Posted: 5/11/07

Competing state conventions challenge associations

By Ken Camp & Robert Dilday

Baptist Standard & Religious Herald

Dual—and sometimes dueling—state conventions often present a challenge for associations of churches.

In keeping with Baptist polity, associations are autonomous, stand-alone organizations, just as Baptist churches and state and national conventions are. But in practice, associations have maintained close ties to state conventions—often sharing funding and even staff positions.

In keeping with Baptist polity, associations are autonomous, stand-alone organizations, just as Baptist churches and state and national conventions are. But in practice, associations have maintained close ties to state conventions—often sharing funding and even staff positions.

Until recently, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’s Executive Board based its members on representation from associations. The Baptist General Association of Virginia’s mission board still does, and associations actually nominate the representative. It’s not unusual for the average church member to regard—albeit inaccurately—the association as a local chapter of the state convention.

So, when Baptists in a state form a second convention, associations find themselves walking a fine line—especially when significant numbers of their churches affiliate with the new convention.

In the past five years, fundamentalists in Texas and Virginia have organized new conventions, while in Missouri, moderates formed a new state body. In each case, theological and social issues precipitated the separation from the older state convention, which complicates an association’s ability to work with churches affiliated with both conventions.

In Southeast Texas, Golden Triangle Baptist Association deals not only with churches that relate to competing state and national conventions, but also with churches in the same city that relate to different associations.

Golden Triangle Baptist Association includes churches that relate uniquely to the established Baptist General Convention of Texas, uniquely to the newer Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and dually to both state conventions, Director of Missions Montie Martin said. For the most part, churches with varying state convention affiliations have worked together harmoniously in the association, he noted.

See Related Articles: • Woven Together: Associations' survival depends on willingness to change • Competing state conventions challenge associations • NETWORKS: New label or a new way for churches to relate?

However, some congregations formerly associated with Golden Triangle Baptist Association pulled out to join a regional association affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—primarily because one longtime member church in Golden Triangle Association is closely related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and has ordained women.

“But we still cooperate” with the churches that joined the Southern Baptists of Southeast Texas Association, Martin said. For instance, Golden Triangle and the other local association of churches have cooperated in providing housing for visiting mission groups.

“We have a good working relationship,” he said.

Ethnic identity and historic affiliations also factor into relationships, he noted.

“There are five predominantly African-American associations here, and we work with all of those,” Martin said, pointing specifically to a jointly sponsored Bible conference and to cooperative church-starting ventures.

Karen Campbell at Houston’s Union Baptist Association said a good deal of conflict was avoided when its leaders developed—and its churches later approved— a “unity document,” outlining what it means to affiliate with the association.

“Before the new (Southern Baptists of Texas) convention started, but when it looked as though it likely would happen, the association called a meeting of church leaders, reflecting a diversity of thought and culture,” she said. “In a day, they created what we’ve used since—a statement of what it means to be a part of the Union Baptist Association.”

“Basically the unity document says that you are a part of the Union Baptist Association if you are invested in the vision of helping reproduce churches and cooperate in transforming communities, and if you agree with one of the Baptist Faith & Message statements,” she said.

In Northern Virginia, the NorthStar Church Network—the Baptist association for churches in the Washington, D.C., suburbs—attempts to defuse the conflict by describing itself as a “network of churches” rather than a “denominational entity” aligned with a specific Baptist body, said Executive Director Stephen Welch.

“Historically, our churches have always affiliated with a variety of different Baptist denominations,” says Welch, whose 170 churches reflect the national capital region’s eclectic mix of Southern Baptist, American Baptist and African-American and other ethnic Baptist heritages.

But with the creation of the new Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia convention, which counts some of NorthStar’s churches as its affiliates, the association has found itself “having to be more sensitive to whom our churches are linked,” he said.

For example, following Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of the Gulf Coast, Welch received calls from disaster relief organizations attached to both the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the SBCV.

“We are having to exercise more sensitivity and diligence,” he said.

“Life would be a lot easier if we (NorthStar churches) were a lot like each other,” he said. “But we probably wouldn’t be as effective in ministry.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/11/07

NETWORKS:
New label or a new way for churches to relate?

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Some associations of churches call themselves “networks” now. And their directors of missions insist it’s more than just a trendy change in terminology.

As missions director for a West Texas area that included both Midland and Odessa Baptist associations, Wayne Keller observed a steady decline in participation in associational life. About two years ago, he decided the associations faced a choice—change or die.

“I went to the area committee and told them, ‘I don’t want to stick around to buy the tombstone,’” he recalled.

Keller set up a barbecue lunch meeting at a “neutral site” between Midland and Odessa. He invited church staff members from churches in both associations to attend and talk about how churches in the area could relate to each other in a meaningful way. The meeting drew 65 people who talked for two and a half hours, he said.

Out of that meeting, the two existing associations decided to dissolve and create Basin Baptist Network. Keller will serve as its coordinator until he retires Dec. 31.

“We didn’t merge,” he explained. “When you merge, you just take your old stuff and my old stuff and put it in a new place. We created something new.”

The network adopted new governing documents. It eliminated the associations’ 22 committees and replaced them with five teams empowered by the churches to take rapid action.

See Related Articles: • Woven Together: Associations' survival depends on willingness to change • Competing state conventions challenge associations • NETWORKS: New label or a new way for churches to relate?

One team coordinates the network’s cooperative ministries—traditional associational programs such as crisis centers in Midland and Odessa. Other teams focus on missions and evangelism, professional development for ministers, lay leadership development, and fellowship and partnership between churches.

An administrative team composed of the leaders of the other ministry teams and the officers of the network handles budget and finance, personnel, property, calendar and prayer strategy.

“It’s a much smoother operation,” Keller said. “It’s a completely new organization that has more credibility with the churches.”

Waco Baptist Association officially became Waco Regional Baptist Network last October after a two-year process, Director of Missions David Hardage explained.

“We think the network terminology is more reflective of what we actually do,” Hardage said. “The word ‘association’ is a great and comfortable term for me, but for many who are just entering the Baptist world, they are more familiar with the ‘network’ term and they resonate more with the idea of networking.”

Like Basin Baptist Network, Waco Regional Baptist Network eliminated 24 committees, councils and task force groups, replacing them with five teams.

“It’s a more streamlined, more manageable operation,” he said. It also is more flexible, and it’s easier to adjust processes and procedures—a considerable benefit for an operation Hardage characterizes as “a work in progress.”

A more accurate description of its identity was the rationale for a change to network status by the Baptist association in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

“I think it’s more than a name change,” said Stephen Welch, executive director of the NorthStar Church Network. “Our change reflects our intent that we are not a denominational entity. We are a network of churches.”

The former NorthStar Baptist Association was itself a merger of two older associations, and the new network includes 170 congregations in the capital’s sprawling suburbs.

Becoming a network didn’t significantly change their organizational procedures, Welch said. “We still consider ourself an association of Baptist congregations,” a description that is included in all of NorthStar’s publicity materials, he noted.

