Storylist for week of 9/03/07

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• UMHB ‘Welcome Week' includes community service



• Race: The final frontier


• Baptists mark centennial of social work education for churches

• BGCT sends $20,000 to help Minnesota flood victims

• Church swims upstream by moving downtown

• Combined youth choirs ‘converge' on San Marcos

• On the Move

• Around the State

• Texas Tidbits

Special Report: Race, The Final Frontier
• Race: The final frontier

• Baptists active on both sides in the Little Rock integration battle

• Opportunities, challenges confront increasingly multi-ethnic congregation

• Minorities are flocking to multi-ethnic campus groups for Christian fellowship

• Aging minister recalls price paid for recognizing God's image in all people

• BOOKS: When All God's Children Get Together ‘A Memoir of Race and Baptists'


• North Carolina WMU decides to leave convention's control

• Congregations aid flooded church in Oklahoma

• Louisiana College to open law school named for SBC fundamentalist leader

• For 10 years, Christian Women's Job Corps has been changing lives

• Illinois church knowingly placed convicted sex offender in pulpit

• Baptist Briefs


• Investors with moral agenda are bullish on faith-based mutual funds

• Court says Seattle-area school can deny charter to Bible club

• Faith Digest

• Ethicists debate morality of enhancing genetics

• New forum's ambitious goal—get the world's Christians talking


• Book Reviews

• BOOKS: When All God's Children Get Together ‘A Memoir of Race and Baptists'


• Classified Ads

• Cartoon

• Around the State

• Texas Baptist Forum


• EDITORIAL: We can bridge the chasm of race

• DOWN HOME: You-know-what will break your heart

• TOGETHER: Relevant denominations have a future

• 2nd Opinion: Social workers & Christ's mission

• RIGHT or WRONG? Church incorporation

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn by Berry D. Simpson: Playing along



• BaptistWay Bible Series for September2: Connecting the dots

• Bible Studies for Life Series for Sept. 2: Meeting Cultural Challenges

• Explore the Bible Series for September 2: God's unique son

• BaptistWay Bible Series for September 9: No excuses, no exceptions

• Bible Studies for Life Series for Sept. 9: Feeling anxious about the future

• Explore the Bible Series for September 9: God's sinless son


Previously Posted
• Old First Orange parsonage burns

• Hardin-Simmons pulls out of magazine's ranking race

• Activists urged to focus on future, not fundamentalism

• Irving church becomes missions learning lab for students

• Discipline-specific missions help Baylor students apply learning to life

• Summer missions moves UMHB students out of ‘comfort zones'

• Wayland athletes share basketball tips, gospel message in Europe

• ETBU students, alum teach summer classes in India

• The death of a Lubbock church sparks new life

• Texas Baptist Men offer relief to Erin victims

• Watch a slideshow of photos from summer missionaries

• Student missionaries discover Christ's presence while cleaning toilets

• Buckner collects humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Peru

• Pentagon investigation faults generals for endorsing evangelical ministry


• See articles from the previous 8/20/07 issue here.

Posted: 8/31/07

Baptist philanthropist Eula Mae Baugh dies

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Less than six months following her husband’s death, prominent Texas Baptist philanthropist Eula Mae Baugh died Aug. 29 after suffering a stroke. She was 89.

Baugh and her husband John, who died March 5, are known for their support of Baptist efforts, including those of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baylor University, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist University of the Americas, Houston Baptist University, Baptist Child & Family Services and Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

“Mrs. Baugh was a great Christian raised in a pastor’s home,” said BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade. “She never lost her love for helping churches grow. She was a true partner with her husband John in building their business and in growing their churches and in her role as wife and mother. She was truly an example of great Baptist women who have given so much to help our churches and our institutions touch the lives of people across Texas and the world.”

The Baughs were awarded the title Alumnus Honoris Causa, the highest Baylor honor to non-alumni. The couple was among the founding benefactors of Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, which began in fall 1994 with 51 students enrolled in classes at First Baptist Church in Waco. In 1997, the Baughs provided the lead gift to construct a permanent home for Truett Seminary.

