Posted: 11/08/05

Affordable housing bill excludes non-profits

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—A wide range of religious and political leaders expressed outrage over House leaders’ last-minute alterations to an affordable-housing bill they say discriminate against religious groups.

The House passed a bill that would exclude many religious groups from a government-subsidized housing program—even though the move contradicts President Bush’s efforts to make it easier for religious groups to get government funds for social services.

The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act, H.R. 1461, passed 331-90. But that was after the amendment that would effectively exclude many religious groups passed by a much narrower margin, 210-205.

The amendment vote fell mostly along party lines, with the vast majority of Republicans voting for it and all but two Democrats voting against it.

“It is shameful, especially given those left homeless by (Hurricane) Katrina, that our bipartisan efforts to support increased home ownership and wealth-building through the creation of an affordable-housing trust fund have fallen victim to the right wing’s ongoing assault on democracy and programs designed to help the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the communities of color, and our underserved community,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

The bill is designed to reform the federally chartered home-loan corporations Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae after a series of accounting and regulatory scandals at the organizations. It had emerged from the House Financial Services Committee in May, on a 65-5 vote, with a provision dedicating 5 percent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s after-tax profits to a fund that would give grants to organizations building affordable housing.

But the most conservative Republicans in the GOP-dominated House—a group calling itself the Republican Study Committee—objected to the housing fund as too loosely managed, fearing that groups with left-leaning political agendas that do voter-registration or get-out-the vote work could receive funds for housing projects—thus freeing up their own funds for more voter work.

The Republican Study Committee members got the House leadership to ensure that the bill would not come to the floor without significant restrictions that would essentially prohibit non-profit grant recipients from engaging in any voter-registration or voter education. It also included a provision that required any non-profit receiving a grant from the fund to have housing as its “primary purpose.”

A wide array of religious leaders objected, saying those provisions would effectively ban their participation. They ranged from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Episcopal Church to the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

“The primary purpose of faith-based organizations is faith,” said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the ranking minority member of the Financial Services Committee.

They also objected to the bans on voting-related activity, noting that many religious organizations conduct non-partisan voter registration and education activities as part of their work and consider being responsible citizens an integral part of their ministry.

Supporters of the amendment argued that it was necessary to keep politically activist organizations from subsidies.

“If people are engaged in assistance as a charitable activity in affording housing to low-income individuals and registering people to vote, this bill will not preclude that activity from going forward,” said Rep. Richard Baker (R-La.) in floor debate on the bill. “What it merely says is that in an instance where we have limited funds available, estimated to be perhaps $500 million spread across the entire country, that those funds first and foremost should be utilized to help people in true need of housing, not political activism.”

The original bill included several safeguards designed to ensure that the funds would go directly to support housing construction by such organizations and not their other ministries or services. However, those safeguards apparently did not satisfy objections from conservative Republicans.

Frank and other opponents attempted to have the full House vote on an amendment that would remove the added language to which the religious groups objected. However, Republican leaders made such an amendment out of order, and coupled the objectionable provisions with a widely supported amendment that would give priority to hurricane-devastated regions in distributing the grants.

Those moves virtually ensured the bill would pass with the provisions to which the religious groups objected intact.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said it is ironic that many of the same Republican Study Committee members who are the strongest supporters of government funds to religious groups in other contexts took a different tack when it came to affordable-housing ministries.

“Despite the divisiveness of the term ‘faith-based,’ most Americans are united in their support of religious organizations,” he said. “That’s why it’s surprising that the Republicans are using an otherwise worthy effort to reform government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to throw a wrench in the relationship between government and the religious community.”

The bill now goes to the Senate, where the fate of the religious provisions is unsure.

Posted: 11/08/05

Family Bible Series for Nov. 20

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

• Job 28:12-19; 23-28

By Donald Raney

Westlake Chapel, Graham

Regardless of the question, there is sure to be no shortage of answers offered. This is true whether the discussion is about the strengths and weaknesses of the local sports team or the deeper issues of the meaning of life itself.

Human history is littered with a host of religions and philosophies that have sought to answer life’s most challenging and universal questions. The search clearly was important to the writers of the biblical texts and especially to the writer of the book of Job.

