Posted: 8/04/06

Baptist Women in Ministry track growth

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—About 1,600 Baptist women have been ordained to the ministry in the United States, a new report released by Baptist Women in Ministry revealed.

Authors Eileen Campbell-Reed and Pamela Durso presented their report, “The State of Women in Baptist Life,” at the organization’s annual meeting this summer in Atlanta.

The report helps validate the needs of Baptist clergywomen, illustrate growth and losses, and track nationwide trends, Campbell-Reed said.

The study reported 60 Baptist women became ordained ministers in 2005.

According to the survey, 102 women serve as pastors, co-pastors or church-starters in churches affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The study did not include traditionally African-American denominations or less-prominent Baptist organizations.

The authors said the study did not encompass all Baptist groups, but “the perspective of this report rests firmly in the moderate-to-progressive constellation of Baptist organizations in the southern United States.”

The results showed social, political and theological changes in recent decades that shifted church roles for Baptist women everywhere, they said.

“While the pastorate continues, for the most part, to be only marginally open to women, and growth there is incremental, a larger number of women now serve as associate pastors and in specialized ministry roles on church staffs,” the report states. “Many women have found places of ministry as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, the military and other organizations and agencies, although women make up only 29 percent of all chaplains endorsed by the American Baptist Churches, Alliance, CBF and SBC.”

The report started with a historical look at women in pastoral roles. One of the first groups to ordain women, Northern Baptists—now American Baptist Churches—ordained May Jones in 1882. Only after 1965, however, did percentages of ordinations rise to a more measurable level. That year, American Baptists adopted a resolution affirming the equality of women and advocating the ordination of women.

While growth has continued since then, it comes at a slow pace. According to the report, American Baptist Women in Ministry reported an increase of 13 more women who served as pastors in 2005 than 2004. Of these women, 374 served as pastors, and 29 served as co-pastors.

In the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 5.5 percent of pastors in CBF-affiliated churches are women. About 28 percent of the chaplains and counselors in the CBF and ABC in 2005 were women, while the Alliance of Baptists recorded 52 percent of its chaplains were women. Southern Baptists reported 8 percent of their ordained chaplains and counselors were women, according to the report.

For much of the research regarding Southern Baptists, Campbell-Reed and Durso relied heavily on work from Sarah Frances Anders, a retired professor of sociology at Louisiana College. Anders kept extensive statistics about Baptist women and in 1997 documented 1,225 ordinations of Southern Baptist women.

That same year, the report said, Anders recorded 85 women serving as pastors and more than 100 serving as associate pastors. In 2005, Baptist Women in Ministry found that of the 102 women ordained in churches affiliated with the non-SBC Baptist groups on which the report focused, 66 served as pastors, 34 as co-pastors and two as church planters.

On the mission field, percentages between male and female workers remain closer. In a section of the study that evaluated SBC mission boards, 31 percent (3,096) of the North American Mission Board missionaries in 2005 were women appointed to full-time service. For the International Mission Board, 53 percent (2,695) of the total 5,050 workers were women.

Campbell-Reed is a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Durso is associate executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society in Brentwood, Tenn.

Baptist Women in Ministry leaders said they plan to update the report yearly.

Posted: 8/04/06

Faith goes to work as
business accommodates belief

By Candace Goforth

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—A Muslim employee’s daily prayers. A lunchtime Bible study group. A Jewish employee’s observance of the High Holy Days. What does any of this have to do with conducting business? These days, plenty.

More Americans are bringing their faith to work, and employers need to be sure their workplace policies are keeping pace with the trend, cultural observers have noted.

That doesn’t mean simply putting a menorah next to the Christmas tree in the lobby once a year. It means balancing the needs of expressively religious workers with those of employees who may think the only higher power that matters at work is the one signing the paychecks.

Two studies, one by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Studies and another by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, indicate religion has taken on a more prominent role in American culture. That translates to an increasing emphasis on those issues in the workplace.

“I notice that there seems to be more of an acceptance of talking about” religion, said Andrea Capuano, director of human resources for ComDoc Inc., an office-machine supplier based in Ohio. “It used to be something you wouldn’t talk about. Now more people feel like, ‘Why do we have to leave (our beliefs) at the door?’”

Experts on the subject suggest four factors are contributing to the trend:

• Baby boomers are aging and searching for meaning.

• Expressions of faith have become part of the nation’s political discourse, from city halls to the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court.

• As people are spending more time at work, the line between personal life and professional life is being blurred.

• The workplace is a microcosm of an increasingly pluralistic society.

That may cause some to hold tighter to their own traditions and declare them more loudly.

Whatever the cause, Norm Douglas is happy to see spiritual forwardness coming into fashion. Douglas and attorney Larry Vuillemin founded Akron, Ohio-based Heart to Heart Communications 16 years ago to encourage the integration of faith and work. The idea was that greater mutual understanding and ethical commitment would follow.

“We have a separation of church and state, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show our faith,” Douglas said. “And we can find values that a lot of faith traditions hold in common. All emphasize living with integrity, caring for each other, having a higher purpose in life than making money.”

Some experts suggest the most valuable accommodation may be creating a workplace atmosphere that welcomes talk of faith and spirituality.

That has been ComDoc’s approach. And it has worked without controversy, Capuano said.

“I’m not seeing people preaching in the workplace,” she said. “I don’t see people coming in and hanging big crosses at their desk. It’s more of a subtle thing.”

It might be a break-room prayer group, a conversation about a church fundraiser or an employee sharing details of a particularly moving worship service.

And it all plays out with ComDoc’s corporate blessing.

