the Carter Offering, along with another $30,000 in donations from churches and individuals, the Burnettes—working with a Christian development project—set up a revolving fund for those eligible to get this documentation.

First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit, Mo., heard of the need after their pastor, Scott Harrison, returned from a two-week trip to Thailand, where he met the Burnettes and some of the Palaung. “The need was overwhelming, and knowing that our CBF missionaries would be able to oversee its distribution and make sure it got into the right hands was important to us,” Harrison said. “It was a tangible need, something we could do.”

Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary, N.C., found out about the need when leaders contacted the Fellowship.

“It was a different way to help people in a far-away part of the world,” said Amanda Atkin, associate pastor.

Currently, the Thai government has said immigrants are eligible if they came to Thailand before Oct. 13, 1985. There is hope those who entered after that also will have opportunities to register.

“Among the Palaung and Kachin, we have identified 247 persons who are eligible to receive assistance from this fund so as to secure legal registration,” Burnette said.

After determining who is eligible, the group is screened by their communities, and if they are considered in good standing in the community, they can benefit from the fund, and thus obtain legal registration. They are expected to pay back what they have borrowed, with interest, over time, thus creating a sustainable fund.

“This fund eliminates a lot of uncertainty,” Burnette said. Legal registration “gives them rights to reside in Thailand, to access various benefits, including healthcare and education.”

Legal registration provides a first step for the Palaung and Kachin peoples toward realizing the religious liberty guaranteed in the Thai constitution.

The group hopes the Palaung and Kachin peoples will be able to access the sustainable fund for other applications related to land rights and forest rights, Burnette said.

For more about the Burnettes’ ministry, visit www.uhdp.org /uh/. 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: 4/28/06

On the move

• Ada Ferguson to First Church in Texarkana as church counselor.
• Andy Hanson to Rose Hill Church in Texarkana as minister of youth and education.
• J.K. Minton to Central Church in Luling as interim pastor.
• Kyle Reese to Hendricks Avenue Church in Jacksonville, Fla., as pastor from First Church in San Angelo.
• Dave Towns to Little Deer Creek Church in Chilton as pastor.

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: 4/28/06

Prayer walkers see walls come tumbling down

By George Henson

Staff Writer

AMARILLO—Neal Hughes feels certain about two things: Churches need to be started in multihousing environments, and doing so begins with prayer.

Hughes, the Southern Baptist national missionary for multihousing church planting, should know. As pastor of Hope Community Church in Montgomery, Ala., his congregation started 53 churches in apartment complexes. Since beginning work with the North American Mission Board, he has led in starting 88 churches in the trailer park communities that sprang up following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The congregations were started with the “Jericho Prayer Walk” for indigenous church planting. Just as the Old Testament reported the walls of Jericho tumbled after seven circuits of the city, Hughes said, seven weeks of prayer breaks down barriers to starting a church.

Hughes spoke during a church-planting conference sponsored by the multihousing outreach office of Amarillo Area Baptist Association.

Churches interested in multihousing ministry at a particular property should talk with management and assure them no one will knock on doors or disturb the residents, he said.

The first week of the process, volunteers walk the property, “praying the resurrected Christ through the locked doors,” and minister to the people who initiate conversations, Hughes said.

Any number of people can prayer walk the property, he said, but they should do it in groups of no more than two. The prayer should be conducted with the ultimate end in mind—an opportunity to see the Great Commission fulfilled in the lives of the people who live there.

Prayer walkers should avoid calling unnecessary attention to themselves, he advised.

The second week, volunteers arrive at the same time, and repeat the process. Hughes said most residents don’t expect people from the church to return. When they do, respect begins to build, and opportunities to pray with people individually will increase.

The third week marks a crucial point in the process—the arrival of a “person of peace,” he said.

The person of peace is the person God has placed in that particular setting to facilitate the ministry, he explained.

He told the story of a dramatic appearance of a person of peace during preparations to start a discipling group at an apartment complex when he still was a pastor in Alabama.

The second week of prayer walking, as his group approached the apartment complex, they heard a commotion. When they arrived, they saw a man and woman arguing loudly and profanely—and both were brandishing guns. Hughes recalled stepping between the pair—almost against his will—and he told them to go into their apartments and calm down. For some reason, they did.

