Posted: 1/21/08

Obama again refutes Muslim rumors;
Jewish leaders denounce e-mails

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Churchgoing Congregationalist Barack Obama is being forced once again to explain that he is not secretly a Muslim bent on furthering an international Islamic conspiracy by winning the presidency.

Jewish and other religious leaders have joined him in denouncing an e-mail campaign that has resurfaced in primary states in recent weeks. Various versions of the messages have spread since at least January of 2007, when the conservative online magazine Insight published an article that falsely asserted Obama attended a madrassa—an Islamic religious school—while he lived in Indonesia.

During a debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls in Las Vegas, the Illinois senator was asked about the whisper-campaign rumors. The debate moderator, NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams, referred specifically to an e-mail NBC News had received. It said Obama had sworn his congressional oath of office on a Koran and that he refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or respect the United States flag.

“Well, look, first of all, let’s make clear what the facts are: I am a Christian,” Obama said. “I have been sworn in with a Bible. I pledge allegiance and lead the Pledge of Allegiance sometimes in the United States Senate when I’m presiding.”

Later, he said that “in the Internet age, there are going to be lies that are spread all over the place.… Fortunately, the American people are, I think, smarter than folks give them credit for. You know, it’s a testimony—these e-mails were going out in Iowa. They were going out in New Hampshire. And we did just fine” in those states.

The same day, the leaders of nine of the nation’s largest Jewish organizations released a joint statement denouncing as “hateful” the e-mail rumor campaign.

“Attempts of this sort to mislead and inflame voters should not be part of our political discourse and should be rebuffed by all who believe in our democracy,” the statement said. It was released, apparently, in response to reports that the e-mails were sent to Jewish voters in early primary states.

The statement added, “Jewish voters, like all voters, should support whichever candidate they believe would make the best president.”

Its signers included representatives of liberal and conservative nationwide Jewish organizations, including Nathan Diament of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America and David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

A version of the e-mail message in question, reprinted on the myth-debunking website Snopes.com, notes that Obama’s late father was from a Kenyan Muslim family. The elder Obama divorced the senator’s mother, Ann Dunham, when the candidate was a toddler. The younger Obama had little contact with his father from then until his death.

Dunham, who is also deceased, was from Kansas and met Obama’s father when they attended the University of Hawaii. Obama was born in that state.

Snopes.com also notes that Obama’s Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, was Muslim. Obama and his mother moved to Jakarta after she married Soetoro, and the senator attended elementary school there.

Based on those facts, the e-mail asserted that Obama attended a “radical” school that teaches a Wahhabist interpretation of Islam. Wahhabism is a fundamentalist sect of Sunni Islam with roots in Saudi Arabia. Wealthy Saudi donors have promoted Wahhabist teachings worldwide, but many Islam experts say the teachings promote radicalism and terrorism.

The e-mail also claims that Obama joined Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago “in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background” and says he took his oath of office, when sworn into the Senate in 2005, on a copy of the Koran rather than the Bible.

However, Obama’s father, while raised in a Muslim home, became agnostic before he met Dunham. His mother, who came from a non-practicing Protestant family in Kansas, was an anthropologist who encouraged the young Obama to attend a variety of religious services and read several religious texts.

Obama has spent significant time on the campaign trail appealing to progressive evangelical Christians. He has described his conversion experience—he joined the historically black Chicago congregation as a young adult—in evangelical terms.

In a 2004 Chicago Sun-Times article, Obama spoke about his “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” His campaign autobiography, The Audacity of Hope, takes its name from the title of a sermon Obama heard at his church.

Only one member of Congress has been sworn into office using a Koran—Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006.

Obama supporters say the e-mailed rumors likely have their origin in the Insight article, which asserted that the school is a madrassa and that “most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government, and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.”

Several conservative media outlets, such as Fox News and Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, repeated the assertions from Insight. The magazine is owned by the same company— founded by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon—that owns the Washington Times.

But investigations by CNN and the Associated Press found that the Jakarta school Obama attended for two years is not a madrassa. The SDN Menteng 1 primary school is a co-educational public school that caters to children of wealthy Indonesians, Western expatriates and diplomats. Like other public schools in the majority-Muslim country, it offers religious instruction to Muslim students.

“This is a public school. We don’t focus on religion,” Hardi Priyono, the school’s deputy headmaster, told CNN. “In our daily lives, we try to respect religion, but we don’t give preferential treatment.”

Posted: 1/21/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for January 27

Me first

• Mark 9:30-37

By Andrew Daugherty

Christ Church, Rockwall

This Scripture passage is one of those you know must be verifiably accurate. Any text that would appear to make the disciples look discomfited rather than debonair must be absolutely authentic.

Some biblical scholars employ the “criterion of embarrassment” to determine the historical probability of certain texts in the Gospels or episodes in the life of Jesus. Texts and occasions that would present embarrassing material from Jesus or the disciples are sometimes said to be softened or suppressed by the Gospel writers. Anything that would weaken the writers’ arguments about the Jesus story or that might be held against them by opponents was of particular concern.

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But the synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark and Luke) are in agreement about this one, even though Matthew softens the scene some by extending the question at issue in the disciples’ debate: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (Matthew 18:1).

Apparently Jesus overhears the mumbling disciples grumbling about who is the greatest. Seeing a teachable moment, he decides to ask the question anyway: What were you arguing about on the way? (v. 33). Ironically their arguments rooted in spiritual pride lead to a moment that was anything but their proudest. Their silence suggests so (v. 34).

