Posted: 10/27/06

EDITORIAL:
Who will you trust on Election Day?

Election Day is upon us. Have you decided how you’re going to vote? Whether you vote early or stand in line on Election Day, what’s important is that you study the issues, compare the candidates and vote your conscience. In a year when U.S. troops are risking their lives so others may enjoy the benefits of freedom, Americans should not scorn and diminish those benefits by failing to vote.

We might expect Texas to produce a big turnout this time around, especially for an off-year election. Featuring four significant, well-financed candidates, the governor’s race has been more interesting than any Texas political contest in a long time. Independent candidates Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn ensure that. Friedman brings his mix of humor and ambiguity to the fray. You can’t help but wonder, “Is this guy for real, or is he playing out a long, expensive, elaborate joke?” Strayhorn adds irony. Here’s a lifelong political insider and government veteran running as an outsider. Oh, and don’t forget Chris Bell and Rick Perry, who have run as what they are—the Democratic and Republican candidates.

The gubernatorial race should remind us of a fact stated by ethicist/author Tony Campolo: “God is not a Republican or a Democrat.” In Texas this year, Campolo would have to add: “God is not an independent, either.”

Most of us see this as obvious. But a significant number of our fellow citizens don’t get it. Often, they’re Christians who seem to believe the only moral issues are abortion and homosexual marriage. They say (and I’m not making this up), “I don’t see how you can call yourself a Christian and vote for a Democrat.” Occasionally, someone will come down on the other side, singling out justice and care for the poor as paramount issues and questioning whether a person can follow Jesus’ commands to care for the “least of these” and still be a Republican.

The uncomfortable truth is that politics and voting and governing aren’t that simple. Morality covers many issues. And because they’re human beings and human organizations, the candidates and parties aren’t consistent enough to come down correctly on every issue. That’s a truth as old as, well, sin. The corollary also is true: Voters aren’t consistent, either. We’re fallen and selfish, and we typically vote for our own self-interest, whether or not that reflects our faith and our best selves.

Our local paper carried a helpful chart that outlined the gubernatorial candidates’ positions on a range of issues. I wasn’t surprised to learn I do not agree with any candidate on every issue. Unless you’re a straight-party voter or a single-issue voter, you probably have the same problem, even if the points at which we agree/disagree with the candidates aren’t the same. So, voting ultimately becomes a process of elimination. Which issues are key? Who will do the best job on the things that matter most?

People whose firm religious beliefs shape their worldview face an added challenge—squaring political decisions with faith. If you’ve ever prayed over your ballot, asking God to help you make wise choices, you know what I mean. And yet we of all people should be most skeptical. In politics, faith-oriented voters are an easy mark. Politicians and political advisers know exactly which themes to work to get these folks to the polls and voting the way they want them to vote. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into policy the voters desire, much less mutual respect.

This brings to mind a piece written by Cal Thomas, the brilliant conservative columnist, in 1992. The elder George Bush had just lost to Bill Clinton, ending a 12-year reign by presidents whose margins of victory had been secured by conservative Christians. Thomas noted practically nothing on those voters’ agenda had been accomplished during three presidential terms. But rather than condemning Presidents Reagan and Bush, he chastised their conservative Christian base for placing faith in politics and politicians rather than God Almighty.

That lesson from years ago serves as a timely reminder in this turbulent political season. Faith-based voters on both sides of the aisle—and people of faith do populate both sides of the political aisle—are on edge, fearing the worst, hoping for the best and seeking redemption for their cause out of the polling booths. This is as it should be—to a point. Voting is a noble right and responsibility of citizenship, as is expressing opinions about legislation to the winners. But if we look to these elections to solve our problems, we make an idol of the political process.

We must remember that only God—who is neither Republican, Democrat nor independent—is ultimate.

Posted: 10/27/06

Churches’ Hurricane
Katrina response offers lessons

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

BATON ROUGE, La.—Churches and other places of worship that served as “the true first responders” when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last year learned lessons about disaster preparedness that could benefit all faith communities, researchers at Louisiana State University have concluded.

In particular, improved disaster response coordination and communication within and between churches would help faith communities avoid costly and ineffective duplication of services, surveyed congregations told researchers.

Daphne Cain and Juan Barthelemy, assistant professors in the LSU School of Social Work, worked in collaboration with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab to survey congregations in southern Louisiana about their response to Katrina. Researchers contacted 603 churches and religious worship centers, and 157 congregations representing 19 denominations completed the survey about their involvement in disaster relief following the hurricane.

Of the churches that responded to the survey, more than 86 percent provided services of some kind to Katrina evacuees.

“It was readily apparent that churches were able to mobilize volunteers very effectively and very rapidly,” Cain said.

To a large degree, faith communities can respond quickly in times of disaster because they have ready access to volunteers who have been taught to serve other people as an expression of their religious devotion, she noted.

“For religious communities of all creeds, a central teaching is to go and help,” she said.

Lack of bureaucracy—particularly in contrast to government agencies—also enabled churches to respond quickly after the hurricane, Barthelemy added.

“Once they determined they wanted to provide a service, all they had to do was just go and do it. They didn’t have to go through a lot of red tape,” he said.