But Welch said NorthStar’s churches affiliate with a number of national, regional and local Baptist entities, and associations sometimes carry with them an impression of a specific denominational link.

“We want to help our churches network with the affiliations they feel fit their needs,” he said. “We’re not a broker for the national affiliates: we’re an advocate for our churches. And we want to try and connect them.”

— Robert Dilday contributed to this article.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/11/07

WOVEN TOGETHER:
Associations’ survival depends
on willingness to change

By Robert Dilday

Virginia Religious Herald

The drive to weave ties among local churches is housed deep in the Baptist DNA, some observers of denominational life say. It’s an instinct almost as visceral as another, often competing, Baptist characteristic—a fierce independence of thought and practice.

Geography is no longer the tie that binds Baptists….

For many Baptists, the term “cooperation” carries almost as much theological resonance as “believer’s baptism by immersion” and “priesthood of the believer.” And from their earliest years, Baptists in North America have experimented with congregational links, convinced that what their churches couldn’t do on their own, they could do together.

Nothing personifies that Baptist impetus more than the local association—the fellowship of churches in cities and adjacent counties that some call the basic building block of Baptist coooperation.

As Baptists in America celebrate the 300th anniversary of the local association, many observers think this earliest form of Baptist cooperation has a future—but only if its advocates are willing to make significant changes.

“I think associations are still an important way for churches to cooperate,” said Virginia Baptist mission leader John Chandler. “But the classic organization of associations as geographically based entities in which you collaborate because you live in the same neighborhood—that’s changing.”

Karen Campbell, a consultant with Houston’s Union Baptist Association, said Baptists still believe they can do more together than alone. “But ‘together’ takes on different meanings at different times. … The association in the future will have to continue to read its own context and shape itself accordingly.”

See Related Articles: • Woven Together: Associations' survival depends on willingness to change • Competing state conventions challenge associations • NETWORKS: New label or a new way for churches to relate?

Buffeted by theological controversies, a decline in denominational identity, competition from a widening range of church resources that cuts across denominational lines, economic challenges and a growth in local church-based missions endeavors, some associations are redefining their strategies.

It’s not the first time associations have changed in response to new scenarios. When Baptists on the North American continent formed their first association in Philadelphia in 1707, they were adapting to colonial America a familiar method, already a century old in England.

“Baptist autonomy was foundational for Baptist identity, but in England, Baptists very early formed associations, though they were used in different ways by different Baptist groups,” said Bill Leonard, dean and professor of church history at Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Generally, Leonard said, associations offered fellowship for what was then a dissenting minority in both Britain and its American colonies. Associations communicated with churches, drawing them closer together, and they dealt with theological disputes.

“But they’ve always adapted to the changing nature of Baptist life,” said Leonard. For example, in the mid- to late-19th century, as Baptist numbers in American cities grew and the influence of the social gospel spread, “associations in urban areas took on different kinds of ministries and activities” from their rural brethren.

By the mid-20th century, soup kitchens and rescue missions were common associational ministries in metropolitan areas. Associations also took the lead in temperance movements and evangelistic crusades.

That flexibility in the past is a critical component of associations’ future, say many observers, who see that expressed in different ways.

• Finding a niche. Instead of offering a smorgasboard of church resources—essentially duplicating what many state conventions do—some associations are focusing on one or two specific ministries they do well.

“The move among churches to congregationally-based ministries is like the move toward organic farming,” said Chandler, director of Virginia Baptists’ network for congregational leadership. “Consumers trust more what is grown at home. Churches are much more willing to spend dollars on home-grown mission work instead of ‘purchasing’ mission endeavors from a conglomerate like an association or state or national convention. So, the smart association figures out what the specific needs are in its community and targets it.”

For the Richmond (Va.) Baptist Association, ministry to the inner city has galvanized its 70 congregations—and even some churches beyond its fellowship.

“That’s the glue that holds us together,” said Peter du Plessis, the association’s director of missions. Support for four mission centers in central Richmond and a camp in the Allegheny Mountains that’s home to hundreds of inner-city kids each summer “has driven us to cooperate,” du Plessis said.

“We are a metropolitan, urban-oriented association, and churches that want to make an impact in the inner-city are drawn to us.”

That’s appealed even to Northside Baptist Church in suburban Hanover County, which, while affiliated with another association in its area, sends volunteers to work with neighboring Richmond Baptist Association on specific inner-city ministries.

Meanwhile, churches in the Piedmont Baptist Association, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural Virginia, have coalesced around ministry to growing numbers of Hispanics working the area’s farms.

“Members of Clifford (Va.) Baptist Church didn’t speak Spanish, but they saw an immediate need,” said Chandler. “They didn’t feel equipped to start a service themselves, but going through the channels of the classic associational model, churches in the Piedmont have initiated a very effective weekly worship service for Hispanics.”

Austin Baptist Association has been streamlining its ministries, channeling its resources—and passion—into starting new churches.

“Our focus is considerably narrowed. All we are about as an association is planting churches, equipping churches and keeping that vision alive,” said Steve Washburn, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pflugerville, one of the association’s congregations. “We’ve been gradually weaning ourselves off all other activities.”

Austin Baptist Association began several years ago examining the reason for its existence. The self-analysis and planning process resulted in a revised constitution, new mission statement and limited list of priorities for the association—with church-starting at the top of that list.

Union Baptist Association—the nation’ largest association, with more than 630 churches, follows the same principle, but its size allows it to focus on multiple priorities.

Church planting, community transformation, leadership development, church resources and missions all appeal to some of Union’s congregations, said Campbell, who coordinates communications for the association.

“We were vision-driven before vision-driven was cool,” she said. “We’ve been aware for a long time of the need for a shift in focus for associations.”

• Doctrinal guardians? Associations early took on a role as “doctrinal commentators, if not doctrinal gatekeepers,” Leonard said. “Some of the 18th century associations distributed ‘circular letters’ that functioned as a sort of theological textbook.”

Associations sponsored wide-ranging discussions on vexing theological issues, then they compiled a letter to churches outlining the consensus view.

More recently, associations served almost as entry points for state and national conventions, which informally relied on associations to vet a church’s doctrinal stance before fellowship was offered.

While some associations continue to exclude churches whose position on certain issues—women’s ordination or the appropriate use of alcohol, for instance—are at odds with most of its congregations, that role seems to be diminishing in many areas.

“We try to be very sensitive to who our churches affiliate with nationally and set up our network links with those affiliations,” said Stephen Welch, executive director of the NorthStar Church Network, an association of 170 congregations in Washington’s northern Virginia suburbs. “We try to connect our churches with those they want to affiliate with. We’re not a broker for the affiliates—we’re an advocate for our churches. We want to help them connect with those they want to link with.”

Welch said NorthStar’s churches link with a variety of Baptist groups—the Southern Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches in the USA, a few traditionally African-American conventions, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and several state convention and regional Baptist bodies.

“We reflect baptistic principles rather than a denominational identity,” he said. “We are unquestionably baptistic, but that can be expressed in many regional, state and national ways.”

Associations that focus on responding evangelistically to their communities have less interest in doctrinal uniformity, Chandler said.