When the volunteers returned the next week for their third week of prayer walking, the man met Hughes as he entered the property and told him to come with him. When they rounded a corner, a group of about 20 rough-looking men awaited them.

“We want you to pray,” the man told Hughes.

“I’m way ahead of you,” he replied.

He learned the man was known as Dirty Dog. Dirty Dog was by no means a Christian then, but by giving his approval, he became the man of peace for that apartment complex. Now, years later, Dirty Dog is a Christian and a leader in a Bible study group.

The fourth week is a continuation of prayer, “but begin to talk with the people of peace about what God is saying to your heart regarding their community,” he said. “Welcome any feedback, as well as their desire to be a part of this new work. Ask them to become your prayer partners.”

The fifth week marks another critical point, because some in the group will begin to think there has been enough praying and it’s time to move on to something different. Hughes counsels the opposite.

“As you pray, walk a little slower, and stay a little longer. God is seeding into the community not only their need for Christ, but also the church being birthed in their backyard. Become more public with your intentions.”

Weeks six and seven, continue prayer walking, but also have fliers with dates announcing a kick-off rally, he urged.

“During the prayer walk, ask the community to follow you back and join your team for prayer at the place you intend to start the new church. Almost always by the seventh week, a cluster of people you have been praying with would have committed their hearts to Christ and are ready for the new church to start,” Hughes said.

The last week before the church starts, hold a block party or kickoff rally with face painting, recreation for children, food and fun events, he suggested.

It is best if other volunteers can operate the block party so that the people who have been ministering among residents can continue to do so.

The ninth week, begin discipling groups for men, women and children, he said.

In the weeks to come, hand over responsibilities to leaders in the group, Hughes said. Start by modeling the way to do things, and gradually move into an assistant’s role, helping indigenous leaders as necessary.

Later, try to observe more than lead, and then leave the church to the people who live in the community, he added.

Target 18 months as the time for the people in the community to have full rein, Hughes said. While the volunteers who started the church are no longer there for services regularly, they still should continue to mentor leaders.

And since Hughes has seen the process work more than 140 times, he is sure it will work, and new congregations can be successfully started this way. 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: 4/28/06

Public prayer in Jesus’ name debated

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Re-tired Army Chaplain David Peterson models how he thinks sensitive Christians should pray in public.

“I pray in Jesus’ name, but I always give a little introduction, just two or three seconds: ‘I’m going to pray according to my tradition, and I encourage you to pray according to your tradition,’” said Peterson, a retired colonel who coordinates chaplain ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.

“I think it’s important to show that not everybody is Christian, and we want to show respect.”

Peterson is responding to a growing conflict between principles of tolerance and free speech. The issue has figured most prominently in new guidelines directing U.S. military chaplains. But it’s also playing out at city council meetings, civic group banquets and even Boy Scout gatherings.

The conflict has centered on evangelical Christians following their tradition of praying “in Jesus’ name.”

Nationwide legal disputes reveal that some people are offended by prayers that refer to the Christian deity at the expense of other—or no—religious beliefs.

In response, some Christians, like Peterson, try to explain themselves before praying. Others use more generic and inclusive names to avoid creating offense.

“I think everybody pre-censors today,” said John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, a Virginia-based civil liberties organization. “We have a politically correct, obsessed society. The prevailing rule of the day is don’t offend anybody.” He said instances in which people’s prayers have been altered for the sake of tolerance have grown “worse and worse” in the last decade.

But Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the New York-based Jewish Council for Public Affairs, welcomes the “general presumption” he has noticed of people shaping their prayers.

“I think we should find a way to pray that allows most other people around us also to find God,” said Gutow, who recently met with Air Force officials about their latest guidelines.

“When somebody prays in Jesus’ name, … I wonder if they couldn’t also find another way to bring God in the room.”

Last November, a federal judge halted sectarian prayers at the start of meetings of the Indiana state legislature after four taxpayers sued, saying the prayers violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

In February, Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-Ind., responded by introducing a bill that would remove the content of speech at legislative sessions from judicial review. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

The American Center for Law and Justice has collected more than 200,000 names in a petition campaign that urged President Bush to sign an executive order that would permit chaplains to pray in public according to their beliefs.