Nearly three-fourths of the surveyed churches offered food, more than half gave away clothing, and about 70 percent provided financial aid. Other services churches provided included counseling, transportation, child care and shelter for evacuees, as well as meals, showers and housing for volunteers and relief workers.

The congregations also provided spiritual aid and comfort, researchers noted.

“Even in the face of losing everything, religious leaders encouraged their congregations to ‘pray when (their) world is falling apart,’” researchers wrote in a summary of their findings.

“God’s mercy, they pointed out, is most often ‘found in times of great distress.’ Addressing the problems of displacement and exile, religious leaders urged those with homes to welcome the stranger as Jesus would have.”

Significantly, the religious communities welcomed evacuees as “family” rather than as objects of charity, they noted.

“While all of us in the region have heard stories of enormous sacrifice and generosity, this study helps us to see just how much we owe the religious leaders and congregations in our area who repeatedly sacrificed time and money to soothe the minds, bodies and souls of fellow Louisianans,” a report written by the researchers concluded.

Churches offered advice to other congregations in their survey responses, based on lessons learned through trial and error.

To improve communication, the churches suggested each congregation have a disaster plan and a designated disaster team. Churches also should:

• Gather emergency contact information for every member so ministers can check on their safety and so they can be tapped as volunteers.

• Maintain updated lists of specialized service providers—such as health-care professionals—within their membership.

• Develop a technology team with the expertise to perform database and Internet searches to help people reunite after a disaster.

• Keep handy the contact information for denominational agencies that help provide disaster relief.

To facilitate coordination, surveyed congregations suggested keeping a contact list of churches from all denominations. While the American Red Cross may use large churches for shelter and aid distribution sites, small churches can help by offering specialized services and by preparing and distributing meals.

Other suggestions offered by churches included:

• Develop travel plans to reunite people, whether across town or across the country.

• Designate a location and organization to store and receive supplies and donations. And expect to sort through massive amounts of donations.

• When building or renovating a church facility, consider adding showers, kitchens, ramps and large, multi-purpose auditoriums.

• Request financial donations and designate people to purchase items difficult to obtain through donation drives, such as perishables, personal hygiene items, socks and underclothing. Also consider buying in large quantity seasonal items, such as coats, backpacks and school supplies.

• Store immediate-response items on-site, including flashlights, cots, air mattresses, emergency water and at least a one-day supply of nonperishable food.

• Have telephones, long-distance lines, computers and Internet access to help evacuees reunite with family. Congregations can provide cell phones and laptops.

• Know a congregation’s limits. Don’t overextend or exhaust resources.

Posted: 10/27/06

Texas Baptist Forum

All Saints’ Day

Halloween candy’s appearance on supermarket shelves usually coincides with the arrival of crisp autumn mornings, gaining an hour of sleep and an array of costumes. Halloween is an annual staple of our nation’s economy and a fixture on the calendar. Not all Christians embrace the custom, but its presence is nearly impossible to ignore.

Christians often ignore the day after Halloween—All Saints’ Day.

• Jump to online-only letters below

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

“Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.” Marie Roberts Widow of Charles Roberts, who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse Oct. 2, in an open letter to Pennsylvania’s Amish community (RNS) “I figured, you don’t take it with you.” Donald Saltz Philanthropist, who donated $5 million—one of the largest individual donations to a house of worship in the United States in years—to his synagogue in Washington, D.C. (Washington Post/RNS) “The devil has long since concluded that he’s not really going to be able to defeat the Lord in open matters of conflict … so he infiltrates from the inside. Our people have been misfed and misled.” William Shaw President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, criticizing “prosperity gospel” (RNS)

While All Saints’ Day is not found on the secular calendar, it is an important date on the Christian calendar. For centuries, Christians have paused to celebrate, remember and learn from the exemplary lives of faithful saints and martyrs. Such cultivation of collective memory rewards the living with lessons from the dead. Giving a voice to those Christians who paved our way is an inextricable ingredient of the Christian tradition.

So, after Halloween, join Christians all over the world by pausing to honor those who have gone before. Your own congregation’s history likely includes stories of faith and ministry. An Internet search for Baptist names, such as Thomas Helwys, Adoniram Judson, Annie Armstrong or Barbara Jordan, will provide ample material. Examples from the broader Christian spectrum include Ignatius of Antioch, Catherine of Siena, Sebastian Castellio, Che Kam Kong or Oscar Romero.

All Saints’ Day is a reminder that a great cloud of witnesses accompanies those following Jesus. Their stories are our history; their lives our example.

John Essick

Waco

God & Islam

Those who deny Jesus as Lord do not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Sept. 18). One cannot deny the deity of Christ and yet claim to worship the biblical God. 

People who do not fully affirm Jesus as God in the flesh, crucified, dead and resurrected all fall into the same general category of idolators. They worship a god of their own creation but not the God who has revealed himself in Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).

By the way, the answer to the Muslim issue is bold evangelism. No other position is acceptable for Christians. Why are we so timid to “live out” the truth, befriend, witness and seek the conversion of others?

Muslims are at our doorstep! Missions begins with your neighbor!

Ben Macklin

Fort Worth

Find common ground

Jews, Christians and Muslims share a common monotheistic heritage. Christianity is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. Islam, whose early proponents were surrounded by “people of the book,” honors many biblical prophets. If we insist that those who don’t accept the divinity of Jesus worship a different God, it will affect our relationships with not only Muslims, but Jews as well.