On Jan. 14, 2002, the 64,000-square-foot Baugh-Reynolds Campus of Truett Seminary held its first classes, and now encompasses a student body of more than 380 students.

In 1991, the Baughs received one of Baylor’s most distinguished awards—the Founders Medallion—which is reserved for men and women whose service and contributions have been unusually significant to the life and future of the university. In addition, the Baughs were the inaugural recipients of a custom Baylor stained-glass hanging, which is awarded at the highest level of the Medallion Fellowship.

In 1989, the Baughs established the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship in the Hankamer School of Business, which supports the theory of family-owned business. The Baugh Center assists entrepreneurial efforts through the FastTrac Entrepreneurial Training Program, the Innovation Evaluation Program and the Institute for Family Business.

The Baughs have donated funds toward more than 20 programs and projects at Baylor throughout the years, including the School of Music and School of Social Work, endowed scholarships, academic programs, facilities such as the Glennis McCrary Music Building and the McLane Student Life Center, athletic programs, and various memorial and tribute funds in honor of Baylor faculty members.

“Eula Mae Baugh will be fondly remembered at Baylor University for her gracious and gentle spirit and her deep commitment to her family and her Christian faith,” said Baylor President John Lilley. “Her husband once said that his one distinction was being married to Eula Mae. From their more than 70-year marriage to their faithful support of Baylor, the Baugh’s dedication to the things they found important sets a good example for us as we continue to pursue excellence in Baptist higher education.”

BUA’s new campus is set to be called the Baugh Family Campus in honor of the family’s commitment to the school.

The Texas Baptist Missions Foundation honored the Baughs with the Pioneer Award. The Eula Mae Baugh Student Center continues serving the Houston Baptist University student body.

“This very day I visited the Baugh Student Center and saw a wonderful place that is a blessing for our students. It reflects the love and compassion of Eula Mae Baugh and will for years to come,” said HBU President Robert Sloan.

Brent Walker, Baptist Joint Committee executive director, expressed grief over Baugh’s passing, nad he indicated her dedication to the Baptist Joint Committee made a difference in lives across the country.

“We are saddened to learn of the death of Mrs. Baugh,” he said. “A godly woman, wife and mother, she was the lifeblood of the Baugh family. She and her late husband, John, and her daughter, Babs, long have been folks who supported financially those things they held dear. Certainly, the Baugh family’s ardent support of the BJC has bolstered the cause of religious liberty. She now, again, joins her husband of seven decades, and God.”

Baugh taught Sunday School classes for more than 60 years, spending as many as 25 hours a week preparing each lesson. She taught classes of college students, youth, singles and adults.

When the BGCT entered into a partnership with Baptists in Brazil, the Baughs connected with a pastor in Sao Paola who was trying to build a church. They provided the funds for the building materials, while the members of the church provided the labor. They traveled at least twice to Brazil to see the progress, and John Baugh spoke at the “inauguration.” There is a plaque on the Sunday school building thanking the Baughs for their help.

“Mrs. Baugh, along with her husband, found so many ways to serve the Lord,” said Bill Arnold, president of the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation. “Whether through teaching in Sunday School, supporting their church or helping with Baptists causes around the world, she honored her Lord every day.”

Baugh took on projects and helped people like it was her daily duty. She got large trucks filled with food delivered to hungry people. She organized her Sunday school class to clean all the crystal chandeliers in the sanctuary. She saved labels from soup cans for a children’s home.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Sept. 1 at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston. The services will be handled by George H. Lewis Funeral Home at 1010 Bering. Visitation will be Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, BCFS, Baylor University Alumni Association or Truett Seminary.

Baugh is survived by her daughter, Babs Baugh and her husband, John Jarrett of San Antonio; her granddaughter Jackie Moore and her husband, Kim Moore of San Antonio; her granddaughter Julie Ortiz and her husband, Carlos Ortiz of Austin; her great grandchildren Sterling, Katie and Jake Moore and Breck and Alexa Mae Ortiz, and her brother and three sisters.