“The idea of being a theological gatekeeper puts the emphasis on doctrinal purity rather than evangelistic urgency,” he said. “Where there is an urgency to reach people with the gospel—I won’t say that purity is compromised, but if a house is burning and you want to get things out, you’ll jerk the pictures off the wall in a hurry. Where there’s evangelistic urgency, there’s a higher tolerance for working with people who are different from you and you are enriched by those differences. It’s in those gaps that creativity flourishes.”

A focus on theological unity often gave associations a strong interest in overseeing the ordination of ministers in their region.

“Associations often had significant input into ordinations,” Leonard said. Local-church ordination councils usually included associational representatives.

Now that too is increasingly uncommon. Richmond’s du Plessis says his churches rarely ask for associational representation and evaluate ordination candidates on their own—even though both he and Chandler said associational input likely would help churches as they call out emerging leaders for strategic roles.

• Geography or affinity? Proximity was a standard feature of associations for most of the last three centuries. While the initial Philadelphia Association included churches as far south as Virginia, the impulse to localize was strong. In fact, it came to define associations.

Growing Baptist diversity—as well as communication innovations and ease of transporation—may be breaking down that former key associational characteristic. Many churches are seeking fellowship with congregations with which they share important identifying factors such as size, demographics, culture, theology or mission philosophy.

“Nongeographic associations are developing for a variety of reasons—some theological, some missiological, some ecclesiological,” said Leonard.

Many megachurches—such as Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif.—essentially are nongeographic associations, he said.

Du Plessis said interest in affiliating by affinity hasn’t caused problems in his geographically based association. “We have several churches that are invested in the Saddleback or Willow Creek programs, and that doesn’t affect our relations at all. … The difficulty with affinity alignments is that it encourages us to label folks and put them in one category or another.”

NorthStar’s Welch said alignment by affinity is likely a natural course of events for congregations. “Churches left alone will find other churches that they have an affinity with and network with them,” he said. “Networking by affinity is how they learn and get encouragement, so at an association, we have to do that as well. I know pastors who have mentors who live thousands of miles away from here, and they have support groups that they never see face to face.

“Associations that define themselves by geography probably have the same future as churches that define themselves by neighborhood.”

With its large number of churches, Union Baptist Association combines an appeal to affinity with a geographic base. At least two churches outside of metropolitan Houston—one in Laredo, another in Louisiana—are members of the association, drawn by specific ministries. But the diverse collection of congregations inside Union’s traditional geographic boundaries has prompted it to develop networks based on common interests and outlooks.

“We push the ideas of learning communities,” Campbell said. “Some are based on missional churches, youth work, leadership development, community transformation, Hispanic culture—even hip-hop culture.”

“We call what we do networking among shared purposes and passions, being a clearinghouse for churches, trying to keep our fingers into what is going on,” she said.

In fact, recently Union added a trained futurist to its staff—in response to requests from pastors that the association keep them appraised of developments and trends in culture and technology.

Networking well beyond a church’s environs is really nothing new, Leonard noted. Partly, it’s related to the reemergence in Baptist life of carrying out mission through the societal method—an older practice than cooperating through conventions that allows churches to participate informally in specific projects instead of “buying into whole denominational systems.”

But associational-like entities frequently cooperate in a nongeographic ways—as for instance the decades-long partnership among several moderate Texas Baptist churches that conduct an annual youth summer camp themselves.

“That’s essentially a nongeographic association, and it’s not new and not heretical. It has many precedents in Baptist life,” Leonard said.

The return of the American Baptist Churches USA to a regional approach and the emergence out of the Southern Baptist Convention of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Alliance of Baptists and more independent-acting state conventions is “the breakdown of highly connectional systems,” Leonard said. “But that doesn’t mean that churches aren’t explicitly adopting their own association-like connections.”

“The idea of cooperation hasn’t lost its meaning,” Campbell of Union Baptist Association added. “It’s just lost how it used to be manifested. It will be manifested in different ways.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Storylist for week of 5/14/07

TAKE ME TO: Top Story |  Texas |  Opinion |  Baptists |  Faith & Culture |  Book Reviews |  Classifieds  |  Departments  |  Bible Study





• Competing state conventions challenge associations

• NETWORKS: New label or a new way for churches to relate?

• Woven Together: Associations' survival depends on willingness to change


• Dallas church teams with Buckner to help AIDS orphans in Kenya

• Baptists care for disaster's youngest victims

• Baylor prof Beckwith becomes Catholic, resigns as head of evangelical society

• San Marcos Academy students learn value of service

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits


• Baptist Briefs


• What people don't know about religion can hurt them

• Churches pressure travel industry on sex trafficking

• House extends hate crimes law to include violence against homosexuals

• Hispanic population transforming United States' religious landscape

• Faith Digest

• Does Gore trump Gideons at hotel?


• Book Reviews


• Cartoon

• Classified Ads

• Texas Baptist Forum

• On the Move


• EDITORIAL: Broad support for a really bad idea

• DOWN HOME: She's a young dog; will she do tricks?

• TOGETHER: Missions strategy that will ‘get 'er done'

• RIGHT or WRONG? How to honor your parents

• Texas Baptist Forum



• BaptistWay Bible Series for May 13: Inviting all kinds of people to know Christ

• Bible Studies for Life Series for May13: Accept responsibility for actions

• Explore the Bible Series for May 13: Living your beliefs is what counts

• BaptistWay Bible Series for May 20: Sharing the gospel with skeptics

• Bible Studies for Life Series for May20: We all need to be peacemakers

• Explore the Bible Series for May 20: Seeking truth in an age of error


Previously Posted
• Texas Baptists minister to Cactus tornado victims

• Texas Baptists minister in Piedras Negras

• Holy Spirit conference decries lack of Baptist unity

• ABP board honors three, moves ahead with partnership

• Leaders discuss missions opportunities & challenges

• Tornado blessings astound Tulia couple as Baptists provide relief

• Federal panel decries Iraq's religious-freedom record

• Kimball responds to 'Allah' controversy

• Baptist nurse retraces steps of pioneer missionary in Nigeria

• Hispanic youth challenged to see God-given potential & purpose

• Maciel named president at Baptist University of the Americas

• Evangelicals unite to push immigration reform

• UMHB students learn as they serve through Habitat

• Ethiopian child finds a place to call home

• Turkish Baptists fear threats after murders, civil unrest

• Daughter of former Truett dean killed in car wreck

• VA agrees to allow Wiccan symbols as grave markers

• Murders & Islamist candidate worry Turkish Christians

• Commentary: Destruction Hits Villa de Fuente Colonia…again

• In first fallout from abortion ruling, Supreme Court returns state cases

• Texas Baptists offer relief to victims of widespread storms



• See a complete list of articles from our previous 4/30/ 2007 issue here.

Updated: 5/11/07

Leaders discuss missions
opportunities & challenges

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

WACO—In a meeting organizers hope will strengthen and encourage mission work, Baptist leaders described a need to create a culture where missions is integral to the Christian lifestyle.