That effort prompted the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces to declare its support for the status quo. Religious accommodation policies “are being refined as needed through military channels,” the group told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a March 1 letter.

Guidelines from the U.S. Air Force, also released in February, say chaplains “will not be required to participate in religious activities, including public prayer, inconsistent with their faiths” but also state that “nondenominational, inclusive prayer or a moment of silence may be appropriate for military ceremonies … when its primary purpose is not the advancement of religious beliefs.”

Billy Baugham, executive director of the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers in Greenville, S.C., questions the terminology, which is not yet finalized.

“It implies that when a chaplain prays in the name of Jesus Christ, that he is … trying to advance his belief,” Baugham said. “That is simply not the case.”

Rather, he said, a chaplain is “simply stating the authority by which he makes the prayer.”

Responding in part to the Air Force controversy, the National Association of Evangelicals issued a statement on religious freedom calling for increased sensitivity by those who pray.

“A military chaplain may preside, preach or pray in sectarian language with a like-minded congregation that has voluntarily assembled,” the document states. “The same chaplain ought to use the more inclusive language of civic faith when praying at memorials or convocations with religiously diverse audiences.”

The statement has been endorsed by some of the NAE’s member denominations and called “very helpful” by Rear Adm. Robert F. Burt, the deputy chief of Navy chaplains.

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: 4/28/06

Texas Tidbits

O’Brien appointed provost and executive VP at Baylor. Baylor University’s interim Provost Randall O’Brien has been appointed executive vice president and provost. He had served as interim vice president for academic affairs and provost since last June. O’Brien joined the Baylor religion faculty in 1991 and has been a religion department chair and acting dean of Truett Theological Seminary. He earned degrees from Mississippi College, Yale Divinity School and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Baptist minister and has been pastor of three churches and interim pastor at more than a dozen congregations, including Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, where he currently serves. O’Brien and his wife, Kay, an adjunct professor in Baylor’s School of Social Work, have three children—Elise, Shannon and Christopher.

TBM helps West Texas ranchers. Texas Baptist Men volunteers are meeting a ton of needs in West Texas—three tons, in fact. Texas Baptist Men volunteer John LaNoue hauled 6,000 pounds of donated cattle feed to Pampa, where it will be distributed to ranchers who lost much of their grass to recent wildfires. Members of First Baptist Church in Pampa helped unload the cattle feed and will distribute it. LaNoue, who delivered the feed on his way to preach at a revival at First Baptist Church in Wheeler, said the trip was perfectly timed by God. He was able to bring supplies to people who need and enable Baptists in Pampa to share the gospel by distributing those supplies.

Baptist Health Foundation grants scholarships to Wayland. Wayland Baptist University’s new bachelor of science in nursing degree program received funding for $50,000 in scholarships from the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio—enough to provide 10 full-time scholarships for one year at the San Antonio campus, said Diane Frazor, director of Wayland’s nursing program. The nursing program, with classes scheduled to begin this fall, was created in partnership with the Baptist Health System of San Antonio, where the school will share classrooms and labs.

Baylor graduate programs highly ranked. Baylor University’s Law School’s trial advocacy program ranked No. 6 in the United States in the latest edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” by U.S. News & World Report. The law school ranked 51st in the magazine’s top 100 list, one spot higher than last year. Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business ranked 77th among business schools, climbing 13 spots since last year, and Baylor’s School of Education ranked 98th among graduate education programs. Baylor tied with 12 other schools for the No. 90 spot in the top biological sciences programs category.

Carr named interim VP at Baylor. Paul Carr has been appointed interim vice president for marketing and communications at Baylor University. Carr, who has served as director of marketing communications, will succeed Larry Brumley, who resigned to accept an administrative post at Mercer University. Carr holds a journalism degree from Baylor. He was a reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald and San Antonio Business Journal, a press aide for a congressional candidate in North Carolina and for an Arizona congressman in Washington, D.C., print media director for a 10,000-member church in San Antonio, and owner of his own San Antonio publications company. He and his wife, Amy, also a Baylor graduate, are members of Highland Baptist Church. They have three children—Sarah, Annie and Jonathan.