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

osted: 8/31/07

CYBER COLUMN:
Playing along

My young friend Jonathan started kindergarten this year. He was so excited; he wore his new backpack around the house, with his new lunchbox and school supplies inside, for days and days. And he wore his new school shoes, which he wasn’t allowed to wear outside the house but could wear inside, even with his pajamas. The young man had no idea what school would be like, but he was ready to get started. He didn’t know what it was, but he was ready.

When I heard this story about Jonathan, I wondered if his sense of anticipation and joy is what Jesus meant when he said we should love him like a child. Matthew 18:4 says: “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Most of us grownups are too proud and, well, grown up, to show the excitement and anticipation of a young boy looking forward to kindergarten.

Berry D. Simpson

Maybe it’s because we’ve looked forward to too many things that eventually turned out not as much fun as we thought. Is it inevitable that we’ll lose the wonder and imagination and trust that comes with childhood?

During our recent weekend in California, I was fortunate to run (walk) along the oceanfront every morning for an hour and a half. My route took me past a crowd of middle-aged surfers, all clad in well-worn black wetsuits. They didn’t seem like hippies, or Beach Boys, but appeared instead to be professionals of some sort. And they were all having a great time, cheering each other on, riding the waves, hanging ten, and all that.

I saw men and women riding bicycles with surfboard carriers attached to one side. I saw two men carrying surfboards on their backs in special backpacks. We saw one beautiful Lexus sedan with a surfboard strapped on top. (Cyndi said, “Don’t expect to ever see a surfboard on top of my Lexus, whenever I get one.”) They carried those surfboards with the anticipation and joy of Jonathan wearing his backpack. All they wanted to do was play in the water. “Let’s go now,” is what their faces said. “I’m ready!”

In the evenings, from our hotel room, via the Internet, Cyndi was working on her school bulletin board—the one in the main hallway beside the school office that for some reason has fallen into her realm of responsibility through the years. Each year, she puts photos of every teacher and staff on the bulletin board and includes interesting details about their lives.

This year, Cyndi asked each person to list three dreams—as in, three places they dream of going someday, or three things they want to do, or people they want to meet, if time and money were no object. These were Cyndi’s choices: (1) hike Mount Kilimanjaro on a nine-day guided trip, with family, (2) study serious ballroom dancing for a year and (3) take a Mediterranean cruise. Since I couldn’t let her play all by herself, I listed three for myself: (1) hike the Appalachian Trail, (2) take a year and study jazz trombone and (3) do an extended bicycle tour of New England or Scotland or England. A curious thing about this three-dream game is that some people simply won’t play along. They gave up dreaming years ago. It’s too bad they’ve forgotten how to play. My third California morning out along the oceanfront I listened to a podcast called “Phedippidations” about runner and writer and physician, George Sheehan. He was an early influence on me. I first read him in the fall of 1980 while at a two-week school on drilling and completion at Duncan, Okla.

Since then, I’ve read every book he wrote. I keep a framed photo of Dr. Sheehan in my office; he’s sitting at an old manual typewriter, obviously fresh from his run, typing out his daily thoughts. It’s one of my dreams about myself. He’s one of the people I want to be. In his book This Running Life, Sheehan writes: “I discovered that play is an attitude as well as an action. That action is, of course, essential. Play must be a total activity, a purifying discipline that uses the body with passion and intensity and absorption. Without a playful attitude, work is labor, sex is lust, and religion is rules. But with play, work becomes craft, sex becomes love, and religion becomes the freedom to be a child in the kingdom.”

We grownups realize not every day in young Jonathan’s year of kindergarten will be fun or safe or easy. We also know that following God will not always be fun or safe or easy. But can we still find a sense of play, or anticipation? I hope so.

Berry Simpson, a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland. You can contact him through e-mail at berry@stonefoot.org.

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

Posted: 8/31/07

On the Move

• Logan Cummings to Knobbs Springs Church in McDade as intentional interim pastor.

• Trevor Dickson to Crescent Heights Church in Abilene as minister of music.

• David Falkenburg to Happy Hill Church in Alvarado as pastor.

• Frisco Formaggio to East-side Church in Comanche as minister to students.