Whatever our convictions about the nature of God and how we all relate to him, our mandate is clear. If we love God who is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ, we also will love our neighbors—all of them.

When we have opportunity to share our lives and our faith with Muslims in our communities and around the world, let’s follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who didn’t berate the Athenians for their poor theology but found a piece of common ground on which to build.

Diana Bridges

Starkville, Miss.

Prayer language

Jesus said a house divided fails. That seems to be the objective of the Pharisees within the Southern Baptist Convention and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dwight McKissic told students at Southwestern he has a prayer language (speaking in tongues), and now my alma mater has spoken out against him. I thought prayer was between the person praying and God, but I guess we now have to have our prayers approved by the Sanhedrin before we voice them to God. What a shame!

Instead of Baptists trying to bring unity among believers, we have no tolerance for “outside” interpretations. I once thought Southwestern Seminary was a great institution, but how the mighty have fallen. The Apostle Paul implores us to have tolerance for one another because there is “one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, and one baptism” (Ephesians 4). The early church Acts grew rapidly because of unity in Christ; they didn’t emphasize their differences (Acts 2:44).

The seminary’s action is a symptom of the real problem—legalism. SBC leaders have allowed the legalistic leaven of the Pharisees to mix through the whole batch of dough. Jesus warned us to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

“But … when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

William Campbell

Port Aransas

Special Friends

Sometimes, the gentle surprises in life make us aware of God’s presence—the unexpected events that come our way. This was the case for me this fall. After gentle nudging, I agreed to help teach Bible study classes for a group of special-needs adults at Mount Lebanon Baptist Encampment.

I was impressed not only with the Special Friends Retreat, but also the wonderful “special” adults I befriended. The hugs and attention I received were overwhelming.

I have pondered what I experienced over the weekend, and now I understand better how God uses “simple things to confound the wise.” In some ways, we all are people who need a special touch. I saw Jesus with skin on at this retreat.

Praise be to God for the wonderful way the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions touch lives!

Robert Whitfield

Dallas

Coffee with Don Miller

I appreciate your inclusion of articles like the one about Blue Like Jazz. I hope many of your readers will see the article and, as a result, read some of Donald Miller’s other books, particularly To Own a Dragon, and Searching for God Knows What. 

I found myself wishing for the opportunity to converse at length with Miller over a cup of coffee, just to discuss some of his thoughts and expressions.

Dennis Coop

North Little Rock, Ark.

Allah and God: Similarities and differences

As one who lived among Muslim people for almost 30 years I learned both Christians and Muslims use the term “Allah” for God, but they have some similarities and some differences as to God’s nature.

Both believe that God/Allah is the Creator of the universe, that he controls it for his own purposes, that he will judge all people according to his own standards of justice and that those who please him will go to heaven; those who do not will go to hell.

Allah in Islam is distant and unknowable. In Christianity, God is both distant and close, knowable in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Allah is just and righteous and judges people by their obedience to the Qur’an and the Hadiith (traditions), but no one can be sure of salvation. God is just and righteous, too, but also loving and kind and willing to suffer for the sake of his people’s salvation as he did in Jesus.

Allah is all-powerful, and he uses his power according to his will. God is all-powerful but uses his power to control history and for the benefit of mankind.

Allah’s will is ultimate and unchangeable. God’s will is also ultimate, but man’s choice can thwart God’s will.

Allah can be kind, but only if it moves forward the spread of his dominance. God is kind enough to forgive those who repent, even his enemies.

David King

Marshall

Allah and God not the same

In reference to the five pages devoted to the Islamic religion (Sept. 18), I hope your readers will realize that the Allah of the Quran and the Lord of the Bible are not the same.

The Bible tells us in Galations 1:8 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed he received a “new revelation” from an angel just like Mohammad. Smith said he received this new revelation on tablets of precious metal just like Mohammad. Smith established a “holy land” in Utah not unlike Mohammad establishing a “holy land” in Mecca. Smith said Jesus was “just a prophet” as do Muslims. Smith and Mohammad both instituted polygamy as part of their “restored religions.”

Bottom line: Any religious teaching that leads the follower contrary to the inspired Scriptures of the holy Bible dooms that follower to an eternal separation from God if they do not profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Lisa Preuss

Sulphur Springs

Will they never learn?

The message of the Old Testament is like a long series of sermons to the nation of people, Israel, hoping for a revival.

Only a few—the remnant—believed the Lord, and repented, and received the promised blessings of salvation through faith and obedience by having a personal relationship with the Lord God. The rest of Israel kept on having a religion without the relationship. They crucified the One who came as spiritual Messiah and Savior. They were destroyed because they rejected Jesus. The nation suffered horrors worse than the holocaust when they perished in 66-70 A.D. with the destruction of Israel, Jerusalem and the temple.

Will they never learn?

Ernest V., May Jr.

Livingston

Tithing and Malachi 3:10

Thank you for your editorial regarding the different positions on tithing (Oct. 16).

A lot of these tithing issues are a matter of faith. For example, should New Testatement believers tithe or not depends on one's faith.