This writer was careful to lay out a number of answers which the conventional wisdom of his day gave to answer the question of why there is suffering in the world, especially among apparently good people. These answers relied heavily on human reason, tradition and sense of justice. In the pages of Job, each of these is shown not to apply in Job’s situation, and the writer seeks to demonstrate that truthful answers to these questions are found only as one turns to God and earnestly seeks God’s wisdom.

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Job 28:12-14

What is wisdom? How is it related to knowledge? Can a person have one without the other? Many today might well think that there is a close relationship between knowledge and wisdom. Yet Job teaches the quest for knowledge and understanding of the world does not necessarily lead one to the attainment of wisdom.

In Job 28:1-11, he briefly describes the efforts of humanity to understand the world and refers to several discoveries and accomplishments to which those efforts have led. Humanity has discovered how to light their way in darkness by using fire. Human beings have discovered how to get precious metals and gemstones out of the earth. They have learned how to control the flow of rivers by building dams and channels. They have reached into the ground where even the birds and beasts of the earth have never been in order to level the ground for houses and gardens.

Yet according to verse 12, all of these efforts have not led humanity any closer to the place where real wisdom resides. Thus, Job concludes that wisdom is indeed very hard to find. It is so difficult to find, humanity does not even know how to place a proper value on it. It does not exist within the land of the living nor in the mythical world of the great abyss. While it is perhaps one of the things that humanity has most eagerly sought, it also is the rarest of all commodities and one which humanity cannot attain just by seeking it.

One can certainly see this today. Even though humanity has acquired a vast knowledge of the cosmos, the answers to fundamental questions of daily life such as how we can live in a world free of war, injustice and hunger have evaded us.

Job 28:15-19

Not only is wisdom hard to find, but it also is impossible to assign a value to it. Job offers a catalog of all of the things humanity considers most valuable. The writer here points to an inherent characteristic of humanity. If our personal physical or mental efforts fail to bring us wisdom, we attempt to buy it.

This particularly is true in the United States, where almost everything seems to be for sale. If there is something that you want, so we are told, all you need to do is offer the right price, and it can be yours, whatever “it” happens to be. Yet here, pure gold and gems are presented as pale and completely insufficient to exchange for wisdom. No amount of money can be offered as a purchase price. Wisdom simply is not for sale.

Job 28:23-28

So the question is, “Where and how can one obtain wisdom” (vv. 20-22)? If it does not reside in the physical world and cannot be attained through human efforts or financial exchange, is humanity forced to live a life in a futile quest? In verses 23-28, Job very clearly says, “No, wisdom is available to humanity, but only as a gift of God.”

Only God has a broad enough view of creation to see the place where wisdom resides. God indeed has used wisdom in creation. The reality and nature of wisdom is seen in the most common aspects of daily life, such as the wind and rain. In wisdom, God controlled the depth of the seas and established the natural patterns of weather. Because of the greatness of God’s demonstration of wisdom in creation, only through a reverent fear of God can humanity begin to understand the meaning of wisdom.

Only when humanity gives up their evil nature that exalts achievement and wealth will humanity attain real understanding. Solomon may have understood this. In 1 Kings 3, God offered Solomon anything he wished for. He could have asked for infinite wealth or guaranteed military success as a means of being a great king. Yet knowing he could work to attain these, he asked for that which he could not obtain on his own.

Through the exercise of the divine gift of wisdom, Solomon was able to govern his people effectively and obtain great wealth and success. May we all learn this lesson from Job and Solomon; “the fear of the Lord of the beginning of wisdom.”

Discussion questions

• What is your definition of “wisdom”?

• Other than those mentioned in Job 28, what ways do we often seek wisdom?

• In what specific areas of life do you need wisdom? How are you trying to obtain it?

Posted: 11/04/05

Baylor regents vote to downsize board

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO–Baylor University regents approved a charter change to downsize the school's governing board from 36 to 16 members over nine years and agreed to a 7.8 percent tuition hike for 2006-07.

Chairman Will Davis of Austin characterized the vote on the reduction in board size as “not unanimous but overwhelming.”

Debate on the issue among regents was “a very high quality, thoughtful discussion” of its advantages and disadvantages, said Interim President Bill Underwood.

Regents approved amendments to the university's articles of incorporation reducing the board's size from 36 to 16 members and dropping the maximum number of years of consecutive service from nine to six. The board downsizing will be achieved through attrition over nine years, Davis explained.