• Walt Hammond has re-signed as minister to youth at Rocky Creek Church in Lake Brownwood.

• T.J. Lewis to Cana Church in Burleson as minister of discipleship/students.

• Robert Nixon to Bono Church in Godley as minister of youth, where he had been interim.

• Darla Richardson to Cres-cent Heights Church in Abilene as minister of community ministries.

• Jim Wells to First Church in Cresson as pastor.

• Dennis Williams to North-ridge Church in Early as pastor.

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

Posted: 8/31/07

RIGHT or WRONG?
Church incorporation

Our church is newly organized. We’ve been advised to incorporate and to adopt a constitution and bylaws. This all seems like a lot of work, and it might negatively impact what we are trying to do. What’s the validity of this advice?

Incorporating and adopting a constitution and bylaws must seem like the very last things you would want to spend time working on. But the truth is that churches in present-day America cannot survive long without the protection and privileges provided by incorporation. By incorporating, your church will become a legal entity and will be registered with the government, enabling your church to open a bank account, obtain insurance and enter into legal agreements, including contracts with builders or service providers. Incorporating also allows the church to register with the IRS and obtain an Employer Identification Number. Finally, incorporation shields members of your new church from personal liability should some tragedy occur or the church face a lawsuit.

Every church needs structure and organization. Mostly likely, the members of your new church have gathered numerous times and discussed goals for this new church, dreams for its future and practical ways of meeting those goals and making those dreams a reality. Your constitution and bylaws, in some ways, are simply the documented version of those discussions. Your discussions probably considered denominational affiliation on the regional, state and national levels. If you have made decisions about what form that affiliation will take, this information should become part of your documents. Church governance also should be addressed, including the process for making major decisions and matters surrounding personnel, church leaders and finances. Specifying church governance in writing helps provide security and stability for a new church.

Another item to include is a statement of beliefs held commonly by those who have formed the church. Working on such a statement will motivate your church to search the Scriptures, read Baptist confessions of faith, study Baptist history and likely decide together what the core beliefs you as a community of faith will embrace. And finally, because all churches need flexibility, make sure to include instructions for amending the constitution and bylaws.

Gathering all this information and putting it in formal documents does seem like a lot of work, but help is available. Contact other churches, both new churches like yours and long-established churches, and ask for copies of their constitutions and bylaws. Use those documents as a guide. Go online and check the numerous websites that offer sample church constitutions and bylaws. The bottom line is that the advice you received is not only valid, it is invaluable.

Pamela R. Durso, associate executive director

Baptist History & Heritage Society, Atlanta, Ga.

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.

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

Posted: 8/30/07

Listening sessions remind search
committee of Texas Baptists’ diversity

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—Listening sessions across the state helped the Baptist General Convention of Texas executive director search committee understand the diversity of Texas Baptists.

Ken Hugghins, chairman of the search committee, indicated the group heard a variety of viewpoints during a series of listening sessions. Texas Baptists include many ethnicities, socio-economic levels, education levels and political vantage points, he noted.

“The ‘You Tell Us’ sessions have been tremendously helpful for the committee,” he said. “We have all learned more about Texas Baptists than any of us knew.”

In its Aug. 27 meeting, the committee discussed what members heard during listening sessions and began honing the characteristics they are looking for in the next BGCT executive director.

Committee members will begin seriously discussing names during their Sept. 14 meeting. Hugghins encouraged Texas Baptists to submit letters of recommendation and resumes for people who would be willing to serve as the next BGCT executive director.

Hugghins remains doubtful the committee will nominate someone for the next scheduled BGCT Executive Board meeting. The group remains focused on discovering who God would like to serve in the position.

“We all want to find the right person, God’s person.”

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

Posted: 8/31/07

Around the State

• Donald Forrester has been named vice president for programs and services for Children at Heart Ministries, an agency of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He previously was executive director of STARRY, Children at Heart’s foster care, counseling and emergency shelter ministry, based in Round Rock. He also has been pastor of Henly Church in Henly 27 years.