I don’t debate matters of faith because I “avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

Many Christians get caught up in these debates about matters of faith. Nevertheless, what is going on in our churches in not a matter of faith; it is a matter of theft.

I do debate matters of theft.

The Bible teaches in Malachi 3:10 that God’s tithe was food, and we should honor his word because it also includes the fact that there was plenty of cash-currency available to have a cash-tithe if he had wanted it that way.

We have to ask ourselves: Why would someone remove the word “food” in Malachi 3:10 and add the word “currency”? The only answer I’ve been able to come up with is: For the love of money.

Amós Ortiz

Wilmington, Del.

Prayer language still a gift

As a Christian and a Southern Baptist pastor, there is no greater battle than the battle within to believe God’s word.

I was taught and believe that God’s word is totally without error. Yet I read every day where our SBC leaders show they do not believe God’s word. The latest is Paige Patterson and the trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, having passed a resolution condemning prayer language and other charismatic acts.

I would like to ask what they do with 1 Corinthians 14:39, “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.” I do not knowingly speak with other tongues. However, I will not limit God. I see in Scripture where the Holy Spirit gave the gift of tongues to some believers, but I cannot find any place where he took the gift of tongues, nor any other spiritual gift, back.

If we believe the New Testament is the inspired, infallible word of God, how can we contradict it? How can we read into it things that are not there?

The same person who wrote Corinthians wrote much of the New Testament. If one part is incorrect, if one part is not true, then every word written is called into question.

The Bible is not a delicatessen. We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe and ignore the rest. The New Testament Pharisees did not recognize Jesus, nor his works, and neither do most of our SBC leadership.

Robert Pitts

Houston

Ban on tongues

Thank God Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees have finally banned the promotion of speaking in tongues!

I am sure it was about to get out of hand in that approximately one-third of the 100 million evangelicals in North America are already doing this. We should be sure to distance ourselves appropriately from these heathen masses and alienate them the best we can, as certainly we will not see them in heaven.

He who is not against us is most likely, in all probability, very much against us. I am certainly glad we have finally identified the enemy.

All I can say is I sure am glad this edict was not issued during the first century!

David Rosenthal

Lubbock

Seminary trustees' vote against prayer language

The vote by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees regarding private “prayer language”—36-1 in favor of the seminary president’s recommendation—is an example of what is going on in “Southern Baptist” circles.

You don’t oppose the party line, or “bad things” happen to you.

Remember, though, that while these may huff and puff, they don’t really generate any wind that we don’t let them generate. The “management of Southern Baptists” is very consistent about either being in control or disassociating themselves from any persons or activity that they can’t control. There have been numerous examples of this in the past few years.

Perhaps Dwight McKissic believes discussion is not a bad thing and that refusal to allow discussion’and practice of biblical examples is a bad thing.

For those of you who can’t remember, this was a position that most Baptists held until a relatively few years ago.

This is also a really good way for McKissic to avoid being on any committees.

Bennett Willis

Lake Jackson

Posted: 10/27/06

On the Move

• Joban Baeza to Cranes Mill Church in Canyon Lake as youth minister.

• John Bell to First Church in Bridgeport as associate minister of music from Trinity Church in Lewisville, where he was associate pastor/worship and music.

• William Brackney has resigned as pastor of Blue Ridge Church in Marlin.

• Bill Bryant to First Church in Sargent as pastor.

• Joe Caldwell to First Church in Elgin as pastor.

• Benny Chaffin has resigned as pastor of Shady Grove Church in Greenville.

• Rolando DeLeon to Primera Iglesia in Corpus Christi as pastor from Sawdust Road Church in Spring.

• Kay Dunlap has resigned as minister of preschool and children at First Church in Paris.

• Paul Gibson has resigned as music minister at First Church in Haskell.

• Roger Hammonds to Heritage Park Church in Webster as minister of education and administration.

• James Hassell to First Church in Tulia as pastor from First Church in Bedford, where he was minister of worship and spiritual formation.

• Gary Henneke to Frelsburg Church in New Ulm as pastor.

• Jim Houser to Blue Ridge Church in Marlin as pastor.

• Aubrey Jones to First Church in Blackwell as pastor from Bethel Church in White Settlement.

• Ty Musser to First Church in Gilmer as youth pastor from First Church in Sulphur Springs, where he was high school minister.

• Bob Owen has resigned as pastor of Providence Church in Caldwell.

• Glen Ray to Timbergrove Church in Houston as interim pastor.

• Sean Taylor has resigned as minister of youth at First Church in Marlin.

• Joel Thielpape to Woodlawn Church in Austin as interim pastor.

• Mark Thompson to Damascus Church in Lindale as pastor.

• Kelly Wolverton to First Church in Hico as minister of youth and education from Hampton Road Church in DeSoto.

Posted: 10/27/06

Network reaffirms call for ‘culture of life’

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—A network of evangelical and Catholic leaders, reaffirming its call to build up a “culture of life,” has issued a new statement that links the biblical principle of loving one’s neighbor to care for the unborn, the frail and the dying.

“The direct and intentional taking of innocent human life in abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide and embryonic research is rightly understood as murder,” declares the new statement, “That They May Have Life” from Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

Despite the strong language, the group rejected charges that they want to establish a “theocracy” or impose their convictions on other Americans.