“There will be no mandatory resignations,” he said. “As current terms expire, they will not be reappointed.”

Regents approved the measure to improve the “efficiency and effectiveness” of the governing board, Davis said, adding they considered 36 too many members for a working, decision-making board.

The downsizing ultimately will give Baylor the smallest board of any Texas Baptist school and one of the smallest boards among nonprofit, religiously affiliated universities.

Three other universities affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas–Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University and Houston Baptist University–have 36 trustees.

Wayland Baptist University currently has 38 trustees but is in the process of adjusting the number to 36. Howard Payne University has 35 trustees. East Texas Baptist University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor each have 48 trustees. Baptist University of the Americas has 24 trustees.

Some proponents of Baylor's 2012 plan have pointed to Notre Dame University as a model for the integration of faith and learning, stating their desire to see Baylor become a “Baptist Notre Dame.” A 55-member board of trustees governs the Roman Catholic school.

By further comparison, Oklahoma Baptist University–320 miles north of Baylor–is governed by a 33-member board of trustees. Texas Christian University in Fort Worth has 50 members on its governing board, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas has 42.

Duke University, a United Methodist school, has a 37-member board of trustees, and Wake Forest University, a liberal arts school with Baptist roots, has 45 trustees.

But unlike other schools, Baylor's governing board has not been selected for its financial development capability, Davis maintained.

“Most nonprofits with large boards use them to try to raise money,” he said. “Right or wrong, Baylor has never used its board as a fundraising vehicle.”

Prior to the meeting, some who were aware of the proposal characterized it as a power grab intended to silence dissenting voices on the board.

They noted some of the first regents to rotate off the board will be among the most vocal opponents of former President Robert Sloan and his leadership. Sloan resigned June 1 after more than two years of controversy and accepted the university chancellor's position.

Others maintained it fails to address the root cause of problems at the university–a deeply polarized board that continues to line up in support of or opposition to the former president, who became Baylor's chancellor June 1.

“A 16-member polarized board is just as dysfunctional as a 36-member polarized board, especially when it is a subset of the same people,” Randy Ferguson of Austin wrote to members of the regents' committee.

Ferguson, a regent elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, sent a private e-mail to the committee–which came to be distributed broadly–outlining his concerns about the governance proposal.

A 36-member board offers greater potential for ethnic diversity, broader representation from Texas Baptist churches and a deeper pool of potential donors than a 16-member board, he wrote.

In his e-mail, Ferguson urged the committee to reconsider its proposal and instead nominate four new members not affiliated with any faction in Baylor life.

“Surely, with the tens of thousands of Baylor graduates in Texas alone, we can find four men and women that do not have a sword in their hand and have not been part of the three-year civil war that has been going on,” he wrote.

After the meeting, Ferguson said he voted against the proposal but added, “I'm going to honor the will of the majority of the board, give 100 percent support to the decision that's been made and move forward.”

Regarding the tuition and rate increase–from $21,070 this year to $22,714–Underwood said it was “absolutely necessary for us to continue to provide the quality of education we are committed to providing at Baylor University.”

Specifically, it will provide faculty and staff salary increases after three years of limited or no raises; catch up on deferred maintenance; help the university deal with a $2.4 million increase in utility costs; and restore capital budgets for classroom, lab and office equipment–all of which were cut in recent years.

Posted: 11/04/05

Church mourns pastor
electrocuted during baptism

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

WACO–Kyle Lake, 33-year-old pastor of the innovative University Baptist Church in Waco, was electrocuted and died Oct. 30 after he grabbed a microphone while in a baptistry full of water.

Eyewitnesses reported Lake grabbed the microphone to adjust it while standing in the baptismal waters. He was shocked and collapsed.

More than 800 people witnessed the event, which happened on the same weekend as Baylor University's homecoming. Doctors in the congregation tried for 40 minutes to revive Lake. He was sent to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m. The woman Lake was to baptize survived the incident.

In the days following the accident, a technical crew and local authorities continued to try to pinpoint the exact cause of Lake's death.

Lake and his wife, Jen, have a daughter and twin sons.

In an Internet blog, one Baylor student mourned the loss of “a dear friend and spiritual guide to so many people in the community who have struggled with faith.”