The company has sent more than 30 employees, in-cluding Roy Ismail, through Heart to Heart Communi-cations’ leadership program.

Ismail, who is Muslim, said the spiritually open environment—one that is predominantly Christian—has helped him connect with some of his co-workers in a way he might not have done otherwise.

“Everyone should be proud of who they are and where they come from and be able to share that at work,” said Ismail, a technical support analyst for the company. “I think ComDoc is on the right track.”

The navigation comes from the top. Riley Lochridge, chairman and chief executive officer, makes a bold distinction between spirituality and religion when it comes to the workplace.

“Spirituality can be a catalyst or a reinforcer for the personal and professional development process,” said Lochridge, who is Christian. “If you have people who are really open to all the beauty and strength within and around them, the workplace becomes much more enriching.

“There are more people in business today who want to be able to talk about this issue. Why would I want to get in the way of that? I want to encourage that as long as they are not invasive.”

That’s where the issue becomes thor-ny. What may seem like spiritual openness to some may be proselytizing to others. Employ-ers are under pressure to find a balance.

Michelle Weber, assistant director of religious diver-sity in the workplace at the Tanenbaum Center in New York, said organizations should make it clear what is expected of their em-ployees.

They can do that through leadership that honors employees’ religious practices without compromising the rights of those who are uncomfortable with the subject.

“There is no line you can draw in the sand and say, ‘X is proselytizing, and Y is not,’” Weber said.

“It depends on the perspective of the receiver. I would hesitate to put anything down in a policy. Just take it on a case-by-case basis.”

Tom Wiencek, chairman of labor and employment law at the Brouse McDowell law firm in Ohio, said an organization can lay out its expectations of employees through a mission statement or code of conduct.

But it is very difficult to restrict religious expression or the backlash from it, he said.

The tension between gay and lesbian employees and employees who denounce homosexuality on religious grounds is just one high-profile example.

The issue could become more pressing. Separate bills in the U.S. House and Senate propose strengthening the law that protects workers’ rights to religious expression.

That law states employers must accommodate workers’ religious requirements as long as doing so does not create an undue burden on the business; the new law would raise the standard of employer hardship.

Wiencek offered this example: A Jewish employee’s observance of the Sabbath could make him unable to work certain shifts on Fridays. As the law stands, an employer would not be required to excuse the employee if the Friday work was necessary to the operation of the business.

Wiencek said the new law would place greater strain on companies that already bend under the weight of workplace regulation. And, he said, it is unnecessary.

“The current accommodation standard provides employees protection, and it invites dialogue,” he said.

“When you continue to legislate the workplace culture with more restrictions, you just elevate the cost of doing business.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes the House and Senate bills, neither of which is expected to make it into law any time soon.

Still, momentum is gathering behind the idea. Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., has 18 co-sponsors from both sides of the House aisle for his Workplace Religious Freedom Act. The bill was given a subcommittee hearing in November.

Regardless of what Congress does, the workplace climate seems to be shifting.

Weber, of the Tanenbaum Center, said it’s up to organizations to see the change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

“If handled with sensitivity, (bringing spirituality into the workplace) can result in more engaged employees, and engaged employees are good employees,” she said. “The challenge is in how employers choose to handle it.”

Candace Goforth wrote this story for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

Posted: 8/04/06

Poll: Americans not quite
ready for Mormon president

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)—With a Mormon looking like a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, it may be time to ask: Is the country ready to elect a Mormon president? If a Los Angeles Times poll is accurate, then the answer is: Maybe not.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known simply as “LDS”) is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world, with more than 5.5 million members in the United States alone. There are currently 16 Mormons in Congress—five senators and 11 representatives.

Nonetheless, according to the July 3 poll, 37 percent of American adults would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate.

Among the survey’s choices of Catholic, Jewish, Mormon and Muslim candidates, only the Muslim score came in lower, with 54 percent of American adults saying they wouldn’t vote for a Muslim candidate. Some analysts have said the survey results show that Mormon politicians like Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who may run for the Republican presidential candidacy in 2008, will face significant resistance in the race for the White House.

Other analysts, like Romney supporter Nancy French, said the poll is flat-out wrong.

“The poll is flawed. It’s just not true,” French said. “It comes down to a religious preference test. What the Los Angeles Times poll is missing is that you don’t know Mitt Romney, you just know his religion.”

French, who founded the web site www.evangelicalsformitt.com is a Presbyterian writer who became interested in politics during a college internship in 1994.

Now living in Columbia, Tenn., French said the specific phrasing of political survey questions determines a lot about the results. If the question had been between a nameless candidate who was Southern Baptist and an anonymous candidate who had struggled with alcoholism, she said, most respondents likely would have chosen the Southern Baptist candidate—and thus picked Bill Clinton over George W. Bush.

The Times did not reveal the questions used in the survey at the time of its release.

“Liberals want to divide us (conservative voters), and that’s what this poll is trying to do,” French insisted. “Politically, there’s no air between us (Mormons and conservative Christians). If it wasn’t for Utah, we wouldn’t have a President Bush; we’d have a President Gore.”

French noted that evangelicals and Mormons both tend to be politically conservative, and that, at any rate, voters will care less about the Mormonism and more about the man.

Historically, both Mormon and evangelical groups have opposed gay marriage, embryonic stem-cell research and abortion.

A second potential candidate who mirrors evangelical stances as closely as Romney hasn’t emerged, French said.

The bottom line is that “when you compare him to the other candidates, he gives you hope,” she said.

Romney, the 59-year-old son of a three-term Michigan governor, is something of an oddity in Massachusetts’ reliably Democratic politics. A Brigham Young University valedictorian and father of five, his background is as a Boston businessman.