The statement was published in the October issue of the Catholic magazine First Things and announced in this month’s issue of the evangelical magazine Christianity Today.

Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things, said there was “intense” debate over whether to describe abortion as “murder.”

“But we tried to be very precise, namely that any direct and deliberate taking of innocent human life is in ordinary language—and certainly in the language of the Western moral tradition—properly called murder,” he said.

The statement marks the sixth time that evangelical and Catholic leaders in the network have issued a joint document. It comes at a time when conservative Protestants and Catholics have overcome theological differences in an effort to work together on causes of mutual concern, such as opposition to same-sex marriage and assisted suicide.

Previous statements have addressed abortion, pornography and the need for “marginal Christians” to be more active in church. The newest document seeks to find room for civil discussion in the midst of what many call an ongoing “culture war.”

Christianity Today Editor David Neff, who wrote an essay on the statement in the October issue of his magazine, said in an interview that he welcomes the latest document from the network.

“I like the emphasis on the tone, on the way in which to address polarization in our society on this while holding firm to a strong, certain commitment to what we see as an essential of Christian ethics,” Neff said.

Evangelical signers include Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship; Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.; and Thomas Oden, professor emeritus of Drew University in New Jersey.

Additional evangelical endors-ers included National Association of Evangelicals President Ted Haggard, author and megachurch pastor Rick Warren and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

Posted: 10/27/06

Motion: ‘Pastor, ask her to marry you’

By George Henson

Staff Writer

MERIDIAN—Pastor Drew Dabbs’ marriage proposal was one for the books—the church business meeting minutes’ books.

Peggy McDowell, a member at Spring Creek Baptist Church in Meridian, had been bragging on her pastor and his girlfriend, Emily Snowden, whom she was convinced would make a fine pastor’s wife. She lamented to a friend that Dabbs hadn’t yet asked Snowden to marry him.

McDowell’s friend suggested she make a motion to that effect at the next business meeting, and she pitched the idea to Dabbs.

“Don’t do that. It’d scare me to death,” he initially responded.

But later in the week, he changed his mind.

“I called her back and said, ‘Have you got your motion ready?’” Dabbs said.

He told McDowell he had purchased an engagement ring some time ago and had been trying to find the best way to ask his girlfriend to become his wife.

On Oct. 8, Spring Creek was having its “regular five-to-seven-minute business meeting,” he recalled.

In recognition of Pastor Apprecia-tion Day, McDowell recounted Dabbs’ 32-month tenure at pastor. At the end, she went on to say how much the church also enjoyed Snowden and added it was time for him to ask her to marry him. She made that recommendation in the form of a motion, which Terry Flory was first of many to second. The motion passed unanimously with 24 people present.

“Emily thought it was hilarious,” Dabbs said.

“She thought they were really getting a good one on me.”

As Snowden continued laughing, the pastor went to the pulpit, collected the ring he had hidden there, returned to her on bended knee and asked her to marry him.

“She said: ‘Is this for real? Is that really a ring?’ She looked like a deer in headlights. Her eyes were as big as saucers,” Dabbs recalled.

After she said yes, Dabbs turned and told his congregation the answer. Since they had been laughing and talking among themselves too loudly to hear his proposal, the church members insisted he do it all over again.

The proposal fell exactly 18 months after the first time Dabbs asked Snowden out on a date.

Dabbs allowed the motion to be made because after considering it, he felt the church was the best possible place for the big question, he said.

“I had the ring for some time and was just trying to find the most appropriate place and way to ask. The reason I thought the church was most appropriate was because there was no place more special to us, and no people are more special to us than our church family,” he said. “It was our privilege and pleasure to share that moment with them.”

The couple will be married July 7, 2007, at First Baptist Church in Meridian, Miss., where Dabbs’ father is pastor.

Posted: 10/27/06

Texas Tidbits

Finalists chosen for BGCT Battle of the Bands. Twelve Texas Baptist performing groups have been selected as finalists for the Battle of the Bands at the Dallas Convention Center during the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Weekend Fest Nov. 11-12. The bands and their sponsors are Beyond Riches, Georgetown Baptist Church in Pottsboro; The Flipside, First Baptist Church in Irving; GP1, Primera Baptist Church in Fort Worth; Iconoclast, Casa View Baptist Church in Dallas; Inspired by Eden, South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena; Jonathan Stege Band, First Baptist Church in Lubbock; Look to the Sky, North Pointe Baptist Church in Hurst; Luminaria Rock, Coastal Bend Fellowship in Kingsville; Nameless, Central Baptist Church in Buna; The Opera Stage, Primera Iglesia Bautista in Dallas; 30 Coin Ransom, Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio; and Trae Castles Band, Connect Church in Arlington. The grand-prize winner will receive studio recording time and a spot on YEC fx band line-up in July 2007.

Baylor regents OK tuition increase. At their October meeting, Baylor University’s board of regents authorized an 8 percent tuition increase—raising the annual cost to $22,200 for a student taking 12 hours or more per semester in 2007-2008. The general student fee will increase 6.07 percent to $2,270 for next year. Room and board rates for undergraduates will increase by 5.02 percent and 3.61 percent, respectively. In total, a freshman entering Baylor in fall 2007 will pay 6.98 percent more in tuition, fees, room and board than a freshman entering this year. Tuition for graduate students will increase by 7.93 percent. Truett Seminary students will experience a 7.96 percent increase. Law students in fall 2007 will see a 7.52 percent increase.