• Dallas Baptist University has announced the creation of the Piper Endowed Chair of Missions. The chair is made possible by a challenge grant from Paul and Shirley Piper through the Piper family’s Christ is Our Salvation Foundation. The foundation has pledged $100,000 per year for the next five years if the university raises $500,000 over the next five years for this endowed chair. In addition, the foundation has given a $200,000 grant for ministerial student scholarships in the Cook Graduate School of Leadership.

Daniel Sanchez, professor of missions at Southwestern Seminary and director of the seminary’s Scarborough Institute of Church Planting and Growth, was presented with the North American Mission Board’s distinguished service award for church planting. A Howard Payne University graduate, he and his wife, Carmen, are parents of three children. The award was presented by NAMB President Geoff Hammond.

• Wayland University presented degrees to 24 students in its first group to graduate from the master of arts in counseling program started two years ago. The program now boasts 150 students.

• Buckner Children and Family Services has announced changes to its executive leadership team. Victor Upton has been named vice president of missions resource. Randy Daniels has been promoted to vice president of global initiatives. Felipe Garza has been tapped as vice president for ministry and missions. Melissa Opheim now is director of strategic planning.

• Baylor University conferred degrees on nearly 500 graduates during summer commencement exercises and presented two special awards. The Abner V. McCall Humanitarian Award was presented to Texas Baptist Men, marking the first time the award has been presented to an organization. U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater was presented the Price Daniel Distinguished Public Service Award.

• Several changes have been announced to the organizational structure of Howard Payne University. Donnie Auvenshine, vice president for academic affairs the last five years, has been named dean and a professor in the school of Christian studies. Justin Murphy has been appointed acting dean of the school of humanities. Gary Gramling has been named director of the graduate program in youth ministry, which he has served in an interim capacity.

• New faculty at Hardin-Simmons University include Melanie Bullock, associate professor of counseling and human development; Peggy Dean Johndrow, assistant professor of nursing; Edward Sim, associate professor of information systems; Steven Stogsdill, assistant professor of communications; Rodney Taylor, assistant professor of theology; and Carol Woodfin, associate professor of history.

• Vivian Camacho has been named director of alumni relations at Houston Baptist University.

Anniversaries

• First Church in Byers, 100th, Sept. 8-9. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with breakfast and fellowship. A musical program and ice cream social will be held in the afternoon. Sunday will begin with services at 9:45 a.m. and continue through a lunch and afternoon service. Former pastors and staff are expected to attend. For more information, call (940) 524-3248. Ken Johanon is pastor.

• First Church in North Zulch, 100th, Sept. 15-16. A barbecue will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, with services at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday will have a 12:30 p.m. meal, with services at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. David Peterson is pastor.

• Parkway Church in Houston, 30th, Sept. 30. The morning worship service will be followed by a lunch and an afternoon service of music and worship. Nick Van is interim pastor.

• First Church in Lake Worth, 75th, Sept. 30. George Dixon will be the keynote speaker in the morning service. A history room with photos recalling the church’s history also will be available. Tim Dahl is pastor.

Retiring

• Lanny Allen, as minister of music at First Church in Amarillo, Aug. 12. He served the church 28 years, and has been in ministry 47 years. He previoustly served at First churches in Lamesa and San Antonio.

Deaths

• Roy Lambert, 87, June 26 in Fort Worth. A graduate of Howard Payne University, he was pastor of churches in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, including South Fort Worth Church in Fort Worth and First Church in Santa Rosa. He served with the Baptist General Convention of Texas as director of direct missions five years, and with Golden Triangle Association 15 years, retiring in 1985. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Bess; sons, Joe and Nelson; daughters, Jeanie Williamson and Maritia Blundell; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

• Billie Lou Tone, July 31 in San Antonio. She was the wife of Pastor Gene Tone 53 years. He is presently pastor of Cibolo Valley Church in Cibolo. She was a Sunday school teacher and choir member, and taught sign language and many church training courses. She had developed a homebound ministry at Cibolo Valley. She worked 20 years as a social worker for the Texas Department of Human Services. She is survived by her husband; daughters, Candy Powell, Melody Bamburg and Chere Tone; son, Timothy; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

