Posted: 3/14/08

Book Reviews

The Begotten by Lisa T. Bergren (Berkley Publishing Group)

It’s a classic clash between good and evil, an epic struggle between earthly power and the ultimate power, God’s love.

Set in 1339 Italia, the story really begins some 600 years earlier, when the Gifted were foretold. And although they know their calling is real—their images are clearly illustrated in the old manuscript—they must trust God to guide them on a mission that is illuminated only one step at a time.

Their gifts? None other than the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their strength? Unity. But as they step into their gifts, the enemy is aroused, and the battle begins.

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to books@baptiststandard.com.

Lisa T. Bergren is a master storyteller. In this, the first of an epic quest trilogy, mysteries begin on page 1 and carry you through to the end.

You’ll alternate between cheering and chewing your fingernails. It’s definitely a page-turner. But when you get to the last page, you’ll be glad to know the story has only just begun.

For an inspirational yet entertaining read, don’t miss The Begotten.

Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church

Duncanville

William Wilberforce: A Biography by Stephen Tomkins (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing)

Stephen Tomkins paints an engaging portrait of William Wilberforce, who led a 20-year battle in Parliament that resulted in abolition of the British slave trade 200 years ago. Tomkins makes it clear Wilberforce’s strong evangelical faith fueled his passion to put an end not only to the slave trade, but also to the institution of slavery itself in the British Empire.

At the same time, Tomkins forthrightly acknowledges seeming contradictions in Wilberforce’s record. The ardent champion of abolition and advocate of human rights favored wartime imprisonment without trial, supported restrictions on freedom of speech and called for outlawing trade unions. But Tomkins places that apparent inconsistency in historic context—not offering excuses, but providing helpful explanation.

In addition to offering a well-rounded look at Wilberforce, Tomkins also takes an unblinking look at the slave trade. He includes firsthand testimony detailing the brutality of the Middle Passage and the dehumanizing view of people as property. In a world where up to 27 million people continue to be victimized by forced labor, human trafficking and debt bondage, the message bears repeating.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard, Dallas

The House That Love Built: The Story of Linda & Millard Fuller, Founders of Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing by Bettie B. Youngs (Hampton Roads Publishing)

It is too rare a thing to read about a couple who literally gave away millions of dollars and walked away from a lucrative business to commit their lives to following Christ.

The story of Millard and Linda Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity, is such a story. This book is a story of sin, repentance, forgiveness, grace, obedience, perseverance, vision, hard work, faith and changing the world.

The Fullers are not perfect people, but they have lived lives that exemplify loving God and others. Their journey has not been without great challenges. Perhaps the best lessons learned from this couple are found in the times when they faced their own brokenness and painful disagreements about the future of the organization they founded.

If you want a refreshing book on true servant leadership, this book is for you. The Fullers are modern-day examples of laying down their lives for others, and we would do well to emulate them.

Carolyn Porterfield

Former executive director-treasurer

Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, Dallas

Posted: 3/14/08

Baptist Briefs

Baptist news journal to honor founding editor. Baptists Today will honor founding editor Walker Knight at an April 3 dinner in Atlanta as part of the news journal’s 25th anniversary celebration. He will receive the Judson-Rice Award from the publication. Knight, a Baylor University graduate, became associate editor of the Baptist Standard in 1950, a position he continued to hold until he went to work for the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board in 1959. Knight left the editorship of the board’s magazine, Home Missions, in early 1983 to launch the independent news journal first known as SBC Today.

Online registration for SBC opens. Online registration has opened for churches that will send messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 10-11 annual meeting in Indianapolis. For online registration, churches should go to www.sbc.net. The appropriate church-authorized representative—typically a church clerk or moderator—must complete all online registration, including the church’s seven-digit ID number, found on the Annual Church Profile. When registering online, the SBC website gives the church a messenger-reference number form to be printed out and presented by each messenger at the SBC registration booth in exchange for a nametag and a set of ballots. The traditional registration method also will be available for churches without Internet access.