Child care offered for BGCT. Free child care will be provided as a service for out-of-town messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting Nov. 13-14 in Dallas. Care for young children—ages two months through 10 years—will be offered in Room D227 at the Dallas Convention Center. MBF Agency (Mom’s Best Friend) will provide this service and is licensed by the state of Texas. All “nannies” have passed certification courses and criminal background checks and are state certified. The service will be offered Nov. 13 from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. and Nov. 14 from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Advance reservations are required. Children will receive breakfast on both days, and lunch and dinner Nov. 13. Snacks and beverages will be available at all times. For registration information, go to www.bgct.org/annual meeting, under “General Information.” To receive forms via e-mail, contact Patti Kriss at patti.kriss@bgct.org or call (214) 828-5232.

Hispanic convocation slated. The sixth annual Hispanic Baptist Convocation of the Laity will be held at Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center, near Spicewood, Oct. 27-28. Key speakers will be Baldemar Borrego, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas; Andre Punch, congregational strategists director with the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Albert Reyes, president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio; Alfonso Flores, pastor of First Mexican Baptist Church in San Antonio; and E.B. Brooks, retired director of the BGCT Church Missions & Evangelism Section. Charles Wade, executive director of the BGCT, and Leo Smith, executive director of Texas Baptist Men, will be honored at a Double Diamond Ceremony. Eve Rodriguez, founder of the Ministers’ Wives Conference of the Hispanic Baptist Convention, will be honored at a ceremony led by conference President Delia Vela of Westway Baptist Church in El Paso.

Posted: 10/27/06

TOGETHER:
‘We do our business out in the open’

Our convention is committed to open communication and careful, thorough discussion of matters that concern our churches and our Baptist mission in Texas and beyond.

Last December, I finally realized concerns that had been raised with me from time to time regarding our church-starting practices in the Rio Grande Valley required a more thorough investigation than I had been able to achieve through the normal staff channels available to me.

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

Then, early this year, Palo Pinto Baptist Association called for our Executive Board to investigate the matter. After discussing the situation with board and convention officers, we agreed we would engage an experienced attorney from the Valley to get to the bottom of this. Her report will be presented to our board on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the Baptist Building in Dallas.

There will be time for a thorough presentation by the attorneys and for questions from Executive Board members. The Baptist Standard will report on the findings and the board discussion in next week’s issue.

I pledge to you that the Executive Board and I will work together to repair what is broken, to hold accountable any person who may have misused the trust Texas Baptists have placed in them, and to move forward together to respond to the continuing needs of our state for God. I ask you to pray for the Executive Board and its leaders.

It is a great honor to represent our Baptist churches across Texas. Last Sunday, I was in one of those congregations, a rural church in the open country outside Brownwood that has been ministering to people in the area for almost 120 years. As I find everywhere I go in our state, God is doing good and miraculous things in and through our Baptist people.

From 1887 to 1944, they had services once a month (quarter-time) and then twice a month (half-time). At one point in a very difficult time in the 1920s, the church closed down for two years. But today, they have a strong pastor and staff. They have wonderful facilities. They love one another, and they drive from miles around to be together on Sundays.

I was born into the pastor’s home of that church. My father was a student at Howard Payne and felt God had especially smiled on him to give him the opportunity to be the pastor of Rocky Creek Baptist Church.

So, you can imagine how I felt to be standing in the pulpit of the church where 65 years ago I first was held by my mother while my father preached to his people. It was a great honor to be among Baptist people who love God, cherish their Bibles, practice good principles of church life, yearn to be faithful to Christ’s call and minister to one another and the needs of others.

Like this one church, Texas Baptists have been about doing God’s work together for some time now. And one of the wonderful things about Baptists, both at the church and at the state levels, is that we do our business out in the open.

The investigation of what happened in the Valley is yet another example of this. It has been a difficult, painful time. But together, we are finding out what happened there, and together, we will correct the mistakes and move forward in kingdom work.

We are loved.

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

Posted: 10/27/06

Valley probe forthcoming

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board will hold a special called meeting Oct. 31 to hear the findings of an investigation regarding alleged misappropriation of church-starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley.

Officers of the BGCT and its Executive Board had enlisted Brownsville attorney Diane Dillard to conduct an independent investigation of alleged mishandling of church-starting funds in the Valley.

The board endorsed the probe at its May meeting, approved $50,000 from contingency funds for the investigation and granted the board’s chair and the BGCT executive director the ability to authorize another $50,000 if needed. Last month, the board authorized up to an additional $50,000 for the investigation.

The probe centered on suspicions regarding the large number of cell-group missions reported as church starts in the lower Rio Grande Valley from 1996 to 2000. Critics alleged some church starts that received financial help from the BGCT never existed except on paper, and some individuals may have profited by claiming to start multiple, nonexistent “mystery missions.”

An initial bulletin about the investigation’s finding will be posted online Tuesday evening, Oct. 31. Check back periodically for additional updates.

Extended coverage of the board meeting and the findings of the investigation will be reported in the Nov. 6 print edition of the Baptist Standard.