“Besides the loss itself, many in the church are traumatized because everyone there actually saw him get electrocuted,” the student wrote on www.theooze.com. “Please do pray for everyone involved. The community is really struggling.”

The church's website–typically full of color–provided a stark, simple statement Oct. 31 expressing grief over the loss of a pastor and friend. It also affirmed his faith.

“We are confident that Kyle is in heaven today because of his trust in Jesus Christ as his savior,” the site read.

Members of the David Crowder Band, the congregation's worship band, also left a simple expression of their feelings.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our great friend and pastor, Kyle Lake. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lake family, as well as our entire church community at UBC.”

The church held a service of prayer and reflection Oct. 30 to remember its pastor.

University Baptist was founded in 1995 by David Crowder and Chris Seay, now pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston. Lake led University Baptist, a congregation comprised largely of college students, seven years.

A graduate of Baylor University and Truett Theological Seminary, Lake was one of the up-and-coming voices of the “emerging church” movement, which seeks to reconnect younger generations to the gospel.

Seay characterized Lake as “remarkably endearing” and said he cared deeply for his congregation.

“He loved students so much,” Seay said. “He'd sit down and laugh and joke and also be able to speak truth into their lives.”

Milfred Minatrea, missional church consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, called Lake a “bridge person” because he cared deeply for traditional churches but was passionate about sharing the gospel with younger generations.

“Kyle's contemplative in many senses,” Minatrea said. “He meditated on the Scriptures and tried to tell the message in fresh ways.”

Lake was the author of two books, Understanding God's Will and [Re]Understanding Prayer. News of Lake's death spread across the country within hours of his passing through phone calls, e-mails and Internet blogs.

Greg Warner of Associated Baptist Press contributed to this article.

Posted: 11/01/05

Explore the Bible Series for Nov. 13

A lack of vigilance will bring sin to the fore

• Romans 8:1-14

By Trey Turner

Canyon Creek Baptist Church, Temple

Assuming by the number of humorous stories, the family television set is anything but set. In my home, testosterone keeps the buttons pressed so that the television knows only to slide from one channel to the next. The three various-aged men of this family take their turns “seeking what they may devour” on the television until something captivates.

For instance, the 2004 release of The Alamo starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton has as DVD bonus material an option where the viewer can listen to commentary by Texas historians who worked on the movie. These men talk about how events actually happened, how they were portrayed in the movie, details about characters and how these details could only be hinted toward in a movie. The commentary shown on top of the movie captured my interest; it was set.

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Give attention to God’s way for you to live by taking a new mindset. This way is worth living.

Adopt the Spirit’s mindset (Romans 8:1-8)

Paul talks about a spiritual mindset, acknowledging the struggle between spiritual life and normal human nature. It is not natural to be led by the Spirit. To do so is contrary to nature. Paul calls it the “law of sin and death.”

People default to actions which lead to sin and death. This “law” that was humanly impossible to overcome was overcome when God sent his Son. Now people do not automatically have to live in ways displeasing and hostile (v. 7) to God. Paul says in verse 4 that sin is condemned and the requirements of the law (God’s covenant demands) can be met in the believer.

Consider the religious orders of Jesus’ day—tithing on the mint, dill and cumin grown in their gardens—yet how their careful obedience falls short of God’s law because they neglected the “more important things” (Matthew 23:23). The kingdom of God is a spiritual order prompted within the soul of the believer. Living according to the Spirit’s prompting now must captivate the believer’s life.

Previously, he or she could not be pleasing to God by following the outward written law. Now there is the option to fulfill it following the prompting of the Spirit of God who lives within the believer. God gives the individual freedom and responsibility to follow the Spirit’s mindset. Freed from the default, will the believer now choose that mindset? Paul says Christians no longer are captive.

Go in the Spirit’s direction (Romans 8:9-11)

Christians have the Spirit of Christ, so the Christian’s spirit is alive to Christ and able to follow him even in fleshly bodies. Paul says the Christian’s body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive—the implications are for the overcoming of the weight of those fleshly tendencies. That same Christian has been freed for living the empowered life.

Certain CD players have power indicator lights. Mine lights up red when the power is on. That is only to indicate the fact of power going to the player. It is ready to use. The indicator light does not mean the player is being used, only that power is available.