GuideStone offers tax guide for ministers. Ministers can find additional help in preparing their 2007 federal income tax returns from GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Ministers Tax Guide for 2007 Returns details recent changes to tax laws and their effect on ministers. The tax guide can be obtained in an electronic PDF format from the GuideStone website—www.GuideStone.org. Printed copies or a CD version also can be obtained by calling customer service at (888) 984-8433 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Urban missions workshop set at Mercer. The McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University will offer a workshop exploring congregational strategies for urban missions April 1-2. Robert M. Franklin, president of Morehouse College, will give the keynote address. Workshop topics range from community chaplaincy to ministry to people with HIV/AIDS. For registration information, visit www2.mercer.edu/theology/events/urban_mission_conference.

British Baptist pastor given platform to fight slavery. British Baptist pastor Steve Chalke has been appointed special adviser to the United Nation’s Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. Chalke, chair of Stop the Traffic, a group of 1,000 organizations in 60 countries that work to stop the purchase of people, will work in the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime to help foster community action against human trafficking. The initiative was launched in March 2007 and is managed in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration, the International Labor Organization, the U.N. Children’s Fund, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. According to U.N. estimates, more than 2.5 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide each year. The vast majority of them are under the age of 24. The trafficking industry generates an estimated $31 billion annually.

Posted: 3/14/08

More than 4,800 declare faith in Christ
during Caracas evangelistic effort

By Kaitlin Chapman

Texas Baptist Communications

CARACAS, Venezuela —When 13 Texas Baptists boarded flights for Caracas, they wanted to see God work. They didn’t know they would see 4,882 people declare their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Texas team joined more than 1,150 other Baptists from Caracas, other parts of Venezuela and from the United States with one desire—to see Venezuelans profess faith in Christ during a recent regional evangelism effort called Caracas Crusade 2008.

During the event, volunteers shared the gospel more than 10,200 times.

Jacobo García, director of missions and evangelism for the National Baptist Conven-tion of Venezuela, expressed his gratitude and joy over the lives changed during the crusade.

“There is indescribable joy when in the completion of the commandment to ‘go and preach,’ we see men and women respond to the call to devote their lives to Jesus Christ.” Garcia said. “God, in his grace … (allowed us) to see several thousands of people coming to the feet of Christ.”

During the crusade, participants worked alongside Baptist churches within the five zones of Caracas, with congregations hosting nightly services and teams of four doing door-to-door evangelism during the day.

A team from Tennessee also held baseball clinics for youth and children while church members shared the gospel with their parents.

The Texas team was assigned to help Iglesia Bautista Monte Carmelo in a part of the capital region called Guarenas-Guatire. 

Baldemar Borrego, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, preached nightly at the evangelism services there. Through this and door-to-door evangelism ef-forts, the Texas team shared the gospel with more than 300 people, seeing 150 accept Christ.

Borrego recounted a particular story that touched him during the second week in Guarenas, when an alcoholic entered the service.

“He prayed and accepted Christ,” Borrego said. “After that, he just started crying and couldn’t stop. He knew something had changed him.”

Borrego also spoke during the annual assembly of the Venezuela Baptist convention.

“The people were very excited about this partnership with Texas,” he said.

Baptists in Venezuela have committed to pray for every church in Texas because they want Texas to be reached with the gospel as well, he noted. Borrego challenged every Texas pastor to do the same for churches in Venezuela.

The convention placed importance on follow-up and began those efforts while the crusade still was in progress. Churches started 53 Bible study groups in order to disciple new Christians.

Steve Seaberry, director of Texas Partnerships, said the Caracas Crusade was the perfect way to start a long-term partnership between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Venezuela convention.

Both groups are excited about this joint venture because the Venezuelans are ready to receive the gospel, he added.

“The people are very open right now,” Seaberry said. “Times are difficult economically, which makes people open spiritually. We are very excited about what the future holds.”