About 100 missions leaders from agencies, institutions, conventions and churches gathered at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary at the invitation of Baptist General Convention of Texas President Steve Vernon and Executive Director Charles Wade.

Conference participants voiced a need for a culture where mission work is central to how Baptists express their faith.

“We have spent a lot of time the last several years reorganizing,” Vernon said in discussing the need to focus on missions. “Now we’re ready to move on.”

In a series of panel presentations followed by small-group discussions, participants outlined a missions landscape that—at best—was viewed with mixed reviews. Many applauded the willingness of Baptists to engage in missions. Some described today’s Baptist mission work as chaotic, with churches doing what they want without knowing what other groups may be doing regarding the same issues.

An increasing number of churches in recent years have engaged in direct mission work without going through an agency such as a mission board or institution. They discover mission needs through relationships they build and set out to meet those needs.

Other congregations continue working through conventions, institutions and agencies. They pray for missionaries and take short-term mission trips through traditional Baptist channels of mission work.

Some churches prefer to focus on giving to missions offerings such as the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions as their primary expression of their commitment to missions.

“We’re in very different places. We have 5,000-plus congregations, and they are very different,” Wade said. “But there is at the heart of churches a passion to be on mission, even in very small churches. Some of our most passionate people are in small churches.”

Several participants indicated a need to make mission opportunities more accessible, especially through a website that would list all opportunities for Baptists to do mission work. They wanted the information on the site to be sortable by location, type of project and number of people needed.

Rob Sellers, a professor at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology, suggested Texas Baptist leaders produce a book on new missions paradigms that would educate ministers and laypeople.

Participants also encouraged the BGCT to create avenues for churches to share missions experiences to inspire other churches to become more involved in mission work. One small group asked convention leaders to allow churches to have a free exhibit during the BGCT annual meeting.

Vernon said he was encouraged by what he heard during the Missions Exchange conference. Convention leaders will take some of the suggestions made by conference participants and incorporate them into this year’s BGCT annual meeting in Amarillo, which will focus on missions, he said.

Wade also committed the BGCT staff to helping Texas Baptists do the mission work God is calling them to do.

“I sense that the potential of Texas Baptist churches to touch the world has never been greater,” he said. “But there are a lot of paradigm shifts going on and issues to deal with.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Updated: 5/11/07

Kimball responds to 'Allah' controversy

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

A religion professor’s statements at a Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission conference that Christianity and Islam talk about “the same God” prompted two associations of churches to ask Baptist General Convention of Texas leaders to clarify the convention’s doctrinal position.

At a February Christian Life Commission conference in Austin, Charles Kimball of Wake Forest University said regarding Islamic teaching about Allah: “It’s the same God that Jews and Christians are talking about.”

Charles Kimball, religion professor at Wake Forest University, says his address was not significantly different than “anything I’ve been saying for 30-something years.”

His comments sparked resolutions by associations of churches in the Beaumont/Port Arthur and Midland/Odessa areas. Those statements, in turn, prompted a May 2 letter from the BGCT Executive Board’s executive director, saying, “Texas Baptists can be assured that the BGCT and the CLC are committed to and worship the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and him alone.”

Leaders in Basin Baptist Network approved a resolution April 5 refuting the “false and precarious” teaching that God as revealed in the Bible and Allah as presented in the Quran are the same—and calling on Baptist General Convention of Texas leaders to do likewise.

The resolution signed by 14 representatives from eight churches in the Midland/Odessa area and by Network Coordinator Wayne Keller asked BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade, CLC Director Suzii Paynter and the BGCT Executive Board to “formally distance themselves and our convention from, and publicly denounce such false teaching and reaffirm the commitment to the doctrine of the triune God as clearly and correctly articulated in the Baptist Faith & Message.”

The resolution went on to say, “We further emphasize our conviction that any persons in convention leadership who adopt or permit the theology that Jehovah and Allah are one and the same are not in step with Texas Baptists on the whole and need to carefully evaluate whether continuing their role in Texas Baptist leadership is in the best interest of our state convention.”

In a letter to Basin Baptist Network Moderator Jeff Box, Wade affirmed Texas Baptists’ commitment to the doctrine of God as stated in the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message. He quoted from the doctrinal statement’s affirmation of the Trinity and of Jesus Christ’s divinity.

“Not only is this the theological position of the convention; it accurately reflects my own theology and that of every BGCT employee. Anyone who knows me and knows our staff should know this to be true,” he said.

Any suggestion that Kimball’s comments signal “creeping universalism and relativism” in the BGCT “could not be farther from the truth,” Wade wrote.

“The Baptist Faith & Message clearly affirms that salvation comes only through Christ,” he said, quoting from the statement of faith.

“Nothing has changed. This is who we are and what we believe, and both leaders of the BGCT and the CLC staff agree on these affirmations.”

Wade characterized Kimball’s statement as “a bit jarring” and “not how we Baptists normally talk.” But he asserted Kimball was referring to the idea that Christians, Jews and Muslim all trace their theological heritage to “the God of Abraham,” and the word “Allah” is used by Arabic-speaking Christians to refer to God.

“Dr. Kimball made these points in order to say there is some common ground that Christians and Muslims share as we seek to relate in a world filled with tensions, violence and misunderstandings between religious and cultural groups,” he wrote.

“While I’m sure I wouldn’t agree with everything Dr. Kimball has written or said, what he said at the conference was not a radical theological statement. It recognized our theological uniqueness while pointing us toward some common good.”

Wade cited a statement by Joe Haag, program director for the CLC.

“God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit in real and important ways for Christians that God cannot be for Jews or Muslims. And because Muslims affirm the Quran as God’s revelation even as Jews and Christians do not, we are, in fact, three distinct religions with insoluble theological differences,” Haag said.

Kimball’s point was that, in spite of real theological differences, “Judaism, Christianity and Islam hold some things in common, and accordingly, Jews, Christians and Muslims should be able to talk with and live beside one another without killing one another,” Haag explained.

“We can understand, respect and even love Muslims and Jews without theologically capitulating to them.”

Wade sent a copy of his letter not only to Keller and Gary Dyer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Midland, but also to Montie Martin, director of missions in Golden Triangle Baptist Association. At a called meeting March 20, the Southeast Texas association unanimously adopted a statement affirming the Trinity and urging Baptist state and national conventions to “distance themselves from any theological mindset” that undermines the distinctive Christian doctrine.

“The God of the Bible is who we worship—the triune God. The God of the Bible is not the God of the Quran,” the statement approved by Golden Triangle Baptist Association said.

“The God of the Bible is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—three yet completely one. They are inseparable. You cannot have one without the whole. If you deny part, you deny the whole. If you take away any part of the Godhead, you no longer have the God of the Bible, and, therefore, the two, God and Allah, cannot be the same.”

Statements equating the Christian view of God with Allah as presented in the Quran have “compromised the Bible in the name of tolerance and political correctness,” the associational statement said. “This kind of thinking is another step toward universalism or at least is highly influenced by it.”