Similarly, the Christian follows the Spirit’s prompting as through salvation Christ’s power is made available (10), and following him brings glory to Christ (8,14). But the Holy Spirit’s presence does not mean the believer automatically is pleasing to God. He or she must choose to go in the Spirit’s direction. Paul says there is strength to obey.

Obey the Spirit’s leadership (Romans 8:12-14)

The death brought about by sinful actions is not the “second death” (Revelation 21:8). Nor is it is an indication of being lost again, for in Romans 8, Paul is talking in the context of those who are believers. Instead, living by the sinful nature does no one any good; in fact, it does harm. Sinful behavior does not bring about Christ’s righteousness, so why live in that pattern? Learn to put to death this body’s actions that do not glorify God. Paul says the choice belongs to each believer.

Discussion questions

• If Christians are no longer slaves to sin, how would you describe temptation?

• Why are Christians still tempted?

• How can Christians do a better job following the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

• Why should a Christian exercise spiritual disciplines?

• Discuss some of the Christian disciplines. How do they help overcome the flesh’s tendencies?

Posted: 11/04/05

A HEALING TOUCH:
Clinic offers aid to otherwise unserved people

By George Henson

Staff Writer

DALLAS–The Agape Clinic has no fancy instruments and conducts no surgeries, but Director Charles Kemp transplants his heart into his young students.

Kemp, also a senior lecturer at Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, is at the clinic because his heart won't let him do otherwise.

"Life is too short to waste, and this is really important that we address the problem of human suffering on every level," he said as he sat in the waiting room of the clinic amidst a throng of people who came for the only medical care available to them.

Patients come because they know not only will they be cared for, but they also will be cared about.

The Agape Clinic has been open since 1982, but it only made services available on Saturdays for most of that time. Kemp and Baylor's nursing school became involved four years ago, and now the clinic is open Wednesday through Saturday.

The clinic offers health care to people who have no other place to go. Some come with insurance cards, but they haven't been taught how to use them. The clinic's staff instructs them how to use their insurance and helps them make appointments. Others have cards for care through the county hospital, but their children are too sick to wait the week to two weeks an appointment sometimes requires. The Agape staff works through its contacts to help people who need earlier treatment get appointments quickly.

“That's how people qualify to be seen here–if they can't go anywhere else,” Kemp explained.

That still leaves the Agape Clinic with a full slate of patients each day. The staff sees more than 125 patients in a typical week. Grants, donations from area churches, and donations of medicine and supplies support the clinic.

While the range of illness is great, the most common ailments for adults are blood pressure problems and diabetes-related maladies. Children most often suffer from viral infections, ear infections and skin disorders.

“I just think it's terrible to let people suffer through inattention,” Kemp said.

He has transferred that sentiment to many students through the years. Some of them have graduated from the nursing program but come back to help at the clinic.

Denise August, a graduate student at Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, sometimes uses hand motions to supplement her Spanish dialogue with patients.

Melissa Elmore, a 2003 graduate of the nursing school's family nurse practitioner program, is one former student who continues to help.

“My primary reason for going into health care was to help people–to help them not only feel better, but also share the love of Christ,” she said.

Liz Segulja, scheduled for December graduation, sees working in the clinic as excellent preparation for her nursing goals.

“I wanted to work here because I knew it would be different from working in a hospital, and I'm interested in possibly working in a foreign country. This will be good preparation for that,” she said.

Indeed, most of the patients who visit the clinic have limited knowledge of English.

Denise August, a graduate student who works at the clinic, communicates well in Spanish, “but I'm sure my grammar is awful,” she said. While she has had many Spanish courses in school, she said her best preparation for communicating with the patients at Agape Clinic was a month-long mission trip to Guadalajara she took as an undergraduate.

August, a nurse at Parkland Hospital in Dallas the past five years, has returned to the school to pursue a graduate degree. Working with Kemp as an undergraduate gave her a passion for “working with the underserved,” she said.

Judy Lott, dean of the School of Nursing, is not surprised students discover a sense of purpose at the clinic.

“The Agape Clinic absolutely fits the mission not only of the School of Nursing, but also for Baylor University itself,” Lott said. “The mission of the university is education, research and service, and the Agape Clinic allows for all those things.”