The seriousness of what Jesus had just told the disciples draws even more attention to their petty opinions about who is the greatest. Jesus had just disclosed the harsh reality: The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again (v. 31). But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him (v. 32).

This was the second time Jesus had tried to tell them what was bound to happen in Jerusalem. Remember Peter’s rebuke of Jesus the first time (8:33)? Despite Jesus’ trying to tell them what was going to happen, the sacrifice and self-denial of Jesus’ journey to the cross did not fit their narrow notions of greatness.

So how did the disciples measure greatness? Was it based on their ability to understand all Jesus was saying to them? Was it measured by their loyalty to him personally? Were they considering a combination of factors like gifts, skills and age? Was it determined by how many healings and miracles they managed to perform? Did they talk about how many people they convinced to join the Jesus movement and if so, how did they tally those conversions? What sort of arguments did the disciples raise with one another?

In American culture, we often measure greatness based on individual achievements. Students with the highest SAT and GRE scores are admitted to the best schools. Professional sports often measure greatness by the number of home runs, the most touchdowns or the most points. The movie industry rewards greatness by awarding Oscars. The music industry rewards greatness by awarding Grammys. Standards of success are measured by who drives the most expensive car or the title they carry before or after their names—CEO, Rev., Ph.D or Esq.

We Baptists are notorious for measuring greatness relative to statistics and numbers. We measure quality based on quantity: What is your Sunday school attendance? How many members does your church have? What is the size of your youth group? How many people did you baptize last year? How big is your budget? How many satellite campuses do you have? So if we had to find ways to measure the impact of our ministries without referencing a number or statistic, what might we say? Might there be alternative ways to measure greatness?

Jesus provided some. Jesus did not evaluate the greatness of each disciple based on their criteria of greatness, whatever those criteria were. He turned the disciples’ notions of greatness upside down and said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (v. 35). Then he turned attention away from them and took a child in his arms. Jesus gives them a living example of greatness that is measured by whether a child is welcomed in his name.

We must not miss the significance of his example. In the first-century world, all children were at risk. Little social value was given to children, because by some estimates, the infant mortality rate was 30 percent. Another 30 percent were dead by 6 years old and 60 percent were dead by 16 years old. Children had no status, no value and certainly no bragging rights in society. They were not accepted as the pride and joy of society.

Jesus says whenever these children are accepted, he is accepted. The measure of greatness is measured by people’s response to those who need our love and care and have nothing to offer in return. According to Jesus, the way to greatness is not ascending the spiral staircase to superiority and power. The way to greatness is descending down in to the depths with helpless people who suffer and grieve and who are considered “nobodies” in society.

In our obsessive quest to be No. 1 and be the best and the brightest in a competitive dog-eat-dog world, Jesus offers us a better way; from “my way” to “God’s way.” In a world that rewards the winners and loathes the losers, Jesus calls us away from the ego-driven life to the servant-driven life.

Seems strange, doesn’t it? All our lives long we want to grow up in order to make something great of our lives. We are told to act like an adult. We strive to be independent, self-reliant and self-sufficient. Then when we’re all grown up, we discover Jesus says the secret to greatness in the kingdom of God doesn’t really have to do with any of those things.

In fact, greatness has as much to do with welcoming a child as it does with actually acting like one (Mark 10:13-16). We welcome the child by serving others who are vulnerable and dependent. We serve them, because we acknowledge our own vulnerability and dependence.

Posted: 1/18/08

Around the State

• Buckner Adoption will hold informational meetings for families interested in adopting internationally or domestically. Each meeting will detail the adoption process, fees and children available for adoption. All meetings will be held at the Buckner Children’s Home campus, located at 5200 South Buckner Boulevard in Dallas. Prior to attending each workshop, families must complete a free pre-application and questionnaire, available online at www.buckneradoption.org. There is a $50 materials fee for each meeting. Meetings have been scheduled for Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international; March 7, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international; April 11, 1:30-5 p.m., domestic infant; April 22, 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m., international; May 9, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international; July 25, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., domestic infant; July 25, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international; Aug. 22, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international; Oct. 10, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., international; Oct. 10, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., domestic infant; and Nov. 21, 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m., international. To register, contact Sharon Hedrick at (866) 236-7823 or shedrick@buckner.org.

• Five Baylor graduates were honored by the Baylor Alumni Association as distinguished alumni at a black-tie banquet Jan. 11. Honorees were Steven Browning, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda; Virginia DuPuy, mayor of Waco and CEO of DuPuy Oxygen; Mark Hurd, CEO, president and chairman of the board of Hewlett-Packard; James Shelhamer, deputy chief of the clinical center’s critical care medicine department at the National Institutes of Health; and Abelardo Valdez, a lawyer and former U.S. ambassador and chief of protocol for the White House.

• East Texas Baptist University’s department of nursing saw its first fall graduating class last semester. The four graduates were Peggy Gardner of Sherman, Caroline Caskey-Hardee of Liberty City, Helena Reed of Shreveport, La., and Jennifer Reznicek of Kaufman. All four already had been hired by hospitals upon graduation. One hundred eight students received degrees during fall commencement.