Posted: 10/27/06

Empty bowls help fill ministry’s empty shelves

By Teresa Young

Wayland Baptist University

PLAINVIEW—Normally, a lump of clay has nothing to do with the plight of world hunger. But for a project at Wayland Baptist University, the two are tightly interwoven.

The university’s fine arts division is participating in the Empty Bowls project, where people from all walks of life create unique pottery bowls with guidance from an instructor. The bowls are then sold to raise money for local hunger-relief organizations. But there’s another purpose for the project, as well.

Stephanie Shaw, assistant coach to the Wayland Flying Queens, works on her bowl alongside Mark Hilliard, assistant professor of art, at a bowl-making session held recently. Shaw and the other Queens players created two bowls each during the evening.

“The basic idea is to generate awareness of hunger in the world, as well as raise money for the food banks,” said Mark Hilliard, assistant professor of art at Wayland.

“Each time you use the bowl, it should remind you of those in the world who have nothing to eat.”

An accomplished sculptor, Hilliard said he already was familiar with Empty Bowls, an international effort started in 1990 by The Imagine/Render Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to positive social change through the arts.

When he heard news reports in the early fall that Plainview’s Faith in Sharing House had bare shelves and needed help from the community, he got the idea to bring Empty Bowls to Wayland.

Hilliard took a proposal to the university’s fine arts division and gained not only their support but also their commitment to participate. Then when the idea was brought to Claude Lusk, vice president of enrollment management at Wayland, the project took on a whole new life.

Lusk, who also is president of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce, thought about marrying the Empty Bowls project with the chamber’s annual banquet.

“I’ve been planning for the chamber banquet and was working toward that when I met with Dr. Ann Stutes (division co-chair) and Mark Hilliard about the Empty Bowls concept, and I felt like the two things worked together,” Lusk said.

Anastasia Okolo, a junior guard for the Flying Queens from Houston, adds some finishing touches to the outside of her Empty Bowls project during a pottery session.

“Part of who we are as a chamber should be supporting this type of activity, and I thought they might work together well. It will be a significant departure from what we normally do as a banquet, but I think it’ll be a positive event that will show our heart.”

The chamber executive board ap-proved the idea and began working out details on the February 2007 event. Some specifics still are in the planning process—exact dates of the banquet, location and entertainment—but the bowls will be a big emphasis.

As in past years, the banquet will honor a man and woman of the year for the city, and the community will benefit as all money raised goes to Faith in Sharing House.

During the event, the bowls will be on display, and banquet participants will choose one from which to eat that evening’s meal. They will keep the bowl as a reminder of the plight of the hungry and the need to support hunger-relief efforts. Lusk believes the community will embrace the different format.

“Just the nature of looking at the bowls will lead to much more mixing and mingling than the banquet normally allows for. … It’ll be a more casual atmosphere,” he said. “I wanted to take the opportunity while I had some influence over the event to attach it to a real service-minded effort. When you look at who has won the man- and woman-of-the-year awards, I don’t think there’s a person there that would mind.”

Hilliard has been excited to see the project unfold. He’s set up sessions through February for student groups, employees and others to create bowls, and the shelves are beginning to fill with the unique creations.

“I knew we had resources we could use, and if we could get help from others, we could do this,” he said, adding Wayland has donated the clay for the bowls.

Now, Hilliard hopes to recruit community organizations as well to help create 600 bowls. He is quick to point out no artistic talent is required.

“We’ll walk everyone through the process with demonstrations and hands-on experience,” he said. “We’ll probably hand-build most of the bowls, but if you know how to throw (on a potter’s wheel), then you could do that too.”

Sessions are set up for two hours on Monday and Wednesday nights and on most Saturdays through Nov. 18 by appointment.

During the two-hour time, most participants will be able to create two bowls each, and designs can be anything they choose.

A mold is used to create uniformity in the bowls’ capacity and basic shape, but the rest is left to creativity.

Some sessions down the road may involve glazing bowls that already have been created. The plan is to make 400 two-pound individual bowls and 200 three-pound serving bowls.

“There will be a wide variety of styles available for folks to choose from at the banquet,” Hilliard said. “Some are plain; some are fancier. And each one is stamped on the bottom with Empty Bowls and signed by the artist.”

Organizers hope to enlist some local “celebrity” artists to create special bowls to be auctioned for additional funds. The fine arts faculty members already are planning to bring their particular talents into the mix as well.

The speech department is planning dramatic readings, and music and theater are enlisting performers. The art department plans an exhibit in conjunction and is gathering pieces from area artists to be donated and auctioned at the event.

Posted: 10/27/06

CYBER COLUMN: Hope

By Berry Simpson

I was on a flight from Houston to Washington, D.C., sitting in an aisle seat “C,” even though my boarding pass said “A,” by the window, which would be my preference.

When I boarded the plane, a young professionally dressed woman was already sitting in my “A” seat. She didn’t seem the sort who would intentionally sit in the wrong seat just to get a window view. In fact, most people prefer aisle seats, since they have a bit more leg room and easier access to walk around, so if someone sits in the wrong seat, they are more likely to sit in an aisle seat than a window seat. Not me. I like the window seat so I can watch the passing 3-D map outside my window. But since this window looked out over the wing and my fellow passenger looked like she’d set up camp, I sat in the “C” seat, feeling generous and self-righteous.