In 1999, Romney was asked to help the committee overseeing the 2002 Winter Olympic Games—held in the center of the Mormon universe, Salt Lake City—restructure planning operations, which were already $379 million short of revenue goals. After Romney’s restructuring job, the games turned a profit of $100 million. Romney wrote a book, titled Turn Around, about the experience.

After his Olympic stint, Romney easily won the 2002 gubernatorial election against Democrat Shannon O’Brien.

Romney has declined to run for a second term as governor, suggesting a possible run for the presidency. To that end, some experts think he should publicly address his religious beliefs before others have a chance to exploit them.

That may require considerable tact in a time when candidates in both parties are increasingly using the language of faith to connect with voters. Romney may be forced to walk something of a tight-rope, maintaining close ties to his Mormon allies while convincing evangelical Christians he’s not so different from them.

If evangelicals look at the specifics of the Mormon tradition, that proposition may be difficult for them to accept.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by far the largest of several church organizations that claim ties to the religion founded by Joseph Smith. According to several reference sources, Mormons believe in “premortality,” which means the existence of people as spiritual beings prior to Earth’s creation.

They also believe that humans are now what God once was, and that humans have the potential to become what God is now, according to whatismormonism.com, a website hostile to the faith.

Salvation for Mormons, according to the official LDS website (www.mormon.org), comes through righteous living via tests of faith. It culminates in the believer becoming a god and starting an eternal family. By virtue of the “celestial marriage” ordinance, a worthy male may bring his wife to begin the family.

And while Mormons believe and use the Bible as a text for their faith, they supplement it with the Book of Mormon, which they believe was revealed to Smith in the early 1800s. Smith also wrote “Articles of Faith” in 1842, and the articles have similarities to Christian creeds, despite provisions that omit original sin and admonish good work as a way to heaven. They begin: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost;” “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression;” and “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”

Francis Beckwith, who teaches politics and religion at Baylor University in Waco, said that despite the likeness to Christianity displayed in some tenets of the Mormon faith, most evangelicals would view it as theologically errant.

The fact that Mormonism denies the “great creeds of Christendom” and claims to have restored true Christianity through Smith, Beckwith said, causes most evangelicals to see Mormonism as unorthodox. He is the associate director of the Baptist school’s J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. In 2002, he co-wrote The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement.

Still, Beckwith said, Romney should “stand by his LDS beliefs and explain how those beliefs help inform his political philosophy in a way that would advance the public good.” Beckwith compared Romney’s potential run to that of Kennedy, who became the nation’s first Roman Catholic president.

In a July 3 article, the Times quoted a Roper poll from June 1960 in which 35 percent of respondents said it “might be better not to have a Catholic president or that they would be against it.” Kennedy was elected to office just a few months later.

According to Beckwith, Romney should not make the mistake Kennedy did when he told a group of Protestant ministers his Catholic faith played no role in his political agenda.

“This was a terrible concession,” Beckwith said. “For it played to his audience’s anti-Catholic prejudices while saying that religious beliefs are so trivial that Kennedy would govern exactly the same if they were absent.”

Romney, for his part, has referred theological questions to LDS officials. In a June interview on “The Charlie Rose Show,” Romney deflected specific questions about his religion, according to Religion News Service.

“If you have doctrines you want to talk about, go talk to the church, because that’s not my job,” he reportedly said after the reporter asked about Mormon beliefs.

Romney has worked as president of a Mormon stake, or group of local congregations. In his youth, he traveled to France as a missionary and eventually served as leader for an LDS ward, or local congregation, in Massachusetts.

But, Beckwith said, he’s not convinced Romney will have to reconcile much of his faith to evangelicals if he runs for the position. The candidate’s political philosophy and leadership qualities play a larger role in an election than his or her religion, he said.

“A candidate’s faith in and of itself can’t win an election,” Beckwith said. He gave the example of Jimmy Carter, who talked openly of his faith as a “born-again Christian” and who won the evangelical vote in 1976, when he was elected to office. However, in 1980, most evangelicals defected from Carter to Ronald Reagan, a mainline Protestant who spoke little about his faith.

“Evangelicals applauded Carter’s faith, but they did not care for his policies,” Beckwith said.

The toughest spot for a Mormon running as a Republican would likely be in the primaries, Beckwith added. Once Romney got to the general election, evangelicals who did not support him for the Republican nomination likely would change tactics and vote for him anyway, he said.

They’d do that, Beckwith said, “especially if the alternative is a certain Methodist senator from New York.” The reference is to former first lady Hillary Clinton, who is widely expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

For Romney and others monitoring the polls, only time will tell.

Posted: 8/04/06

BGCT aids El Paso flood victims

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

The Baptist General Convention of Texas will provide $15,000 to help victims of flooding in El Paso and Juarez.

The convention will send $12,500 in funds from a designated disaster response account and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions to the El Paso Baptist Association to assist Texas Baptists affected by flooding.

More than 400 people were in shelters Aug. 4. An additional 1,500 people evacuated homes near downtown amid fears that a dam in Juarez is about to break.

“As always, we want to be responsive to the needs of our churches,” said BGCT Border/Mexico Missions Director Dexton Shores. “This is almost an unprecedented experience for them to get more rain in a couple days than they usually get in a year.

“By responding to these visible and most evident needs, our churches are able to establish a relationship with people who most need a relationship with Jesus Christ. Churches will be able to share Jesus’ love in a tangible way.”

The BGCT is sending $2,000 to Juarez to help Mexican Baptists feed evacuated victims of flooding there through the weekend.