García also realizes the importance of both conventions taking advantage of this opportunity.

“I believe with all my soul that God is giving us the honor of living in the best historic moment for presenting the gospel,” García said.

“We do not know for how long this great door will be open.”

Because of the great response to the crusade, the Venezuelan convention is planning another evangelism event for April 24-27 that will focus on starting Bible study groups as well as discipling people who professed faith in Christ during the event.

For more information on the Venezuela partnership, contact Texas Partnerships at txpart@bgct.org or call Seaberry at (214) 828-5180.

Posted: 3/14/08

Posted: 3/14/08

Catholics paid $615 million on abuse claims

By Daniel Burke

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The U.S. Catholic Church paid out $615 million in costs related to sexual abuse claims in 2007, even as the number of victims coming forward fell for the third straight year, according to an annual report issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

More than $526 million went to settlements between victims and Catholic dioceses and religious orders last year. That’s an increase of 90 percent over 2006 and a new high for the U.S. church.

At the same time, according to the report, dioceses and religious orders received 691 credible reports of sexual abuse from 689 victims in 2007, down from 714 such reports in 2006.

Most of the sex attacks took place decades ago, according to the report, most frequently during the 1970s. Just five new instances of the molestation of a minor by Catholic staff during 2007 were reported.

The 84-page report is part of a yearly review inaugurated after the sexual abuse crisis exploded in the church in 2002. It is produced by the bishops’ National Review Board, with information provided by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and audits conducted by the independent Gavin Group Inc. of Boston.

Since 1950, sexual abuse-related costs have reached an estimated $2.4 billion, and almost 14,000 abuse claims have been lodged, according to church figures.

Posted: 3/14/08

2nd Opinion:
A microcosm of the body of Christ

When in Rome, doing as the Romans do usually doesn’t involve attending an English-language Baptist congregation. For this Texan, looking for a church while living in Italy last fall required plenty of my own initiative.

Despite several false starts and only one month of Italian under my belt, I finally managed to find Rome Baptist Church near the famous Spanish Steps.

Organized in March 1963 as a mission to “serve the Americans who live in Rome,” the church is now led full-time by Dave and Cat

hy Hodgdon, who moved to Rome from Colorado in 2001.

The church draws people from all walks of life and facilitates an atmosphere of openness and diversity, largely because of its heterogeneous congregation. Tourists or students like me join the church for just a few months, or even for just one Sunday.

The church secretary/treasurer (and frequent translator), Lilibeth Daya, is from the Philippines; Peter Owusu, who maintains the church property, is from Ghana.

Margie Caffarelli arrived in Italy in 1995 from Samoa at the age of 15 with her Italian father. She serves the church with her musical skills and by teaching English classes and Sunday school.

Edgar Ocasion, at Rome Baptist 17 years, is the assistant pastor for the Filipino Fellowship. Ocasion loves the church’s sense of community. “I tried other churches,” Ocasion says, “but this is really different. … I really feel loved here.”

Meggie Akin-oni came from Nigeria, where dancing, clapping and singing keep services lively. She has lived in Italy for close to eight years and in Rome for two-and-a-half years. “I wanted to find a non-Catholic, gospel church.” she explains. “I just asked around, and I was directed to Rome Baptist. … I loved the environment, the welcoming spirit.” She sings in the choir, teaches Sunday school and occasionally presents the children’s sermon. The African Fellowship functions for her as both prayer support and a community where they “worship God the African way.”

This church represents more than 30 nationalities and holds three services every Sunday—the international service in English, the Filipino Fellowship service in Tagalog and the Chinese Fellowship service in Mandarin. Additionally, the African Fellowship gathers the first and third Sundays of each month.

The congregation’s multiple major ethnic groups necessitate good rapport among the leadership. Several have been with RBC longer than the Hodgdons, and their wisdom and familiarity with the congregation make them valuable mediators and resources for cultural understanding.