• Entreprenuer, author and philanthropist Paul Meyer of Waco was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree during University of Mary Hardin-Baylor fall commencement ceremonies. Meyer provided the lead gift for the Paul and Jane Meyer Christian Studies Center, which will be completed this year. The facility will provide a new chapel, classrooms and office space for the College of Christian Studies. One hundred eighty-three students received degrees during the ceremony.

• The North American Mission Board has appointed 10 missionaries with Texas ties. Ky Martin, a Mesquite resident, is serving in Rockwall as an evangelism specialist. He had been interim youth minister for First Church in Edgewood. Natalie Townley, a native of Seymour and Howard Payne University graduate, also will serve as an evangelism specialist in Rockwall. For the last three years, she has worked with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, mobilizing students to be on mission for Christ, and she will continue to serve the BGCT and NAMB as a US/C2 missionary for two years. Doug and Sonnie Beck will plant churches in Mobile, Ala. He is a graduate of Baylor University, and was an International Mission Board missionary nine years. Brandy Caffey has been appointed as a missionary for NAMB’s Strategic Focus Cities initiative in Baltimore. Prior to her appointment, she was director of recreation and singles ministries at First Church in Round Rock. El Paso native Alex DiMatteo has been appointed as a church starter in Schnectady, N.Y. Josh Martin has been named a collegiate evangelism missionary in Moscow, Idaho. An East Texas Baptist University graduate, he has been a youth ministry intern at First Church in Center, collegiate worship leader at Bel Air Church in Marshall, and youth minister at First Church in Devers. Roy and Weida Spannagel are serving in Jefferson City, Mo., where he has been appointed state director of missions. They both are Texas natives and Howard Payne University graduates. Stephen Woodard, is serving in New London, Conn., as regional collegiate evangelism coordinator. An Athens native, he is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University.

• David Gould has been named program director of Baptist Child & Family Services’ Luling Youth Ranch. The youth ranch is an emergency shelter providing a 90-day stay for children ages 5 to 17 who have been removed from their homes until more permanent arrangements can be made.

Anniveraries

• Michael Smith, 15th, as minister of music at First Church in Wichita Falls, Jan. 1.

• Nick Harris, 15th, as pastor of Ovilla Road Church in Red Oak, Jan. 1.

• Dan Connally, fifth, as pastor of Mount Pleasant Church in Comanche, Jan. 6. It also marked his 50th year in ministry.

• Ron Horton, 10th, as director of missions for Creath-Brazos Assocation.

Retiring

• Lynn Garrett, as minister of senior adults at First Church in Amarillo, effective Feb. 1. He served the church 13 years. His ministry began in the mid-1950s in Llano as music director at Pittsburg Avenue Church and later at Calvary Church in Pecos. In 1961, he was called as the first full-time minister of youth and music at First Church in Llano. In 1963, he began serving First Church in Anson as music, youth and education director and later held a similar position at First Church in Seminole. After a stint in Topeka, Kan., he returned to Texas and served Wolflin Avenue Church in Amarillo as minister of music and education. In 1980, he turned to music evangelism and led music in many states, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Chile, Uruguay, Guatemala, Mexico and Canada. In 1994, he began serving First Church in Amarillo, ministering to needs of senior adults while the church was without a pastor. That position became permanent. He and his wife, Laverne, will relocate to Magnolia, where they will be available for senior-adult revivals, camps, seminars and music supply. They can be contacted through First Church in Magnolia.

Deaths

• Cecil Uzzel, 88, Jan. 3 in Clute. He was pastor of Emmanuel Church in Clute 25 years and Oletha Church in Thornton 12 years. He also helped start an English-speaking Baptist church in Germany while in the military. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was a survivor of the Bataan Death March and was a Japanese prisoner of war 41 months. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Wallace, Norris, Richard and Vernon; and his sisters, Betty and Clara Belle. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marthabelle; son, Joe; daughter, Sonja Harlan; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

• Guy Leutwyler, 81, Jan. 4 in Houston. He and his wife, Geraldine, ministered in music evangelism more than 50 years in churches along the Texas Gulf Coast. They also served in missions crusades in five countries. He was a member of First Church in Houston. He is survived by his wife of 59 years; daughters, Deborah Stroh and Retha Isaksen; sister, Joyce Bock; one grandson and one great-grandson.

• Bess Smith, 69, Jan. 10 in Austin. She was a faithful supporter of her husband, Ralph, in his ministry and taught teenagers and college students more than three decades. She particularly enjoyed accompanying youth on choir tours and ski trips. She served alongside her husband at Lake Hamilton Church in Arkansas, as well as First Church in Rosenberg and Hyde Park Church in Austin. She also was a founding member of Austin Church. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Charles and Dennis Noble. She is survived by her husband of 56 years; daughter, Diane Love; sons, Wallace and Peyton; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Events

• First Church in Devers will hold its 11th annual chili cook-off and gospel singing jubilee Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. Performers will include Closer Walk, New Direction, One Desire, The Hackett Family and Jennifer Hensley. Admission is free, but an offering will be taken. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

• The women of First Church in Center will hold their annual Joy Seekers Conference Feb. 22-23. Gwen Houston will be the guest speaker, and Grateful Heart will lead the praise and worship time. Prior to Feb. 15, the cost is $20, and Saturday’s lunch is provided. At the door, registration is $25. The conference begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. Childcare for children under 5 is available for $10 or Saturday-only for $8. A sack lunch will be provided for children on Saturday. Food for infants should be provided by mothers. Scholarships and other information are available by calling (936) 598-5605. Michael Hale is pastor.