The association requested “the executive committees of our state and national conventions” reaffirm the doctrine of God as stated in the Baptist Faith & Message and to “firmly identify this doctrine as the accepted belief for the leadership of our state and national conventions, as well as our Baptist schools.

Golden Triangle Association sent the statement not only to the BGCT, but also to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and to the Southern Baptist Convention, Martin said.

BGCT President Steve Vernon replied, affirming his commitment to the biblical doctrine of God as expressed in the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message, Martin noted.

The SBTC Executive Committee approved a resolution April 24 affirming its commitment to the doctrine of God as articulated specifically in the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, according to a news release posted on the convention’s website. The SBTC requires all affiliating churches, employees and institutions with which it partners to affirm the statement of faith adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000. The SBTC Executive Committee resolution went on to affirm that “the God of the Bible” is different from Allah as presented in the Quran and historic Islamic teaching.

There’s no final decision yet about whether any action regarding the issue will be placed on the May 21-22 BGCT Executive Board agenda, Wade noted.

“We are still looking at whether or not this needs to be considered by the Executive Board. We are certainly willing to take this to the board, but we’re not sure that is necessary since our doctrinal statement is clear and we have affirmed that in various communications,” Wade said. “I will be visiting again with board leaders before we make a final decision.”

In an interview, Kimball expressed some surprise at the degree of furor sparked by remarks not significantly different than “anything I’ve been saying for 30-something years.”

Jews, Christians and Muslims have radically different understandings of God, but all three religions trace their beginnings to a common heritage, he said.

“When you’re talking about the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, you’re talking about the same God. It’s not Vishnu. It’s not Krishna. It’s the God of Abraham,” he said.

Clearly, Christians’ belief in the divinity of Jesus and the triune nature of God sets Christianity apart from Islam, but it also sets Christianity apart from Judaism, he noted.

Acknowledging common ground between Christianity and Islam is “not the same as declaring they are equally valid paths to salvation,” Kimball stressed.

“To say that Christians, Muslims and Jews are talking about the same God is one thing. To say that they are worshipping the same God, or that it doesn’t matter—that’s a whole different set of questions,” he said.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/10/07

Evangelicals unite to push immigration reform

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—A broad variety of evangelicals and other Christian groups and leaders launched a new campaign May 7 to get Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

With a Washington press conference and ads in two major Capitol Hill publications, Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform launched a campaign that will include both a media strategy in states with large numbers of immigrants and a grassroots organizing campaign.

“The current U.S. immigration system is broken, and now is the time for a fair and compassionate solution,” said a letter signed by dozens of Christian leaders who support the new effort. “We think it is entirely possible to protect our borders while establishing a viable, humane and realistic immigration system, one that is consistent with our American values and increases national security while protecting the livelihood of Americans.”

The group did not endorse any particular immigration proposal but agreed on a set of principles—undergirded by Scripture references—that it says should guide immigration reform. They include:

• Acknowledgement that all people “are made in the ‘image of God’ and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,

• Affirmation of God’s command to God’s people “to love and show compassion for the stranger among us” and “to love our neighbors,” and

• “Respect for the rule of law but also an obligation to oppose unjust laws and systems that harm and oppress people made in God’s image, especially the vulnerable.”

Progressive evangelical leaders and mainline Protestants have long advocated immigration reform that includes ways for illegal immigrants already working in the United States to earn citizenship. What’s new is that conservative evangelical leaders have increasingly taken up the immigration-reform cause.

However, polls show that rank-and-file white evangelicals are more likely to take a hard line on immigration than the U.S. population as a whole. Many oppose any path to citizenship for undocumented workers, calling such plans “amnesty.”

For example, Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public-affairs agency, recently was forced to clarify his comments on use of the term “amnesty” in a Capitol Hill press conference that advocated comprehensive immigration reform. Some conservatives accused him of supporting “amnesty” programs for illegal immigrants.

But Hispanic evangelicals’ steady growth—in size and influence—within U.S. Christianity has helped to drive the concern to the forefront of evangelicalism.

Participants in Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform include several Hispanic evangelical groups and leaders, such as Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Noel Castellanos of the Christian Community Development Association.

Among the other signatories to the effort are Joel Hunter—the suburban Orlando megachurch pastor who recently stepped down as head of the national Christian Coalition— and the American Baptist Churches USA.

Congress took up immigration-reform legislation last year, but it became bogged down by internal struggles in the then-Republican majority. The party was torn between anti-immigration hardliners and those, including President Bush, who wanted more comprehensive reform. The comprehensive reform would have included opportunities for undocumented workers in the United States to earn permanent status and start the process toward citizenship.

Several members in both chambers of Congress are working toward passing immigration reform this year.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/10/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for May 20

Sharing the gospel with skeptics

• Acts 17:10-11, 16-34

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Sharing the gospel is work, and hard work, if it is taken seriously. There is no substitute for personal, verbal witnessing.

In chapter 16, the Apostle Paul, for the first time, experienced Gentile hostility, not from religious sources but from secular ones. The opposition was strong and determined with unfounded charges. Paul encounters a crowd that had little knowledge or respect for the Scriptures or the worship of God. What happened would have sent most people packing for home and security.

The Holy Spirit had led Paul out of the frying pan and into the fire. Struggles and persecution do not signify a mistake by Paul. Paul could have been the inspiration for our saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Confronting a more secular crowd brought out the courage, desire and perseverance of Paul.

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Paul had come to the base of the hardest and highest mountain of skepticism and began his climb through frigid glaciers of adversity to the crest. The miraculous release from the dungeon jail in Philippi gave him encouragement that nothing would deter the work of the Holy Spirit, not even the hardest and most skeptical mindset.

The studied genius of Paul welcomed the intellectual challenges to his faith in Christ as he longed earnestly for their salvation. The Macedonian call would require a great effort in persistence and faith.

A skeptic is a skeptic, whether Jew or Gentile. Skepticism crosses all life views. A skeptic will deny the possibility of real knowledge and generally will doubt, question or suspend judgment on accepted truths such as religious beliefs.

The Pharisees were skeptical of Christ, relying on their traditions and covenant law. The philosophers were skeptical of Christ, relying on human reason. Both law and reason have their respective places but are inadequate as a complete guide to life. Both need faith to function with astuteness and fairness. Thomas was skeptical of the resurrection and would not believe until he could touch the wounds of the risen Christ.

1 John 1:1 attacks skepticism by referring to that “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” An open mind is needed for Scripture or reason to overcome skepticism and will lead to faith. Faith supports law and reason and then searches for what lies beyond them. Law and reason are human, while faith is divine.

Scripture as the primary tool in witnessing (Acts 17:1-15)

After the earthquake at Philippi, the magistrates released Paul and Silas to “go in peace” (16:36). Paul did not slink out of town but rebuked the magistrates, accusing them of violating his rights as a Roman citizen by beating and incarcerating him without a trial. Returning briefly to Lydia’s home, Paul and Silas left, taking Timothy with them, leaving behind Luke to assist the new little congregation at Philippi (16:38-40).