At Rome Baptist Church, intercongregational unity happens when the group turns its attention to worshipping God together, despite often contrasting styles. Their patient, persistent communication with one another comes from a deeply rooted belief that the church universal claims a purpose of unity—they have cultivated relationships with one another that resist trivial differences.

What makes it tick?

Dave Hodgdon thinks “it has to do with key people who are willing to step across some of the hurdles that keep other churches from functioning like we do, people who don’t have problems dealing with others from different cultures. … We’re not just here to be an American church; we’re here to be a church.”

Worshipping in one venue with Filipinos, Australians, Samoans, Americans, Italians and Africans reminded me of the Apostle Paul’s words: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

During my last few months at Rome Baptist, I was able to serve as the church’s choral accompanist, which allowed me the unexpected chance to offer my most treasured gifts in music to the church.

The semester culminated with a multicultural Christmas cantata and potluck dinner, and I understood afresh what it meant for the church universal to sing and move and serve as that one body in Christ.

Carrie Joynton is a senior at Trinity University in San Antonio and a member of Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo.

Posted: 3/14/08

Couple urges truce in war
between faith and science

By Charles Honey

Religion News Service

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS)—The poster in Deborah Haarsma’s office at Calvin College bears the bold title, “Long, long ago in galaxies far, far away”—appropriate Star Wars jargon for an astronomy professor.

It shows photos of galaxy clusters spied by Haarsma and two of her students using one of the world’s largest telescopes last summer.

“We were hoping to find about half a dozen galaxy clusters, but the universe told us that’s not what we’re seeing,” Haarsma says. “We found one galaxy cluster, which is pretty cool in itself.”

When Haarsma says the universe told her what they were seeing, she’s not exaggerating. She believes God speaks through the Bible and through the far-flung reaches of space—God’s word and God’s worlds. For her, science and Scripture do not conflict, but together point toward the Creator of both.

“Seeing the beautiful things of the universe reminds me of God’s beauty,” she said. “Seeing the powerful things reminds me of God’s power.”

Her husband, Calvin physics professor Loren Haarsma, nods in agreement. While she sees God’s wonders in a vast sea of stars, he detects God’s design in atoms flowing in and out of cells.

Both are awed not only by the intricacies of God’s creation, but also by the fact they, as scientists, are able to understand much of how it works.

“We have the privilege of thinking God’s thoughts after him,” she said.

In the noisy debate among biblical creationists, intelligent-design lobbyists and religiously skeptical scientists, consider Loren and Deborah Haarsma missionaries for peaceful dialogue.

Calvin professors since 1999, they share a passion for faith and science and would like to make peace among factions warring over how life was created and by whom.

Stop firing and consider this possibility, the Haarsmas say: Both the Bible and science are true if we interpret them correctly.

“Science and Christianity are not at war,” they write in Origins: A Reformed Look at Creation, Design and Evolution, published last fall by Faith Alive Christian Resources. “In fact, scientifically studying God’s creation is one way we can joyfully explore creation and fulfill our mandate to be caretakers.”

Theirs is a refreshing voice in a debate dominated by nonbelieving scientists on one side and biblical literalists on the other, who both insist science and Scripture are incompatible, said Douglas Kindschi, director of the Grand Dialogue in Science and Religion.

“They are part of a growing movement of people who very competently articulate the relationship and compatibility between good science and good theology,” said Kindschi, professor of math and philosophy at Grand Valley State University.

The Haarsmas both grew up learning a literal Genesis creation account, he in a Christian Reformed Church in Iowa, she in an Evangelical Free Church in Minnesota.

They met at a Bible fellowship as doctoral students in physics. As their relationship grew, so did their interest in exploring apparent conflicts between their faith and their research.

“I would say it was God’s Spirit prompting me and telling me, ‘Yes, I should study this, I should work at this,’” Haarsma said.

“It was an issue I had to work through,” his wife added. “Sort of a moment of realization that these two different areas of thinking in my brain are based on different assumptions. I have to figure out how to reconcile them.”