Ordained

• Rick Barnes, Rick Campbell, Vince Easley, Wayne Jones, Lyle Shive, Tim Sorrells, Jamie Strain, John Strunc and Ronnie Turney as deacons at First Church in Duncanville.

Revival

• Northview Church, Bryan; Jan. 20-23; evangelists, Bill and Vicki Murphy; pastor, Cecil Rice.

Posted: 1/18/08

Book Reviews

Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries by Gerald L. Sittser (IVP Books)

Gerald Sittser, professor of theology at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., gives great amounts of information and insight into the lives of men and women of faith, from the time of the early church to the present.

Water from a Deep Well reveals myriad movements within the Christian community. From the early church fathers and the desert saints to present-day evangelicals, Sittser details the actions and commitments of those who lived their lives in devotion to God.

Chapters focus on early-church martys, the organizers of church orders, the significance of cathedral construction and icons, monastries, Christian mysticism, the reformers, conversion, preaching and mission movements. Loaded with many topics that one would expect to study in a church history class, his book is richly documented. But because of its breadth, the book does not go into depth, providing only enough information to offer an overview of the movements and the lives of the people involved. 

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

Sittser closes each chapter by relating it to present world events and movements, exercises that require thoughtful consideration.

Presbyterian Sittser spends considerable time focusing on the lives and influence of Martin Luther and John Calvin. His information and insights into these two reformers make the book worth reading. However, very little is mentioned regarding the influence of the Anabaptists of Switzerland and the tremendous price they paid for their stand on believer’s baptism.

While acknowledging each movement and/or tradition cannot be included, and knowing each has its strengths and weaknesses, Sittser reveals the strengths, so the reader can appreciate them. “I have chosen to dwell on the good part of the story, though I could have done the opposite,” he writes. “But I believe that failures and abuses do not nullify the value of these traditions.” He also points out that the motivating force behind each tradition is Jesus Christ.

For the person who loves to read church history, Water from a Deep Well is informative and thought-provoking. For the person who loves to read books that will challenge one’s faith commitment, this is a must-read.

Randall Scott, pastor

Immanuel Baptist Church, Paris

Baptists and Religious Liberty: The Freedom Road by William M. Pinson Jr. (BaptistWay Press)

Baptist polity, practice and doctrine not only find their basis in the Bible, but also relate integrally to religious liberty, Bill Pinson asserts in this thoroughly researched but easy-to-read book.

Baptists historically have remained steadfast defenders of religious liberty for all people because they believe the Bible teaches God created humanity with soul freedom and soul competency. Consequently, they have called for the institutional separation of church and state as the best guarantee to ensure religious freedom.

In an engaging narrative style, Pinson tells the story of a Freedom Road stained with the blood of Christian martyrs—including many Baptists—who remained true to the simple-but-revolutionary idea that God created individuals free to respond in faith, and no human being or man-made entity has any right to stand in their way. That Freedom Road requires constant maintenance, and modern Baptists who either neglect it or detour from it to seek their own shortcuts betray their blood-bought heritage and endanger the free exercise of faith.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Posted: 1/18/08

Baptist Briefs

Church compensation survey under way. The 2008 compensation survey for Southern Baptist churches, a joint effort of Baptist state conventions, LifeWay Christian Resources and GuideStone Financial Resources, is online at www.LifeWay.com/compensationsurvey. All ministers and employees of Southern Baptist churches are encouraged to participate. Answers to the online survey are kept confidential and are not reported individually. The survey takes, on average, less than 10 minutes to complete. In addition to salary and benefit information, participants in the survey will need to have available their church’s average weekly worship or Bible study attendance, resident membership and annual budget. LifeWay and GuideStone are pooling resources to conduct the online survey, compile the data and make available an online reporting tool for users to access results. Southern Baptist church ministers and employees may complete the survey through April 15. For staff at churches without Internet access, a paper copy of the survey may be obtained by contacting GuideStone Financial Resources at (888) 98-GUIDE (984-8433).

CBF to lease building from Mercer. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has signed a 10-year lease with Mercer University for offices previously occupied by the Georgia Baptist Convention. The state convention recently moved to new office building in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. CBF will rent the offices—which are part of Mercer’s Atlanta campus—in an agreement that solidifies the existing partnership between the two groups. CBF has occupied offices elsewhere on the campus since 1997, occupying space on the second floor of Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology building. With the new lease, the Fellowship will move into a 19,000-square-foot space on the first floor of a facility that houses administrative offices and conference facilities. The building also is the new home of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, which moved into the facility last year. The American Baptist Historical Society is scheduled to occupy space in the building as well.

Jeffress to nominate Mohler. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, has announced plans to nominate Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for Southern Baptist Convention president in June. Mohler is former pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church in Bedford, Ky., and former editor of the Georgia Christian Index. Mohler earned a bachelor of arts degree from Samford University and both a master of divinity degree and doctorate in philosophy from Southern Seminary. He and his wife, Mary, have two children—Katie, a freshman at Union University, and Christopher, 15. Mohler is the second candidate to be named for SBC president. Bill Wagner, president of Olivet University International and pastor of Snyder Lane Baptist Church in the San Francisco area, announced in September he would allow his nomination. Wagner is a former missionary and professor of missions.