Correction. In the article titled “Prayers enable Texas team’s ministry in Spain & Portugal,” published in the April 3 issue, Jim Clayman, minister of music at First Baptist Church in Mineral Wells, is incorrectly identified as Jim Claymore.

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: 4/28/06

TOGETHER:
Faithful servants, doing God’s work

Last week, I spent time with ministers of education and administration at their annual retreat in Salado. These men and women carry crucial staff assignments, serving at the nerve center of our churches. Generally, they take off the pastor’s shoulders many of the organizational and educational details that otherwise would consume much time and energy.

I consider them gifted and godly friends and colleagues in ministry who play an often-unnoticed and sometimes-under-appreciated role. They have a special calling, and they need the faithful prayers of their congregations.

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

Their assignment—to provide lay-led Bible study—helps the church do all its work more than any other ministry or organization I know.

A properly trained and utilized Sunday school enables a church to fulfill its God-given assignment—help people grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

No single organization has done more to help churches care for one another, reach out to the lost, lead members to embrace biblical and spiritual values, teach the truth of God, provide time for intercessory prayer, minister to the needs of the community, and prepare minds and hearts for worship.

Jesus said as we bring people the gospel and baptize them, we must teach them to obey all his commands. Surely, he must have had in mind something like a church with a strong Sunday school ministry for all ages.

God bless the men and women who faithfully serve our Lord and his people by investing their lives in training and equipping for service all the people they can gather.

From Salado, I drove to Austin, where I had the opportunity to open a session of the Texas Senate in prayer. The Senate passed a resolution in appreciation for the life of Phil Strickland, our Christian Life Commission director who went to be with our Lord in February.

Here is the prayer I offered:

“Our Father, you are in heaven, but we are not yet. So, in the meanwhile, may we be like trees planted by streams of water which give fruit in season and whose leaves, even, do not whither away. For that to be so, the Psalmist reminds us, we must not walk in the counsel of the wicked or sit in the seat of mockers. We find genuine delight in doing the will of God, and we give careful thought to the way that is your way.

“We give thanks, today, for the life of a man who lived among us like that. He lent the weight of his powerful convictions and integrity to move debate and decision-making forward. He helped us all to do right and give care for the least among us by the force of the facts, common sense and ethical values which he pressed upon us.

“You know, O Lord, that Phil Strickland prayed for these men and women. And he not only prayed they would have both divine wisdom and moral courage, he prayed for their families, for their well-being and for their faith.

“O Lord, bless them in their work this day and every day. We end our prayer with the words of Jesus: ‘Let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.’ Which surely must mean, at the very least, that we will use the power and influence of our lives to bless and teach all the children of Texas.

“In his name, I pray. Amen.”

We are loved.

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

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: 4/28/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Ascension gifts

By John Duncan

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, thinking about the ascension of Christ. “Ascending” sounds like something you do when you climb a ladder. “Ascending” sounds like an eagle riding the wind to new heights. “Ascending” is what my middle daughter did when she was young when she climbed on top of the refrigerator.

The thrill of Christmas and Easter buzz like sirens around the church and even in the world. Rightly so, because, as Christians, we circle those dates on the calendar and celebrate them in the glory of Christ. Ah, what glory it is! The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins once said, “Glory be to God for dappled things.” I looked up “dappled” in the dictionary. It means to mark with different colors. Christmas and Easter add color to the Christian calendar, the church and the Christian life. Where would we be without those dappled things? And, how drab and dull and colorless our lives would be without Christ in Christmas and Easter?

We find in the Bible after Jesus’ resurrection appearances in a place like Galilee, where Jesus ate fish with his disciples, that Jesus went to a region near Bethany and ascended. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus and indicates “Jesus ascended and gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:8). What gifts were given? After all, of the ascension we only know that Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed the disciples and parted from them and was carried up into the heaven (Luke 24:50-52).

Did he ride the whirlwind, summoned by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, like Elijah? Did he just suddenly disappear like Enoch, as the Bible says, “and Enoch was no more”? Did a giant hand reach down and carry him to heaven? Did he fly in the air with grace like Michael “Air” Jordan in his heyday, rising for a basketball dunk only to ascend and never to return from flight to earth? We do not really know. The Bible says simply: “… he went up …” (Acts 1:10).