About 500 people have fled their homes and are staying in gymnasiums in Juarez as a result of flash flooding. Mexican Baptists are using the disaster relief skills they recently learned from Texas Baptist Men to feed flood victims through the weekend.

Shores said the funds will help Mexican Baptists share the love of Christ in a tangible way.

“It helps them to help themselves,” he said. “They’re willing to do the work, to prepare the meals. They have all the volunteers. They just don’t have the funds. We’re helping them with that. We’re helping them help themselves.”

Posted: 8/04/06

RIGHT OR WRONG?
The 'servant leadership' model

I’m hearing more about servant leadership as a model for pastoral leadership. As I understand the terms pastor/elder/overseer in the New Testament, servant leadership just doesn’t seem to be an appropriate pastoral leadership model. Are we simply picking up some cultural model and imposing it on our churches?

Scan the pages of your New International or King James version of the Bible, and I guarantee you will not find the phrase “servant leadership” in the midst of those 66 books. Many attribute the term to Robert Greenleaf and his 1977 book by that title, which advocated for a new kind of leadership “that contains such virtues as growth, responsibility and love.”

Does this mean the concept adopted by many church leaders is nonbiblical? While Greenleaf may have popularized the catchphrase “servant leadership,” he certainly was not the first to advocate leadership that encouraged leading with an ethic of love and service rather than through domination or fear.

Jesus, had some strong words for followers who wanted positions of authority or leadership. “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:41-44). In a characteristic kingdom redefinition, leadership becomes not the exercise of authority or power, but the willingness to serve. In this twist of expected meanings, the one who rules is the one who serves (Luke 22:27).

Jesus went beyond providing words. He provided a specific example of what leadership should look like. He tells James and John, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). And just in case we are not quite sure what this “servant leadership” looks like, Jesus offers an example in John 13, when he, their teacher and Lord, takes the place of the servant in washing the disciples’ feet.

As incidents abound where pastors use position or intimidation to control, we must look once again to Jesus’ example when seeking to provide leadership within a church. But these incidents should not be cause for running from opportunities to lead through service to one another. In Romans 12, we are reminded that the one who is gifted to lead must do so diligently (Romans 12:8), but even this encouragement for leaders is followed by the instruction to be devoted to one another in love and to honor others above oneself (Romans 12:10).

If Jesus modeled servant leadership for his disciples, perhaps the question is not whether this is an appropriate model for pastoral leadership, but whether the world has adopted the term “servant” and given it a different meaning from the one Jesus modeled. We shouldn’t be surprised when those outside the church discover that care rather than intimidation leads to greater influence. Neither should we reject Jesus’ example regarding leadership simply because the term “servant leadership” has taken on meaning outside of the way in which Jesus first modeled it.

Instead, let us set an example for believers and nonbelievers alike of a leadership that truly models service and is a specific reflection of our Lord, who also came to serve.

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.

Posted: 7/28/06

Bivocational Ministers Conference marks 20 years

By Eric Guel

Texas Baptist Communications

BELTON—Leaders of Texas Baptist bivocational and small churches didn’t let distance or cost keep them from their annual get-together this summer.

For the 20th consecutive year, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor hosted them for the annual Bivocational and Smaller Church Ministers and Spouses Statewide Conference.

The gathering attracted 275 participants. In addition to attending an assortment of seminars, participants fellowshipped and networked with Baptists from around the state.

David Keith of Carlton Baptist Church leads a seminar at the conference.

Bob Ray, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ bivocational/smaller-church ministry director, noted the meeting drew participants from virtually all corners of the state.

“Even with the high price of gasoline, we have had a large number of pastors who have come a great distance,” he said. “They’ve come from all the way down from Brownsville to as far out as Fort Davis. We’re hopeful that the conference is meeting a really big need in their lives.”

The conference also attracted many first-time participants.

“I would estimate that 40 percent of the folks who are here are here for the first time,” Ray said. “That’s a real encouragement that we’re still reaching out to a lot of churches who have not had the opportunity to come.”

Tommy Bobo of CenterPointe Church in Red Oak said the weekend’s seminars and fellowship met his personal needs.

“It’s been a blessing. I surrendered to the ministry two years ago, and it’s a real source of encouragement to see pastors from around the state getting to know each other and fellowshipping together,” he said.

True to its annual tradition, the association handed out a pair of $1,000 scholarships to ministry students with an enthusiasm for bivocational and/or smaller-church work. B.H. Carroll Theological Institute student Grover Pinson, pastor of Windsor Park Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, received a scholarship, along with Truett Theological Seminary student Joseph Palermo of First Baptist Church in Killeen.

Tommy Bobo of Center Point Community Church in Red Oak participates in a seminar.

Tom Echols, the association’s treasurer, said the scholarships are made possible by bivocational and smaller church members and leaders. “We’re here to help people,” he said. “That’s the kind of people we are.”

Randy Gressett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Seminole, led a seminar titled “The Truth Hurts.”

“This seminar is about how so many different things in the world are competing against God for our youth,” he said. “Baptist leaders need to be out there with a powerful message.”

Popular music, the mainstream media and the movie industry are malignant forces vying for young peoples’ attention, Gressett said.

“Is the message our kids get from the music industry, television and movies always the message we want them to hear?” he asked.

David Keith, pastor of Carlton Baptist in Carlton, taught a two-part session on time management—a key issue in bivocational ministry because so many factors contend for a leader’s attention, he said.

In a broader sense, even a minister’s particular nonministry vocation can influence his extended time practices, he added.