• Gene Shelburne, 82, Aug. 19 in Midland. A Hardin-Simmons University graduate, he owned and operated City Transfer and Storage in Midland 50 years. He was a past president of the both the Lion’s Club and the Midland chapter of Gideons International. He was a charter member of Crestview Church in Midland, where he served as a deacon, Sunday school director and teacher, and as a member of every pastor search committee in the church’s 53-year history. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Cherie. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ruth; sons, Paul, Richard and Kevin; sisters, Dorothy Pattison, Faye Kerr and Lois Wallace; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Events

• Mimosa Lane Church in Mesquite will hold a benefit car and bike show to benefit the Texas Baptist Men disaster relief fund Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A craft fair also be held. For more information, call (972) 270-4888. Rocky Pope is pastor.

• Meadowbrook Church in Robinson will hold a commissioning service for True Course Ministries Sept. 9. Waco Regional Baptist Network Executive Director David Hardage will attend, as will Ron Cook, director of the doctor of ministry program at Truett Seminary. Michael Godfrey is executive director of True Course Ministries, which seeks to develop mentoring relationships between pastors. Cary Killough is pastor.

• Acton Church in Acton will celebrate the completion of renovations and the opening of a new sanctuary with a dedication service Sept. 23 at 10:15 a.m. A catered meal will follow the service. Glenn Ward is pastor.

Ordained

• David Hollowell, Richard Rutherford and Miles Tucker as deacons at First Church in Jefferson.

• Lawrence Maynard and Betty Law as deacons at Gambrell Street Church in Fort Worth as deacons.

Revivals

• First Church, North Zulch; Sept. 15-16; evangelist, Steven Smith; music, Russell Welch; pastor, David Peterson.

• Calvary Church, Cuero; Sept. 16-19; evangelist, David Parks; pastor, Bill Gleason.

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

Posted: 8/31/07

Book Reviews

How Do You Know He’s Real? by Amy Hammond Hagberg (Destiny Image Publishers)

Unable to escape the haunting question asked her daughter by another teenager, Amy Hagberg has written a very interesting book that responds to this universal question. Instead of theological arguments and apologetics, the book is filled with 34 celebrity testimonies regarding personal life experiences with God. The list of witnesses includes actors, actresses, a beauty queen, music stars of every category and athletes. An additional bonus is the author’s testimony at the beginning of the book. It alone makes the book worth reading. 

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

An interesting feature found in the book is a list of 82 topics and issues we face in life. The author then lists the celebrities whose testimonies relate to that topic, such as grace: Charlie Daniels, Gloria Gaynor, Ken Hensley, Heather Powers, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Stevens and Zoro. The testimonies reveal how God’s reality was experienced in the midst of their lives while struggling with that particular battle and/or dilemma.

How Do You Know He Is Real? is an easy book to read, a book of inspiration and encouragement, a book worth giving to another, and one you are glad to own.

Randall Scott, pastor

Immanuel Baptist Church, Paris

Breaking Free by Beth Moore (B&H Books)

Many Christian women struggle with a past, which can hinder their relationship with the Lord. They desire to have a close walk with God, but obstacles are often in the way.

Best-selling author Beth Moore helps lead readers on a journey to overcome the things holding them captive in Breaking Free.

Moore holds the readers hand as they walk through the valley together toward freedom in Christ. The reader feels as though she is on this journey with a friend through the sincerity and encouragement of Moore.

The study allows readers to discover parts of themselves yearning for healing only found in the love of their Heavenly Father. Through forgiveness and strength, the shackles will be lifted and hearts will begin to mend, Moore teaches. If the reader will take an honest, in-depth look into her life, she can achieve a place of victory.

This book offers reflection, healing and growth. As the bonds holding the reader captive begin to break, God will begin to fill in the holes left behind, Moore reveals. He will fill these places with his love, and the reader will find a new confidence resting in his arms.

Rebekah Hardage, communications intern

Waco

Heroes and Villains by Mike Alsford (Baylor University Press)

Why is Superman considered a hero? Why is Darth Vader a villain? Comic book enthusiasts and sci-fi followers know the stories, but is there something more that helps define the line between icons of good and evil? In Heroes and Villains, Mike Alsford explores the philosophical backbone behind hero and villain archetypes using contemporary media.

