Posted: 2/31/06

NAMB missionary died of apparent suicide

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

HELEN, Ga. (ABP)—The death of a 32-year-old North American Mission Board missionary is under investigation by officials in the north Georgia county where he lived.

The sheriff’s office in White County, Ga., is investigating the Jan. 27 death of William Flake, who directed Southern Baptist resort ministries in a tourist area about 50 miles north of Atlanta. Flake, who had a wife, Natalie, and an 8-year-old daughter, Jorjanne, was found at their home in Helen, Ga.

Colleagues said his death was suicide, but White County Coroner Ricky Barrett declined to divulge the cause of death.

“We don’t suspect any foul play or anything like that, but the sheriff’s department hasn’t released anything on it,” he explained, directing further inquiries to a detective in the sheriff’s office. The investigator did not return a reporter’s telephone message requesting more information.

Marty King, a spokesman for the missions agency, said Flake was first appointed a Southern Baptist missionary in 2001 and was a career resort missionary for NAMB.

“He worked with the tourists in the North Georgia mountains,” he said.

In a NAMB press release, the agency’s head of ministry and servant evangelism praised Flake’s career.

“Michael’s resort ministry mobilized thousands of mission groups,” Jeff Wagner said. “The Helen community came to expect the faithful witness of Michael and his team of resort missionaries, and his ministry was honored with the key to the City of Helen because of the service that the summer missionaries provide. Michael’s special smile and passion for God will be missed.”

Flake, who was a Georgia native, attended Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., near Helen. He went on to graduate from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Flake also attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and extension programs of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary.

Posted: 2/31/06

Beaumont church ejected from SBTC for
allowing gay-friendly ministry to use building

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

BAYTOWN (ABP)—A conservative church in Baytown has been kicked out of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention because it lets a ministry to homosexuals use church meeting space. Although the Eklektos ministry affirms homosexuality, the sponsoring church does not, its pastor says.

Faith Harbour, a 4-year-old emergent church in the Houston area, was voted out of the breakaway convention by the group’s executive committee, which said the church violated the convention’s policy against actions that “affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior.”

Eklektos, established late last year, meets in a storefront leased by Faith Harbour and has a link on Faith Harbour’s blog. But Randy Haney, Faith Harbour’s pastor, said those actions do not constitute an affirmation of homosexuality.

“Number one, I do not affirm the homosexual lifestyle,” Haney told the convention’s newspaper. “Homosexuality is part of the sinful nature. It is listed, as are many other sins that are acts of the sinful nature. However, I do not hate people who are in that lifestyle. I have friends who are in that lifestyle and they know my stance.”

Haney met with SBTC officials—whom he said were convinced Faith Harbour “was starting a gay church and setting up a woman as pastor”—but was unable to change their minds.

“The sticking point was that he was allowing a homosexual-affirming fellowship to meet in his building,” said Rix Tillman, a Southern Baptists of Texas leader.

Wendy Bailey, an ordained Presbyterian minister and leader of Eklektos, told the Baytown Sun Eklektos does not try to resolve the “tension” over the morality of homosexuality. “Our perspective is we want to create a place where people can come to Scripture and can discover truth for themselves without any prejudged sense of what that is,” she said.

Haney said he and Bailey “differ on that.”

Both Bailey and Haney insist Eklektos, which meets weekly in small groups, is not a church.

According to the group’s website: “Eklektos is a community of Christians who are primarily concerned with helping all people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. This community of Christians is especially called to welcome and affirm people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered. We are a diverse group of disciples—diverse in age, race, gender, ideology and sexual orientation. We are united in Christ and in the affirmation that all people are loved and called by Christ to be his disciples and to be a part of his healing/reconciling work in the world.”

Joe Stewart, chairman of the SBTC board, defended the expulsion.

“One cannot be presenting the life-changing gospel to homosexuals and at the same time affirm the lifestyle,” he said. “When we sign an agreement to be a part of the SBTC, we have those theological parameters that we live and abide through, and that is part of what makes us unique and distinct.”

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which broke away from the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1998, is unique among Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated conventions. Churches are required to affirm a doctrinal statement as a condition of membership, whereas other conventions base membership primarily on financial support.

Baker Road Baptist Church in Baytown, the sponsoring congregation of Faith Harbour, also voted Jan. 8 to cut ties with the congregation. Two Baptist associations are following suit.

South Texas Baptist Association already has disaffiliated the church. San Jacinto Baptist Association, which included Faith Harbour because of its relationship with member Baker Road Baptist, was scheduled to take similar action Jan. 23.

Posted: 1/30/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Groundhog Day, Holy Day

By Brett Younger

The true measure of a family isn’t how they celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. Everyone knows how to eat turkey and decorate a tree. The real test is Groundhog Day.