Leaving Philippi, this missional team traveled about 100 miles west, through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, the central city of the area. The local synagogue was his first stop, and he preached to them on three successive Sabbaths, striving to prove to them the Scriptures had been fulfilled, and Christ was the suffering Messiah who had risen from the dead. Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” (17:2-3).

Luke describes his success: “Some of the Jews were persuaded … a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” (v. 4). Jealous Jews, opposing Paul and Silas, “rounded up some bad characters … formed a mob and started a riot in the city” (v. 5) with a similar kind of accusation as at Christ’s crucifixion that “they are defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus” (v. 7). The opposition was radical, making it impossible to continue the mission.

Paul and Silas are sent away by the brothers from Thessalonica to Berea, where they would find a more “noble” crowd. Reason told them to seek safety, but in spite of the previous uproar, these two went to the synagogue to preach, and their hearers “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (vv. 10-11). An honest and open search of Scripture revealed to the seekers the identity of Christ, and many, both Jews and Greeks, responded.

People who have a respect and appreciation for God’s word are easier to bring to faith. Scripture becomes a vital participant because it is “living and active.” “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates … and … judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). When Christians go and share the truth of Scripture, the Holy Spirit can pierce the open heart and bring people to faith.

The angry, evil rowdies from Thessalonica came to Berea and stirred up opposition. Paul was escorted 200 miles to Athens. Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea to reunite with Paul “as soon as possible” (Acts 17:13-15).

The Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica and Berea provided Paul with a congregation knowledgeable of the sacred text. Those who worshipped God, practiced monotheism and were familiar with the contents of Scripture were better equipped to understand and grasp the meaning of the expected Christ.

Paul’s rabbinical studies in Scripture gave him the tools to logically show Jesus was the Christ, along with sharing his testimony of salvation. The Bible is God’s word, the revelation of God, God-breathed by the Holy Spirit, and the authoritative guide for faith and behavior. Notice Paul’s messages were scrutinized, tested and evaluated on the basis of God’s word. Our authoritative source for God’s teachings is the Holy Scriptures.

Reason as the primary tool in witnessing (Acts 17:16-34)

Athens was and is an awesome city, the mother of culture and brilliance, of art and architecture, of politics and power, of philosophy and reason, and the sacred seat of paganism. The accomplishments of Greek civilization was so extraordinary and famous that the people had every reason to be proud. One of the most extraordinary sights in the world is the majestic Parthenon, alluringly dominating the Acropolis. Under profound and brilliant leadership, Greek independence developed its democracy, art, science, philosophy, institutions, poetry and architecture. Statues of idol gods were everywhere made of marble, stone, wood, silver and gold, artistic symbols of man’s search for spiritual meaning.

Athens was the glory of sophisticated civilization, though its significance had waned some by the time of Paul. At this time, the Athenians lived mostly in past glories. Together, let’s note Paul’s assessment of Athens, his passion and boldness for his purpose, his appropriate strategy, and his intended results.

Paul was alone in Athens waiting on his missionary mates to come. His eyes saw the beauty of the city, but his mind was on the idols, which were an affront to God who declared in Scripture: “I am the Lord your God … You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything” (Deuteronomy 5:6-8).

Paul’s spirit was stirred and he was “greatly distressed to see the city was full of idols” (17:16). What Paul saw provoked a holy rage within his spirit. Paul understood that by worshipping many gods, the Athenians worshipped nothing at all.

Paul was not on vacation in Athens, taking tours around town while he waited for his colleagues. His spirit provoked, Paul took the initiative to look for his audience, starting “in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks” (v. 17). Next, the marketplace, the focus of public life, provided daily opportunity to discuss his Christian faith with “those who happened to be there” (v. 17). Paul also challenges the “Epicurean and Stoic philosophers” who “dispute with him” (v. 18).

Paul takes on all levels socially, spiritually and intellectually. His confidence in the Lord and his preparation emboldened him to share with anyone who would engage him in conversation. He was fearless of opposition, mockery, insult, debate or failure. He used different methodologies in different situations and different groups. His “reasoning,” his “preaching” and his disputing attracts considerable attention (v. 18). As he witnesses, he must have researched their mindset, arguments, logic, devotion, carnality, family life, world view, education, values and issues.

The Epicureans, accepting the teachings of Epicurus of Athens, believed pleasure was the highest good of all and should be the god of life. They were materialists, fond of luxury and excess, who acknowledged distant gods who were uninvolved in human affairs.

The Stoics, founded by Zeno of Cyprus, harmonized life through reason, believing that all things are governed by unvarying natural laws. A wise man must follow virtue or morality, discovered through reason, and must remain indifferent to the external world, to passion, pleasure, joy, grief and pain. Theologically, god was in everything.

Both of these rational, philosophical systems were spiritually antithetical to Christianity. With no common ground to build on, Paul had to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit, his reason, his debating skills, his compassion for sinners and the truth he possessed.

Held in contempt, Paul was mocked as a babbler (v. 18). However, curiosity won out to hear and know about this new concept, new philosophy, new system of ideas (vv. 19-21). Paul was led to the Areopagus, a highly respected community council with the authority to judge on matters of public concerns, to present his explanation or lecture. Around him are the inquirers, the idol images and symbols of decadence and he preaches to them the resurrected Christ.

Finding common ground (Acts 17:22-23)

Paul chose an introduction that adapted to the context of his listeners, but focused on his issue of proclamation by complimenting them on being very religious, an indication of an innate, unfulfilled spiritual desire. Without the benefit of Scripture, Paul sought a common denominator that would link him to his audience. He quoted from local authorities to support his point and uses a familiar altar inscription, “To An Unknown God,” to make his point.

Paul is brilliant in playing off the basic spiritual need, using visuals of their own design, taking advantage of their cherished leaders and leading them to his message with “… what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you” (v. 23). In a few brief words, Paul has commanded their attention and created a teachable moment.

Presenting the thesis (Acts 17:24-29)

Addressing the skeptics who have no background in Scripture or worship of one living God, Paul led them to monotheism by identifying the “unknown god” they worshipped as “the Lord of heaven and earth” who “does not live in temples built by hands” (v. 24). God is first a gracious giver who made all mankind and determined their place of habitation.

Because of his creation, man is to seek and search for God though God is near and everywhere and “in him we live and move and have our being” (v. 28). Paul reasoned that since Athenians believed their poet who says of this “unknown God” that “we are his offspring,” how could they “think” a god can be a lifeless statue of stone, an idol, “an image made by man’s design and skill” (17:29).

How can life or offspring come from a slab of marble? Rather, mankind is the offspring of the one God. Man can know God who is personal, powerful, living and who can be one with the spirit of man.

Summon to action (Acts 17:30-31)

Paul was direct but not unkind when he refers to such “ignorance,” for he already has addressed the issue of the “unknown.” God, who once overlooked such ignorance, now calls for every single person to “repent” for there is a day to come when God will “judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed” (vv. 30-31). Then comes the crucial but essential issue of faith in that God’s eternal proof to “all men” was raising Christ from the dead (v. 31).