Consider this book to be a primer on some classical philosophical concepts with Batman, Gandalf and the Borg as illustrations. Alsford tackles the literary concepts of heroism and villainy as a way of considering our society’s ethical compass. The book is not very long (158 pages), but is packed tightly with references to classical philosophers like Plato, Nietzsche and Bertrand Russell, to name a few.

For people interested in these literary and philosophical concepts, this is a good read. Just beware— Heroes and Villains is not the same as a stroll through a comic store.

Scott Higginbotham, youth minister

First Baptist Church

Lampasas

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

Posted: 8/31/07

Baptist Briefs

Blog endorsements? Never mind. Several high-profile Southern Baptist Convention leaders—including SBC President Frank Page, International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin, LifeWay President Thom Rainer and Union University President David Dockery—have withdrawn their endorsement of the SBCOutpost.com blog, a forum created by reform-minded pastors within the convention. In a column carried by Baptist Press, the communications arm of the SBC Executive Committee, Page wrote: “Personal attacks are on the rise. I recently removed my endorsement … when a hoped-for and needed place for dialogue on the Internet degenerated quickly into a place of personal attack against denominational leaders as well as those who are advocating reform. For Christ’s sake, stop!”

Calvinism conference set at seminary. Founders Ministries—a group devoted to advancing Calvinist doctrine in the Southern Baptist Convention—will team with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to sponsor a national conference on Calvinism Nov. 26-28 at Ridgecrest Conference Center. The conference, “Building Bridges: Southern Baptists and Calvinism,” will include speakers from Southeastern, Southwestern and Southern seminaries, along with several pastors and LifeWay representatives.

Morality activist confesses to soliciting prostitute. Moral activist and conservative Southern Baptist Convention leader Coy Privette received “deferred prosecution” on six charges of aiding and abetting prostitution at his recent court hearing. Deferred prosecution means Privette will have his record wiped clean if he performs 48 hours of community service, complies with probation requirements for a year and pays court and probation costs. Privette, former executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, admitted to investigators that he had sex with an accused prostitute, according to the prosecutor at the hearing. He had served as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, trustee chair at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and a trustee of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Death benefits erase university debt. Thanks to a substantial life insurance policy on the late Jerry Falwell, the university he founded is now debt-free, according to university officials. Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University’s chancellor and son of its founder, announced the $34 million policy during a fall briefing with faculty and staff. Part of the money also went to nearby Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University had struggled with debt since a series of defaults in the 1980s. It reached a debt of $82 million in 1992, according to Associated Press reports, but the debt had since been reduced to $27 million.

Group narrowly votes to stick with BJC. By a slim margin, a small Baptist denomination voted to remain part of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty despite disagreements over church-state relations. Delegates to the Seventh-Day Baptist General Conference in Oregon voted 279-234 to remain part of the Washington-based watchdog group. However, in a later vote, the group approved a recommendation instructing Seventh-Day Baptist leaders to send leaders of the agency a letter conveying the “significant concerns” about continued involvement in the Baptist Joint Committee.

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

Posted: 8/31/07

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

Posted: 8/31/07

2nd Opinion:
Social workers & Christ’s mission

By Diana Garland

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus said. Most of us learned the Greatest Commandment as children, and yet too many of our churches focus only on the first part. We want the most effective worship leaders our church budgets can afford. The time, energy and expertise we pour into planning worship speak to our love of God.

But what about the time, energy and expertise we pour into planning for the way we love our neighbor? Social workers educated as church leaders can help the church stand firmly on both legs of the Greatest Commandment. The congregational social worker is to community ministries and missions what the pastor and minister of music are to worship. Social workers can lead congregation members to pour themselves into the needs of the world and to do so effectively in ways that transform not only the people being served, but also those who serve.