“It is an absolutely wonderful learning experience for our students,” she continued. “They are coming from a different background than our patients, and it's an eye-opening experience for them. They also get a chance to experience what it really means to be the hands and feet of Christ.

“The clinic is only two blocks from here, but it like being in another world,” Lott said.

Kemp gets letters from former students periodically, including many who now serve in foreign lands, continuing to help the underserved.

Kemp's yearning to serve the poor has kept him from climbing the rungs of academia, Lott said.

“He doesn't have a doctorate, because his heart has always been in service, and his service has prevented him from taking that time,” she said.

“However, I can't see how any further education would enable him to make any greater contribution than what he already is doing.”

Posted: 11/04/05

Alito could shape future of Supreme Court

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Presi-dent Bush's nomination of federal appeals judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court could shift the court firmly to the right–immediately and for decades to come–on issues such as abortion rights and the relationship between church and state.

If the Senate confirms his nomination, Alito would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is the high court's moderate swing vote.

“He has a deep understanding of the proper role of judges in our society. He understands that judges are to interpret the laws, not to impose their preferences or priorities on the people,” Bush said in comments announcing Alito at the White House.

Alito, in response, said he believes in judicial humility. “Federal judges have the duty to interpret the Constitution and the laws faithfully and fairly, to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans, and to do these things with care and with restraint, always keeping in mind the limited role that the courts play in our constitutional system,” he said.

Many social conservatives have argued some federal judges have been too willing to go beyond the original intent of the framers of the Constitution by creating rights and attempting to solve social ills with court decisions. Moderates and liberals, on the other hand, have responded that the framers understood a document written in the 18th century would have to be reinterpreted by future generations.

Alito, 55, is a Roman Catholic, a New Jersey native and graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School. If confirmed, he would join new Chief Justice John Roberts and associate justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy to constitute the high court's first-ever Catholic majority.

The remaining justices include two Jews–Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer–and two Protestants, John Paul Stevens and David Souter.

Alito's addition also would leave Ginsburg as the court's only female member.

In a press release issued a couple of hours after Bush's announcement, the head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State called the pick “deeply troubling.”

In another statement issued just minutes later, the head of the conservative Family Research Council countered that Bush “could not have chosen a more qualified nominee.”

Reaction in the Senate, which is charged with approving or rejecting the nominee, was equally polarized.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), in a Capitol press conference introducing the nominee to journalists, called Alito “outstanding” and, like Bush, demanded a swift “up-or-down vote” on him.

But about 30 minutes later, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of the most outspoken Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Com-mittee, denoun-ced the nomination as one that would cause significant division.

“When there is a controversial nominee for a pivotal swing vote on the court, the pro-cess should not be short-circuited or rushed,” he told reporters.

Responding to questions, Schumer did not commit to voting against Alito. Nor did he promise that Democrats would try to use a filibuster to scuttle the nomination. However, a Freudian slip in his answer may cast light on the significant misgivings Democrats have about Alito.

“Nothing is on the table and nothing is off the table. Let's learn what we can about Judge Scalia,” Schumer said, mistakenly referencing the current Supreme Court justice who is the target of moderate and liberal criticism, Antonin Scalia. Some pundits have already dubbed Alito as “Scalito” because of his alleged ideologically similarity to the court's most conservative judge.

Alito's judicial record shows he may be inclined to rule similarly to Scalia on abortion cases, but his record on church-state issues may be more nuanced.

He has been a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, 15 years. He was appointed to that position by President George H.W. Bush. He also served as an attorney in the Reagan administration and generally is considered solidly conservative.

He has participated in thousands of cases that leave a long judicial record, including about 300 opinions he has written.

On abortion, Alito is best known for the 3rd circuit's decision in a landmark 1991 abortion case. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, he joined the unanimous opinion of a three-judge panel upholding most of a Pennsylvania law imposing several new restrictions on women seeking abortions.

Alito wrote a dissent on part of the decision, however, stating he also would uphold a part of the law that required women to notify their husbands before obtaining an abortion. His colleagues found that portion of the law unconstitutional, as did the Supreme Court later.

Despite some groups' misgivings, Alito's record on church-state issues may be less clear.