Response (Acts 17:32-34)

The very mention of the “resurrection of the dead” brought smirks and sneers to some while others responded with curiosity for additional discussion. Paul had preached his sermon and left the council having fulfilled his mission to preach the gospel to the astute minds of these skeptics. He was successful in that “a few men became followers of Paul and believed” (v. 34). Without any background in Scripture, God’s Spirit worked through the rational logic of Paul to bring the miracle of faith.

Summary

Paul used reason, the primary tool of the rationalist, to shatter their flawed logic and cut through the wrapping to get to the heart of the matter. He out-thought the thinkers and out-rationalized the rationalists to unmask the chinks in their system of logic. He argued for faith in a personal God of the universe by proving the rationalist had come to the wrong conclusions. Paul’s reasoning brought him to the living God while their reason brought them to idol statues. The difference was faith in the resurrected Christ. Faith and reason go together like two sides of the same coin.

Discussion question

• How can churches share the gospel with people who do not believe the Bible or have a high opinion of the church as previous generations did?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/10/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for May 20

We all need to be peacemakers

• Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 5:13- 6:5

By David Harp

First Baptist Church, Stanton

As I prepare to write, I have made mental notes about our subject of conflict in recent weeks. When I read the newspaper or watch the news, I am listening for conflict. Is there any conflict around us?

Yes, conflict is all around us. For example, a junior high school player assaulted his coach a few weeks ago. Last week, a father was shot when he stepped in and tried to break up a fight between his three children and two other teens.

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The laundry list of conflict gets dirty. We all have been stained by sin. We all have mishandled conflict. We all have a need to be peacemakers. Our lesson teaches us how to confront others and how to develop ways to restore relationships.

Process (Matthew 18:15-17)

Jesus details a process for seeking to resolve conflict between two believers. First, the offended person is to go to the offender and seek personally to get the matter resolved one on one. Second, if this attempt is rebuffed, the offended person is to take another along in the attempt at resolution. If this attempt also is unsuccessful, then the church is to get involved in seeking to settle the dispute. Finally, if the offended person persists against all parties and refuses to be restored, the church is to treat this one as an unbeliever.

The ideal is that one-on-one relationships be settled without the entanglement of others, which leads to gossip and backbiting. Jesus’ command can be broken down like this in Matthew 18:15:

1. If there is conflict

2. You

3. Go

4. To the person

5. In private

6. Discuss the problem

7. For the purpose of reconciliation

Principle (Galatians 5:13-15)

Even the best of believers allow conflict to get the best of them. When this happens, serving Christ and honoring him takes a backseat. The very attitude of love which should lead us now leaves us due to the conflict. However, the passage before us tells us love is the theme of our lives.

Mother Teresa has been a model for many in the area of self-giving love. Mother Teresa said, “Do small things with great love.” If we can put the principle of love into our daily lives, we will accomplish much to the glory of God.

Purpose (Galatians 6:1-5)

What about a believer caught in a sin? This passage tells us it is the task of the community of believers called the local church to try to restore the one who has sinned. “Restore” is a medical term, and it is so appropriate to use here. It means a bone is out of place and needs to be put back in its rightful place—to be restored. Notice that we also are given instructions about our attitude concerning this activity of restoring—“in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, so that you will not also sin” (Galatians 6:1). This word “restore” also was used by fishermen as they mended their nets.

What is the purpose of this action? Restoration of a sinful believer. On one hand, a sinner feels forgiven and whole again. There is something about being accepted when we know we have wronged in the body of Christ. And we have all been in the wrong. In the same way, we all get to participate in this significant purpose of the church. We are carrying one another’s burdens.

One of my heroes of the faith is a man named Clarence Jordan. He founded Koinonia farms in Americus, Ga., in the 1950s. His farm became a haven for people society would not accept or love. People of all races and cultures came to Jordan for love, grace and mercy. They found God, and they found mercy, and they found what it was like to be restored. This was true community.

Everybody was happy, right? Not really. Conflict abounded. The people often were assaulted and beaten. Arson and fires were intentionally set, even to the church. After one particularly rough week of this kind of conflict, someone in town asked Jordan how it was going, and then remarked, “Just how successful do you think you have been, Jordan?” Jordan thought for a moment, reflecting on a week of beatings and burnings. Jordan said, “I guess we’ve been about as successful as the cross.”

The cross of Jesus Christ was the ultimate conflict. Yet it brought our greatest victory because of God’s great love. All of our conflict would be better handled if only we would attempt to be as successful as the cross, where the love of Christ was poured out for us all.

Discussion questions

• What is your typical approach to conflict?

• How do you love others in the midst of conflict?

• How can you incorporate the purpose of resolving conflict into your daily life?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/10/07

Explore the Bible Series for May 20

Seeking truth in an age of error

• 2 Peter 2:1-3, 12-14, 17-22

By Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

Last week, we talked about the game of telephone—a great party game, but a poor Bible study method. This week, we’re going to discuss why.

We live in an age of “isms.” Materialism. Humanism. Modernism. Existentialism. You name it, it’s being promulgated by air waves, air mail, e-mail and in print. We can only take so much bombardment by strange ideas before we no longer find them strange.

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Of course, this process is such a slow one, we rarely notice it. We continue to spout the ideologies we grew up with, never noticing the changes in our thinking, speech and behavior, which have adjusted over time in keeping with the growing secularism of society. Meanwhile these “isms” seep into the church and corrupt God’s truth. The result is a widening gap between what we say and do.

Our condition is nothing new. John wrote about the dangers of gnosticism for the first-century church. The Middle Ages were led astray by the church’s materialistic marketing practices. Humanism impacted the Renaissance mind, which paved the way for some of our modern “isms.”

Worldly thought versus God’s truth

Today, in a world intimately connected by modern technology, we no longer are insulated against radical ideas or false religions. Free speech means anyone can say anything regardless of its eternal significance. Meanwhile most Americans interpret the First Amendment to mean Christians must hold their tongues.

The world is a postmodern philosophical mess, standing in radical opposition to God’s truth. Everywhere we turn, we are blasted with the message that anything goes. Some philosophies preach there is no God. But since life without God has no purpose, value or meaning, it is essentially absurd. The only way to avoid a hysterical fit is to die laughing. Of course, in the absence of any absolute standards, each of us must create our own definition of right and wrong, one that makes sense for our own personal situation. So anything goes, and if it feels good, do it.

Humanism, a tenet of modern society, preaches God is mere superstition. Mankind, it says, is the source of all good things. In the absence of a divine authority, it’s up to us to save the world. Right and wrong are relative, with the added perk of being able to justify amoral behavior because our intentions are good.

Needless to say, if we don’t know the Bible, if we aren’t solidly grounded in truth, we stand precariously close to the edge of a cliff. Furthermore, since many modern philosophies and false religions teach ideas that seem to explain life’s difficulties or give latitude to indulge in sinful behaviors, they can be dangerously attractive. Even church leaders can be led astray by these ideas and begin infusing Biblical teachings with abiblical ideas. What results is wrong thinking in epidemic proportions, and since these ideas are taught telephone-style within and between churches, they spread like the plague.