She insists she did not water down her beliefs to fit the science. It was a matter of understanding how to best interpret Scripture and science, then seeing how the two fit together.

“I wanted to promote Christian unity by showing Christians, ‘Here’s where you agree on issues’ … and try to get people to see where the essence of the disagreement is.”

In fact, there is more agreement than conflict among Christian views of science, the Haarsmas insist. Christians agree God created everything but disagree on how, the couple contends. The disagreements flare over the most controversial concepts—creationism, intelligent design and evolution.

In their book, the Haarsmas argue that answers can be found by careful study of the Bible and the book of nature. Only when asked do they advance their view—that the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old, the universe about 13.7 billion and evolution is God’s program for creating life.

Theological study shows the Book of Genesis was not meant to teach science but about God’s relationship to people, the couple insists. It uses poetic images and concepts of the Earth’s structure that people of the time would have understood.

“God wanted to correct their mistaken beliefs that there were many gods,” he said. “God didn’t bother to teach them modern big-bang cosmology first.”

Posted: 3/14/08

Movie argues for gentler
church approach to divorce

By David Briggs

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Divorced people no longer feel as if they are wearing a scarlet “D” on their chests when they walk into most houses of worship.

The prevalence of divorce has forced even the most conservative church leaders to grapple with the issue and explore ways to welcome people from unsuccessful marriages without giving up the ideal of a lifelong union blessed by God, church observers have noted.

But Christian filmmaker Dave Christiano said there still are times when he gets the sense churchgoers who never have gone through a divorce look at a divorced person and barely can hide the thought, “What did that guy do wrong?”

In his new movie, Me & You, Us, Forever, writer-director Christiano, 51, of North Carolina, tells the story of a divorced 47-year-old Christian man who thinks back and reminisces about his first love of 30 years ago.

The semiautobiographical movie, which opened recently in 83 U.S. cities, is based on Christiano’s first love with a New York woman; he would not disclose the woman’s name.

“This is a tribute to a lost first love,” he said.

But it also is meant to help Christians—particularly those going through a divorce initiated by a spouse, as Christiano did—to accept that such devastating losses happen in life and cannot always be explained.

“The answer is, God is God. He’s the Lord,” said Christiano, who calls himself a nondenominational, Bible-believing Christian. “The issue is to try to grow and mature and deal with it” without remaining angry and bitter.

The main character in the movie, Dave, is angry at both his ex-wife and God. When a friend says God is not responsible for divorce, Dave responds: “Why not? He’s the one running the show, isn’t he?”

A divorce-recovery group at a church helps Dave deal with his anger and denial.

Pastors need to confront the issue, Christiano said.

“Look out at your congregation, and 90 percent of people have been touched by divorce,” Christiano said. “What I try to do with my film is to offer some help to people.”

Posted: 3/14/08

DOWN HOME:
A father’s love plumbs divine depths

Sometimes, I think I know waaaaay too much about chick flicks and fashion.

This is my Y-chromosome’s fault.

See, I’m a daddy of daughters.

If I had produced different chromosomes and Joanna had produced boy babies, I’d probably know all about action movies, video games and the batting averages of left-handed pinch hitters in the American League.

As it is, however, I still remember quite a bit about a genre of tiny dolls called Polly Pockets, the film versions of classic Broadway musicals and the relative merits of most romantic comedies produced by Hollywood in the past 20 years.

Many dads might be bothered by this. A few would be embarrassed to admit it. Not me.

For more than 24 years, I’ve unashamedly committed myself to mastering “girl” things. One of the great accomplishments of my life was learning to tie a bow on the back of little girls’ dresses. (Hey, it’s harder than it looks.) I’ve spent many blissful Sunday afternoons in the middle of the floor, playing dolls. And I’m not bothered—at least not too bothered—to tell you I’ve developed a knack for handicapping the prospects of contestants on “reality” shows like America’s Next Top Model and So You Think You Can Dance.