Chip Lupu, a church-state expert and law professor at George Washington University, said of Alito, “I don't think this guy is any radical on church-state issues.” However, he added, “I don't think he's going to be an O'Connor clone.”

Lupu and his George Washington colleague, Bob Tuttle, said Alito's rulings seem to indicate he is open to some public displays of religious items, but his rulings have not departed greatly from Supreme Court precedent in that area.

In a 1999 case, ACLU v. Schundler, Alito and his court decided a holiday display erected by Jersey City, N.J., at a municipal building did not violate the First Amendment's ban on government endorsement of religion.

The original display–which contained a Christian nativity scene and a Jewish menorah–initially was held to be unconstitutional by Alito's court.

But when Jersey City added a Christmas tree, other secularized holiday symbols and symbols of the African-American holiday Kwanzaa, a three-judge panel of the same court–including Alito–ruled the display to be constitutional, even if its original form was not.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court found a Kentucky Ten Commandments display with a similar unconstitutional history violated the constitution, despite later changes.

Tuttle said Alito's decision in the Jersey City case might mean he would have ruled differently on the recent Kentucky case if he had been on the Supreme Court.

However, the professor added, because the court's precedent in the area of public religious displays is “so maddeningly dense and confused,” rulings often vary according to the circumstances of the case.

In other church-state areas, Tuttle and Lupu said, Alito may offer some encouragement for those who believe in a strong reading of the First Amendment's other religion clause–the one guaranteeing the free exercise of religion.

Tuttle pointed to Alito's role in another 3rd Circuit Court decision, Fraternal Order of Police v. City of Newark. In that 1999 decision, the court found city officials had violated the rights of two Muslim police officers who believed they were religiously obliged to wear beards by banning facial hair for police.

Alito, writing the court's opinion, noted the city allowed a medical exemption to the rule, and thus should allow a religious exemption as well.

“I think it's the strongest free-exercise case that any of the federal circuit courts have decided in the last six or seven years,” Tuttle said, noting the decision suggests Alito would be “really stronger than Chief Justice (William) Rehnquist would have been on that same set of facts. Rehnquist and probably Roberts would have been much more deferential to the government on cases like that.”

Posted: 11/04/05

Around the State

Houston Baptist University's Guild will hold its Christmas luncheon at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Dec. 2 at 11:30 a.m. Sadie Hodo and her daughter, Alison, will be the featured speakers. Tickets are $45. The Guild is a group of Christian women dedicated to education who since 1995 have provided 104 annual and 10 endowed scholarships for career classrom teachers. For more information, call (281) 649-3362.

Primera Iglesia Emanuel in Cleburne, 30th, Oct. 16. Hector Salinas is pastor.

Robin McGee, 25th, as minister of music at First Church in Sherman.

Glen Ray, as pastor of North Woods Church in Spring, Nov. 13. He has been pastor of the church 14 years. His ministry totals 53 years in pastorates, assocational and state convention positions. He will be available for interims and supply at (713) 270-7824.

East Texas Baptist University students donated water to the Red Cross Shelter housed at the Marshall Civic Center before the school's football game with Southern Arkansas. Students also prepared a pancake breakfast for evacuees, helped make apartments ready for them to move into and took a trip to the Gulf Coast to aid in recovery efforts.

Steve Dean, as manager of Plains Baptist Assembly in Floydada, Nov. 19. He had been with the camp 12 years. A reception will be held at 10 a.m. at Calvary Church in Lubbock.

Donald Johnson, 79, Oct. 1 in Fort Worth. A pastor more than 60 years, he served churches in Johnson, Nueces, Grayson and Tarrant counties. His last church was Park Temple Church in Fort Worth. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert; brothers, Elmo, Robert and J.L.; and sister, Ethel Bunch. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jimmie; son, James; daughter, Joyce Gumfory; brothers, Burt and Benny; sister, Eddie Burgess; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Vernon Vaughn, 76, Oct. 21 in Waco. A graduate of Howard Payne College, he was ordained as a minister in 1957 and began his ministry as pastor of New Salem Church in Lott. He went to work in 1959 as a house parent at Buckner Boys Ranch in Burnet. He left there to become pastor of Little Deer Creek Church in Chilton, where he remained 43 years until his death. He was preceded in death by his sister, Jo Snedeker. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Darlene; sons, Kevin and Keith; sisters, Nell Erby and Betty Poe; brothers, Billy and Douglas; and three grandchildren.

J.T. Ayers Jr., 82, Oct. 27 in Corsicana. A graduate of Baylor Uni-versity and Southwestern Seminary, he was pastor of churches in Mound, Hub-bard, Gold-thwaite, Gatesville and Brownwood before moving to Corsi-cana in 1969 to serve as director of missions for Central Texas Baptist Area. He retired in the mid-'80s for health reasons but continued to teach Sunday school at First Church in Corsicana until 2003. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Ruth, and his sister, Katherine Evans. He is survived by his daughters, Annette Gibson and Judy Simpson; sisters, Ann Schwartz and Deloris Carey; brothers, Willard, Jack and Ronnie; and three grandchildren.

Volma Overton, 81, Oct. 31 in Austin. A leader in the movement to desegrate public schools in the 1970s, he also, in 1963, became the first African-American since the Civil War to join First Church in Austin. He remained at the church until his death as a longtime deacon. A contemporary of Martin Luther King, he took part in the march on Selma and was present for King's “I Have A Dream” speech. He agreed to let his daughter, DeDra, be named the chief plaintiff in the desegregation lawsuit against Austin's public schools. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Warneta; daughters, Florence Black, DeDra Overton and Sharlet Houim; and son, Volma Jr.

Brad Reedy to the ministry at First Church in Longview.

Barnie Henderson as a deacon at Little River Church in Cameron.

Milton Saltzman as a deacon at First Church in Lampasas.

Britt Clay, Jay Giddens, Ranzell Meeks, Barrett Pollard, Keith Smart and Randy Stovall as deacons at Eastwood Church in Gatesville.

Keith Gatewood as a deacon at Pleasant Valley Church in Jonesboro.

Elias Elizondo as a deacon at Iglesia El Calvario in Jourdanton.

Posted: 11/04/05

BGCT-related meetings scheduled in Austin

Posted: 11/04/05

BGCT annual meeting program highlights

Posted: 11/04/05

Buckner nurses help retirement
center residents feel loved

By Justin Henry

Buckner Benevolences

DALLAS–The nursing staff at Buckner retirement facilities believe their greatest function is to make residents feel at home and surrounded by people who care about them, said Elaine Morrison, a licensed vocational nurse at Buckner Retirement Village in Dallas.

“We feel like it is our job to show them love in the ways that are needed, whether it is reassuring them about their medication, helping them with their daily functioning or simply to hold a hand,” she said.

The staff provides a continuum of care, from independent or assisted-living to more advanced care for residents with memory loss or more intensive health needs. They become an integral part of residents' lives and make a difference in the retirement communities in which they work.

Since 1954, Buckner has met the needs of older adults through five retirement communities in Dallas, Houston, Beaumont, Austin and Longview.

Many who call the facilities “home” need some form of medical care, but the impact Buckner has on its residents is not limited simply to physical health care. The Christian environment impacts residents spiritually.

“The fact that we are a faith-based organization makes a big difference,” said Kathy Gottus, director of nursing for Parkway Place in Houston. “I've worked at other companies who operate for-profit services, but the caliber of people we have on staff here really sets them apart because they are not only gifted at what they do, but very compassionate and caring.”

Patients lives are affected every day because of the direct contact the nursing staff has with them, Gottus added.

“Buckner provides more than just health care,” she said. “The staff has the ability to transmit love and, through that love, their faith to the residents they are serving.”

Buckner lives up to the expectations of residents and their families, said Peggy Simon, a licensed vocational nurse at the Calder Woods retirement community in Beaumont.

“When people bring their loved ones to stay with us, they expect the highest quality health care that money can buy,” she said “Many times, however, the staff here goes above and beyond what they have to do and exceed the expectations of what is required.”

Simon, who has worked at Buckner six months, recently was evacuated along with residents when Hurricane Rita approached, and she discovered Buckner had plans in place to help make that transition as easy as possible. She traveled with six critical-care patients to Longview's Buckner Westminster Place, where she continued to care for them.

“Buckner was wonderful during the hurricane,” she said. “They really were prepared for everything, and we had no trouble during our relocation at that time.”

Posted: 11/04/05