Her name was Loranda, and she read every word on the plastic safety card, even the parts about ditching in water in case our plane went down in the Mississippi River. She was very sweet and soft-spoken, and she dug into her purse to offer a pen to me when she saw I was about to work on the Sudoku puzzle in the airline magazine. It was a lightening-quick, intuitive mom-like reaction, and her pen was out before I could blink.

When the pilot asked us to turn off our electronic devices, Loranda kept pushing buttons on her phone. The flight attendant passed by and reminded her to turn it off, and she smiled and said softly, “OK,” but she kept fooling around with it. It was a new phone, and she didn’t know how to turn it off. I guess she eventually got it turned off, since we made it to Washington without getting lost or crashing.

Later, after we all ate our cereal with raisins and milk, I noticed Loranda had her head down concentrating on something on her tray table. I asked if it would help to turn on her overhead light, but she said, “No” so softly I could barely make it out over the airplane noise. She said: “I’m just having a hard time with this adhesive. These keep getting stuck in the wrong places.” She was gluing very tiny plastic gems to the front of her brand new flip phone. She had a 3” x 3” waxy paper card covered with these little gems in perfect rows, each row a different color. She was gluing them carefully to the front of her new phone in wavy patterns, customizing it.

I had two thoughts right away: (1) It would never have occurred to me to glue something like that to my phone, never, and (2) how sweet to watch her take such care to brighten up this tiny part of her life. How many people would ever notice those tiny plastic gems.

For some reason I can’t explain, the scene on the airplane reminded me of a funeral I attended recently. I remember watching the family walk down the aisle, and toward the end of the line was an older woman quite frumpily dressed but with a tiny bright gold ankle bracelet. I was surprised by the bracelet that didn’t seem to match the rest of her outfit. I’ll admit I don’t understand the appeal of ankle bracelets, just like I don’t understand gluing little gems to a flip phone, but when I saw the woman at the funeral, I thought: She is looking for hope. Her tiny ankle bracelet set against her uncompromisingly dull clothes and hair seemed to be a faint grasp at beauty and hope.

I guess we all find ways to customize ourselves, and the technique we use is probably misunderstood by most people who see us. Maybe we decide to spell our name funny, or spike our hair, or get a tattoo, or pierce our tongue or eyebrow, or grow a beard, or glue tiny plastic jewels on our phone. We customize ourselves and our possessions, trying to find our place in the world.

When I started writing this, I thought it would be about identity. Now I think it is about hope. Norman Cousins wrote, “The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope.”

I was once in a living room saturated in hopelessness, and it was frightening to think someone lived like that. The owner of the house had no experience with Jesus, the source of all real hope.

Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as our anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” It is my desire, that in your own customized life, you’ve found the permanent hope that comes from Jesus.

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.

Posted: 10/27/06

RIGHT or WRONG?
Christian maturity

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, the Apostle Paul compares and contrasts his behavior as a child and an adult. But is it possible that people mature in some ways and not in others? Would this explain why some demonstrate great strength in their profession, but their sense of ethical judgment remains almost preadolescent?

We’ve all met the person you describe. It seems incredibly contradictory for someone to demonstrate strength and ability in one area of life but not in another. Vivid reminders of this contradiction flash before us each time a highly visible minister, politician or Fortune 500 CEO lands in the middle of a legal or ethical scandal. These examples leave us asking how someone so knowledgeable, skilled and educated in their profession could make such poor ethical and moral choices. The fifth chapter of Hebrews speaks about these people who show great strength in some areas of life but not in others. The writer specifically speaks to those who have had plenty of time to mature but have not yet demonstrated maturity in their ethical judgment.

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14).

In this passage, the writer describes a group that has failed to mature in their application of God’s word. These adults were mature in some matters. In fact, the writer assumes they should now be ready to teach the truths of God’s word and to assist others in this decision-making. Instead, the writer refers to them not just as preadolescent in their judgment, but as infantile. Unable to grapple with the difficulties of good and evil, the readers are immature and ready only for repetition of elementary truths.

The author of Hebrews goes on to provide a clue as to why some people are so strong in one area (like their profession) and not in others (like their ethical judgment). He says that the difference lies in “constant use.” But what does that mean?

How does one excel in a particular profession? Training, education and experience are the keys to becoming proficient in a job, a hobby or a skill. The writer of Hebrews insists ethical judgment is the result of those same endeavors. It is through training and constant use of the truths of God’s word that we can become mature. Unfortunately, there are things we do to impede this maturation process.

First, in an attempt to help young or new believers mature more quickly, it is easy to provide quick answers regarding right and wrong. In doing so, we fail to equip them in the “constant use” of God’s word. As the church, we have a responsibility to equip new believers to distinguish for themselves between good and evil. Second, each of us has a responsibility to work to become fully acquainted with teaching on righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). We must continue to apply the word we have been taught in order to become mature and able to discern between good and evil. In doing so, we can avoid becoming the contradictory examples of maturity that you describe.

Emily Row, team leader/coordinator leader

Communications/spiritual formation specialist

Baptist General Convention of Texas

Dallas

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.