Every year for the last 12, our family has gathered on Feb. 2 to watch the romantic comedy Groundhog Day. Bill Murray plays a self-centered Pittsburgh weatherman covering the Groundhog Day Festival in Punxsutawney. To his astonishment, Phil finds himself trapped living his least-favorite day of the year over and over. This combination of It’s a Wonderful Life and The Twilight Zone may not seem like the most heartwarming tradition, but after 12 viewings, our family will be quoting lines in unison.

“This is one time when television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”

“There’s a major network interested in me.”

“That would be the Home Shopping Network.”

“Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?”

“I don’t think so, but I could check with the kitchen.”

“I’ll give you a weather prediction. It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last the rest of your life.”

“Have you ever had déjà vu?”

“Didn’t you just ask me that?”

“What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did ever mattered?”

“That about sums it up for me.”

As is often the case, the silly and the sacred aren’t far apart. Phil finally figures out that the only thing he can change is himself. If he’s to win the heart of a kind woman, he will have to become kind. The questions posed by Phil’s predicament are spiritual. What would it take to make an ordinary day into the best day of your life? If you were trying to convey your love to a genuinely caring person, what might you change about yourself? How do we break out of living the same day over and over?

Like Thanksgiving and Christmas, too many people don’t appreciate the sacred beginnings of Groundhog Day. This holy day began—and I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know—with Candlemas. This festival, which Christians started celebrating in the fourth century, commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth (Feb. 2). When the prophet Simeon saw the baby, he said, “Mine eyes have seen your salvation … a light for revelation.” For more than 1,500 years, the followers of Jesus have been lighting candles on Feb. 2 to symbolize Jesus coming as the light of the world.

The groundhog portion of the tradition (if he sees his shadow, winter is six weeks from ending) is founded on an old Scottish couplet:

“If Candlesmas Day is bright and clear,

There’ll be two winters in the year.”

So next Thursday, wish everyone “Happy Candlemas,” write a Groundhog Day carol (my son Graham did this once, but asked me not to mention it), pretend your sausage biscuit is groundhog, quote some Scottish poetry, bring a candle by your church to have your pastor bless it (like they do in Germany), eat crepes (like the French do, but only after 8 p.m.), cancel your boat trip (like superstitious sailors do), watch a movie (like the Youngers), or just thank God for the light that helps us see the silly and sacred gifts that are new each day.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.

Posted: 1/31/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for Feb. 12

Don’t put anything else on God’s throne

• Luke 18:18-30

By Ben Johnson

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

During the Christmas holiday, our small group from church was exploring ways we can stay focused on Jesus during the Christmas season. This shouldn’t be such a task, but it becomes easy to get distracted with how much money we spend and so on. We often are so dependent on money to live and in the holidays that we lose the spirit of giving.

Our group understood that we, like others, easily hold onto material things like priceless treasures. We realized that each of us must work on not letting even the best of intentions distract us from the kingdom of God in our lives—no matter what day of the year it is. For the kingdom of God cannot be obtained through gifts, acts of kindness or even the best of intentions.

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The rich ruler in Luke 18:18-30 was having trouble seeing past his distractions, too. He was looking for a way to have the kingdom of God along with the assurance of his worldly treasures. He wanted to somehow know for sure that he had security in eternal life.

But Jesus gave the rich ruler the one task that required him to do something he could not do. Jesus required him to get rid of all his wealth. “Who then can be saved,” the bystanders asked. “No one can, by his or her own achievements,” Jesus answered.

Salvation cannot be earned but only given as a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Jesus doesn’t ask all his followers to sell everything they have, although that may be his will for some. Jesus called the man to give up the very thing that gave him power and security in life. What God promised the rich ruler was power, comfort and security, unlike he ever had. If he would give up his own worldly treasure, he would find the “true treasure” in Jesus Christ.

Money is not the only possession it is easy to replace God with, but it seems to be the most common. According to Jesus’ example of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, it seems to be the hardest thing to give up for God because it represents power, authority and success in each of our lives. We need money. Our lives depend on it, don’t they?

It often is difficult for any person with money, especially people who have lots of it, to see their need for God, for they are powerless to save themselves from eternal separation from him. People who are rich in money, success, talent and wisdom, sometimes see no need for him because they are rich in everything the world says is needed. So why do we need God?

Peter spoke up, on behalf of the other disciples, to give examples of how they had left their homes, their jobs and all they knew to be “life,” for the sake of following Jesus. Jesus responded by assuring them again that the point of following him was the ability to know more about and experience more of God.

Any Christian who gives up something to follow Jesus will find better reward in both this life and the eternal life to come. In other words, any Christian who chooses to follow God will find no greater reward in the world than he/she will find in the kingdom of God. Jesus never promised that investing your life in following him would be easy or even bring material reward, which is why following him—for the rich ruler and wealthy people today—is so hard.

God did promise, though, an abundance of rewards for following him that would far outweigh any material award we can imagine.