See, I’m a daddy of daughters.

Love takes many forms. Years ago, as a young father, I was surprised to learn the shape of my love readily conformed to the interests of the two young lights of my life, Lindsay and Molly.

As a guy, I’d never dreamed my heart would turn to mush before “girl” things. But then Joanna gave birth to daughters, and love changed all my preconceptions.

Love changed me, too. I’m still a man, but I can see through a feminine filter, because I want this to be a world where little girls can grow up strong and free and secure, where they know Jesus loves them just as much as boys, where they are respected, appreciated and adored.

Every now and then, I even see myself through that lens. This happened when we watched the latest adaptation of the greatest chick-book-turned-flick of all time, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.

The climactic scene is when Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) tells her father, Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland), she wants to marry Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). Females cried when Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy kissed, but I cried with Mr. Bennet. Sutherland’s face told the story of a father’s love, respect and passionate care for his daughter. He should’ve won the Oscar.

That scene has been on my mind as Easter approaches, because my love as a father is the closest I can approximate God’s love for humanity. I saw my love for my daughters reflected in Mr. Bennet’s eyes. And I can only begin to imagine how much God loves us, that he would sacrifice his only child for our eternal sakes.

–Marv Knox

Posted: 3/14/08

EDITORIAL:
U.S. faith swapping & relationships

One word kept coming to mind as I read the new Religious Landscape Survey produced by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. I’ll admit I felt guilty every time I thought that word, but I just couldn’t get away from it. I said it out loud when I read that 44 percent of American adults have faith-swapped—switched religious affiliations or dropped their connections with faith altogether. And while I tried to think other thoughts, it crept back into my brain when I considered other facts, such as only one in four young adults are affiliated with any religious faith; and Protestants comprise barely 51 percent of the population, down from two-thirds two decades ago; and 10 percent of the population are former Catholics; and almost 40 percent of American adults are married to someone from a different religion.

Promiscuity.

That’s the word. I know it sounds judgmental, but I couldn’t help thinking it. Americans are a religiously promiscuous people. We’re movers. We change spouses, houses, jobs and communities more often than our foreparents changed tires. So, why should we expect faith—or no faith, as the case may be—would be any different?

Of course, Baptists historically have benefitted from a degree of religious promiscuity. We call it “conversion,” and our ranks have grown because we have presented a compelling reason for unbelievers to believe in Jesus and for Christian pilgrims unhappy in other sections of God’s kingdom to immigrate to our shores, “through the water,” as it were. The evangelistic imperative, not to mention the Great Commission, bids us to beckon toward others.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling an edge of anger, resentment and sadness as I read the statistics. The source of sadness was easiest to locate; half of all the faith-less adults once affiliated with a religious community. But the pinpoint for resentment was harder to find until it hit me: A huge number of our faith-changing fellow Americans moved from one brand of Christianity to another, and sometimes to another still. That reality personalized the survey, because I know those people. And my inclination to label them as promiscuous grows out of my own sense of betrayal.

We live in a consumeristic culture, and it’s no surprise that Americans sample and swap religious identity the way they change designer clothes. Always looking for the right “fit.” This would be easier to take if I didn’t like, respect and even love some of the faith-changers. On one level, I resent their changing; on another, I recognize why they change.

But when I look at the dispiriting results of this survey, I feel like the optimistic boy who came upon a barn full of manure: “I know there’s a pony in there somewhere!”

The pony is a truth: Faith is relationship.

America’s religions churning reflects a search for faith, and faith is fulfilled in relationship. First, foremost and eternally, humanity’s only complete and fulfilling relationship is with Jesus Christ. We know this—not only through Scripture, doctrine and teaching, but also through firsthand experience. If you are complete and whole and “at home,” then you have a relationship with Jesus. And if you do not know Jesus, then you’re not there yet, and that wanderlust you feel is a compass that points ultimately to him.