“You can broadly categorize our bivocational pastors’ vocations into two groups—individuals who are skilled at a trade and those in salaried professions,” he said.

Both types of workers face unique time challenges that relate directly to their ministries, he observed.

“Skilled workers have less flexibility. Usually, they’re the ones punching a clock,” he said. “However, their jobs are much more portable and much more suited to church planting. They can minister in a lot of different areas.”

Ministers working in salaried positions or self-employed workers often have more flexibility with time, but they’re not as mobile as those in skilled positions, Keith said.

“Those bivocational pastors are a lot more limited in where they can go. They’re not as mobile as skilled, trade employees,” said Keith, who is a bivocational pastor and educator.

“They do, though, allow smaller churches to have some continuity and length of tenure with their pastor. In my case, I’ve been at my church for 22 years.”

Posted: 8/03/06

Family Bible Series for August 13

Maintaining A Heavenly Focus

• Colossians 2:20-3:17

By Greg Ammons

First Baptist Church, Garland

The group was absolutely convinced Jesus was returning to earth Oct. 22, 1844. Nearly 100,000 strong, this group followed their leader in upstate New York when he told them Jesus was returning on this date. Many sold their homes, land and businesses to sit and wait for Jesus' return. As we know, Jesus did not return to earth then.

One day, Jesus will return to earth a second time. But, are believers to sit and wait until he returns? Does God want us to watch the sky and neglect our earthly duties? Of course not. God desires that his people be Christ's representatives on earth until Jesus returns. In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he told us how we can accomplish this task.

For a printer-friendly version, click on the printer icon at bottom of page.

Focus On Things Above (Colossians 2:20a; 3:1-4)

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he reminded them, as believers, they had "died with Christ to the basic principles of this world" (2:20a). They no longer were to live like the world. Since they had been raised with Christ, they were to set their hearts and minds on heavenly matters (3:1-2). As Christians, our life is hidden with Christ in God (3:3). But when Jesus appears, we also will appear with him in glory (3:4).

Rather than causing us to be heavenly-minded, but no earthly good, a proper focus of heaven causes us to have the proper focus of earth. We are not to avoid the earth and its inhabitants. In fact, Jesus has called us to be his representatives here. We are to be his witnesses and make a difference in the world around us.

There are 435 members of the United States House of Representatives. Each representative must be at least 25 years old and a United States citizen for at least 7 years. These members represent the interests of their constituents before the entire nation. As Jesus' representatives on this earth, we first must have had a born-again experience with the Savior. Then, we represent his interests in the world around us. Only as we set our minds above and focus on heaven are we qualified to represent Jesus on this earth.

Shed The Old Ways (Colossians 3:5-10)

There are certain actions of a Christian which please God. A person's old lifestyle must be left behind. Paul said to "put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (3:5). He included sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed as actions which must be eliminated (3:5).

In addition to these, Paul reminded believers their speech must change as well. He stated they must rid themselves of anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language (3:8). The Colossians were to be truthful and not lie to one another (3:9). These believers were to shed their old ways and "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" (3:10).

George Gallup was speaking at a national seminar of Southern Baptist leaders. He stated that the Gallup Research organization uncovered some disturbing findings. In their research, they determined that believers in Jesus Christ are not much different from non-Christians when it comes to ethical behavior. Christians are about as likely to lie, cheat, steal and commit adultery as non-Christians. God has called believers in Jesus to be different. The world must see a marked difference between a Christian and the lost.

Put On The New Ways (Colossians 3:12-14; 17)

After Paul exhorted the Colossians to rid themselves of their old ways, he encouraged them to put on the new ways of Christ. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (3:12). He told the Colossians to bear with each and forgive what grievances they may have against one another (3:13). Most of all, they were to put on love, which would bind them together in unity (3:14). To summarize their new way of life, Paul reminded the Colossians that whatever they did, in word or deed, they were to do it all in the name of Jesus, while giving thanks to the Father (3:17). Once a person trusts Jesus Christ by faith, they are to allow Christ to accomplish a new work within them.

A London businessman was trying to sell his dilapidated warehouse, which had been empty for some time. He stood before the property with a potential buyer and was somewhat embarrassed at the state of disrepair to which the warehouse had fallen. The businessman promised, "I will be sure to replace the broken windows, correct any structural damage and repair the building." The prospective buyer replied, "Forget about the old warehouse. I will build something new here anyway. I don't want your building. I want the site."

This story illustrates what Jesus desires to do in the life of a believer. He wants our life in order to build something entirely new.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think that most Christians focus on heaven or earth?

• Why do many Christians still resemble the world in their actions?

• How does a Christian develop a godly lifestyle?

Posted: 8/01/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for August 13

Life in the Fellowship of Faith

• Titus 2:1-14

By Joseph Matos

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas

In Titus 2:1-14, Paul offered Titus his own brand of "age-graded curriculum": what should be taught to older men, older women, women, younger men and slaves. Paul introduced his "curriculum" with a general comment: "teach what is in accord with sound doctrine" (v. 1). But rather than giving a theological treatise of what comprises sound teaching, Paul dealt with matters of character and conduct. While right belief is very important, such is meaningless if it is not accompanied by the proper behavior. However, Paul did not deal in a rigid list of dos and don'ts; rather he wrote with a view to how people ought to relate to one another. Additionally, Paul presented Titus with the reasons for these instructions.

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Older Men (2:2)

When Paul addressed "older men," he did not mean the elders of the churches in any official sense. Here he used a word that refers to men of older age. But see the character qualities they should possess. They were to be models of temperance, respect, self-control, and be sound in faith, love and endurance. It is clear that their character would be emulated.