When my daughters were small, Easter approached. The church discussion surrounded the story of Christ and his resurrection and, apparently, the Trinity, God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three-in-one.

I should tell you at this point in the story that I have three daughters—Amy, Jenifer, and Melanie. Amy lives as the oldest, the one who always asked theological questions. Once when we had the Lord’s Supper, she asked, “Mom, is this the last supper?” and she is also the child who, when seeing Jesus hanging on the cross in a children’s book, blood running down his forehead, exclaimed, “That’s gross!” Theology speaks.

Jenifer is the child who climbed the refrigerator, the happy child forever laughing and smiling and, like her mother, bringing the fun to life. She once told me, “God is in our heart—and so is Santa Claus!” Faith and fun capture the beauty of her essence.

Amy and Jenifer are in college. Melanie, the youngest, is in high school now. She, to this day, is the child full of answers, the right word for the right moment that will cause you either to think seriously or fall out of your chair with side-splitting laughter. Her quick wit illumines the world. Melanie once asked me, “Daddy, what is joy?”

“It’s kind of like happiness on the inside but more than that,” I replied in simplicity.

“Well, I’ve got lots of that, don’t I?” she responded without a thought. And she does have lots of joy!

When my daughters were younger, the eldest two in elementary and Melanie in kindergarten, Amy, the theologian, asked the question in the days before Easter: “Daddy, I don’t get the Trinity, how can they be three in one?”

“Wait here,” I said, eager to explain as Jenifer and Melanie listened and observed.

I walked over to the refrigerator, found an ice cube and an egg and returned to the table where all three daughters sat. I began to explain: “It’s like this: Father, Son, Holy Ghost, three-in-one.” I held up the ice cube: “Three-in-one, frozen it is ice; it can also be vapor; melted, it is water; three-in-one!” I threw the ice cube in the kitchen sink.

I held up the egg: “Three-in-one: the egg is a shell, a white and a yoke; three-in-one.”

Satisfied, they all watched, listened and responded nonverbally as if to say, “We got it!” I often encourage parents to give simple answers to deep theological questions with children. I had done that myself. Simplicity rules! No more questions emerged, and they went about their business until the Saturday before Easter.

On the Saturday before Easter, all three girls stood at the kitchen table while their mother, Judy, helped them dye, decorate and color the eggs, making them “dappled things” in Easter glory. They colored the eggs when, suddenly, one of the eggs cracked. Melanie ever ready to answer the moment with words, stood back and shouted as the cracked egg leaked its yellow yoke on the table, “The Holy Spirit is leaking out!” three in one had stuck in her brain from the Trinity discussion, and now one of three leaked out of the cracked egg—in her mind, the Holy Spirit.

Ah, childhood moments of memory. Ah, the glory of dappled things and words fit for the right time. Ah, oak trees and Easter and cracked eggs and the Holy Spirit leaking out! Ah, the death (gross!) and burial and resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

Jesus ascended, and he gave gifts to men. Christmas dapples the world with the story of Christ’s birth. Easter dapples the world with glory. The ascension is when the Holy Spirit leaked out.

The Holy Spirit hails as one of the great gifts. The Spirit convicts, commends, guides and comforts. I am not sure how nor what specific steps to take to get the word out, but the 40 days after Easter remind us of the message of the gift of the Holy Spirit who has “leaked out” in believers and who moves like mist over the waters and shows up to bring grace and help just in the nick of time.

Jesus went up and the Holy Spirit leaked out. And we daily sense the blessing of this great gift. Daily he gives gifts. Will we receive them with thanks?

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines. You can respond to his column by e-mailing him at jduncan@lakesidebc.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: 4/26/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for May 7

Behaving nobly in a dog-eat-dog world

• 1 Samuel 24:2-15; 26:6-12

By Joseph Matos

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas

Have you ever been falsely accused? Perhaps someone has accused you of taking something from them in the workplace. Maybe they perceived your presence as a threat to their advancement, even though nothing could be further from the truth.

Throughout your defense, did your accuser remain unconvinced? Did the accuser interpret wrongly your defensiveness as a cover for guilt? This was the situation in which David found himself.