And in this life, the visible, tactile, tangible reflection of our faith-relationship with Jesus takes place in a congregation of Christian believers. If we desire for Baptists to quit faith-swapping and we hope others will find a home among us, then our local churches must vibrate with loving, sacrificial relationships that give people a heart-warming, visceral sense of exactly what being loved by Jesus is like.

That love doesn’t fight over worship. It doesn’t exclude because of race or age or status. It simply loves. For Christ’s sake—and the world’s—it loves.

Posted: 3/14/08

Some Southern Baptists decry
timidity on environmental issues

By Adelle M. Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—A group of Southern Baptists has launched a new initiative on the environment, saying that their denomination’s past declarations on the issue have been “too timid.”

“We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice,” the initiative’s statement reads. “The time for timidity regarding God’s creation is no more.”

Though Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page is among the initiative’s 45 signatories, officials at the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission have not signed the statement.

Baptist Press, information service of the SBC Executive Committee, issued a release saying, “The so-called ‘Southern Baptist’ statement is not an initiative of the Southern Baptist Convention, which voiced its views on global warming last summer in a resolution, ‘On Global Warming.’”

The four-page document says despite “justified disagreement” about the global warming issue among Christians, there is a biblical mandate for churches to be actively involved in preaching and practicing care for creation.

The Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative has been spearheaded by Jonathan Merritt, a seminary student and the 25-year-old son of former Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt.

The younger Merritt said he was moved to act after hearing his professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., compare destroying creation to ripping out a page of the Bible.

He is encouraging additional Southern Baptists to sign the statement on the initiative’s website, baptistcreationcare.org.

Barrett Duke, vice president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the commission discussed the document with Jonathan Merritt but was not comfortable with its final version.

Posted: 3/14/08

Faith Digest

Hinn submits records to Senate committee. After several weeks of delay, televangelist Benny Hinn has submitted a “significant amount” of financial material to a Senate committee that is investigating the finances of six prominent ministries to make sure they are complying with tax laws that apply to other nonprofit entities. Jill Gerber, a spokeswoman for the Senate Finance Committee, said ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and his staff “will evaluate whether the material responds sufficiently but are encouraged by the demonstration of cooperation.” Joyce Meyer Ministries in Fenton, Mo., already provided materials that were reviewed by Senate staff. Kenneth Copeland Ministries submitted some materials. The other three ministries—Creflo Dollar, Paula and Randy White and Bishop Eddie Long—have yet to provide financial records.

Union Seminary appoints first woman president. Serene Jones, a feminist scholar who has taught 17 years at Yale Divinity School, has been named president of Union Theological Seminary. Jones, 48, is the first woman to head the 172-year-old nondenominational seminary located in upper Manhattan and affiliated with Columbia University. Jones will begin her duties July 1 at an institution that has served as a scholarly home for such major theological figures as Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich. Jones is an ordained minister in both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.

NFL gives tacit blessing to church Super Bowl events. The National Football League will allow churches to air live showings of the Super Bowl on widescreen TVs, reversing a previous ban. Members of Congress, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and church leaders had objected to the NFL’s rule that churches could not hold Super Bowl parties featuring TV screens larger than 55 inches, even though sports bars routinely do. “For future Super Bowls, the league will not object to live showings—regardless of screen size—of the Super Bowl by a religious organization when such showings are free and on premises used by the religious organization on a routine and customary basis,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Hatch. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., had introduced legislation that would allow churches to show the Super Bowl on widescreen televisions. Goodell told Hatch the league believes legislation is not necessary and will begin its policy with the Super Bowl next Feb. 1.

United Methodists join antitorture campaign. The United Methodist Church’s social policy office is circulating a petition that tells President Bush—a fellow Methodist—torture is immoral and ineffective. The Methodists’ General Board of Church and Society was one of 10 groups that sent a letter to Bush urging him to sign the Intelligence Authorization bill. The legislation would ban the CIA’s use of waterboarding or other interrogation techniques that many consider torture. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, but more than 1,600 signers of the petition are urging him to authorize it.