Women (2:3-5)

Paul discussed what Timothy was to teach women together. He first addressed the older women. Again, the word "older" refers to maturity, not an office. They were to live reverently and use their words responsibly. But they also were charged with teaching the younger women how to live. Because of the content of these verses, some may not receive Paul's instructions very well. First, Paul did not instruct Titus to teach the younger women directly. Likely, Paul was following the culture pattern, women taught women. But more offensive to some are Paul's words regarding women being submissive to husbands and being busy at home. However, he was writing in a given culture, and while he wrote elsewhere of the equality of women in Christ (Galatians 3:28), he did not have as a goal an immediate upheaval of society. One command, however, that should be no problem in understanding as a universal exhortation is the need for women to love their husbands and children. Ironically, too often people use Ephesians 5 to teach that men are to love their wives but women are to respect their husbands. They state that women are never commanded to love their husbands. But here it is. It should also be noted that men are to respect their wives as well (1 Peter 3:7).

Younger Men (2:6)

Paul has only a brief comment for what Titus should teach younger men, but it is pertinent. Young men are to be self-controlled. This is now the third time Paul has invoked this character description. Older men are to be self-controlled (v. 2), older women are to teach the younger women to be self-controlled (v. 5, perhaps implying that the older women must do the same). This character quality is of paramount importance in the Christian witness.

Instructions to Titus (2:7-8)

How is Titus supposed to do all this? As he told Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12), Paul exhorted Titus to set the example. This may have applied only with reference to his instruction of the younger men, but Titus' position was such that this most certainly would have applied to his role as leader of the congregations as well. The language of the larger portion of verse 7 speaks to teaching in general. Most of all, Titus should teach in a manner that makes it impossible for any accusation against him to stand.

Slaves (2:9-10)

Returning to the matter of other individuals, Paul broached the topic of teaching slaves how to conduct themselves. Slavery is another matter that brings up negative feelings. While we might wish that Paul had been more overt in denouncing slavery, again, he was working within the system of his day. Elsewhere Paul's words addressed the matter in a very personal way (Philemon) and may represent his heartfelt attitude for all slaves. Yet, it is readily understood that Paul's words apply to employees today. And relevant words they are. Employees should seek to please employers, respect them by not talking back, and to show themselves trustworthy at all times.

Striking are the three times Paul inserted a "so that" statement throughout this entire passage. Each statement connects our character and conduct with how people perceive Christians and the gospel message. Verse 5 states the proper character and conduct of the women would prevent against the word of God "being blasphemed." In verse 8, Titus' character and conduct would bring shame on those who would falsely accuse him, for he would leave them with no basis for the accusations. Verse 10 states the character and conduct of slaves (employees) would make "the teaching about God our Savior attractive."

The Grace/Hope Factor (2:11-14)

Paul concluded his exhortations to Titus with the overarching two-fold rationale for why Christians should exhibit such qualities. The first reason is the grace that has been shown to us in Christ. It helps us to distance ourselves from ungodliness (2:11-12). But the second reason looks forward. We are to live godly lives because of the blessed hope we have of Christ's return. It is a sure future; it is what we eagerly await. We await the return of our redeemer who has purified us. However, Paul did not mention Christ's return in attempt to motivate by fear. It calls for us to look expectantly for his return. Godly living aids in that hope.

Discussion Questions

• How do people perceive those who have right doctrine but wrong behavior?

• What are some ways Christians act that make the "teaching about God our Savior" unattractive?

• What is the power of strong character combined with right belief?

• How does the hope of Christ's return make you think of your character and conduct?

Posted: 8/01/06

Explore the Bible Series for August 13

The Teacher focuses on integrity

• Ecclesiastes 9:1-11:6

By James Adair

Baptist University of the Americas, San Antonio

About six years ago, a non-profit corporation called Foundation for a Better Life started putting messages on billboards around the country. The billboards weren't trying to sell a product, promote a candidate, or push an agenda. Each one had a single image, a brief message and a note encouraging people to pass that message on to others. The messages were inspirational, and they used real people (for the most part)—both famous and largely unknown—to illustrate a principle of character.

Christopher Reeve was chosen to represent the character trait "strength." Reeve's choice wasn't surprising, since he played Superman in the movies, but the image shown on the billboard was Reeve as a quadriplegic, sitting in a wheelchair. His strength after his tragic accident, the billboard suggested, far surpassed the strength of the character he played in several films. Other billboards showed Abraham Lincoln as an example of "persistence," Mother Theresa as an example of "compassion," and the unknown Chinese man in Tiananmen Square who single-handedly faced down a column of tanks as an example of "courage."

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What is it that causes some people to demonstrate great character when others do not? In some cases, perhaps at least part of the motivation for acting with courage, or compassion, or persistence is the firm belief in a reward after death. Certainly many early Christians faced persecution and even death with resolve, because they believed that God would reward them for their faithfulness to Christ. But what if people had no such hope? What if they believed this life was all there was and their fate would be the same, no matter how they behaved?

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes was just such a person (see, e.g., Ecclesiastes 9:2-3). The prevalent idea about the afterlife throughout most of the Old Testament was that everyone went to the place of the dead (Sheol) after finishing life on earth, regardless of who they were or how they had lived their lives. The idea of different fates for the good and the wicked, or the faithful and the unfaithful, developed only very late in the Old Testament period, so the Teacher could not take advantage of the concept of post-mortem reward and punishment as a solution to the age-old question about the justice of God. Nor could he use the idea as a way of motivating his contemporaries to live exemplary lives. Nevertheless, he expected his hearers to live lives of character, following the way of wisdom to the best of their abilities.