Recall that 1 Samuel 20 concluded by telling us that when his fears were confirmed—and Jonathan was convinced—that Saul wanted to kill David, David fled. He was an innocent man whose life was in danger.

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Chapters 21-23 further corroborated those fears. David traveled from place to place, with Saul and his men in constant pursuit. Some, like the priests of Nod, helped David in his hiding (21:1-9). They did so at great personal risk. When Saul discovered they had aided David, he killed them. Only Abiathar escaped (23:6-23).

Saul’s son Jonathan also met with David. In their meeting, Jonathan, in almost prophetic fashion, assured David Saul would not harm him. He even declared David would indeed become king of Israel. Jonathan then revealed Saul knew this as well (23:15-18). The implication: Saul’s jealousy was the root problem. David was the target of that jealousy.

Saul had his supporters, too, though. Doeg the Edomite told Saul of the aid rendered David by the aforementioned priests (22:9), resulting in their deaths. The Ziphites also were all too eager to inform Saul of David’s movements (23:19).

Not surprisingly, then, informants like these in both chapters 24 and 26 led Saul to David. These chapters record two memorable exchanges between David and Saul.

Without going into detail here, it is important to note that chapters 24 and 26 share striking parallels. One would do well to read them side by side so as to observe their similar structure and content. A few examples will suffice.

Both chapters relate how Saul learned of David’s position. It is reported 3,000 men accompanied Saul. Both times Saul unknowingly came to rest close to where David was hiding, each time in a vulnerable position. David’s men interpreted these “chance meetings” as God’s way of placing Saul into David’s hands. David secretly approached Saul and left with something belonging to him. In chapter 24, he cut a part of Saul’s robe; in chapter 26, he took Saul’s spear and water jar. David refused to harm Saul each time.

Afterward, he called Saul out to show him he meant him no harm. David sought vindication from God regarding his own innocence and the willingness to pay the consequences if he was guilty. Surprisingly, Saul confessed his own guilt and declared David had treated him better than he had treated David. Saul even offered a blessing on David’s future. In 24:20, Saul acknowledged David would become king. Then each chapter ends with David and Saul parting company.

When read together, these stories about separate incidents reveal the character of David in his response to Saul’s false accusations. Never had David intended to harm the king. Given two opportunities to rid himself of his enemy, David showed self-restraint.

In the first encounter, though he intended only to show Saul he could have killed him but didn’t, David became “conscience stricken” (24:5) for doing nothing more than cutting a portion of Saul’s robe. In the second encounter, he stayed the hand of his assistant Abishai who offered to kill Saul for him (26:8-9). Not only would David not harm the king, he would not allow anyone else do so.

Numerous times throughout these two chapters, David voiced the principle by which he operated. Saul was the Lord’s anointed, and it was improper to raise one’s hand against the Lord’s anointed (24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 23).

In addition, David maintained a respectful attitude toward Saul in these exchanges. He referred to Saul as “my lord the king” (24:8; 26:17-19) and “my father” (24:11). Ironically, Saul referred to David as “my son” (24:16; 26:17, 21); whereas in previous chapters, he used more distant language (“son of Jesse”). David had resolved to let the Lord deal with Saul in the proper time and fashion.

To be sure, had David killed Saul when he had the opportunity, he quite possibly could have become king sooner. God had promised David the throne, hadn’t he? Maybe God had delivered Saul into his hands on these occasions as David’s men believed. David did not accept this. Also, this would only have served to confirm to Saul’s supporters his accusation that David actively sought the throne. After all, how could David prove he was not trying to kill Saul if he had killed him?

David trusted the Lord to vindicate him (24:15). In the meantime, he proved time and again he never had designs on killing Saul. Despite having the opportunities, he did not follow through. Even later, when Saul would die in battle, opening the way for David to become king of Israel, David chose to grieve rather than rejoice (1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 1).

Trust in the Lord. Remember, he said “It is mine to avenge, I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). Not only should that bring us comfort; it should remove a great weight from our shoulders.

Discussion questions

• Is David’s response a model for how we should act or just a record of what he did? Explain.

• How might the history of Israel in general and the life of David specifically been different had he taken matters into his own hands?