More gray hair at SBC annual meeting. A new study of attendance at Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings shows the percentage of messengers under age 40 declined steadily since 1980 and dropped sharply since 2004. The percentage of messengers age 60 or older increased dramatically. Conducted by LifeWay Research, the study showed messengers ages 18 to 39 represented 33.6 percent of the total in 1980 but dropped to 13.1 percent by 2007. Registrants age 60 and above accounted for 12.9 percent of the messengers in 1980 but 35.4 percent in 2007.

Lawsuit against Nashville church dismissed. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by about 50 current or former church members of Two Rivers Baptist Church against Pastor Jerry Sutton and church leaders. Davidson County Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ruled she didn’t have jurisdiction in the lawsuit, which sought, among other things, Sutton’s removal as pastor as well as the removal of other directors and officers in the Nashville church. The suit also asked the court to require a church business meeting be held to address specific issues, and it requested court costs. But the judge did give the plaintiffs, as members of the church, access to records—including meeting minutes and financial documents. The lawsuit claimed Sutton and other church leaders “misapplied, misappropriated, and mishandled the finances” of the church and that they prevented the church from being governed according to its constitution and bylaws.

Former Baylor dean named Mercer provost. Wallace Daniel, a history professor and former dean at Baylor University, has been named provost at Mercer University, effective July 1. He will succeed Horace Fleming. Daniel was selected from among 50 candidates for the provost’s position after a national search. He currently serves as editor of the Journal of Church and State, a publication of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. He was dean of Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences from 1996 to 2005. He also is a former chair of Baylor’s history department and past director of the honors program.

Queen honors BWA president. Baptist World Alliance President David Coffey recently was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his service to interfaith relations. Coffey served 15 years as general secretary for the Baptist Union of Great Britain and was moderator of the Free Churches in Britain several years. He also was a leader of Churches Together in England, an ecumenical group.

Christians killed, churches burned in India. Ten Christians were killed, and about 90 churches and 600 homes torched by Hindu militants in eastern India around Christmas, a Baptist official there reported to the Baptist World Alliance. “Fifty to 70 Hindu radicals pulled out Pastor Junas Digal from a parked bus, paraded him on the road, all the way beating him with sticks and hands, and finally shaved his head to claim him a Hindu,” said Swarupananda Patra, general secretary of the All Orissa Baptist Churches Federation. In Bamunigham, in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, two Christians were shot and injured, shops operated by Christians destroyed, 20 churches damaged, and three churches razed on Christmas Eve, Patra reported. On Christmas, Christians were terrorized, Christmas worship services disrupted and churches forced to close, while Christians hid in “forests to evade attacks from these Hindus,” Patra continued. The attacks affected about 5,000 Christians, leaving most homeless. They allegedly were the work of Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the World Hindu Council. BWA General Secretary Neville Callam condemned the attacks and urged Christians, especially Baptists, to remember “our Christian brothers and sisters in Orissa state in our prayers.”

Posted: 1/18/08

Posted: 1/18/08

2nd Opinion:
Looking for something reliable

By Bruce Lampert

The tradition of Groundhog Day came to the United States from Northern Europe. Legend has it the groundhog awakens from his winter sleep on the second day of February. He sticks his head out of his den and looks around. If the sun is shining, he can see his shadow. The shadow frightens him, so he scampers back into his hole—six more weeks of winter! But if it’s cloudy that day, then the groundhog can’t see his shadow, and he will stay outside his hole. This means spring is on its way.

Obviously, there’s nothing scientific about Groundhog Day, but there was at least some scientific observation involved in its origin. Somewhere in the misty past, somebody figured out the relationship between the weather on the second day of February and the weather patterns of the following several weeks. Then they associated that relationship with a familiar woodland creature, and they passed the information along. Soon it became part of folk wisdom.

We shouldn’t be too hard on folk wisdom. There’s actually some real wisdom in it—like the Farmer’s Almanac, which still enjoys a wide circulation. For some reason, people who plant their gardens by the signs in the moon seem to make better gardens than those who just plant when they get a chance.

It’s all an attempt to get a handle on the world we live in, to bring some order into what doesn’t always seem too orderly. Before the days of electronic, digital, computer-operated weather-forecasting devices, people had to depend on their observations of what the atmosphere was like before weather changes occurred. Then they could make plans and bring some order to their lives.

We’re always looking for things we can count on. Life brings too many surprises, so we turn to whatever is within our reach to help us understand our world and order our lives.

There really is very little in life that we can always count on. But the Bible does tell us we can always count on God. Psalm 102:25-27 says: “Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and our years have no end.”

Although change constantly is happening around us, God is consistent. In every situation and circumstance, he offers salvation and strength, help and hope. The weather may not cooperate, the economy may falter, personal situations may deteriorate, but God stays the same.

Whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, remember that God will be at work in your life for the next six weeks, the next six months—and forever.

Bruce Lampert is director of pastoral care at Hendrick Health System in Abilene.

Posted: 1/18/08

Stop complaining, and life
becomes more enjoyable

By Shona Crabtree

Religion News Service

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RNS)—Last year, Will Bowen gave a sermon challenging listeners not to complain for 21 consecutive days. He handed out purple bracelets as a reminder.

One year later, 4.6 million people in more than 80 countries have taken up the challenge. Bowen’s recent book, A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted, extols the spiritual virtues of a complaint-free life.

Bowen, 47, is a minister in Kansas City, Mo., and a former self-described constant complainer. He says 21 days is the length of time it takes to form—or break—a habit.

Q: Where did this idea come from?