The truth is, until you experience what it is like to give up those things you put in place of God, you will never experience what is like to be satisfied in the kingdom of God. We must ask God what he wants us to give up and then do it when he shows us.

But what is it that he wants us to give up? It will probably be different for each of us. However, we do know that Jesus calls all of us to completely give up anything that has become more important to us than God. These are the “everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” we are called in Hebrews 12:1 to throw off.

We should not worry about what we have given up and sacrificed. Rather, we should reflect on what we have gained from the sacrifice and show gratitude to God for it. God offers us everything of eternal importance.

As my pastor has said a hundred times, “you can’t outgive God!” Jesus, in Matthew 6:33, calls us to look first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. May those be the most important things in our lives.

Discussion questions

• Is anything more valuable to you than money? What is it?

• What should you do with that in order to put God first in your life?

• How is putting God’s kingdom first shown in your life?

Posted: 1/31/06

Family Bible Series for Feb. 12

Serving God is not without its costs

• Jeremiah 26:1-16

By Donald Raney

Westlake Chapel, Graham

Serving God will be costly. There is simply no avoiding this fact. For some people, the cost will be financial. For others, service in God’s kingdom will cost personal dreams, goals, ambitions and plans. For still others, it may mean living a life without physical comforts or one of opposition from others.

Whatever the costs, the reality is that a life of service to God runs contrary to the values of this world and will require costs to be paid. The primary question that needs to be answered, then, is whether the individual is willing to pay the price for fulfilling God’s call to service.

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Few people in the Old Testament understood this as well as Jeremiah. God called Jeremiah to deliver a very unpopular message to the Israelites during a time of extreme national crisis. The Babylonian army threatened to overrun the small kingdom of Judah. Fear was a daily reality for the people, yet they held on to the belief that God would never allow his city, Jerusalem, to fall to a pagan nation.

Jeremiah was sent to tell the people Jerusalem would in fact be destroyed as God’s punishment on the sins of the people. Fulfilling this call placed enormous costs on Jeremiah. Through a study of his faithfulness and willingness to pay the price, we can gain encouragement and understanding of the benefits that accompany paying the price of serving God.

Jeremiah 26:1-7

Following the godly reign of King Josiah, Israel was led on a downward spiral by a succession of four ungodly kings. Each of these kings not only led the people into idolatry, but also sought to throw off Babylonian oppression through political rebellion only to meet with further oppression and eventually exile.

During the reign of one of these kings, God told Jeremiah to proclaim a message of God’s judgment on Israel in the temple courts. While chapter 26 provides only a brief statement of the central message of this proclamation, it seems likely that the content of this temple sermon is recorded in Jeremiah 7. If this is the case, it certainly would have been a difficult message to deliver, especially within the courts of the temple.

Yet in calling Jeremiah to this task, God warns him to speak all God commands him to speak. In this sermon, Jeremiah reminds the people of their long history of sin, beginning the day God led them out of Egyptian slavery. God was angry over the ways the people treated each other, especially the less-fortunate of society.

God also was angry over the people’s worship of idols. God and his temple were being taken for granted. In the minds of the people, their security came from the presence of the temple, yet they made sacrifices to Baal. God had forgiven this behavior for many years but now was preparing to punish the people.

God called Jeremiah to tell the people the day was coming when Jerusalem would be desolate and even the temple would be destroyed. Even though he surely knew the consequences would be difficult to face, Jeremiah answered the call and proclaimed this message.

Jeremiah 26:8-14

As expected, Jeremiah’s words were not well received by the priests and people. After Jeremiah finished speaking, the people crowded against Jeremiah and began condemning him for his words. They saw his words as heresy against God’s temple worthy of death.

Eventually news of this reached the royal palace, and the princes and leaders came to investigate. When they arrived at the temple, the priests and prophets immediately began to call on the leaders to kill Jeremiah for his words against the temple and Jerusalem.

Apparently before the officials could respond, Jeremiah spoke and reasserted that his message had come directly from God who had sent him as his messenger. Jeremiah added announced destruction could perhaps still be avoided, but only if the people repented of their sin and turned back to God. He then voluntarily submitted himself to the authority of the princes.

Jeremiah had a clear understanding of his role in God’s plan. He knew God’s message would not be accepted by those to whom it was directed. He knew they might choose to arrest or even execute him for speaking against God’s people. Yet Jeremiah was more afraid of not fulfilling God’s call than he was of the crowd. Jeremiah knew the personal costs to himself could be great if he chose to deliver God’s message. Jeremiah did not allow his fear or the pressure of the situation to divert him from carrying out the mission God had given him.

Jeremiah 26:15-16

Just as Jeremiah had considered the cost of fulfilling God’s call to deliver the message, he wanted the leaders to consider carefully the costs if they chose to kill him. He wanted them to consider the possible consequences of punishing a servant of God for doing his divinely appointed duty. Such an act would bring the guilt of innocent blood on themselves and the entire city.