• Would David have been justified in killing Saul?

• What is the proper response when we are wrongly accused?

• What further harm can we cause when we fail to act nobly?

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: 4/26/06

Family Bible Series for May 7

There is no substitute for caring for one another

• Ruth 1:15-17; 2:2-7, 10-12; 4:13-17

By Greg Ammons

First Baptist Church, Garland

Adoniram Judson was a Baptist missionary to Burma for almost 40 years. His motto was “devoted for life.”

During the month of May, our lessons will center upon women of devotion. Each Sunday, we will look at a devout woman from the pages of Scripture who served God faithfully. This week, we will look at Ruth, who was a woman of character, grace and service. From her example, we learn about caring for other people.

Commitment to care for others (Ruth 1:15-17)

It was a sad scenario for three women during the days of the judges. Naomi and her husband lived with their two sons in Moab.

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Sadly, all three men died and left three widows. Naomi planned to return to her homeland of Judah and insisted her two widowed daughters-in-law remain in Moab and remarry. One of the women, Orpah, did so. However, the other daughter-in-law, Ruth, committed to continue with Naomi and care for her.

Ruth uttered the famous words, which we often hear in wedding ceremonies: “Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God” (v. 16). Ruth committed to die with Naomi and pledged that only death would separate them (v. 17).

How do you define “commitment”? One minister defined the word by saying: “Commitment is offering God a blank sheet of paper with your name signed at the bottom of the page. Then, you allow him to fill in the blanks.”

Often, Christians are called upon to care for others. This frequently involves a commitment on their part to be a caregiver. Yet, God will bless them and empower their care.

Take the initiative to care for others (Ruth 2:2-7)

After Ruth committed to care for her mother-in-law, they returned to Naomi’s home in Bethlehem. Once there, Ruth took the initiative to provide for the more aged Naomi. It was not easy for two women to make a living in a male-dominated society, so Ruth went to the fields to gather up leftover grain (v. 2)

When the owner of the field, Boaz, inquired about Ruth, the foreman replied she was the Moabitess who came back to Judah with Naomi. The foreman noticed Ruth’s aggressiveness by stating, “She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter” (v. 7).

Often, Christians will meet the needs of another person if they are backed into a corner and forced to do so. However, God blesses those people who take the initiative and are aggressive in caring for someone else and meeting needs. Is there someone in need whom God has placed upon your heart? Take the initiative to care for needs.

Sacrifice in the care of others (Ruth 2:10-12)

Boaz was impressed with Ruth’s commitment. He invited her to stay with his servant girls. She wondered aloud why she, a foreigner, had found such favor in his eyes (v. 10). Boaz mentioned the sacrifice Ruth made in order to take care of her mother-in-law (v. 11). He said: “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord” (v. 12).

Both God and others notice when you sacrifice to care for another. Many Christians must sacrifice personally in order to care for others. Whether it is an aging parent, raising a grandchild or some other need, God will bless such a sacrifice.

Elisabeth Elliot was the wife of former missionary Jim Elliot. They served among the tribal people of Ecuador until Jim was killed by the natives. As a new widow with a 10-month-old daughter, Elisabeth chose to remain among the savage tribe and show them Christ. Elisabeth once said: “To be a follower of Christ means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss.”

God blesses those who care for others (Ruth 4:13-17)

God blessed Ruth tremendously for her commitment to care. Other women of the community noticed Ruth’s godly devotion and declared to Naomi that her daughter-in-law had been better to her than seven sons (v. 15).

Ruth married Boaz, and they had a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of David, one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history. Also, God blessed the lineage of Ruth and brought forth his Son, Jesus, as a descendant. God will honor those who selflessly care for others.

The elderly woman stood in a long line at the post office. Eventually, she made her way to the front of the line and asked for a book of stamps. A gentleman nearby said, “There is a machine in front that will give you a book of stamps and you will not have to stand in line.” The woman replied, “But, the machine won’t ask me about my arthritis.”

There is no substitute for the human touch. Perhaps God wants to use you to care for someone in need beginning today.

Discussion questions

• What is the most difficult part of caring for another?

• What sacrifices are you willing to make to care for others?

• How have you seen God’s blessings when you care for others?

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.