Ecclesiastes 9:4-10

A Peanuts cartoon has Linus reading Ecclesiastes 9:4, "A living dog is better than a dead lion." Lucy asks, "What does that mean?" Snoopy, who has overheard the conversation, thinks to himself, "I don't know, but I believe it!" The Teacher is touting the value of life, but not just living for the sake of living. He says that while people are still alive, they have a chance to make a positive contribution. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might," he urges his listeners. It does no good to think about the great accomplishments of men and women of the past if such thoughts discourage us from acting, because we think that we can't measure up to their success. Enjoying life, making life better for others and being a positive example for others are undertakings that we all can do, and the world will be better for it.

Ecclesiastes 9:11-18

Israelite wisdom literature, including Ecclesiastes, is primarily practical in nature, but the lessons this material offers have the potential of making a great impact on modern life, if we are just willing to listen. After the end of the Cold War, many in the United States and around the world believed we were entering into an age of unparalleled peace and prosperity. Who now can think about the promise of a "peace dividend" without a wistful smile at our naiveté? But was such thinking really naïve, or are we just so used to settling our differences with force that we are unable to think of other options?

The Teacher offers some statements that certainly seem to apply to the modern world, and particularly to the situation in the Middle East. "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful" (9:11). And again: "Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good" (9:18). There's a popular saying, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." If the Teacher were living today, perhaps he would suggest that world leaders, and their supporters, search for other solutions to seemingly intractable international conflicts than bigger and better hammers. Jesus also had something to say on the subject: "Blessed are the peacemakers. . . ."

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Several years ago the Imperials popularized a song that urged people to "Keep on casting your bread upon the waters, and soon it will come back to you." This wisdom saying has a parallel in an Egyptian document called the Instructions of Ankhsheshonq, which says, "Do a good deed and throw it in the water; when it dries, you will find it." The Teacher urges his listeners to do good to other people, even if there is no likelihood of immediate return on their investment. Eventually, he says, one's good behavior in regard to others will pay off.

Os Guinness, in his book When No One Sees: The Importance of Character in an Age of Image, surveys the lives and writings of several people from many time periods in an effort to see why some people live their lives with integrity of character, while many others do not. "Integrity" is one possible translation of the Chinese word Te in the title of the famous Taoist work Tao Te Ching, and it is the subject of roughly half of the sayings in the book attributed to Lao Tzu. The importance of integrity of character has been well known in many cultures for many millennia, and it is one of the main themes of the book of Ecclesiastes as well.

Discussion Questions

• What difference would belief in a differentiated afterlife (i.e., heaven and hell) make on an individual's behavior in this life? Are all the effects of this belief positive?

• In what ways can learning about the lives of famous individuals of the past equip us to live more productive lives? Are there possible negative consequences of such knowledge? What if the people we learn about did bad things (e.g., biographies of Hitler or Stalin)?

• Is the saying "Wisdom is better than weapons of war" applicable in today's world? Is it true?

• Why do some people develop integrity of character, while others don't? What are the most influential factors in the development of character?

Posted: 8/02/06

American, European Baptists call for Lebanon cease-fire

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—American and European Baptist leaders called for an immediate cease-fire of hostilities between Israel and militant wings of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, but President Bush and other key United State leaders dismissed any cease-fire that does not include disarming Hezbollah.

Leaders of the European Baptist Federation passed a resolution July 26 in which the 51-nation group “joins the call of the United Nations Secretary General, the European Union and others for an immediate cessation of hostilities, praying for a just and lasting peace for all peoples and a negotiated cease-fire.”

The resolution expresses “concern at the death of so many innocent civilians in the countries involved and confesses deep disappointment at the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli military in their pursuit of Hezbollah, which has caused serious loss of life amongst the innocent Lebanese civilian population and the degradation of the basic infrastructure of the Lebanese state.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited the region July 25-26, said she and Bush fear an immediate cease-fire would result in a “status quo ante,” or a return to the situation that prevailed immediately before Israel’s air and ground strikes against Lebanon began July 12. Hezbollah militants have attacked Israeli troops and menaced cities in northern Israel with missiles.

Instead of a truce, Bush has called on Israel to show restraint in attacking targets that may cause civilians to be killed or injured.

But the head of the American Baptist Churches-USA said that’s not enough.

“In the face of such a humanitarian crisis, calls for the fighting parties to be restrained in their actions fall short of what is needed,” wrote ABC General Secretary Roy Medley, who also called for a cease-fire.

“This violent conflict has created a grave humanitarian crisis, and no hoped-for benefit should outweigh the cause of saving innocent lives,” Medley said in a July 24 letter to Bush.

“Your presidential leadership and the full weight of the United States, acting in concert with the international community, must be applied now to achieve an immediate cease-fire and to launch an intensive diplomatic initiative for the cessation of hostilities.”

Posted: 7/05/06

Survey finds 60 Baptist women
ordained for ministry in 2005

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—About 1,600 Baptist women have been ordained to the ministry in the United States, a new report released by Baptist Women in Ministry revealed.

Authors Eileen Campbell-Reed and Pamela Durso presented their report, “The State of Women in Baptist Life,” at the organization’s annual meeting this summer in Atlanta.

The report helps validate the needs of Baptist clergywomen, illustrate growth and losses, and track nationwide trends, Campbell-Reed said.

The study reported 60 Baptist women became ordained ministers in 2005.

According to the survey, 102 women serve as pastors, co-pastors or church-starters in churches affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The study did not include traditionally African-American denominations or less-prominent Baptist organizations.

The authors said the study did not encompass all Baptist groups, but “the perspective of this report rests firmly in the moderate-to-progressive constellation of Baptist organizations in the southern United States.”

The results showed social, political and theological changes in recent decades that shifted church roles for Baptist women everywhere, they said.

“While the pastorate continues, for the most part, to be only marginally open to women, and growth there is incremental, a larger number of women now serve as associate pastors and in specialized ministry roles on church staffs,” the report states. “Many women have found places of ministry as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, the military and other organizations and agencies, although women make up only 29 percent of all chaplains endorsed by the American Baptist Churches, Alliance, CBF and SBC.”

The report started with a historical look at women in pastoral roles. One of the first groups to ordain women, Northern Baptists—now American Baptist Churches—ordained May Jones in 1882. Only after 1965, however, did percentages of ordinations rise to a more measurable level. That year, American Baptists adopted a resolution affirming the equality of women and advocating the ordination of women.

While growth has continued since then, it comes at a slow pace. According to the report, American Baptist Women in Ministry reported an increase of 13 more women who served as pastors in 2005 than 2004. Of these women, 374 served as pastors, and 29 served as co-pastors.

In the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 5.5 percent of pastors in CBF-affiliated churches are women. About 28 percent of the chaplains and counselors in the CBF and ABC in 2005 were women, while the Alliance of Baptists recorded 52 percent of its chaplains were women. Southern Baptists reported 8 percent of their ordained chaplains and counselors were women, according to the report.

For much of the research regarding Southern Baptists, Campbell-Reed and Durso relied heavily on work from Sarah Frances Anders, a retired professor of sociology at Louisiana College. Anders kept extensive statistics about Baptist women and in 1997 documented 1,225 ordinations of Southern Baptist women.

That same year, the report said, Anders recorded 85 women serving as pastors and more than 100 serving as associate pastors. In 2005, Baptist Women in Ministry found that of the 102 women ordained in churches affiliated with the non-SBC Baptist groups on which the report focused, 66 served as pastors, 34 as co-pastors and two as church planters.

On the mission field, percentages between male and female workers remain closer. In a section of the study that evaluated SBC mission boards, 31 percent (3,096) of the North American Mission Board missionaries in 2005 were women appointed to full-time service. For the International Mission Board, 53 percent (2,695) of the total 5,050 workers were women.

In an address following the presentation, Baptist Women in Ministry Coordinator Rachel Gunter Shapard praised the report for helping the group “look back and see how far we’ve come and celebrate that.”

“But we can also see how far we have to go,” she said. “I hope that churches will celebrate but will also examine their own leadership and figure out ways to involve women. (Baptist Women in Ministry) wants to be a resource for churches trying to do that, because we believe it is important.”

Campbell-Reed is a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Durso is associate executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society in Brentwood, Tenn.

Baptist Women in Ministry leaders said they plan to update the report yearly.

Posted: 7/28/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Baptist definitions

By Jeanie Miley

“Don’t let anyone crowd you,” my father told me when I was an adolescent. And “Watch extremes!”

What he told me “took,” especially when it comes to being backed into the corner of a religious, denominational or political label!

Labeling diminishes and dishonors human beings, and yet we seem to live in a culture that is fraught with those who love to label and polarize, divide and conquer us.

Recently, I awoke to the reality that even if I don’t like being labeled, definitions are a part of life, and perceptions matter. I needed to do a little deeper thinking about just what kind of Baptist I am.

As it often happens, my awakening came through a challenge from somebody much younger than I, someone who backed me into a corner.

“Don’t assume that I know what you mean when you say you are a _______ Baptist,” the young person said to me, and I realized that, indeed, definitions evolve over time. What he understood about Baptist life was not necessarily what I understood.

“You need to step out there and be clear,” he said, and he was right.

My young teacher told me a term may mean one thing in one part of the country and something else in another! Nuances, projections and interpretations get layered on to all of our definitions of what it means to be Baptist.

Thinking through what it means to be a Christian in this contemporary culture, and what it means to be a Baptist, I’ve pondered what it means to view religion as a means of keeping people in line or religion as a means of setting them free. It makes a difference if you believe the Bible is a book of rules or that it is the account of God’s relationship with his people, guiding us into a relationship with him and with each other.

It makes a difference if you believe the church exists to indoctrinate people or to educate them, to promote a political agenda or to nurture a community of faith. It makes a difference if you believe God is Love or God is Judge and Jury, or maybe both.

It makes a difference in how you carry out your church life if you believe the pastor is a shepherd, the authority, a teacher or a CEO. It makes a difference if you believe in the priesthood of every believer or if you believe some people have privileged access to God. Hierarchical structures and independent and autonomous structures both reveal and shape how people carry out their lives of faith, and the differences are big.

It makes a difference if you start your theology with the original creation of human beings, made in the very image of God, or if you start with the Fall. It makes a difference if you start your theology with the teachings of Paul, or if you are begin with and are committed to the centrality of Christ.

You can fill in the blank with any number of adjectives that narrow the definition of what it means to be a Baptist, but you can’t be sure anyone else will have a clue what that means—or care. And yet, for others, once you use any one of the adjectives we have come to use to define ourselves in our religious lives, you are locked in to the definition someone else has of you.

The truth is that what kind of Baptist you are opens some peoples’ hearts to you, and sometimes, it closes them, and a lot of that is outside your control!

Jeanie Miley is an author and columnist and a retreat and workshop leader. She is married to Martus Miley, pastor of River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, and they have three adult daughters. Got feedback? Write her at Writer2530@aol.com.