A: I was looking for a unique way to get people to focus on what was working in their life as opposed to what was not. Whatever you focus your attention on, you expand or draw to you. And so many people are complaining that they’re drawing negative things in their life.

I gave out these little purple silicon bracelets and invited everybody to put them on either wrist, and when they catch themselves complaining, take the bracelet off and switch it to the other wrist, and keep switching it back and forth.

Complaining is like bad breath, you notice it when it comes out of somebody else’s mouth, but not your own.

Q: 4.6 million is a lot of people; why do you think it become such a phenomenon?

A: People can agree on two things. One, the world is not the way they’d like it, and two, there’s too much complaining going on in the world. In my opinion, there’s a correlation between the two.

People think you need to complain to get things done. I invite them to focus beyond the problem, as Martin Luther King did in his “I Have a Dream” speech. He painted a bright vision for all of us. When we can focus beyond the problem, we can effect positive change in our world.

Q: How hard was it for you to reach three consecutive weeks without complaining?

A: Well, it took me about three and a half months, and it takes the average person anywhere from four to eight months.

Q: Were there ever times when you felt you didn’t want to do it anymore?

A: Absolutely! But what I noticed was that my church was watching me. Had I not done it and proved that it could be done, then I don’t think this would have taken off. It was kind of like Roger Bannister running the four-minute mile and then all of a sudden, lots of people did it.

Q: Is there ever a good time to complain?

A: Absolutely. The definition of “complain” is to express grief, pain or discontent. And it makes sense to express grief, pain or discontent.

Most people, though, their default setting is griping, myself included. They complain all the time and they don’t realize the damaging effect that complaining has on their health, their relationships, their career and their happiness.

I think it makes sense to complain maybe once a month. But beyond that, it’s really not healthy. If you have a problem, talk directly and only to the person who can resolve the problem. That’s really what I’m advocating—healthy communication.

Q: You link gossiping and criticism to complaining. How so?

A: To me, criticism is just complaining with a sharp edge directed at someone to make them feel bad. There’s no problem with gossip. You can gossip all you want, but there’s two criterion: No. 1, what you’re saying has to be positive about the person, and No. 2, you have to be willing to say it in the exact same intonation if the person were standing in the room. And most people say that takes all the fun out of it. I say then, “Well, you’re complaining.”

Q: What are the spiritual benefits of not complaining?

A: Peace of mind. I think that’s the one thing we’re all looking for.

Q: You say not complaining can lead to a successful, happy and lucrative life. But there are plenty of poor people who don’t complain, and rich people who do. So, which is it?

A: If a person is wealthy and complaining, then that doesn’t necessarily mean they have prosperity as I define it, which is having health, relationships that work, a life path or a life career that they love and find fulfilling.

And for a person who is poor, I think the fastest way to get out of it is to begin to be grateful. The opposite of complaining is gratitude. Begin to focus on what you are grateful for and to accept that you have an opportunity to create a different reality for yourself.

Bracelets are available at www.acomplaintfreeworld.org.

Posted: 1/18/08

Death penalty opponents find
new allies among evangelicals

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Religion News Service

CARRBORO, N.C. (RNS)—Stephen Dear has spent the past 10 years waging an uphill battle to abolish the death penalty in the American South—with virtually no help from the region’s powerful evangelical ministers.

But unlike in years past, Dear has new confidence that within six months, he can round up 100 conservative clergy in North Carolina alone to sign an open letter denouncing the current system of capital punishment.

“Even five years ago, I wouldn’t have thought of doing this,” said Dear, executive director of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, based in Carrboro, N.C. “It’s easier now to be an abolitionist church leader who opposes the death penalty on biblical grounds and to be accepted for that.”

These are hopeful times for death penalty opponents. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this month on whether death by lethal injection violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. New Jersey recently became the 14th state to ban executions. And Gallup Poll data show public support for the death penalty in murder cases has slipped from a high of 80 percent to 69 percent the past 13 years.

In this shifting environment, religious leaders who oppose the death penalty are seeking high-profile venues where they can portray executions as inherently immoral.

But the fate of the death penalty in America, observers say, hinges largely on whether its rank-and-file evangelical and Catholic supporters can be persuaded en masse to reconsider.

“One of the pillars that the death penalty has rested on is religious support in certain areas of the country,” said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes the death penalty.

“If that support goes—and I think it is weakening because people don’t support the death penalty as it’s being practiced—then the political leaders have less to turn to for why they support it.”

Catholic clergy have been among the most visible—and influential—in making the moral case against capital punishment. Catholic bishops provided key testimony, Dieter said, before New Jersey lawmakers voted to abolish the death penalty.

Parish priests are spreading the message that “pro-life” also means anti-death penalty. For more than two years, they’ve used sermons, bulletin inserts and a DVD titled “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” as part of a campaign to keep the issue before churchgoers.

“A parishioner is more likely to oppose the death penalty if his or her pastor is strongly opposed to it,” said political scientist Gregory Smith.

Plus, minds can change. A 2005 Zogby poll found 29 percent of U.S. Catholics once favored the death penalty but later came to oppose it.

Clergy from mainline Protestant denominations that have opposed the death penalty for decades recently joined hands with pragmatists who fear the death penalty can claim innocent victims or doesn’t effectively deter crime.

For the moment, the death penalty has support from at least two-thirds of Catholics, evangelicals and mainline Protestants, according to a 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. White evangelicals show the strongest support, at 74 percent, but that’s down from 82 percent in 1996.