While the law did prescribe death for false prophets, killing a true prophet of God could bring severe punishment from God. Having said all of this, Jeremiah was silent and awaited their decision. He had been faithful in doing what God had called him to do. Now the results and the consequences were up to God.

While Jeremiah verbally submitted to the leaders, in his heart he surrendered to the will of God. God repeatedly had promised to protect those who carried out their calling, and Jeremiah placed his trust in that promise.

Often today, we are hesitant to answer God’s call to a certain task because we feel ill-equipped to produce the desired results. We need to remember and understand that God simply asks we do as he instructs. God is in charge of the results. Success for us is found in counting the cost of obedience, paying those costs through the completion of the task and leaving the rest to God.

Discussion questions

• What are some possible costs associated with obeying God?

• What might be some of the personal costs for failing to obey God’s call?

• What has God called you to do for which you are considering the costs? How are you planning to pay the price to serve God?

Posted: 1/31/06

Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 12

Is there room for Christian ambition?

• Romans 15:1-13

By Trey Turner

Canyon Creek Baptist Church, Temple

Are some Christians so afraid of being walked on they are reluctant to serve others? Or do they say, “If I am going to be noticed as a witness for Christ, I need to take the lead and not be a follower?” A person may ask still, “How much of an impact can I make being a servant when I could lead a group to greatness?”

The eternal challenge of Jesus is “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

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I do not wish this to be judgmental, but does anyone remember the series of newspaper and journal articles written as people speculated about Pope John Paul II’s health? The media began to talk about who might be the next pope. I remember these humble and yet influential men themselves struggling to make it known they would like the great position of head of the Catholic Church. Still, they did not want the position so badly it would disqualify them.

Is there such a thing as Christian ambition? Christians should be ambitious for glorifying God. Here the Apostle Paul tells what behaviors glorify God.

Serve others (Romans 15:1-4)

A key phrase in this passage is “please ourselves.” Paul notes Jesus did not come to serve his own interests. He served his Father at great cost. He served people to his Father’s glory, which also caused him personal grief and pain. So Paul says to follow Christ’s example and endure the pain caused by those weaker in their faith.

Chris Seay, in an online article for Leadership Journal, writes that while he was in Waco, after having attended Baylor, he started University Baptist Church. This church was a cultural anomaly. It grew to 600 in six weeks. When an obviously threatened minister in town wrote a terrible article in his newsletter, Seay called him, available to correct a misunderstanding.

As Seay describes it, “The same man who stood behind a pulpit to preach God’s word the day before now uttered vile and arrogant words through the phone line: ‘Son, we are in a different class. You don’t amount to ____ and you never will.’”

This encounter hardened the young pastor. When others try to harm us, guard yourself from being hardened, instead do the best you can to take the attitude of Christ, serving.

Get along with others (Romans 15:5-6)

Paul asks that God give the Romans a spirit of unity which comes from one goal—that of glorifying God while personally and individually following him.

It should not be easy for any Christian to shut out another believer while personally trying to follow Christ. Those believers have the same goal; they should be in harmony with one another. This will glorify God. The Christian is challenged by this verse to live in harmony with others who lift their lives to Christ as disciples, not only those who completely agree with them.

Treat others well (Romans 15:7-12)

Paul encourages unity among believers and between the Gentiles and Jews by pointing out Christ has received us. If this does not immediately give reason enough for real humility, Paul points to Scripture that shows Gentiles and Jewish believers bringing glory to God in worship. The basis of our fellowship together is connection to the same Lord: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body … and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:13). In both passages, Paul lays out the reasons why we should be accepting of one another—to glorify God.

Find hope by the Spirit (Romans 15:13)

Finally, Christians glorify God by expressing confidence in his instructions. God’s word grants peace and joy as it is obeyed, then new hope overflows. Doubtless, that was Paul’s personal experience; he wants the same experience as each believer walks with God.

Discussion questions

• On a scale from one to 10, how would you rate your acceptance of others? How does your acceptance score rate with other believers you know?

• How near or how far is that from the acceptance you have received from Jesus?

• What makes it hard to be gracious to others?

• If it glorifies God to humbly consider others before yourself, why does the church not do a better job doing it, preaching it and teaching it?

Posted: 1/27/06

Family Pathways provides circle of support

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner Benevolences

DALLAS—For more than a decade, Cawindy Spead’s downcast eyes revealed things she can talk about only now.

“I was the classic abused wife,” the 36-year-old mother of two explained. “My first marriage was to my son’s father. Day One was terrible. He hit me. I was more like a maid service than a wife. I ended up staying in the marriage about five years.

“My second husband, we married in 2003. He was a minister and an addict. He put us out—me and my children. He didn’t want his family any more. We are in the process of divorce.”