Returning to the Bible

The only way we can stand firm in our faith is to know God’s word. As the world increasingly denies the very existence of God, we must commit to know God personally and become intimate with his word. Yet even as we agree with this need, we resist the idea. It seems like so much work when all we want is to rest in our salvation.

Of course, this in itself is wrong thinking. According to the Bible, when we are reborn through salvation, we enter an epic-sized war between good and evil. Jesus warned that following him was not for the faint of heart, that it would require tough choices and hardships. When the difficulties arise, however, we think something is wrong. Already the error that has tainted our faith begins to lead us astray.

Why does Bible study seem such a hardship? Because the devil wants us to miss out on the blessings resulting from intimacy with God. Why do God’s teachings seem too difficult for anyone to achieve? Because the world offers an attractive alternative, a way that follows our sinful nature and leads us away from God.

The world tells us all we have to do is faithfully practice our religious ideals, regardless of what they are. The Bible teaches only one way, one truth and one life. The world tells us to make our own truth, to create our own meaning out of the madness of this world. The Bible teaches it’s madness not to trust in Jesus and adopt his teachings.

The world tells us to piece together our own faith out of the smorgasbord of all religions. The Bible teaches us to take God at his word: “If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in [the Bible]. And if anyone takes words away from the book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in [the Bible]” (Revelation 22:18-19). A sobering teaching, if ever there was one.

Paul tells us God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not ours. He proclaims our wisdom as pure folly, sure to lead us away from God: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? … For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:20, 25). When we buy into the world’s philosophies, we are buying a lie.

Committing to truth

So what are we to do? The wisdom of this age is foolishness to God, yet it inundates even our churches. How are we to know the truth? Paul addresses this issue as well: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

In other words, we cannot resist wrong thinking and spiritual error without the Holy Spirit. We must ask God for discernment to see things the way he does.

Furthermore, we must take the time to test all things against God’s word. In this age of error, we must return to the truth, leaning on God’s wisdom, not man’s. As John says: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. … They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (1 John 4:1, 5-6). To avoid being led astray, we must be saturated in God’s words. We must be spiritually wise.

But remember, we can’t be wise in both God’s eyes and the world’s. They stand in direct contrast to one another. We must choose. To avoid choosing is the same as rejecting God, and Jesus condemns that kind of lukewarmness. The world may think Jesus-followers are foolish, but their judgment is only for a moment. For the rest of eternity, we’ll bask in the approval of God—“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:18-19).

Let’s make the choice to become intimately acquainted with God and his word. Let’s pray for God’s wisdom to discern worldly ideas that seep into the church and strength to stand firm against them.

Discussion questions

• Have you noticed traditions or teachings not in line with the Bible? What can you do to correct them?

• Do you make time to read and memorize Scripture? If not, why?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/04/07

Ethiopian child finds a place to call home

By Miranda Bradley

Children At Heart Foundation

Ask 8-year-old Israel about his family, he becomes quiet. Already shy, the boy looks down at his small hands, quietly refusing to respond. But ask him about Texas Baptist Children’s Home, and he has no trouble expressing his joy.

It’s a far cry from two years ago, when Israel arrived from Ethiopia—unable to speak English and unable to find a place to call home.

Eight-year-old Israel from Ethiopia.

“The first time he arrived, I would ask him simple questions like, ‘What’s your favorite food?’ or ‘What’s your favorite color?’ He would just blink up at me,” said Kip Osborne, campus life supervisor at Texas Baptist Children’s Home. “He didn’t understand a word.”

Brought to the United States by his father when he was 6, Israel was in an awkward position. Unwanted by his stepmother, his new family considered him a burden.

With few other resources, his father tried to leave him at Texas Baptist Children’s Home. But since Israel was unable to communicate in English at all, officials at the home could not accept him. But six months later, he returned, able to speak English fluently.

“It was pretty remarkable,” Osborne said. “He came back able to speak very, very well.”

Israel finds it easy now to talk about most things. He likes salad and spelling. Ask him his favorite subject in school, and he replies, “Recess.”

But ask about his past—particularly his life in Ethiopia—and he offers little information.

“He won’t tell me much,” said Jennifer Burnum, house mother to Israel and seven other young boys. “I’ve tried to ask questions, but he just won’t talk about it.”

But Israel continues to make progress. Although he is a grade behind in school, he has developed his reading and spelling skills, and he hoped to write his mother in Ethiopia for Mother’s Day. He’s a typical 8-year-old, playing with his buddies and enjoying the blessings of his new life at Texas Baptist Children’s Home.

The campus life program at Texas Baptist Children’s Home—a part of Children at Heart Ministries— serves up to eight children in six residential cottages with a Christian house parent couple each.

“I call them situational orphans,” Osborne said. “These children all have families or guardians, but they don’t live with them, and sometimes don’t see them. In Israel’s case, even though he has a father nearby, because of his circumstance he might as well be an orphan.”

At Texas Baptist Children’s Home, children like Israel find a home, a place where they are wanted, Osborne said. In Israel’s case, he continues to become more outgoing and visibly happy—a start contrast to the child who arrived at the home two years ago.

“We give (children like Israel) a place to belong,” he said. “Here, they finally know there are people who want to care for them. Here, they know they are wanted.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 5/04/07

Students from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor learned carpentry as they helped on a Habitat for Humanity project.

UMHB students learn as
they serve through Habitat

By Jennifer Sicking

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

BELTON—When Sherman Wilkins participated in a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor outreach program his first year, he “fell in love” with the idea of voluntering with Habitat for Humanity. Never mind he didn’t know much about using a hammer and saw.

“My first day on a habitat job site, I was clueless on what services the different tools functioned for,” said Wilkins, a senior from Hamlet, N.C., who is now president of the UMHB Habitat for Humanity chapter. “During every scheduled volunteer build, Habitat provides supervisors to oversee the construction in which they educate inexperienced individuals on the proper technique for the use the tools.”

UMHB students generally volunteer two or three different times a month at Habitat for Humanity building sites in Belton and Temple. As part of the university’s Reaching Out program, in which students spend a Saturday working with different organizations in the area, 23 students recently built sheds for two Habitat homes.

Heather Gates, a junior from Rockwall, spent part of the day operating a circular saw, but as a Habitat member, she also helped less-experienced students with the project.

“I tried to get the other people involved to see what our club is about,” she said.

Nathan Wilson, Habitat project supervisor, has managed several projects involving students.

“They’re awesome,” he said. “They’re enthusiastic. They have a positive attitude and they don’t mind working.”

For Gates, working on Habitat homes in high school helped her become interested in the program and join the college club.

“I like to build and work with my hands,” she said. “I think about the family and how much it means to them. The family is out there working, too, and they appreciate it because we’re not just giving it to them.”

Gates and Wilkins said they also learn skills from the experience for whenever they become homeowners.

“It’s important, because one receives the chance to not only build a home from scratch and learn handy techniques which can be used around one’s own home, but most important, one receives the chance to build a relation in Christ with the future homeowners and the volunteers that come out for the build,” Wilkins said. “This is why I enjoy helping with the program … lending a helping hand to others.”

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