Catholic bishops hope evangelicals will come to seek consistency on pro-life issues by opposing the death penalty along with abortion and euthanasia, said Thomas Shellabarger, domestic policy adviser at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He has reason for hope. At least three prominent evangelicals—Joel Hunter, Ronald Sider and Tony Campolo—are calling for an end to the death penalty in new books coming out early this year.

Whether Southern evangelicals as a group will come to embrace either moral or pragmatic arguments against the death penalty remains a wide-open question.

But Dieter sees potential every time conservative Christians explain publicly why they’re also abolitionists.

“There’s something to that ‘life’ perspective” that resonates with evangelicals, Dieter said.

“If (opposition to the death penalty) is brought up by a liberal, then it doesn’t go as far with evangelicals. But when it comes from the pope, then there’s some common ground in the idea that life is to be respected on all levels.”

Posted: 1/18/08

DOWN HOME:
Comic’s nonmarriage not funny

Did you see where comedian Eddie Murphy’s New Year’s Day wedding on the South Pacific island of Bora Bora to movie producer Tracey Edmonds was “only symbolic”?

I wonder if Edmonds’ daddy is scouring all the wedding photos, looking to see if he can find evidence that Murphy had his fingers crossed behind his back. Maybe Murphy walked his new bride back down the aisle, looked over his shoulder, lit up the room with his zillion-watt grin, and shouted, “Just kidding!”

Now, I’ll be the first to admit Murphy is a talented comedian and a very, very funny guy. I still crack up remembering some of his “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood” and “Buckwheat” skits on Saturday Night Live. His Beverly Hills Cop franchise had its moments of jocularity. And his sidekick Donkey stole every episode of Shrek.

But this just ain’t funny.

Of course, Murphy and Edmonds are grownups, and they have a right to back out of a marriage. And, apparently, even a non-marriage, for that matter.

The big news was they decided to get “married” in the first place. So many people, especially people with famous names and faces and Hollywood ZIP codes, don’t seem to bother. And when they do, they present two big questions: Can you count the number of previous marriages on one hand or two? How long will it last?

In Murphy and Edmonds’ case, it didn’t last at all. Their ceremony didn’t count, but they will “remain friends,” Murphy’s publicist said.

All morning, I’ve been trying to figure out why this episode of disposable matrimony has crawled all over me. While I’ve laughed at and with Murphy for years, I’ve never idolized him. Besides, “stars” do stuff like this all the time.

Well, the bone in my throat is this line: “Murphy has six children from previous relationships.” Six kids. “Relationships,” plural.

My youngest daughter, Molly, and I are preparing to speak to other daughters and dads in our church’s True Love Waits program. And I’ve been re-reading research by sociologists Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Blankenhorn.

They’ve discovered the most significant factor in determining whether girls will be promiscuous and boys will be violent is whether their fathers live at home with them. We may be portrayed as dumb and clueless, but loving, present fathers make a profound difference in children’s lives.

Maybe Murphy is a wonderful father, but I don’t see how he can be present and available for six children in at least more than one location when his primary objective seems to be how far and wide he can scatter his seed.

OK, I know I’m preaching to the choir. And I haven’t even tried to be funny this time (like I succeed very often). But please do this: Pray for and encourage fathers. And teach your sons and grandsons to be faithful.

Posted: 1/18/08

EDITORIAL:
Countries, conventions need free press

A friend forwarded an e-mail citing the “memoirs” of Vo Nguyen Giap, a general in North Vietnam during its war with the United States. The e-mail quotes Giap as saying: “Your media was definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields.” It then makes a contemporary application: “The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the U.S. media, is currently well under way. It exposes the enormous power of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the American public. … Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media far more, for they will destroy your honor.”

The quote is bogus (debunked by websites snopes.com and about.com), but the e-mail illustrates a common perception—a free press is dangerous for freedom. Such thinking is broad-based—in society and among Baptists. How ironic that free people don’t seem to value one of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. Some considerations:

Even if you were to believe in this quote, a communist general isn’t exactly the most reliable commentator. We fought a war with his kind precisely because they deny freedom. And what do communists and other despots do upon seizing power? They take over the media, so that they control exactly what the people hear and read, what they believe they know, and, eventually, what they think. This is the polar opposite of democracy.

Still, some Americans reflexively complain about the media. They say they want Supreme Court justices to interpret law based exclusively upon what the Founding Fathers wrote in the Constitution. But these same people seem to think the Founding Fathers were out of their minds when they included freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the First Amendment. The Fathers knew what they were doing. And people today can’t have it both ways.

In fact, a free press is the grease that keeps the wheels of democracy turning—in a country, in a convention. Sure, it’s messy. Of course, some journalists are incompetent, and some good ones make mistakes. But this happens in every endeavor. Some pilots show up intoxicated and others flip the wrong switches, some doctors operate on the wrong patients, some baggage handlers put bags on the wrong carts, some preachers sleep with women they counsel.

Journalists I know take their journalistic freedom seriously. When I cover an event or approach a powerful person and ask for information he or she would prefer to keep private, I don’t go on behalf of myself. I represent all the Baptists who depend upon me to tell them the truth. I don’t demand freedom because I want to do whatever I want; I demand freedom because the people to whom I report have a right to know. And even when that knowledge is messy or uncomfortable, knowing it helps us to face our challenges, make better decisions and improve our life together.