Social workers communicate the gospel of hope in ways that empower. We help hopeless people find hope. We connect babies and children who have been orphaned or whose parents cannot care for them to families who will love them for a lifetime. We equip a couple with the tools to make or mend a marriage. We help those without a home find a home. We organize an impoverished community to develop economic resources. That’s powerful, and that’s the kind of power social workers bring to congregations—hope restored, lives changed, joy renewed.

Social workers also are heroes. When a social worker connects a high-school dropout with mentors in a congregation who encourage and support him through a job-training program, that social worker is a hero to that young man. When a social worker helps a church embrace community members who have special needs, or organizes a community to oust its drug dealers and attract businesses—these are heroes. That’s the kind of recognition in a community or city these social workers can bring to the church: The church—a place where people find holistic salvation. Wouldn’t it be great if that’s how our congregations were known and experienced—as places of salvation?

Social workers also are great spiritual coaches. The most important work of a congregational social worker is helping Christians find their places to serve in this world of need. Jesus took a child in his arms and taught his disciples, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me” (Mark 9:37). It is true: The most powerless members of our communities are the presence of God in our midst—both little children and grown-up children. When Christians come alongside powerless people, we see the face of God. When we work with people who are naked, stripped totally down by life’s tragedies, we are wrapping warm clothes around Jesus. When we help people who are thirsty for some sign of hope find a new way forward, we are giving a cold drink to a parched Jesus. When we reach out in love to people imprisoned by mental illness or addiction, we are visiting an enslaved Jesus and opening the doors of those prisons. As Dorothy Day said, “Those who cannot see the face of Christ in the poor are atheists indeed.” Social workers help congregation members see the face of Jesus in every man, woman, child and community they help.

For 100 years, Baptists have been educating those called to lead the missions and ministries of the church to be social workers—first at the Woman’s Missionary Union Training School in Kentucky, then at the Carver School of Church Social Work at Southern Seminary, and now at the Baylor University School of Social Work. Thank you, Baptists, for your vision, your support, and your perseverance. And as you plan for your ministry outreach to the community and the world, turn to a professional for help: Get a social worker!

Diana Garland is dean of the Baylor University School of Social Work.

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

Posted: 8/31/07

Court says Seattle-area school
can deny charter to Bible club

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (ABP)—A federal appeals court ruled a Washington state high school is not required to charter a Bible club, since the club allows only Christians to be full members.

In Truth v. Kent Public School District, a unanimous three-judge panel of the Oregon-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Kentridge High School in Kent, Wash., does not have to offer official recognition to the Truth Bible Club.

The decision stems from a 2003 lawsuit filed on behalf of two then-students at Kentridge by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defense Fund. The students sued after the district refused to charter the Truth club because the club intended to limit full membership to Christians who have professed a “belief in the Bible and in Jesus Christ.”

District officials said limiting membership in a club based on religion violated the district’s anti-discrimination policy. Attorneys for the students, meanwhile, contended that other student clubs the school had already recognized—such as a gay-straight alliance—limited membership on the basis of ideology. Therefore, they said, refusing to recognize Truth violated the students’ religious freedom under the First Amendment as well as a law that assures religious groups have access equal to that of other organizations in public schools.

But a federal district court agreed with the school district, and the appeals panel upheld that ruling. In an opinion written by Judge Clifford Wallace, the court noted that Truth could still meet on school property even though not officially recognized and that other Christian groups had gained recognition without requiring that their members be Christians.

“On their face, the district’s non-discrimination policies do not preclude or discriminate against religious speech. Indeed, there are two other Bible clubs at Kentridge that have received (official) recognition and do not share Truth’s general membership restrictions,” Wallace wrote. “Truth also has not shown that the district justifies its nondiscrimination policies with reference to the content of a message Truth’s discriminatory conduct may attempt to convey. The policies are content-neutral.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys vowed to appeal the ruling.

“Public high school officials cannot treat Christian students on campus as second-class citizens,” said Tim Chandler, the group’s attorney. “The school district’s so-called ‘non-discrimination’ policy is supposed to prevent discrimination on campus. Instead, the school officials are using the policy to discriminate against the Truth Bible Club, which simply wanted the same access as other groups at Kentridge High.”

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