Cawindy Spead and her two children, ages 12 and 1, live in one of 14 Colonial style apartments designated for Family Pathways participants on the Buckner Children’s Home Campus in east Dallas. (Photo by Tasasha Kelly/Buckner Benevolences  )

After the couple separated, Spead—pregnant with her second child—moved in with a fellow church member. Soon thereafter, she ran into an old friend who told her about Buckner Family Pathways.

“She gave me hope, told me I could get my life together. This place, she said—I could stay there for two years, finish my education and get assistance with childcare, transportation and other necessities.”

“Too good to be true,” she wondered aloud.

“Too good to pass up,” the friend assured.

On faith, Spead completed her application and waited.

She recalls the same friend was praying with her when she received word her candidacy was being considered. “I wasn’t going to answer the phone, and she said, ‘No, answer it.’” On the other end, Family Pathways manager KaSandra Jones invited Spead for an interview.

“They did a criminal background check and about three-and-a-half, four months later, I was accepted,” she said. “I was in shock.”

Today, she and her two children, ages 12 and 1, live in one of 14 Colonial-style apartments designated for Family Pathways participants on the Buckner Children’s Home Campus in east Dallas. And with a B average in her nursing studies at North Texas Professional Career Institute in downtown Dallas, Spead’s financial future finally is coming into focus.

“I took (the college entrance exam) two times, and I kept failing,” she said. “The last time, I prayed about it, and I took it again, and I passed. Sometimes I still can’t believe my good fortune. God has given me a second chance. I have a sense of peace. I tell God I am willing to make whatever sacrifice it takes for me to get wherever I need to be.”

Founded in August 2004, Family Pathways is the latest version of the Family Place model implemented in 1997 in Lufkin and repeated in Amarillo and Midland to aid single mothers seeking self-sufficiency. What began in Dallas with eight families, today is at capacity with 14 families, including 28 children.

“Buckner Children’s Home is excited about the opportunity to serve families in need of a safe and healthy environment, giving single moms an opportunity to complete their education and transition into a better way of life,” said JoAnn Cole, administrator for Buckner Children and Family Services of North Texas.

“Program participants are provided a continuum of support through affordable housing, quality childcare, vocational training, parenting education, mentoring, budget training and life skills.”

Through a partnership with El Centro Community College, Buckner assists participants with college admissions, financial aid paperwork and scholarship resources. The college also gives Family Pathways participants a stipend to help defray childcare and transportation expenses. Mentoring is offered through Christian Women’s Job Corps onsite at Buckner.

“It’s all in an effort to eliminate barriers to advancement,” Cole says. “Families are strengthened and so are our communities as these women move from dependency to self-sufficiency.”

For Spead, that means no more downcast eyes.

“Being here has really lifted my spirits. I wasn’t even aware of the blessing that I had, because I was so down in the dumps at the beginning. But then God just lifted my head and said: ‘Girl, look up. Look at what you have.’”

Much like Family Place in Lufkin, Amarillo and Midland, criteria for acceptance into the program include college readiness—successful completion of the Texas Higher Education Assessment exam. And Buckner keeps close tabs on participants’ academic progress, requiring a minimum 2.0 grade-point average—3.5 for health majors.

“The structure works perfect for me, especially since I have not been in school in 10 years,” noted Nia Willis, a 30-year-old mother of two.

Willis moved to Family Pathways in December 2004 after an unsuccessful bid for Family Place in Lufkin.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant with my daughter. I got accepted, but I couldn’t go,” she explains. “My sister said, ‘Let me try,’ and she went down to Lufkin and got accepted. There was nothing on the Internet that said Dallas had a program, but I called anyway. They called me and interviewed me, and I got accepted.

“You don’t get an opportunity once and mess up and then get it a second time. My confidence in being here is that I am clearly shown this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Like Spead, Willis is studying nursing at North Texas Professional Career Institute where she maintains a B average.

“I am considered a sophomore now in the LVN (licensed vocational nurse) program. There are four semesters, so I graduate Aug. 29,” she said, crediting the emotional and spiritual support Buckner provides with helping her stay the course.

“They have Bible study. (Manager KaSandra Jones) is very spiritual, and if I need to come to her and talk, she’s open to that,” she said. “They minister to us … a circle of support … women reaching out to other women.”

And the children are equally blessed by the experience, participants stressed.

“When I moved here around Christmas time (2004), I told my boys, don’t expect anything real big,” said nursing student Patrice Leonard, a 28-year-old mother of three. “I told them, ‘You probably won’t be getting any gifts.’ I wasn’t working, so my money went toward moving in here. (Buckner) helped a lot. They received bikes, clothes—an abundance of things.”

Patrice’s son Latra, 10, remembers the day well. “I didn’t think I was going to get anything. I was like, ‘My mama doesn’t have any money right now.’ And then me and my brothers woke up, and there was toys all over there in the living room by the tables and stuff. I told my brothers, ‘We have to go wake my mama up.’ It was great. I like it here.”

For more information about Buckner Family Pathways, contact KaSandra Jones at (214) 319-3462.

Posted: 1/27/06

BGCT, UT San Antonio planning
restorative justice consortium

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO—The Baptist General Convention of Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio’s community and restorative justice office may create a consortium of restorative justice leaders.

The group would fall under the university’s College of Public Policy and would be a place to bring together academics and practitioners in restorative justice for discussion and research, said Tomi Lee Grover, restorative justice specialist for the BGCT.

Restorative justice ministries commonly are thought of as prison ministries, but the term actually refers to a larger effort, Grover said.

Ministers serve at multiple levels to prevent people from turning to a life of crime—ministering to inmates or working with former inmates to build productive lives, she noted. They also serve as volunteer chaplains with law enforcement agencies and work as advocates for the rights of victims of violent crime.

A consortium of leaders could aid this process by providing statistical information about how methods are working and developing new ministry models, she continued.

A cooperative effort between academicians and ministers is needed to have significant impact on society, Grover said. “It’s going to take a multifaceted approach to address the issues that are so difficult.”

Professors bring information and research to the forum, Grover said. They often know about worldwide trends that can help inform people interested in restorative justice.

Ministers offer practical stories and a passion for the field, she said. They often practice restorative justice by mentoring young people, counseling families, leading Bible studies and serving families touched by the criminal justice system.

The consortium is one way Grover is trying to raise awareness of restorative justice issues. She teaches classes on the topic at Howard Payne University and is talking with Baylor University and Dallas Baptist University about adding a community and restorative justice component to each school’s curriculum.

“The church can intersect with the criminal justice system in many, many ways,” she said. “Our goal is not only to get people involved at the educational level, but at the grassroots level.”

Posted: 1/26/06

ABP hires Elliott to staff new Dallas bureau

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—Associated Baptist Press has hired Hannah Lodwick Elliott to become the organization’s Dallas-based news editor.

Elliott will begin her new duties Feb. 1, working from the Baptist Standard’s office.

In hiring a former intern, the news service's leaders say they have accomplished two long-anticipated goals—re-staffing an important editorial position and opening a full-time Dallas bureau.

Elliott's hiring fills a position left vacant since the fall of 2002, when cuts in funding from many of the news service's traditional sources forced it to lay off long-time managing editor Bob Allen.

“After three years of carrying the daily responsibility of the news service, I am more than a little pleased and relieved to have Hannah's help,” Executive Editor Greg Warner said. “This will allow me to focus more on writing, while giving better leadership to the rest of the staff. We are all going to benefit from restoring our staff to nearly full strength.”

Elliott, 24, will join an editorial staff that includes Warner and Director of Administration and Production Lindsay Bergstrom, both based in Jacksonville, Fla., and Washington Bureau Chief Robert Marus, who works out of the nation's capital.

Elliott graduated magna cum laude from Baylor University in 2004. Since then, she has been employed by Weber Shandwick, one of the world's largest public relations agencies. Elliott has worked out of the company's Dallas office on its American Airlines account.

While in college, Elliott gained news experience as a reporter and editor for the Lariat, Baylor's student newspaper, and in the sports department for the Waco Tribune-Herald. She also worked for KVTZ-TV News in her hometown of Bend, Ore.

She served as an ABP intern in the summer of 2003. She has written occasional stories for the news service since then.

She married her high-school sweetheart, Spencer Elliott, Dec. 31. He is employed by the brokerage firm JPMorgan in Dallas.

“I'm very happy to join ABP,” Elliott said. “I'm excited about the chance to explore Baptist life in the region and in the nation. I think that these are exciting times for Baptists and faith-based organizations, and news in general. I think that matters of faith and belief are becoming more and more prominent in the national mindset, and I am looking forward to the chance to write and report on this.”

Warner praised Elliott's skills. “Hannah is a very talented and energetic reporter with an excellent feature touch,” he said. “She takes initiative, follows through with assignments, (and) is enthusiastic, coachable, positive, and poised.”

Elliott will work from Dallas, in office space provided as part of an ongoing partnership with the Texas Baptist Standard newspaper. Marv Knox, editor of the Standard and a member of ABP's board, said he looked forward to deepening the historic relationship between the two news agencies.

“As both an editor who relies on ABP news and a board member who cares deeply about ABP, I am thrilled Hannah has joined the staff,” Knox said. “She will make ABP an even stronger, faster, more reliable and more effective source of news and features. And because she will make ABP stronger, she will contribute to the strength of the many newspapers, like the Standard, that depend upon ABP.”

Posted: 1/24/06

Supreme Court upholds New Hampshire
abortion parental notification law

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—A unanimous Supreme Court managed Jan. 18 to uphold a New Hampshire law requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortions without breaking new ground on abortion rights—though many had hoped or feared they would.

In deciding Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, the justices said lower federal courts had erred by invalidating the entire law when only a portion of it raised constitutional concerns.

“We do not revisit our abortion precedents today, but rather address a question of remedy: If enforcing a statute that regulates access to abortion would be unconstitutional in medical emergencies, what is the appropriate judicial response?” said Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wrote the brief, 10-page opinion for the court. “We hold that invalidating the statute entirely is not always necessary or justified, for lower courts may be able to render narrower declaratory and injunctive relief.”

The case concerned a 2003 New Hampshire law that required minors seeking abortions to notify their parents before doctors could carry out the procedure, except in emergencies.

In the latest case, an abortion-rights group challenged the New Hampshire law because it does not contain an explicit exception for the health of the minor.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck the entire statute down, citing the high court’s 2000 Stenberg v. Carhart decision that said any restriction on a woman’s right to choose an abortion would have to contain an exception designed to protect the mother’s health. The court also cited other abortion opinions requiring health exceptions in laws restricting abortion rights.

But New Hampshire’s attorney general appealed the circuit court’s ruling, arguing not only that state law already contains sufficient safeguards to protect the health of abortion-seeking minors, but also that the lower courts should not have invalidated the entire law simply because of its lack of an explicit health exception.

In oral arguments on the case Nov. 30, however, it was apparent that several of the justices sought a way to avoid the minefield of abortion rights and dispose of the case with a narrowly tailored ruling. The decision sends the case back to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for further consideration.

Because the statue’s lack of a health exception would hinder the abortion rights of a “very small” number of minors, O’Connor wrote, the lower courts had picked too “blunt” a remedy to the problem by overturning the entire law.

“Generally speaking, when confronting a constitutional flaw in a statute, we try to limit the solution to the problem,” she said.

The decision comes less than a week after members of the Senate Judiciary Committee quizzed Samuel Alito, President Bush’s nominee to replace the retiring O’Connor, about his views on abortion rights.

O’Connor has proven a reliable vote in favor of maintaining legalized abortion in most cases. But Alito, currently a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is widely expected to be less favorable to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The Jan. 18 decision—which came earlier than many observers expected—means Alito will not be involved in the case. O’Connor has agreed to step down as soon as her successor is confirmed by the Senate. Had Alito been confirmed before the case was decided, the court could have reheard it with the new justice on the bench.

However, if Alito is confirmed, he may get a chance to hear another abortion case—over whether a Nebraska ban on certain late-term abortion procedures, sometimes labeled “partial-birth abortions,” violates the Constitution.

Groups on all sides of the abortion-rights debate had mixed reviews for the ruling.

The Family Research Council hailed the ruling in a statement, calling it “a win for the pro-life movement.” But an American Life League release said returning the case to a lower court with instructions and affirming that the lack of a health exception was a problem means “residents of New Hampshire are still in danger of having that law, or parts of the law, once again overturned by the lower court. Basically, the Supreme Court only took care of half of the problem.”

Meanwhile, a joint statement from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America cautiously welcomed the decision.

“We are relieved that the Supreme Court left in place protections for women’s health and safety in abortion laws,” it read, adding, “We continue to believe that the law should be struck down by the lower court.”

Posted: 1/24/06

N.C. Baptist Retirement Homes
distances itself from convention control

By Tony Cartledge

North Carolina Biblical Recorder

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP)—The Baptist Retirement Homes of North Carolina has adopted bylaw amendments that allow the corporation’s trustees to elect their own successors.

Previously the bylaws called for trustees to be elected by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, which also had the power to remove trustees.

Some observers expect other agencies to distance themselves from the convention as fundamentalists gain increasing control of the country’s second largest state Baptist convention.

The move echoes those taken by other agencies related to Baptist state conventions whose leadership has begun to move rightward. In 2000, trustees of the Missouri Baptist Home removed themselves from the control of the Missouri Baptist Convention as a fundamentalist group began gaining control of that body. Four other Missouri Baptist agencies followed suit in 2001, and the convention sued to regain control of all of them in 2002. The lawsuit remains unresolved.

A letter informing the North Carolina convention of the changes was delivered to acting Executive Director-Treasurer Mike Cummings Jan. 18.

“I deeply regret to see this action taken, and I hope there will be opportunity for us to have some important dialogue with (Retirement Homes President) Bill (Stillerman) and his board in regard to this decision,” Cummings said.

North Carolina Convention President Stan Welch also learned about the decision Jan. 18. “We will need to get our legal counsel to look at the legality of what they want to do,” he said, noting that the matter would be discussed during convention executive committee and board of directors meetings Jan. 24-25.

“I don’t think North Carolina Baptists are going to let them just break away in this particular way after having invested so much in them over so many years,” Welch said.

But Stillerman told the Biblical Recorder of North Carolina that the Baptist Retirement Homes have always used the funds received from the convention for benevolent care only.

Baptist Retirement Homes, founded in 1951, operates retirement communities in Albemarle, Asheville, Concord, Hamilton, and Winston-Salem. When founder Jimmy Hayes petitioned the convention in 1950 for aid in beginning a ministry to the elderly, he was given encouragement but no money, Stillerman said.

The convention did not contribute funds or participate in choosing trustees until 1957, Stillerman said. The corporation has always raised its own funds and borrowed money in its own name, he said.

And, Stillerman said, trustees do not consider the action to constitute a break from the convention. In a Jan. 18 press release, Stillerman insisted, “The changes made to our organization’s bylaws document have no theological overtones but are related strictly to matters of governance and finance.”

“We have every intention to continue to maintain significant ties with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina,” Stillerman said, “and our long-standing tradition of offering long-term care services to North Carolina Baptist older adults.”

“An autonomous, stable governing board is essential” to ensure the financial viability of the organization in the future, he said.

A letter mailed to more than 9,000 Baptist leaders, Homes residents, and others said the criteria for choosing trustees has not changed: they still must be Baptists, with at least three-fourths holding membership in North Carolina Baptist churches.

The changes were approved during a December meeting of the Baptist Retirement Homes trustees, after earlier efforts to accomplish the same goal were sidetracked by convention attorney John Small.

On August 16, Stillerman asked the convention’s Executive Committee to approve a plan by which Baptist Retirement Homes would begin electing its own trustees in 2006 and phase out convention funding. Baptist Retirement Homes would continue to receive the annual offering for the aged and make an annual report to the convention.

At the time, Small said the change was not allowed because it would constitute a severance of the relationship. Stillerman then asked the Executive Committee to table the earlier request.

Baptist Retirement Homes was scheduled to receive $938,500 in 2005, all slated for benevolent care. About 40 percent of the Homes’ 700 residents do pay for their care.

Stillerman said a change was needed because banks and financial institutions are increasingly unwilling to invest in organizations that do not have independent boards that ensure future stability, and the inability to borrow money at good interest rates could compromise care of the elderly.

Baptist Retirement Homes was not asking for a severance from the state convention, he said, only a change of relationship in which the homes would remain affiliated as before, with the exception of choosing its own directors and forgoing direct convention funding.

The December action by retirement home trustees effectively bypassed the need for convention approval.

According to documents posted on a wesite hosted by the N.C. Secretary of State, in May 1994 BRH trustees amended the corporation’s governing documents to move provisions for the election of trustees from its articles of incorporation to its bylaws.

Posted: 1/23/06

'Philosophy of Design' course cancelled

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Just days after they were sued over it, a California school district has agreed to stop teaching a course critics said promoted creationism and intelligent design.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced Jan. 17 that the El Tejon Unified School District, located in the mountains about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, has agreed to stop teaching a course called “Philosophy of Design” at its only high school, Frazier Mountain High in the town of Lebec.

As part of the agreement, Americans United reported, the school board issued a statement declaring, “No school over which the school district has authority, including the high school, shall offer, presently or in the future, the course entitled ‘Philosophy of Design’ or ‘Philosophy of Intelligent Design’ or any other course that promotes or endorses creationism, creation science, or intelligent design.”

Americans United filed suit Jan. 11 in federal court on behalf of 11 parents in the district, saying the course is not simply teaching intelligent design but teaching it from a specifically religious viewpoint.

A course description, given to district parents in December, said the class would “take a close look at evolution as a theory and will discuss the scientific, biological, and biblical aspects that suggest why Darwin’s philosophy is not rock solid…. Physical and chemical evidence will be presented suggesting the earth is thousands of years old, not billions.”

Intelligent design theory has been offered by a handful of respected biologists—and endorsed by many conservative religious leaders—as an alternative to naturalistic theories of evolution. It posits that some biological structures are too complex to have evolved merely by the process of natural selection; instead, they are evidence of a super-intelligent designer.

But many biologists and moderate religious leaders have condemned intelligent design as inextricably linked to creation science, which they say is more about theology than science. In December, a federal judge agreed with them, ruling that a Pennsylvania school district’s practice of endorsing intelligent design in high-school biology classes violates the Constitution’s prohibition on government establishment of religion.

However, several of the practice’s critics said, at the time, they had no objection to intelligent design theory being taught in philosophy or humanities classes.

But Americans United leaders said the California case is different because the course is weighted toward a fundamentalist Christian view of the origins of life.

The group’s legal director, Ayesha Khan, issued a statement congratulating the school board. “This course was far from intelligently designed,” she said. “It was an infomercial for creationism and its offshoot, intelligent design. The class would never have survived a court challenge, and the board of trustees made the right call by pulling the plug on it.”

The course was conceived and taught by Sharon Lemburg, a special-education teacher who is also married to an Assembly of God minister.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lemburg felt a divine calling to teach the course. “Did God guide me to do this?” she said in an interview with a reporter from the newspaper. “I would hope so.” She began teaching the course Jan. 3.