Ironically, the “liberal media” is much more potent in imagination than reality. The owners of the major media are some of the wealthiest corporations in America. It often appears they’re making most of their decisions based upon what’s good for their bottom line, not the public trust. Likewise, as editor of a news organization owned by a large convention, I often worry about whether I will make decisions to please the “corporation,” because that is the easiest path. Our assignment, unquestionably more difficult, is to represent pew-sitting Baptists who have a right to know about all the details of their denomination.

So, a free press, like a democracy, sometimes is messy. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable. Sometimes it disturbs and disgusts us. Sometimes, of course, the media make mistakes. But I’ll take that risk. We’re far better off with a free press—in a country, in a convention—because ultimately, the people will know the truth. Truth is power.

Posted: 1/18/08

ENGAGE:
The most effective evangelism tool?
The one Christians will use

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ROCKWALL—The most effective evangelism tool for any Christian is the one he or she actually uses, speakers told participants at the Engage evangelism conference, sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

James Lankford, student ministry and evangelism specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, said Christians have made evangelism seem complicated, creating an environment where laypeople don’t feel qualified to share their faith.

Jon Randles, evangelism director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, told the Engage conference that Christians must be intentional about living evangelistic lives by seeking to build relationships with non-Christians and praying for people around them.

Leaders have come up with multitudes of classes to teach people, invented set presentations, created guidebooks and developed tools that can be used to convey the gospel, he observed.

The most effective evangelism method “is the one you actually use,” Lankford said. “Just do that one.”

“Don’t make it so structured that the only time we do evangelism is when we have a homework assignment. … We need to figure out how we can talk about religion outside of church. … We need to bring the gospel off the top shelf and put it down where everybody can grab it.”

Citing Jesus’ story of the farmer sowing seeds, Lankford said each follower of Christ already has what he or she needs to be evangelistic. Christians have a testimony of how Christ changed their lives. They simply need to feel a need to share it and be comfortable enough to follow through.

The gospel “is not just for professionals on closed courses,” he said. “It’s just a guy scattering seed.”

James Lankford, student ministry and evangelism specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, reminded participants at the Engage conference that the best evangelistic gospel presentation is whichever one Christians actually use.

Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La., affirmed Lankford’s sentiment as he shared the story of Hurricane Katrina flooding his church and home. Just as God brought Luter and his congregation through the storm, he pulls people through the trials of life, giving them a testimony about the power of Christ.

Even so, Jerry Pipes, director of event and personal evangelism at the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board, noted research indicates 95 percent of Baptists never lead someone else to faith. Between 75 percent and 85 percent of young people involved in evangelical congregations turn away from them at some point.

God sets divine appointments through which he can change lives, evangelist Jose Zayas told the Texas Baptists. God orchestrates the intersecting of people’s lives, but his followers must play an active role in being obedient.

If they’ll do that, miraculous events will take place, Zayas insisted.

“Wherever you are, you are there by design,” he said of ministers who follow God’s call upon their lives.

Jerry Pipes, director of personal and event evangelism at the North American Mission Board, tells participants at the Engage evangelism conference in Rockwall that the family should be the primary place of discipleship.

It’s at the intersection of two lives that one person can become significant to another, said Jon Randles, evangelism director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. There, one person can serve as a conduit for God to pour himself into another person. One disciple of Christ creates another, who makes another and so on.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that most of the most significant people are folks that you’ve never heard of,” he said.

Randles noted people must be intentional about living evangelistic lives by seeking to build relationships with non-Christians and praying for those around them.

Then, he added, churches must persevere in the work of putting together events that provide opportunities for people to get involved in congregations. While some have argued event evangelism doesn’t work, Randles said he sees people come to faith every week where he’s preaching a special church event.

For Christians to intersect the lost, they’re going to have to be intentional about knowing their community, said Gary Dyer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Midland. They need to understand the needs of people around them so they can address them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Wayne Shuffield (left), director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missions, Evangelism & Ministry Team, visits with (left to right) Jerry Raines, pastor of Hampton Road Baptist Church in Dallas; and Associate Minister Gary Jones and Pastor Oscar Epps, both from Community Missionary Baptist Church in DeSoto.

“We are servants,” Dyer said, citing the biblical story of the master inviting the community to a great banquet. “We are to obey our masters. He told us to go into the streets and the alleys. He told us to go into the country lanes.”

Dyer and Alex Himaya, senior pastor of the Church at Battle Creek in Tulsa, Okla., encouraged Texas Baptists to remain steadfast in their commitment to evangelism. When presented with the gospel, some people will find excuses not to follow Jesus. But Christians are commanded to continue sowing the seed of the gospel wherever they go. God honors the actions of those who follow his commands.

“You don’t flirt with Jesus,” Himaya said. “You don’t date Jesus. And by the way, you don’t flirt with evangelism. You don’t date evangelism. It’s a marriage.”

Steve Keenum, area president of Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes gives a testimony at the Engage evangelism conference about how God uses events to bring people to Christ.

Himaya particularly challenged Texas Baptists to make sure their churches are places where “people who have a past” feel welcome and where they experience God’s grace.

“To allow people to run from God because they think we will judge them is to run from the One who took their punishment,” he said.

“Preparing the soil” for the seed of the gospel to take root “means loving people” as they are, Himaya stressed.

“You don’t have to change your character. You don’t have to change your standard,” he said. “You do have to love people.”

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp